| Several herbal medicines described here may in fact already fulfill the role of wonder drug, for example, ginkgo biloba, Silybum marianum, Panax ginseng, and Piper methysticum.
The future of herbal medicine looks bright. Many of the previous shortcomings of herbal medicine have been overcome (e.g., the lack of scientific support, standardization, and quality control). |
| Sixty patients with proven erectile dysfunction, and who had not responded to papaverine injections of up to 50 milligrams, were treated with ginkgo biloba extract in a dose of 60 milligrams per day for 12 to 18 months. The penile blood flow was reevaluated by duplex sonography every 4 weeks.
The first signs of improved blood supply were seen after 6 to 8 weeks. |
| The demonstration that ginkgo biloba extract improves limb blood flow as well as walking tolerance (in studies following strict methodology and with sufficient patients for reliable evaluation) indicates that GBE is far superior to pentoxifylline and standard medical therapy in the treatment of peripheral arterial insufficiency. This includes other peripheral vascular disorders such as diabetic peripheral vascular disease, Raynaud's disease, acrocyanosis, and postphlebitis syndrome.
The longer GBE is used, the greater the benefit. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 See also the reports on acetyl-l-arnitine, choline, deprenyl, DHEA, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, melatonin, and phosphatidylserine in the sections on nutrients and herbs.
NUTRIENTS
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The verdict is in on the case for nutrition as a life extender. The sheer volume of peer review studies supporting the link between diet and good health is clear and convincing evidence for those willing to take the time to look.
Data continues to support the use of supplements as well. The days when anyone could seriously question the value of things like vitamin C are over. |
Lendon H. Smith, M.D.
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| Naturopathic physicians have had some success with homeopathy, bach flowers, Aesculus bippocastanum, Medicago sa-tiva, and ginkgo.
Aggressive Behavior
Allopathic control consists of incarceration, behavior modification, and psychiatry. Doctors who try a more natural control would search for heavy metal poisonings (the hair test is valuable for these metals), especially copper, lead, and cadmium. Bach flowers, homeopathy, and eliminating food allergies are worthwhile pursuits. Dr. William Walsh, Ph.D. |
Michael Tierra
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 For instance, ginkgo leaf came on strong because of its usefulness in improving memory and eyesight and in forestalling Alzheimer's disease. Next, vitex (chaste tree berry), successfully employed for premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and other hormonally related complaints, burst onto the market. St.-John's-wort, now acknowledged in the West for its effective treatment of depression, has long been a European alternative to the antidepressant pharmaceuticals so overly prescribed in American society. |
Lendon H. Smith, M.D.
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| Herbs: Capsicum, Crataegus, ginkgo, linsen flower.
COLIC
Allopathic control: Drugs; change formula.
Natural control: Chamomile tea, fennel seed, anise, change diet. If breast-fed, change mother's diet.
COLITIS
Allopathic control: Add roughage, tranquilizers.
Natural control: Vega testing of parotid secretin, pancreas secretin, stomach secretin, small and large intestine secretin, liver secretin, gallbladder secretin for sensitivities to: milk, wheat, eggs, corn, and soy.
CONSTIPATION
Allopathic control: Add roughage, bulk laxatives. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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| About 2,000 mg is needed, and will work overnight to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and cleanse parasites as well as harmful Candida and bacteria out of the intestines. ginkgo biloba feeds the brain by increasing circulation to the brain and scalp.
Then you have acetyl carnitine, and phosphytidyl serine for the brain; DHEA, our master hormone, and glutathione, which protects cells, especially the eyes and the brain cells. There are really only two antioxidants in the brain—melatonin and glutathione. Both are crucial to help the brain stay fit. |
| Experimental models of ischemia, oedema, and hypoxia have shown that ginkgo biloba extract reduced vascular, tissu-lar, and metabolic disturbances, along with neurological and behavioral consequences associated with them.
