Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 The FDA touted that as evidence that the herb was dangerous to everyone, and they decided to ban the herb nationwide, effectively turning vitamin shop owners into criminals if they were to sell Ephedra.
Where was the whole argument of benefits outweighing the risks when the FDA was taking a look at Ephedra? That argument was nowhere to be seen. There are literally millions of people in this country who could benefit from Ephedra as part of a Chinese medicine remedy. In Chinese medicine, Ephedra is never taken alone, and never in high doses. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Holy basil is an herb with a great number of medicinal properties, including antibacterial and antiviral properties. A lot of herbs, especially those with strong, pungent oils, tend to have these kinds of properties. Oregano certainly falls into that family as well. There are some companies out there making potent oregano extracts which can be used to enhance your overall health, including enhancement of immune system function.
What about the claims regarding blood sugar, cortisol, and insulin metabolism? Simply put, holy basil helps regulate blood sugar in a way similar to cinnamon. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
See book keywords and concepts |
 Guarana is an herb that contains two and a half times more caffeine than coffee, has constricting properties on skin, and is a skin irritant. Kola nut has plenty of caffeine as well, but of greater concern is its amine content, which can form nitrosamines—potential carcinogens that are not something you want to routinely (if ever) apply to your skin (Source: Food and Chemical Toxicology, August 1995, pages 625-630). This product also contains irriraring geranium and ylang ylang oils, which have no place in a moisturizer except to add fragrance. |
Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND
See book keywords and concepts |
 L (1/2 cup) of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and drink this quantity three times daily after meals.2
ž lozenges/candies: as an expectorant and cough suppressant (make sure they actually contain real licorice).2
Note: Commission E has approved the indication for ulcer treatment (200-600 mg of glycyrrhizin daily) for a maximum of 4 to 6 weeks.80
Lobelia
Lobelia inflata L. |
| Tea Tree Oil
Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel
THUMBNAIL SKETCH
Common Uses
ž Fungal Infections
Drug Interactions
ž None found
Active Constituents
ž Terpinen-4-ol
Adverse Effects
ž Skin Irritation
Cautions/Contraindications
ž Oral Administration
Doses
* No guidelines could be found but products should contain 30% or more terpinen-4-ol and less than 15% cineole. Preparations used in clinical trials have a tea tree oil concentration range from 5-100%.
Introduction
Description
Tea tree is a member of the myrtle family and is found only in Southeastern Australia. |
| While these results are promising, more research is needed before a definitive conclusion can be reached.
ADVERSE EFFECTS
Red raspberry leaves appear to be quite safe in most cases.3 There are been no reported cases of significant adverse effects in the literature.
CAUTIONS/CONTRAINDICATIONS
The main controversy regarding red raspberry leaf is its use in pregnancy. The lack of any scientific studies to show that it is safe, together with the fact that it has been shown to act on uterine tissue, has led many to suggest that red raspberry leaf should not be taken during pregnancy. |
| L daily.29
Note: In the case of menopause treatment, the onset of action of this plant can take up to 2 weeks to occur. |
| Note: Concerns have recently been raised about the quality of 'standardized' cat's claw products on the North American market. This, given the challenges faced in harvesting the correct plant, means that consumers should be extra cautious when selecting cat's claw products. |
Dr. Timothy Scott
See book keywords and concepts |
 John's wort is an herb that can be used to make tea, or the "active ingredients" within the herb can be extracted and put in capsules. In Europe St. John's wort is widely prescribed as an antidepressant. No prescription is required in the United States, and many Americans use St. John's wort instead of antidepressant drugs. Pharmacies all over America—CVS, Osco, Rite Aid, Save-on, Walgreens—all stock various strengths and bottle sizes.
Those who choose St. John's wort over antidepressants save lots of money, but the question should always be, "Does it work?" Many studies have reported that St. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Conventional wisdom attributes the herb's sleep-inducing powers to a particular class of compounds called valepo-triates. But recent studies have identified other active compounds, including bornyl esters, valerenic acid, and valera-none and kessyl esters.
No matter why valerian works, the point is that it does work. It has been approved by Commission E as a treatment for insomnia. Side effects are rare but possible, with gastrointestinal distress and headache the most widely reported.
