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The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien See book keywords and concepts

According to the principles of chinese medicine, licorice replenishes "chi" (vital energy), clears heat, removes toxins, moistens the lungs, controls coughs, relieves spasms and pain, and strengthens digestion. The root also has a long history of use in Ayurveda, the traditional healing system of India. For centuries, Native Americans used indigenous licorice species such as G. lepidota for diarrhea, stomach upset, and fever in children, passing their knowledge on to the early settlers.

Herbs of Life: Health & Healing Using Western & Chinese Techniques Lesley Tierra See book keywords and concepts

Going to bed by 11 PM each evening is another important health habit to form. In chinese medicine, the Wood element rules the body between 11 PM to 3 AM. This is the time the Liver is most active in its functions of storing and cleansing the blood. If we are awake and active at this time, the Liver has less energy to perform these tasks. Many of us find we wake up refreshed and lively when we go to sleep by 11 PM. On the other hand, when we go to bed later we don't feel as well when waking up, even if we get the same amount of sleep.

The Memory Solution Dr. Julian Whitaker See book keywords and concepts

HUPERZINE A—BRAIN BOOSTER FROM CHINA Huperzine A is an extract from club moss (Huperzia serrata) that has been used in chinese medicine for centuries to treat inflammation and fever. In recent years, interest in this extract has shifted to its effects on the brain. Huperzine A blocks the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down the vital neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and has been demonstrated in clinical studies to enhance focus, concentration, and memory. For patients with Alzheimer's disease and serious dementia, this herbal extract may actually take the place of prescription drugs.

The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program Andrew L. Stoll See book keywords and concepts

Even so, it is a characteristic of many alternative therapies that the actual mechanism of cure—the scientific explanation of how it affects the body—is often mysterious to a Westerner, because it is dependent on a different set of scientific and philosophical assumptions, as, for example, the "chi" or energy centers of chinese medicine. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Complementary Medicine Many people automatically think that anything "natural" belongs in the complementary medicine camp, and omega-3 fatty acids have often been grouped in that category.

Eat To Beat Cancer: A Research Scientist Explains How You and Your Family Can Avoid Up to 90% of All Cancers J. Robert Hatherill See book keywords and concepts

Lignan-rich plants have an interesting history as active ingredients in many diverse cultures, including chinese medicine. The structural similarity between lignans and estrogens has led many to speculate on the role lignans may serve in humans. In humans, lignans bind weakly to estrogen receptors. Studies have shown that women who have breast cancer excrete lower amounts of lignans than healthy women do.

Nature's Medicines : From Asthma to Weight Gain, from Colds to High Cholesterol -- The Most Powerful All-Natural Cures Gale Maleskey See book keywords and concepts

I learned this from chinese medicine. If you take royal jelly for several weeks, the immunological system will respond when it was not responding before," he says. Bowls Full of Jelly China is the number one supplier of royal jelly to the United States. To meet the demand, producers have special hives in which they create row upon row of queen cells with eggs, then wait for bees to fill the cells with royal jelly. When the eggs are swimming in the substance, workers suck the jelly out of each cell using a glass tube.

Derived from the root of a perennial shrub, licorice was first used in chinese medicine thousands of years ago. It also became a flavoring agent for candy and sweet-smelling pipe tobacco. Licorice root has been used to treat female disorders, peptic ulcers, stress, colds, and several types of bacterial infections. It's a well-studied herb, and some of these traditional uses have been verified scientifically.

The Chinese Solution Dong quai is an herb that's long been used in chinese medicine for various women's ailments. One of its primary benefits is its ability to relieve cramps by helping the uterus relax. Dong quai can also help reduce menstrual blood flow, says Dr. Moore. If you'd like to try dong quai, it's available in most health food stores. Just follow the dosage directions on the package you buy. (A typical dose might be one or two 550-milligram capsules twice a day.) Practitioners usually recommend taking it from 14 days after a period begins until the start of your next period.

Dong Quai: A Versatile Helper Dong quai is an herb that has been used for centuries in China, in fact* it is Chinese medicine's leading remedy for gynecological ailments, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness during menopause. While no scientific studies have proven its effectiveness, dong quai has gotten a lot of mileage out of tradition and word-of~mouth recommendations, In addition to its gynecological powers, it has been used for lother health problems.

Power Healing: Use the New Integrated Medicine to Cure Yourself Leo Galland See book keywords and concepts

Although many different chemicals, naturally produced within the body, may act as messengers to carry the signal, the information is transmitted in a binary code that has been called the yin and the yang of physiology. In chinese medicine, yin is that aspect of function which recedes, withdraws, is cooler or darker, and yczng is that aspect which advances, expands, is brighter or warmer. The yin signal is a "Do less" signal. It instructs each cell to do less of its specific task. The yang signal is a "Do more" signal, which accelerates each cell's specific task.

