| The Eclectic doctors eventually numbered in the thousands, published numerous books and journals, and treated millions of patients over many decades, primarily with herbal medicines. Their popularity ended in the early 1900s with the overwhelmingly rapid growth of the strength of allopathic medicine, fueled by the funneling of millions of dollars into their schools by institutions such as the Carnegie and Rockefeller foundations. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 John's wort extract, or any other herbal medicines. Find a qualified psychiatrist or physician to supervise you if you wish to employ any of these natural supportive therapies. |
Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.
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 Moreover, a review of the research studies highlighted throughout this book shows that each and every one of the markers listed above can be affected by herbal medicines.
As we proceed through this chapter, I will describe different ways of affecting our immune system and other defenses, and I will explain individual herbs and formulas known to benefit overall defensive function, as well as formulas and herbs for specific health problems. It is important to know that, as a rule, immune tonic herbs can be used both for prolonging life in the healthy and for overcoming disease in the sick. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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 Natural remedies for HPV include antioxidants, herbal medicines, homeopathic remedies, and antiviral suppositories that are inserted against the cervix. Though the natural medications used to treat HPV are safe, the proper application and correct dosages, as well as appropriate follow-up Pap smears, require the supervision of a naturopathic physician. Such care is outside the scope of this book, and I suggest you consult with a doctor skilled in natural gynecology. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 In regions with a large Asian immigrant population, there are food markets that carry Asian specialties and also sell traditional Asian herbal medicines.
• Health-food stores. Many of these stores carry a wide selection of herbs. Labeling laws in the United States do not allow an herb's uses to be listed on the package, although uses can be listed in Canada. However, many herbs that are available over the counter in the United States are restricted in Canada.
• Herb shops. |
| MATERIALS OF HERBAL TREATMENT
Many, perhaps 75 percent, of all conventional medications are refinements of herbal medicines. The isolation of morphine from opium in 1806 was the first time that chemical methods were used to extract the active chemical constituents of an herb. The chemical processes used to isolate morphine led to the production of codeine, the widely used cough suppressant. Chemical processing of cinchona bark yielded quinine, a malaria treatment that is still important today. |
| Some herbal medicines can have side effects, but these effects are rare and seldom severe. Generally, taking an over-the-counter herb at random will result in no more serious complication than a stomachache. Although deaths from side effects of herbs are not unknown, even the most ardent critics of herbal medicine estimate their number at fewer than twenty-five per year. That's extremely low as compared with prescription drugs.
Just as devastating as unpredictable side effects of conventional medication is its unbearable cost. A year's supply of the latest diabetes medication can cost $5,000. |
| Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and raspberries; preparations of bilberry and hawthorn; and the herbal medicines Pine Bark and Resveratrol all fall into this category. Using any of these foods or herbs can help people with eczema.
L\J Chemicals used in bubble-bath products may cause dermatitis and may even irritate the tissues of the lower urinary tract sufficiently to cause bloody urine. This is most likely to occur if you soak in treated bath water for too long.
Eczema is less frequent throughout childhood in children who have been breast-fed. |
| The bark of both the stem and root and also the berries are used to make herbal medicines.
EVIDENCE OF BENEFIT
Barberry is one of the most effective herbs for fighting bacterial infection. The best known of the herb's active constituents is berberine, a chemical barberry shares with coptis, goldenseal, and Oregon grape root. Berberine inhibits bacteria from attaching to human cells, which helps to prevent infection. It also stimulates certain immune system cells to function better. |
Peter Radetsky
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Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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| While birch bark, flowers, leaves, and sap are all used in herbal medicines, birch leaf is the part used most often. Birch leaf is slightly bitter and faintly aromatic.
