Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
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 Newall CA, Anderson LA, Phillipson, JD. Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-Care Professionals. London: The Pharmaceutical Press; 1996, ppll0-113.
Vaddahi KS. The use of gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid to differentiate between temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia. Prostaglandins Med. 1981; 6:375-379.
Fish Oils
TRADE NAMES
Fish oil is available generically from numerous manufacturers. Branded products include MaxEPA, Super EPA, Omega 3 (several manufacturers), Sof-Gel E.P.A. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| Harrison Nolting, ND LAc Qiang Cao, MD(China) ND LAc
INTRODUCTION
In traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicines, which are considered synonymous with drugs, have been in use for more than 2,000 years.1 Secret family (or company) recipes called "patent" medicines were first produced in the Song Dynasty (960-1234 AD) and were dispensed by government agencies such as the "Imperial Benevolence Pharmacy". |
Thomas Bartram
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 One of the most versatile of herbal medicines. Seeds, roots, leaves. Rich source of minerals: potassium, magnesium, phosphorus. All body tissues feel its beneficient influence. Action: anti-histamine, anti-bacterial, anti-allergy, blood tonic, lymphatic, anti-haemorrhagic, diuretic, expectorant, demulcent, astringent, antacid (tea).
External: as an emollient, vulnerary. Action of Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is similar, but Plantago major is preferred. Uses. Chronic blood disorders. A neuralgic remedy of the first order. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| The past as well as the future of herbal medicines are discussed. The authors believe that the continued evolution of the tradition of herbal medicine can only be accomplished within the context of continued scientific investigation.
THE REBIRTH OF HERBAL MEDICINE
Throughout the world, but especially in Europe and Asia, there has been a tremendous renaissance in the use and appreciation of herbal medicine. In Germany, estimates show that over $4 billion are spent on herbal products each year. In Japan, the figure is thought to be even higher. |
Michael Castleman
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 While the vast majority of herbal medicines present no danger to health, using them does require knowledge and proper caution. Too much of any good thing can cause harm, and studies show that a few herbs that were once considered safe for internal use are in fact hazardous. In large doses, comfrey—a traditional digestive remedy—can cause liver damage. So can coltsfoot, long used to treat cough. In addition, just about any herb might cause an allergic reaction.
For healthy individuals who are not pregnant, the herbs in this book are all considered safe in recommended amounts. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| Improvements in cultivation techniques coupled with improvements in quality control and standardization of potency will continue to increase the effectiveness of herbal medicines.
The study of herbal medicine
The study of herbal medicine spans the breadth of pharmacology, the study of the history, source, physical and chemical properties, mechanisms of action, absorption, distribution, biotransformation, excretion, and therapeutic uses of "drugs". In many respects, the pharmacological investigation of herbal medicine is just beginning. |
| The obvious questions is: "Why do so many German MDs know about St John's wort, Ginkgo, and other herbal medicines while conventional medical doctors in the US remain ignorant?" The answer: Germany addressed the issue of rational claims for herbal products by developing the Commission E series of monographs (now totaling over 400).
The monograph system allowed companies to market their products according to the guidelines of the Commission E. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2Michael T. Murray, ND
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| Considerable interest and political action was focused on looking carefully at less expensive, more accessible alternative treatments such as herbal medicines. This view was expressed from both the audience and the speakers at a special conference satellite meeting on alternative therapies for HIV/AIDS where Bastyr University presented information about our nationwide outcomes study of alternative medicine in HIV+ patients.
Health care worker risk of HIV infection
Some health care providers new to the field of HIV / AIDS health care have concerns about their safety. |
Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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 My response to that characterization is that I feel I was born into alternative medicine since my mother was a full-blooded Mohawk from Canada and upstate New York who frequently availed herself of traditional herbal medicines for me and my siblings when the need arose" (Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings, June 24, 1993).
Harkin as well as Bedell and some of the other advisors were insistent that the first order of business was for OAM to send out teams of investigators to bring back reports on potentially useful alternative treatments, especially for cancer. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 Germany's Commission E, the expert panel that judges the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines for the German government, recommends taking 30 drops of an ipecac tincture (part ipecac and part alcohol). This is a one-time only treatment.
Elecampane (Inula helenium). This common North American herb contains two anti-amebic compounds, alanto-lactone and isoalantolactone. If I had intestinal amoebas, I'd certainly give elecampane a try, since it appears to be safe. |
| Or I could combine the conventional and herbal medicines.