Like Astragalus, shiitake and reishi are used in contemporary chinese medicine as fu zheng remedies, which means they "support the normal," stimulating health rather than treating sickness. Shiitake mushrooms, which are quite tasty, are readily available in gourmet food stores. Both shiitake and reishi may be obtained in capsules. A dose that stimulates immune responses is nine hundred milligrams per day of each. For people with severe allergies, it is advisable to use reishi alone, as reishi may inhibit allergic reactivity and shiitake may increase it.97 7.

Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Western nutritionists have not explored how food affects one's sense of clarity and balance, though Eastern dietary systems have done so in great depth. In chinese medicine and nutrition, for example, foods may be classified by their expression of one or more of the Five Elements, here often termed the "Five Phases."19 Balancing a meal on this basis is almost an art form. For example, a plate with yams (Earth), mustard greens (Fire), seaweed (Water), lentils (Wood), and rice (Metal) would have a balanced effect on consciousness.

Herbs of Life: Health & Healing Using Western & Chinese Techniques Lesley Tierra See book keywords and concepts

Licorice is the most used herb in chinese medicine for several reasons: it harmonizes the various herbs in a formula so they work together better and increases their strength, it alleviates the harsh stimulating effects of bitter herbs without interfering with their use, and it adds a wonderful sweet taste. Children especially like the taste of licorice (remember sucking on licorice ropes at a show or fair?), and a root or several slices can be given to children when hiking or traveling since they help quench thirst.

Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

But, as we've seen before, keeping five different categories of foods straight in your mind is something of a challenge, so those who follow the philosophies of the Far East have tended to deal with diet most often in the simpler terms of yin and yang, the dichotomy which is a basic organizing concept in chinese medicine. It is echoed in the Indian Tantric teachings by the left and right breaths, qualities of receptivity and activity, and their relationship to femininity and masculinity.

Herbs of Life: Health & Healing Using Western & Chinese Techniques Lesley Tierra See book keywords and concepts

Traditional chinese medicine, whtie based upon Yin-Yang principles, generady tends to avoid making the classification of Yin and Yang to ad foods, herbs and conditions. Instead it conjugates the qualities of Yin and Yang according to eight principles. Only if it becomes necessary to designate the Yinness or Yangness of an herb, food or condition would they be so regarded. Fodowing the TCM definition of Yin and Yang as it pertains to health and healing, we have the fodowing: Yin—substantial, cold, deficient and moist; Yang—ephemeral, hot, excessive and dry.

Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

AIDS and chinese medicine, Qingcai Zhang, M.D., and Hong-Yen Hsu, Ph.D., Keats Publishing, New Canaan, Conn., 1990. AIDS and Syphilis: The Hidden Lin\, Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D., North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, Calif, 1987. Nine Ounces: A Nine-Part Program for the Prevention of AIDS in HIV-Positive Persons, Bob Flaws, Blue Poppy Press, Boulder, Colo., 1992. Syphilis as AIDS, Robert Ben Mitchell, Banned Books, Austin, Tex., 1988.

The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

As in chinese medicine, the Ayurvedic system of pulse taking is extremely detailed and much more time- Chakras Traversing the body from the base of the spine to the head, seven chakras, or energy centers, are believed to link to internal organs, natural elements, colors, and deities. Self-illumination is said to occur when energy reaches the topmost chakra.

Classic chinese medicine describes six "solid," or yin, organs, such as heart and lungs, and six "hollow," or yang, organs, including stomach and intestine. Each organ is perceived to be under the control of one of the five elements, or manifestations of qi, of which all matter was thought to be composed: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth (Figure 4). (Later, in the sixth century b.c, a similar idea using four rather than five basic "humors"—water, fire, earth, and air—was adopted in Greece.

In classic chinese medicine, the life force is termed chi or ch'i, or in modern transliteration qi (all pronounced "chee"). When there is a balance of qi—not too much or too little flow of energy—there is good health. An excess or deficiency in the flow of energy, however, represents an imbalance that causes pain and illness. Acupuncture is applied to correct that imbalance. An uneven flow of qi is returned to equilibrium by the placement of acupuncture needles along or at the intersections of appropriate meridians.

Beliefs on Which It Is Based Classic, traditional acupuncture is based on ancient chinese medicine and its understanding of health. The origins of acupuncture illustrate how the earliest civilizations sought to understand the world and its various components, including seasons, nature, wellness, and disease, as parts of a single whole. Each aspect of life, including health and disease, was conceptualized as a polarity, manipulated by two opposing forces in nature. These forces are the yin, or dark female force, and the yang, or light male force.

In classic chinese medicine, it was believed that every problem, weakness, illness, and symptom could be corrected by acupuncture. Further, this ancient healing method was but one integral piece of a complex mosaic that explained health, disease, the cosmos, and the relationship of humankind with nature and the universe as a whole. This can be seen in the relationship between the number of months and days in a year, and the human body's twelve main meridians, and in the original classic texts the 365 acupoints. The individual pulsates to the rhythm of the cosmos.