EVIDENCE OF BENEFIT
Birch leaf is anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and diuretic. In Europe, birch is used to relieve the pain and swelling of arthritis and to heal boils and sores. Recent tests in Finland have found that birch leaf extracts kill the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| The Chinese insist, and I agree, that if you improve the quality of your blood through correct diet, herbal medicines, and acupuncture, the blood will purify itself and become vital and healthy. The same is true for the qi: you can enhance your body's qi by practicing slow moving exercises like tai chi (pronounced "tie chee") and breathing exercises called qi gong (pronounced "chee gung"), by receiving acupuncture, and by doing meditation practices.
In addition, the constitution of the person is important. |
| Chinese herbal medicines can be very effective in the treatment of severe oral blisters and genital herpes. Formulas containing gen-tiana (Gentiana macrophylla), such as long dan xia gan tang, are particularly useful. For viral infections in the eye, the coptis-containing formula nu huang jie du plan (Bovine Bezoar Toxin-Resolving Pill) is effective. The use of these medications is discussed in part 2. |
Michael Tierra
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 The Food and Drug Administration has surveyed some of the available literature on chemical composition and pharmacology of herbs and has suggested that some herbs, commonly used as herbal medicines, are "unsafe." However, it must be realized that these herbs were not judged unsafe on the basis of proper usage, but only based on the presence of a known toxic substance or on the report of severe overdose reaction. Virtually all goods and medicines contain substances that are toxic in large enough doses, so this does not shed much light on the true toxicity of the herb. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| Acupuncture treatments and herbal medicines helped to manage her pain and joint inflammation and she was eventually able to eliminate all anti-rheumatic drugs as well. Beth had an autoimmune condition complicated by immune deficiency, but natural therapies helped restore balance to her immune system.
Nonspecific or Innate Immunity
The classical view of immunity divides the immune system into two parts with different lines of defense: nonspecific or innate immunity, and specific or adaptive immunity. Each part has various components and characteristics that contribute to its effectiveness. |
| Chinese medicine also recommends not suppressing diarrhea caused by acute mild gastroenteritis, and encourages managing nausea and fever with herbal medicines. Other remedies for diarrhea and gastrointestinal viruses are discussed in detail in part 2.
Influenza
Influenza is called the "last of the great uncontrolled plagues," and some epidemiologists believe that we are imminently due for an influenza epidemic of plague proportions like that of 1918. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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| However, as this book chronicles, scientific studies and observations have validated not only the use of diet, nutritional supplements, and herbal medicines, but also some of the more esoteric natural healing treatments, including acupuncture, biofeedback, meditation, and homeopathy.
In many instances, scientific investigation has not only validated the natural treatment measure (such as diet therapy, nutritional supplementation, or herbal medicine), but also led to significant improvements and greater understanding. |
| Botanical Medicines
Several herbal medicines have been shown to be useful in improving vein structure and function. Those with the greatest amount of support in the scientific literature are presented here.
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)
An extract of centella containing seventy percent triterpenic acids (asiatic acid, madecas-sic acid, and asiaticoside) has demonstrated impressive clinical results in the treatment of cellulite, venous insufficiency of the lower limbs, and varicose veins.6 |
| In addition to nutrition, the natural approach to erectile dysfunction utilizes exercise and herbal medicines.
Reversing Atherosclerosis
Since atherosclerosis is the primary cause of erectile dysfunction, it is especially important to follow the dietary recommendations in the chapter A Health-Promoting Diet. For additional help in lowering cholesterol levels, see Cholesterol. These recommendations will prevent or reverse atherosclerosis. |
Michael Tierra
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| This, he reasoned, was certainly the factor that was missed when the herbal medicines were tried elsewhere.
SECONDARY FOODS
The secondary foods are fresh, local, seasonal vegetables, which provide important vitamin and mineral nutrients. These foods, however, are somewhat Yin (those eaten raw or cold being more Yin, and those cooked being more balanced) and stimulate the process of elimination. Elimination is an important process, since the proper removal of waste and toxins, either ingested or produced through normal metabolism, is essential for health. |
| When American doctors and scientists went to the jungles of Mexico to study the herbal medicines used by the highly reputed curanderos (healers), they verified that many diseases they had considered difficult or impossible to cure were being successfully treated. Upon applying the same treatments here, they were unable to achieve good results and eventually abandoned the treatments. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| The flavonoid antioxidant quercitin has potent activity against chemokines and enzymes that favor viral replication, and it is an important part of the antiviral protocols described in part 2 of this book. herbal medicines, especially Chinese herbs, may also have activity against unfavorable chemokines (discussed in part 2).
