Joseph Glenmullen, M.D.
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 An authority on herbal remedies, Bratman says, "Drugs cause side effects [that].. . may allow patients to distinguish between drug and placebo.... Thus the influence of the power of suggestion cannot be excluded from drug versus placebo tests. This makes the legitimacy of all double-blind studies for traditional antidepressant medication somewhat suspect. However, no similar problem occurs with the essentially side-effect free St. John's wort."17
In spite of St. John's wort's demonstrated efficacy, psychopharmacolo-gists have resisted it as a competitor to standard antidepressant drugs. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 There are many types of cold/flu herbal tea mixtures on the market. For respiratory ailments look for teas containing licorice, fennel and hore-hound. For sinus ailments and headaches look for chamomile, echinacea, goldenseal and bayberry.
Ginseng
Studies have shown that 100 mg a day of ginseng extract significantly cuts your chances of catching a cold or flu bug.
Vitamin C
Take at least 2,000 mg a day of vitamin C. The esterfied C type works best for a sensitive stomach. |
Gale Maleskey
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 Before you turn there, though, it's helpful to know something about herbal supplements in general and why some are considered far more effective than others.
Isolating Medicinal Properties
Many of the medicines that we consider pharmaceuticals actually come from plant sources. It was in the early 1800s that scientists first began to isolate and extract healing compounds from plants. Poppies yielded morphine, the narcotic that can help to dispel pain but can also be addictive. From willow bark comes aspirin, perhaps the most universal of all pain relievers. |
Gary Null
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 Often the form in which an herbal remedy is prepared is as important in therapeutic terms as which herb is used. Infusions and decoctions, two of the simpler forms, are both made with boiling water. Infusions are made by pouring boiling water over dried or fresh herbs, while roots and barks are boiled in water and left to steep as they cool. Distilled or spring water is preferable; the traditional proportion is about one ounce of dried herb to a pint of water. |
| Consumers ought to insist on fresh herbs if they're buying in bulk in herbal stores. The more information you can get about where the herb was grown, how it was cultivated, and when it was harvested, the better. Stay away from potent dried herbs in powder or capsule form. They generally have not been tested for safety or efficacy and are all too often a rip-off. It is almost impossible to determine what the actual ingredients are of a powder inside a capsule; you have no way of telling the age of such a preparation, or even if it is made from the herb it claims to be. |
| Add an herbal tincture to your shampoo, your skin lotion or massage oil, or your bath tub. Within a short period of time, you will have incorporated a number of different herbs into your life. And you should start feeling better naturally.
Remember, though, not all herbs are equal. How they are grown, harvested, stored, and prepared will effect their potency and usefulness. Fresh and homegrown is always best, because you know the conditions under which herbs have been planted, monitored, fertilized, and cared for. |
| Take a few drops of these herbal oils. One recipe calls for 5 drops of either lavender or thyme oil. Then add 10 drops of cypress or fir to add an evergreen fragrance. To that add 10 drops of eucalyptus and rosemary, for a cleansing fragrance. Put this in one fluid ounce (two tablespoons) of the carrier oil.
Massage this into the prostate area and into the whole lower abdomen and even into the back. Massage the gland, which is four or five inches into the rectum, for 15 or 20 minutes. The swelling frequently goes down immediately as fluids are cleared by finger pressure. |
| These herbal teas may be taken orally as well. Simple dietary changes have been made by now, such as the addition of water. This simple measure spells the difference between success and failure in alleviating many bowel conditions. I ask all my clients to double their intake of water.
"I love to see people's change in attitude from the time they come in to the time that they leave. Sometimes people are very irritable when their bowels are backed up. They're often depressed, and sometimes nasty. By the time they leave, you can see a smile and a bounce in their step. |
Joseph Glenmullen, M.D.
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| A 1994 issue of the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology was devoted to seventeen research papers on the herbal antidepressant St. John's wort.4 Studies have shown that St. John's wort is as effective as prescription drugs for mild to moderate depression. Similarly, clinical studies have compared the herbs kava and valerian favorably with Valium-type sedatives for the treatment of anxiety.5
In order to understand the overall benefits and disadvantages of Prozac-type medications versus those of the alternatives, one first needs to put these medications in perspective. |
Gale Maleskey
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| Religious and mystical overtones pervaded Indian herbal traditions. While the average Native American probably knew 100 to 200 useful plants, a medicine man or shaman might be learned in using some 800 plants, says Winston.