Ayurveda 3. chinese medicine, Traditional 4. Homeopathy 5. Native American Healing 6. Naturopathic Medicine T JLhe alternative approaches reviewed in this part share many features. Instead of disease-oriented therapies, these are general routes to the maintenance and restoration of health and well-being. They involve much more than prescriptions for ailments. They provide a level of guidance that some see as a substitute for religion. Indeed, most of these alternatives once were or still are thoroughly entwined with religion. And most have endured for hundreds or thousands of years.

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Dr. Gary Null See book keywords and concepts

Traditional chinese medicine, in combination with Western medicine, was shown effective in preventing clotting. X. Jin, [Formation of Extrinsic Blood Thrombosis in 102 Cases of Thromboangiitis Obliterans], Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih 10, no. 3 (March 1990): 152-54, 32. Ganoderma lucidum was proven effective in inhibiting platelet aggregation in a study of 15 healthy volunteers and 33 patients with therosclerotic diseases. J. Tao and K.Y Feng, "Experimental and Clinical Studies on Inhibitory Effect of Ganoderma Lucidum on Platelet Aggregation," Journal Tongji Med. Univ. 10, no.

Conservative Therapy of Combining Laparoscopy and chinese medicine for Ectopic Pregnancy], Chung Kuo Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih 14, no. 10 (October 1994): 583-85. PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) PMS is more widespread in Western societies than in primitive cultures, because of diet and lifestyle. Dr. Michael Janson, an orthomolecular physician from Cambridge, Massachusetts and author of The Vitamin Revolution, says, "Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol precipitate or worsen symptoms and should be avoided. This is because a lot of patients with PMS have frank hypoglycemia.

ORIENTAL PERSPECTIVE Registered nurse and acupuncturist Abigail Rist-Podrecca explains sexual dysfunction from an Eastern point of view: "Chinese medicine looks to the root of the cause, rather than just the symptoms, and the root seems to be the kidney. The kidneys are called the roots of life. Everything stems from the kidney, they say." Weak kidney function can be diagnosed in Oriental medicine in multiple ways, including facial diagnosis: "Under the eye is the thinnest tissue in the entire body," explains Rist-Podrecca. "You can see through the skin there.

People will say, T haven't had enough sleep,' but it goes beyond that. In chinese medicine, it says that the kidneys are not functioning optimally, so the blood isn't being cleansed." She goes on describe various factors that can drain the kidneys. "Cold can deplete the kidneys. Many people can't tolerate cold. This is so because in the winter time, the kidney's function becomes suppressed, much the same way as the sap in a tree runs to the core and into the roots. When people have a compromised kidney situation, where it isn't functioning optimally, they can't stand the cold weather.

Overwork and tension can also weaken kidney function because the kidneys and the adrenal glands (the adrenal sits on top of the kidney) are considered one and the same in chinese medicine. So too much stress, and too many chemical toxins, deplete kidney functioning." Hundreds of Chinese herbs nourish kidney function. Here Rist-Podrecca names a few: Har shar woo. This is an essential herbal formula for nourishing kidney function. It is also said to darken the hair. Hair, bone, teeth, joints, and sexual functions are tied up with the kidney energies.

Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Kidney/Bladder Rehmannia (Chinese foxglove) is the principal herb for nourishing the kidney—which, in chinese medicine, is responsible for the juiciness of vitality. When this "kidney yin" ov jing dwindles, we dry CHINESE HERBOLOGY Contribution: Rich in: Organ affinities Adaptogens Ginseng: Perfect yang tonic. The adaptogen par excellence Organ affinity: spleena and lungs. Astragalus (yellow vetch): Immune support—especially against inclement weather and external stresses. Strengthens digestion (in contrast to goldenseal). Treats chronic weakness of the lungs.

The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine: How to Remedy and Prevent Disease with Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutrients Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

American Journal of chinese medicine, 10(1-4), 32-39, 1982. 5. Turkevich, O.M., et. A., "Using eleutherococcus to treat patients with senile and arteriosclerotic psychoses." 24th Session of the Committee to Study Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants of the Far East. VBaldivostok, 96 pages. 6. Kirilov, O.I. "The effect of fluid extract of eleutherococcus root on the pituitary-adrenocortical system." Sib. Otd. Acad. Nauk S.S.S.R., 23, 3-5, 1964. 7. Golotin, G.F. & Bojko, S. N., "Research on the increased resistance of organisms treated with eleutherococcus and other medicines.

The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Resource for Healthy Eating Rebecca Wood See book keywords and concepts

Health Benefits Mulberries are one of the few fruits that strengthen and replenish constitutional kidney energy in chinese medicine. In addition, mulberries quench thirst, have detoxifying properties, and are said to nourish the blood, calm the spirit, and relieve constipation in the elderly. For medicinal purposes, white mulberries are harvested just before they are fully ripe. Fresh mulberries reduce pitta and vata and, in moderation, kapha. Use For culinary purposes, use fully ripened mulberries. Eaten out of hand, black mulberries are irresistible.

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