If you're interested in trying valerian, I'd advise against making a tea. |
| Certain compounds in the herb have demonstrated some antibacterial activity, especially against staphylococcus.
Naturopathic physicians recommend washing the vulva and vagina with calendula juice. I suggest throwing some calendula flowers into a blender and processing them until they're a pastelike consistency. You can apply this paste to the vaginal area. You may also be able to find calendula salves in health food stores. Use the salve according to the label directions.
BLACK WALNUT (JUGLANS NIGRA). |
| Do not use if you need to avoid aspirin, especially if you are taking blood-thinning medication such as warfarin (Coumadin); willow's active ingredient is related to aspirin. The herb may interact with barbiturates or sedatives such as aprobarbital (Amytal) or alprazolam (Xanax), and it can cause stomach irritation when taken with alcohol.
Do not use without medical supervision.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are inhaled or applied topically to the skin. With few exceptions, they're never taken internally. |
| As you already know, garlic is also the major herb for preventing heart disease and stroke. Together, these three ailments—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—are responsible for killing almost two-thirds of all Americans. If this statistic doesn't persuade you to eat more garlic, I don't know what will. green tea {camellia sinensis). Many studies have identified a powerful correlation between drinking green tea and reducing cancer risk. Green tea is the beverage of choice in Japan. We Americans prefer black tea. The two are made from the leaves of the same plant. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Look at the way conventional medicine treats herbs today; they always say the herb interferes with the medication.
John: Well, this is Senator Hatch doing a 180, becoming a traitor looking to stab us in the back. Unless consumers raise bloody hell, and unless we can stir up the grass roots in Utah to get him to back off, we are going to have problems here. We have all the vitamin trade associations in favor of this horrible legislation, and the reason they are is because Big Pharma is dominating them from the top down.
Mike: Yes, that is right. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
See book keywords and concepts |
| There's quite a bit of research examining oral consumption of this herb, but even that doesn't have anything to do with its ability to restore the diminishing substances (such as fat pads and collagen) whose loss causes skin to slacken and droop. Further, the inclusion of lavender oil causes skin cell death; how is that supposed to rev up cellular energy? Your money is much better spent on dermal fillers that really do restore volume and plumpness to aging skin (an alternative Btandt would likely not admit, even though he offers such procedures in his practice). |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Which herb from the Amazon rainforest shows powerful anti-tumor activity
Why your geographic location on the planet impacts your breast cancer risk (includes graphs)
Why running in circles to raise money for a "cancer cure" is a complete waste of time
How top cancer non-profits have abandoned cancer prevention in favor of screening and "treatment"
In this special report, Breast Cancer Deception, Adams reveals that teaching the population how to prevent cancer would financially devastate cancer non-profit groups and pharmaceutical companies. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
See book keywords and concepts |
| Goa herb oil (also known as ringworm oil) is very irritating to skin and mucous membranes, and is also easily absorbed, where it can cause systemic problems (Source: www. naturaldatabase.com).
AUBREY ORGANICS SENSITIVE SKIN 6
© Vegecol Facial Cleansing Lotion, for Sensitive Skin ($15-48 for 8 ounces) contains several ingredients that are completely inappropriate for sensitive skin, or any skin type for that matter, including St. John's wort, coltsfoot, and lemon peel oil.
© Vegecol with Aloe Alcohol-Free Facial Toner, for Sensitive Skin ($9. |
John Heinerman
See book keywords and concepts |
 He has been the owner or co-owner of at least two separate herb stores in New Mexico for about the last twenty years.
I met him some years ago in Phoenix, Arizona, where we were both speakers before the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association's annual conference in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale. I had concluded my address in a conservative three-piece suit intended for such an august and dignified body of practitioners. Michael followed me in what might charitably have been described as "dressing down" for the occasion. |
Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe
See book keywords and concepts |
 Other fanciful ideas adhered to it, such as the Doctrine of Signatures, which held that one must cure like with like: thus, if you want to cure an earache, seek out an herb, flower, or seed pod which resembles a human ear.