Ginseng
Ginseng is a potent adaptogenic herb that has been used the world over throughout history. There are several different types of ginseng, all adaptogens, including Korean, Chinese, Siberian, and American. Adaptogenic herbs primarily act as stress fighters by restoring homeostasis. A growing body of peer review literature supports such actions. |
Earl Mindell
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 It consists of:
• One all-natural high-potency multiple vitamin and amino acid-chelated mineral complex (with digestive enzymes for better absorption)
• One broad-spectrum antioxidant formula (containing alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, ginkgo biloba, coenzyme-QlO, bilberry, L-glutathione, cysteine, soy isoflavones [genistein and daidzein], grapeseed extract, and green tea extract). Both taken twice daily with food. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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| Results of a study of patients with idiopathic sudden hearing loss existing no longer than ten days who were given treatment with either ginkgo EGb 761 (Tebonin) + HAES or Naftidrofuryl (Dusodril) + HAES showed that, after one week of observation, 40 percent of the patients in both treatment groups experienced a complete remission of hearing loss. |
| The administration of ginkgo biloba leaves at doses of 120 mg per day for two months reduced plasma clastogenic activity to control levels when measured on the first day following treatment in workers exposed to high levels of radiation from the Chernobyl accident.
Such positive effects lasted for a minimum of seven months. Three months' worth of gingko biloba extract at the same dose led to improvements in some cognitive functions in elderly patients with moderate arterial insufficiency. |
Earl Mindell
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| A broad-spectrum antioxidant formula (containing alpha-and beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, ginkgo biloba, coenzyme-QlO, bilberry, L-gluta-thione, soy isoflavones [genistein and daidzein], grapeseed extract, and green tea extract)—1 twice daily, a.m. and p.m.
Helps replenish antioxidants that protect skin and keep it healthy and young-looking.
If your multivitamin-mineral complex and antioxidant formula do not contain the following supplements, add them separately to your daily intake. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
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 HERBS
Some herbs, including garlic and ginkgo, possess antithrombotic activity. High doses of vitamin E used at the same time as these herbs may enhance their antithrombotic activity.
OVERDOSAGE
There are no reports of overdosage with vitamin E in any form.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
There are several forms of vitamin E available commercially. These are available as nutritional supplements or in functional and fortified foods. The following table lists these forms and their common names. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 Doctors, researchers, and practitioners have noted very few adverse effects among people who take ginkgo. A small number—less than 1 percent of those who take it—have reported mild digestive upset.
Other rare side effects mentioned in the literature include headaches and dizziness. I've had very few patients who complained of these problems, and in those few cases, the side effects disappeared when I lowered the dosage.
One warning, however. If you're taking a blood-thinning medication such as Coumadin or aspirin, be sure to notify your doctor. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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 These include grapes, legumes, red wine, tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well as commonly used herbs like black cohosh, red raspberry, ginkgo, and chamomile.
Though people have used tannins in foods and drinks (we seem to find the tannic taste pleasing) since the time of our ancestors, the scientific study of tannins as nutraceutical medicines is very new. Researchers at the University of Okayama in Japan have investigated tannins and suggest that they are a new class of bioactive substances worth serious study. |
Dr. Gary Null
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 Biloba. ginkgo helps improve small blood vessel circulation.
Hawthorn berry. Hawthorn is an overall heart tonic that works against arrhythmia, angina, blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. It aids circulation, as well as ameliorating valvular insufficiency and an irregular pulse. Hawthorn berry can also correct acid conditions of the blood, and can be safely taken every day.
Mistletoe. Mistletoe is a cardiac tonic that stimulates circulation. Fifteen drops taken three times a day, or three cups of tea daily, help lower blood pressure and alleviate heart strain. |
Michael Tierra
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| Possible side effects from the use of ginkgo include dermatitis, irritability, restlessness, diarrhea and vomiting, though these are rare. |
Mark Blumenthal
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 At end of each 3-month dose period, concentration, selective memory, cognitive function, and well-being were measured. Significant improvements in selective memory of eleuthero group vs. placebo group (p<0.02) were demonstrated. No change in concentration was discovered in any group. Significant effects from eleuthero were also noted in feelings of well-being and levels of activity. |
Robyn Landis
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 Still, ginkgo may be most useful for older patients.
The effective daily antidepressant dose in one of the studies was 240 milligrams daily—twice the 120-milligram daily dose usually recommended for GBE. This dose may cause headaches or dizziness initially in elderly people. Starting at the lower dose of 120 milligrams daily and then increasing to the 240-milligram level over a period of 6 to 8 weeks will usually handle this problem.
The Ayurvedic herb coleus (or an extract of its chief active ingredient, forskolin) shows antidepressant activity in animal studies. |
Dr. Gary Null
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| Jansen, "Primary Degenerative Dementia: Therapy with ginkgo biloba Extract," Fortschr. Medicine 104 (1986): 199-202.
The herbal formulation Mentat improves memory and cognition in patients who are aged or chronically ill.