After considerable soul-searching, I went with the combination approach: doxicycline plus garlic capsules, equivalent to 1,200 milligrams of fresh garlic a day. I also took six echinacea capsules a day, each containing 450 milligrams of the immune-boosting root, and I juiced up some carrots and tomatoes. These vegetables are rich in vitamin A-family carotenoids, and a good deal of research shows that carotenoids help fight infection. And of course I added plenty of fresh garlic while I had the carrots and tomatoes in the juicer. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| It helped to prepare the way for the future use of drugs rather than herbal medicines.3
An interesting note is that sarsaparilla species have been used all over the world in many different cultures for the same conditions, namely gout, arthritis, fevers, digestive disorders, skin disease, and cancer.1
PHARMACOLOGY
The mechanism of action of sarsaparilla is largely unknown, although the plant does contain several saponins and has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of psoriasis. |
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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 Be alert to interactions. herbal medicines sometimes interact badly with certain foods and with each other. Always be especially careful when combining herbs with other herbs or drugs. Regardless of what you've read or been told or heard adverse interactions are always possible.
• Using herbal remedies can have negative effects during surgery. Experts in the medical field recommend patients to stop taking herbs at least two to three weeks prior to scheduled surgery. |
Valerie V. Hunt
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 In like fashion, herbal medicines may indirectly trigger the same healing mechanisms common to specific therapies or drugs, or have a direct placebo effect through the vibrational field of the herbs.
Quite beyond the electrical source of molecular life is the pattern of the organization of the body's electrical field. Subatomic physics failed to give full account of the organizational features, but quantum physics showed that macro answers cannot come from collective atomic molecular activity. |
Thomas Bartram
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| In 1989, one of the many resolutions adopted by the World Health Assembly in support of national traditional medicine programmes drew attention to herbal medicines as being of great importance to the health of individuals and communities (WHA 42.43). There was also an earlier resolution (WHA 22. |
| In this book, where silicosis, pneumoconiosis, emphysema and other incurable conditions are linked with herbal medicines, no cure is implied.
Herbalism is a science in its own right. It has a rationale and modus operandi quite different from orthodox medicine. Given the opportunity, it is able to provide appropriate medication for a vast range of diseases. It offers healing properties that favourably influence chemical change, combat stress, build up resistance to infection and promote vitality. |
| Public regard for herbal medicines has reawakened in the West, bringing an appreciation of the age-old herbal wisdom to be found in many other parts of the world. It is therefore of immense value to have in the publication of the Encyclopedia such a fund of information about herbs and their practical uses in everyday medical problems. It represents the fruit of many years of learning and practice by its dedicated author. All who use this Encyclopedia have good reason for gratitude to Thomas Bartram.
John Cosh MD. |
| Hippocrates - 460BC)
"Herbal medicines offer a technique for catalysing the patient's own in-built bio-regulatory mechanisms to effect a cure of his diseased condition." (Mervyn Werbach, Third-Line Medicine, Modern Treatment for Persistent Symptoms)
DISINFECTANTS. Herbs that act on bacteria of communicable diseases and help prevent spread of infection. Camphor, Eucalyptus, Thyme, Terebene, Pennyroyal, Pine. Tinctures or essential oils.
DISLOCATIONS. Luxations. Displacement of a structure, usually bone, as in an osteopathic lesion. |
Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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 Yeung in Chinese herbal medicines, 1.7 to 2.0 oz. taken internally can be fatal, due to a "slowdown of the central nervous system and respiratory failure." This is approximately 100 times the therapeutic oral dose used in the Japanese studies below.
Benzaldehyde has long been investigated as an anticancer agent. In the 1960s and 70s, it was often combined with chemotherapy (2-7). More recently, scientists have tried to exploit benzaldehyde's relatively non-toxic nature.
One clinical test, reported in NCI's Cancer Treatment Reports, showed dramatie effects. |
Michael Castleman
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| The same goes for literally hundreds of other herbal medicines. You can't patent plants, so under current FDA regulations, there's no incentive to get them approved for medicinal use."