"Sometimes, there was a certain allure or quality associated with Native American medicine," says Winston. Frontier physicians who practiced native medicine often advertised themselves as Indian doctors. |
Joseph Glenmullen, M.D.
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| Having been used for centuries in Chinese herbal medicine, ginkgo biloba has become popular in this country as a memory-enhancing agent. In their article in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, Cohen and Bartlik report that ginkgo biloba improved libido, erectile functioning, and the ability to orgasm in patients with antidepres-sant-induced sexual dysfunction. The dosage of ginkgo biloba taken by the patients ranged from 60 to 240 milligrams a day. |
Jean Antonello
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 She sipped herbal tea to make her hunger more tolerable. She now admits that she was extremely hungry during this phase of her illness, but she never admitted it then, not to others and not to herself.
Although she kept regular appointments at the clinic, Kelly swears these meetings did nothing to influence her eating choices. If there was an effect, it was this: these visits made her even more determined to eat the way she wanted to eat because she felt that the clinic was trying to take this right away from her. It seemed that nothing could persuade her to eat more at this point. |
Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 Meditation, exercise aroma therapy, and the use of herbal oils to massage and clean the skin can all help lessen tension and help restore that glow to the skin that is often lost during those stressful teen years.
Earl's Rx
If you have acne, try these supplements for beautiful skin.
Acidophilus: One tablespoon of acidophilus liquid or one to three capsules one-half hour before eating, up to three times daily.
Betacarotene: Take 25,000 IU daily.
Bee pollen: Bee-pollen cream can be applied directly to the lesions up to three times daily. |
Gale Maleskey
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| The potency and quality of herbal products vary greatly. You can't always be sure you're getting the real thing. "Many of the products are overpriced and ineffective. Also, there's a great deal of promotion about health benefits by these companies that is pure baloney," says Andrew Weil, M.D., clinical professor of internal medicine and director of the program in integrative medicine of the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, and author of Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. |
| By law, manufacturers of herbal supplements aren't allowed to make specific health claims for their products, Dr. Weil says. They can instead make general statements about an herb's effect on the body's structure and function. Thus, a supplement label will not say "prevents atherosclerosis" or "relieves arthritis." Instead, the label is likely to say that it is "good for circulation" or "good for joint health. |
| If these are no longer effective or have undesirable side effects,
Look to Germany
In Germany, people seeking herbal medicine have access to nearly 700 plant-based remedies, and the cost of many of them is covered by health insurance. In fact, some 70 percent of German physicians routinely prescribe phytomedicines. Drugstores carry them, and pharmacists are knowledgeable about their many uses,
Germany has undertaken the most comprehensive science-based investigation of herbs of any Western country. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 Congress, 2002; Blumenthal, 2002). The slender shrub is distinguished by its very thin, woody spines about 5 mm in length. The dried root of eleutherococcus has a sharp, aromatic, slightly sweet taste. Lignan glycosides of the liriodendrin and coumarin types, including isofraxidin, have been identified as key constituents. Unlike true ginseng, however, eleuthero is not a species of Panax and contains only small concentrations of saponins (Bladt et al., 1990).
Eleuthero root was tested and developed in the former Soviet Union during the i96o's as a substitute for ginseng. |
| Sect. 1.5.4). The safety of the product has been well documented by toxicologic studies (Marz, 1998) and by observational experience. The incidence of mild side effects reported in a recent study was less than 1 % (Ernst et al., 1997a).
In the past, extracts from the leaves and roots of the butterbur plant (Petasites hybridus) have been used mainly to treat spasms of the gastrointestinal and urogenital tract. But data from case reports have led to the incidental discovery that butterbur has an ameliorating effect on hay fever. |
Jean Carper
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 So-called herbal teas may also have medicinal qualities, but since they are made from a variety of plants with unknown concentrations of therapeutic chemicals, they must be evaluated one by one.