S. K. Bhattacharya et al., "Effect of Mentat, an Herbal Formulation, on Experimental Models of Alzheimer's Disease and Central Cholinergic Markers in Rats," Fitoterapia 67, no. 3 (1995): 216-22.
Ten Alzheimer's patients with sleep disturbances were given bright light exposure for 2 hours per day between 7 and 9 p.m. for 1 week. |
Robyn Landis
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| Hobbs, Christopher. ginkgo. Hobbs, Christopher. The Ginsengs. Hobbs, Christopher. Handbook for Herbal Healing.
517
Hobbs, Christopher. Milk Thistle.
Hobbs, Christopher. Valerian.
Hoffman, David. The Elements of Herbalism.
Hofrman, David. The New Holistic Herbal.
Jensen, Bernard. Nature Has a Remedy. Lust, John. The Herb Book.
Lust, John, and Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D. The Natural Remedy Bible.
Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West.
Mowrey, Daniel, Ph.D. Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine.
Mowrey, Daniel, Ph.D. Herbal Tonic Therapies.
Null, Gary. |
Bill Gottlieb
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 He suggests taking ginkgo in supplemental form, following the dosage recommendations on the product label. These supplements are available in most health food stores.
Imagery
In his book Healing Visualizations, Gerald Epstein, M.D, a New York City psychiatrist, suggests that you close your eyes, take three very slow, deep breaths and imagine yourself as a tightrope walker standing on a stationary platform high in the air. On this platform, you have a balancing pole, bicycle or parasol. Before crossing the wire, envision yourself reaching the other side. |
| The teas he recommends for this type of depression are gotu kola and ginkgo (also available in tea bag form in most health food stores); he says to drink them twice a day. He also suggests yoga meditation for this depression (see page 153 for information on yoga meditation techniques).
For kapha depression, Dr. Lad recommends regular exercise, eating light foods and engaging in mental activity or yoga meditation.
If your depression does not respond to these remedies within a few days, Dr. Lad says you should see your doctor. |
| Studies show that taking ginkgo can help elderly people who suffer from memory loss and confusion and that saw palmetto is effective at treating the prostate problems that plague many older men.
And herbal remedies sometimes work when Western medical treatments fail. "They're great for treating urinary tract infections, digestive problems, menstrual cramps, coughs, colds, skin rashes, allergies, chronic fatigue—all kinds of immune system problems," says Dr. Watson. |
| Studies also suggest that by improving circulation throughout the body, ginkgo can help prevent blood clots and mood swings accompanied by anxiety and can relieve the symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), asthma, phlebitis (inflammation of a vein) and vertigo.
Lemon balm. Studies show that this herb works well to calm nerves and to protect the body from bacterial infection. Europeans use lemon balm to treat cold sores caused by the herpes simplex virus. |
| American Holistic Center/Chicago: magnesium/potassium aspartate capsules twice a day; 30 md-ligrams of coenzyme Q-10 three times a day; 1,000 mdligrams of vitamin C three times a day; 400 international units of vitamin E twice a day; 200 micrograms of selenium a day; 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 a day; 500 milligrams of carnitine three times a day; one capsule of the herb hawthorn berry three times a day; and one capsule of the herb ginkgo biloba three times a day. Some manufacturers combine ad of these dietary supplements into one capsule, according to Dr. |
Mark Blumenthal
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| Grassel, 1992
Cerebral insufficiency
R, DB, PC, MC n=53 elderly patients with cerebral insufficiency
24 weeks
80 mg, 2x/day or placebo
Rokan® EGb-761 (80 mg film-coated tablets)
Computer aided measurements revealed improved short-term memory and learning rate after treatment for 6 weeks or 24 weeks, respectively. |
| Birks etal, 2002).
Healthcare providers should consider several important points when counseling patients on herbal treatments including: (1) herbal remedies are not usually as concentrated as conventional pharmaceuticals with some exceptions (i.e., some concentrated standardized extracts, e.g. |
Robyn Landis
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| In every pharmacy the window displays were 100 percent natural products: valerian for sleep; peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome; ginkgo for blood circulation. When you walked in, there was a revolving rack of herbal teas, and the pharmacist would tell you what the teas were for and how to use them. The German pharmacists thought it silly that we live in a country where you have to go into one kind of store to get an herbal product, and another kind of store to get a pharmaceutical product; and that herbal products couldn't say on the label what they were for or how to use them. |
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