Other Immune Cells: Eosinophils compose 2-5 percent of total white blood cells and are capable of acting as phagocytes to kill microorganisms. They are believed to have a specific role in immunity against parasites. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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 This practice is quite common in Europe, where herbal medicines have for years been widely accepted. Without standardization you may not be getting the stated potency, which could account for the failure of an herbal treatment. Look for "standardized" on the label to ensure the potency of the active ingredient. If potency cannot be guaranteed, consider using freeze-dried tablets or capsules, which are usually reliable.
3. Tinctures and extracts (both fluid and solid) are not as subject to loss of strength as conventionally air-dried herbs. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 In the countries of Asia, Africa and South America, a much larger proportion of the population still choose or rely on herbal medicines for their day-to-day healthcare. The World Health Organization and other international agencies have long recognized that traditional health practitioners and their remedies represent a vital resource to be encouraged, to more effectively maintain health in remote regions and better to maintain plant biodiversity and local communities and industries. |
| THE DIFFICULTY OF ENQUIRY
Judging by the substantial markets for herbal products in the developed world, let alone the vast use in traditional cultures, a great many people have already found herbal medicines useful. Compared with the experience of most modern drugs, the human use and approval of most herbal remedies is awesome. The requirement by the medical and scientific establishment for research to 'prove' that herbs are effective is not found among the population at large. It is apparent that most ordinary people are content to rely on their impressions of the world to get by in it. |
| There are now thousands of highly educated individuals in the developed countries, many of them physicians, who prescribe herbal medicines regularly in their clinical work. Most of these have been bypassed by the vigorous scientific activity currently found at phytomedicine conferences or in the technical literature. They have obviously acquired valuable experience but rarely have the tools with which to separate the effects of the remedy from other clinical phenomena and still lack the institutional support that might underpin their aspirations. Nevertheless, they remain a vital community. |
| And excitingly new, the authors have comprehensively covered, and covered well: herbal pharmacodynamics (effect of an active phyto-chemical at target site(s)) and pharmacokinetics, explaining what actually happens to the phytochemicals in the body when humans consume herbal medicines, and how much of a phytochemical can be concentrated at the site. It is most exciting to read what the authors have to say in this important and understudied area of herbal medicine. These pharmacokinetic observations alone would make the book worthwhile. |
| They give good (and fresh) examples of the synergies, which appear to be the rule rather than the exception in herbal medicines. And I love their conclusion to their herbal safety chapter, that possibly the safety record for herbal medicine is better than that for any other widespread human activity, be it eating, drinking, exercise, sleeping, travel, or work.
In this book we are extremely fortunate. These authors, representing respectively the traditions of Great Britain and Australia, have 40 years of clinical practice of herbal medicine between them. |
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
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 It contains Royal Manchurian, perhaps the most potent form of ginseng, and several other Chinese herbal medicines.
Ching Chun Bao was first formulated during the reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty; thus it has a long and rich history of use. Ancient Chinese physicians claimed that Ching Chun Bao "prolonged life and maintained youth." In recent years, practitioners at the Hangzhou Traditional Chinese Medical Institute performed double-blind studies with the compound on animals and on people. |
Kenny Ausubel
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 Larry Kincheloe at an HMO in Oklahoma City found that his group could save between $500,000 and $750,000 a year by shifting to herbal medicines for conditions in which their efficacy is well documented.63 The potential cost savings from alternative therapies are likely to emerge as a principal vector in their growing acceptance, yet they also threaten an entrenched and highly profitable set of vested interests. |
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