Green tea appears to pack a much greater protective punch than black tea, which is allowed to oxidize, destroying some of its polyphenols, especially tannins. Green tea leaves commonly have twice the concentration of powerful catechins as black tea leaves. Instant green tea has about three times more catechin than black instant tea. |
| POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS:
FOLKLORE
264 macy, Nursing and Health Sciences at Purdue University, summed it up in his book The Honest herbal. One thing he overlooked: In Egypt and China there is an ancient tradition of using seaweed, notably brown kelp, to treat cancer. |
Gary Null
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| I heard of a product from a friend called Eternal, an herbal tincture that contains damiana leaf, saw palmetto, and a lot of other wonder substances that help with hormonal rejuvenation. My friend had been on Premarinfor almost 20 years because of hot flashes after a hysterectomy, and found great relief from Eternal. I tried it, and to my relief it counteracted the effect the stress was having, and brought my periods back. Everything is back to normal, and I no longer have a problem.—Susan
Twenty-five years ago, I had my first reflexology experience. |
Linda Mason Hunter
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 MOTHS
¦ Instead of smelly mothballs, try herbal remedies. They are effective and leave woolens smelling good. Natural repellents include dried lavender, cedar chips, tobacco leaves, pennyroyal leaves and stems, and pyrethrum daisy flowers.
¦ Make a simple sachet of dried southernwood (an herb, available at botanical centers and health food stores), and store it where you keep woolens. It helps to give sachets a little squeeze from time to time, to release a fresh burst of scent. |
Kenny Ausubel
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 In preparing this book, I revisited the initial 1985 herbal sleuthing begun by Jim Duke to learn what new data might have come on-line. I consulted again with Duke as well as with several other researchers who have conducted independent investigations into Hoxsey in what turned into a medical detective story. One of these was Francis Brinker, a naturopathic physician and scholar of botanical medicine who made his own visit to the Bio Medical Center in 1983. |
Nicola Reavley
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 Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
One of the most widely used herbs, liquorice has an important place in both Western and Eastern herbal medicine. It has hormonal, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antibacterial and antiviral effects. Licorice has also been shown to stimulate the immune system.
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)
Marshmallow has a reputation has a soothing, healing plant. It has demulcent, emollient, diuretic, anti-inflammatory and expectorant actions.
Uses
Marshmallow is used to treat stomach and duodenal ulcers, catarrh, coughs, colds and urinary tract infections. |
| Mushrooms
Mushrooms, including shiitake, maitake and reishi, are prized in Chinese herbal medicine, and are believed to increase resistance to stress and extend lifespan. These mushrooms can regulate blood pressure, glucose, insulin, cholesterol and triglycerides. They may boost immune function, kill viruses, and protect against cancer. These mushrooms can be used fresh and extracts are also available in capsule form. |
Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon
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 Guarana
Guarana is a popular herbal ingredient found in a number of so-called natural products. It has been used as a diet aid and stimulant. One brand name remedy is aptly called Zoom. Guarana comes from Central and South America. It is especially popular in Brazil, where natives have used this herb as a treatment for malaria and dysentery. Not surprisingly, they also drink it as a hot beverage, much as we do tea or coffee. Guarana contains a whopping dose of caffeine—3 to 5 percent by dry weight, compared to 1 to 2 percent in coffee beans, by dry weight. |
| But too much licorice (in candy or an herbal product) can deplete the body of potassium. People taking diuretics or digoxin (Lanoxin) can get themselves into serious trouble if they also gorge on licorice (see pages 44 and 45 for more details).
Garlic
Garlic, variously nicknamed "stinking rose" and "nectar of the gods," has been used medicinally for thousands of years. |
| Japanese investigators are looking into the immune-stimulating properties of this herbal remedy.14
So far, so good. Licorice sounds terrific, and, as connoisseurs ourselves, we were delighted to learn about these benefits. But too much licorice can cause serious medical complications. Regular indulgence in more than an ounce of natural black licorice daily can lead to muscle pain, fluid retention, weakness, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, hypertension, sexual complications, paralysis, and, worst of all, potassium depletion. |
| Be suspicious of herbal products that claim to boost energy. They may contain naturally occurring caffeinelike ingredients that could interact with other medications.
Coffee and tea can get some people into trouble in an entirely different way. Both beverages (but especially tea) may interact with supplements taken to combat iron deficiency anemia. The tannins in the tea grab on to the iron in the supplement and keep it from being absorbed. |
| Martin's Press, 1985), 50+: The Graedons' People's Pharmacy for Older Adults (Bantam, 1988), and Graedons' Best Medicine: From herbal Remedies to High-Tech Rx Breakthroughs (Bantam, 1991). No Deadly Drug (Pocket Books, 1992), coauthored with Dr. Tom Ferguson, is Graedon's first novel. Joe and Terry's most recent work, also coauthored with Dr. Ferguson, is The Aspirin Handbook: A User's Guide to the Breakthrough Drug of the '90s (Bantam, 1993). The total number of the Graedons' books in print well exceeds two million. |
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