As a result, most medicinal herbs exist in regulatory limbo. They are sold as foods, not as medicines. Blumenthal and other herb advocates are working to change this situation, but in an odd way, it reflects herbal medicine's place in the natural world. The cultures that gave us medicinal herbs drew no distinction between foods and drugs. |
Michael Lerner
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 The study compared three types of traditional Chinese herbal medicines in 42 patients given the herbs together with cyclophosphamide (a chemotherapeutic agent) prior to surgery with 100 patients who received only surgery. Examination of surgical specimens from all patients were then studied. The researchers found that infiltration of lymphoid cells into tissues and cancer tissue degeneration were more prominent in patients treated with the herbs Menispermum dehuricum D.C. or Chelidonium majus L., and were less clear in patients treated with the herbs plus chemotherapy or surgery alone. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 I get really good results with herbal medicines, particularly one called gentian root. It stimulates the digestive organs to work more effectively. It's great for stimulating the stomach to produce more hydrochloric acid, which is mainly what breaks down protein. After a couple of months of taking gentian root, your digestive organs will be retrained to work more efficiendy."
"That sounds great," said Darrel. "Now, what should I do about the yeast?"
"Don't worry about that. The yeast is feeding off the byproducts of poor digestion. |
John Heinerman
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 Generally speaking, herbal medicines are just that, medicind As such, most herbs should only be used when body health is placed in some kind of jeopardy. Otherwise, most medicinal herbs should be left alone. There are, however, some very qualified exceptions to this fundamental rule.
EXCEPTION ONE: Plants of definite nutritive value may be used on a fairly consistent basis, because their rich blend of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, enzymes, and hormones afford the body solid protection against potential illnesses. |
| BROOKLIME
(Veronica beccabunga)
Brief Description
Up until about fifty years ago, brooklime was considered a very popular blood purifying herb in much of European and Asian herbal medicines. In fact, many of the old herbal apothecaries throughout Great Britain usually carried a good supply. But in more recent times, it has fallen into disfavor, though still readily gathered because of its widespread abundance.
Brooklime grows in shallow streams, meandering creeks, babbling brooks, and similar waterways. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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| Licorice root is highly regarded among European physicians as one of the top herbal medicines for combating viral hepatitis. They use the intravenous form for the treatment of both Hepatitis B and C.
DELICIOUS DETOXIFIER
The Chinese have found through many centuries of using licorice that it reduces the toxicity of other herbs, so they add it to many of their remedies. |
| Chinese Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
The Chinese translation for ginseng is "root of man," and the root of this plant is what's used to make the herbal medicines that are so widely used throughout China and Southeast Asia. The "grandparent of ginsengs," and possibly the most well-known herb in the world, is Panax ginseng. This comes in two types: "white" and "red." White ginseng is the dried root, and is more cooling and less stimulating than the more potent form of red ginseng, which is steamed and cured (dried over a fire or in the sun). |
| BURDOCK BASICS
Burdock exemplifies an important class of herbal medicines called "alteratives." An alterative herb improves general health by balancing and tonifying body functions. Alteratives improve nutritional status through improved digestion and elimination. They are sometimes referred to as "blood purifiers" as they help cleanse the liver and blood. They often are rich in minerals, phytonutrients, and other nutrients that stimulate metabolism and healing.
They are also referred to as "tonics," as they tonify and optimize different organ systems of the body. |
| During the latter part of the 1800s, Plains settlers adopted the purple cone-flower as a common remedy; and by the 1920s, echinacea was being sold as a commercial product and prescribed by the many physicians who were comfortable with herbal medicines.
Dr. H.C.F. Meyer of Pawnee, Nebraska was a keen commercial promoter. Adding his own recommendations to what he had learned from Native Americans,
Dr. Meyer sold echinacea as a "cure all" for various ailments. His reputation was considerably enhanced by the claim that he had successfully treated 613 cases of rattlesnake poisoning. |
Michael Castleman
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| Focuses on disease.
Focuses on illness, the human experience of disease.
Focuses on pain.
Focuses on suffering, the human experience of pain.
Goal is cure.
Goal is healing, the individual's experience of physical, mental and spiritual wholeness. meditation, dietary supplements and yoga. Finally, some natural therapies that may appear alternative actually emerged from conventional medical research: biofeedback, bright light therapy, cognitive therapy, lucid dreaming and vision therapy.
Alternative implies an either/or situation. |
Robyn Landis
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 It's also among the most popular herbs in other countries, especially in Europe, where much of the research supporting its efficacy has been conducted.)
Echinacea has the distinction of being near the top of the "favorite" list of nearly every health professional I interviewed. For example, at Dr. Ann McComb's Center for Optimal Health in Bellevue, Washington, echinacea (along with Vitamin C, and goldenseal if bacterial infection is involved) is a standard protocol for all upper-respiratory conditions. Few antibiotics or antihistamines are ever prescribed. |
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