Add to this a large helping of magic, of belief in judicial astrology, and of downright quackery, such as the use of bezoar stones (calcoli found in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals), and you will appreciate that the medical knowledge brought by the Spaniards to the New World was largely ineffectual. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 If you have hay fever, however, you might want to avoid taking this herb, because people who are allergic to ragweed might react to calendula as well. If you take it and have a reaction—itching or any other discomfort—discontinue use. VV Camomile (Matricaria
Anti-ulcer Cabbage Soup
Here's a basic cabbage soup that's chock-full of anti-ulcer compounds. You'll have to do a little experimenting to arrive at a flavor that pleases you. If you try the optional spices, use them sparingly. While they are delicious in cabbage soup, the flavor is rather exotic. |
| VV Dragon's blood (Croton lechleri). This herb is also known as san-gregrado or sangre de drago. There's a good reason why dragon's blood is on the back cover of the Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, which I co-authored in 1994 with Rodolfo Vasquez, botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Several compounds in it, among them dimethylcedrusine and taspine, have antiviral and wound-healing properties that may be especially useful against the viral sores caused by herpes. The natural mixture of all three compounds heals wounds four times faster than the individual compounds alone. |
| That dilutes the herb with water, meaning that it has proportionately more water and less chemical until it's dried. In my view, you get the greatest concentration of plant chemicals and the least water when you collect leaves during a hot, dry day, but before the leaves have wilted.
Roots are best collected in spring or fall. Bark may be collected in spring, especially if the compounds you seek are in the living bark. If you're collecting seeds for food, I recommend that you get them before they have dried out and hardened. |
| Watch how you react to this herb if you have allergies, however. If allergic symptoms develop after you take it once, don't use it again.
VW Wheat (Triticum aestivum). Dr. Painter, whose study found a high-fiber diet to be the cure for diverticulitis, estimated that wheat bran contains five times the fiber of whole-wheat bread, making it the fiber-lover's fiber. He's not alone in his endorsement of wheat bran.
"Bran is the safest, cheapest and most physiologically effective method of treating and preventing constipation," says gastroenterologist W. Grant Thompson, M.D. |
| If I had diverticulitis, I might use a couple of tablespoons of this herb mixture brewed in a quart or so of water.
Dizziness
Once when Mrs. Duke was experiencing dizziness, she went to the doctor. She came home with an $18 packet of TransDerm Scop— stick-on patches produced by Ciba Geigy that administered the drug scopolamine by absorption through the skin. For quite a while, scopolamine was the standard medication for dizziness and motion sickness.
Little did Peggy know that she could have gotten scopolamine much more cheaply by gathering some plants in our front yard. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Dong quai, also known as tang-kuei, dang-gui, and Chinese angelica, is an aromatic herb widely used throughout Asia. In Asia, dong quai is to women's health what ginseng is to men's. It has predominantly been used as a female remedy to treat menopausal hot flashes, menstrual cramps, lack of menstruation, or frequent menstruation and to promote a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery. The coumarins in dong quai are found largely in the root. |
| Historically, it has also been recognized as a medicinal plant for humans and, more recently, as a menopausal herb.
At least six clinical trials have been conducted on the effect of red clover isoflavones on vasomotor symptoms. Three show benefit, and three do not. The first two published studies on red clover and vasomotor symptoms showed no statistically significant difference between the red clover standardized extract and the placebo.90' 91 Two other studies showed positive results in reducing hot flashes.92' 93 The two most recent studies continue the contradictions. |
| Chaste tree is probably the best-known herb in all of Europe for hormonal imbalances in women. Since at least the time of the Greeks, chaste tree has been used for the full scope of menstrual disorders, including amenorrhea. Chaste tree acts on the hypothalamus and pituitary glands by increasing LH production and mildly inhibiring the release of FSH. The result is a shift in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, in favor of progesterone.13 Chaste tree stimulates ovulation, which in turn produces progesterone. |
| False unicorn or helonias has been used to improve uterine tone and decrease what has been called pelvic congestion. This herb also tends to be used more for women who have a history of miscarriage or abnormal bleeding during the pregnancy rather than true infertility. Squaw vine is a uterine tonic that increases the circulation to and in the uterus, thereby also reducing uterine congestion. It can both sedate a hypertonic uterus as well as tonify a hypotonic uterus. |
Email this page to a friend
