James Green
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 Please note, that as the medicinal herbs are becoming more and more popular, some wild-crafting practices are placing a great burden on a growing number of wdd plant populations; therefore it is important to begin organically cultivating many of our herbal medicines rather than over-harvesting and wiping out wdd medicinal plant communities. A good example of the destruction caused by mindless wildcrafting is the notable loss of fields of wdd Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea due to commercial over-harvesting. OrganicaUy cultivated Echinacea purpurea is every bit as effective. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 By the end of the week, my pain was much less intense, in part, I think, because I took control of my own medical care and in part because I used so many herbal medicines. In fact, I dedicated that workshop to the tropical papaya tree, the source of chymopapain, a drug used to treat slipped disks.
That first ecotour led to many others, in Belize, Costa Rica and Peru, and now Tanzania and Kenya. These trips helped Judi and me compile our book The CRC Handbook of Alternative Cash Crops for the Tropics. |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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 Weerdt CJ, Bootsma HPR, Hendriks H. herbal medicines in migraine prevention: randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover trial of a feverfew preparation. Phytomedicme 1996; 3(3): 225-230.
7. Murch SJ, Simmons CB, Saxena PK. Melatonin in feverfew and other medicinal plants. The Lancet 1997; 350: 1598-1599.
8. Awang DVC. Feverfew trials: the promise of—and the problem with—standardized botanical extracts. HerbalGram 1997; 41: 16-17.
9. McGuffm M, Hobbs C, Upton R, et al., eds. American Herbal Products Association Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton and New York: CRC Press LLC, 1997. |
Robyn Landis
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 They were the pharmacies of that time, and dispensed an enormous range of herbal medicines in every possible form. As drug pharmacies became the standard, the herb pharmacy disappeared. Now, herb pharmacies are making a bit of a comeback, although they are still, unfortunately, quite rare. Our hometown of Seattle is extremely progressive, with two.
Herb pharmacies make a much higher grade of herb available to the consumer. Herbs are graded after harvesting, and the top 15 percent goes to professional herbalists. |
Kenny Ausubel
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 Fortunately, there is currendy a surge in the numbers of both naturopathic and osteopathic physicians who have traditionally employed herbal medicines extensively. Both professions are projected to occupy a substantial niche among doctors in the next ten years.
There are already three naturopathic medical colleges (and a fourth in development) that can barely meet the demand of applicants. Five states in the last five years have passed new licensing laws relegitimizing the practice of namropathy after its earlier demise at the hand of Dr. Fishbein's AMA. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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| In Germany, herbal medicines are widely used and often recommended by doctors. One popular German amenorrhea preparation (Femisana) is a tincture of chasteberry fruits, along with greater celandine, black cohosh and pasque-flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris).
VV Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) and blue cohosh (Caulo-phyllum thalictroides). These were the American Indians' two favorite herbs for gynecological complaints. It turns out that black cohosh has potent estrogen-like activity, and blue cohosh stimulates uterine contractions.
Carrot (Daucus carota). |
Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 Herbs
Milk thistle—One of the oldest known herbal medicines, it has been rsed for over two hundred years to treat various liver disorders. One use )f milk thistle that has emerged from research is its ability to stimulate he regeneration of tissue and function in the livers of alcohol abusers >y stimulating cellular protein synthesis.
Turmeric—This spice been revered in India for thousands of years, and esearchers there have conducted most of the research into the healing :hemical it contains: curaimin. |
Marion Nestle
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 A somewhat better-researched work, the Physicians' Desk Reference for herbal medicines, explains that black elder is a folk medicine used for colds, coughs, and fevers but warns that "proof of efficacy is not available. "Jl
On balance, the ingredients in this particular immune supplement seemed unlikely to be harmful, but beyond the sources of information available in the store, there is no way to know whether the product truly contains the ingredients listed on its label, whether the ingredients are active or safe, or whether the product performs as advertised. |
Robyn Landis
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| Frequently, herbal medicines are safer, more effective, and less expensive for both you personally and the system (whose costs you bear in the long run anyway), have fewer side effects, if any, and are more accessible. Herbs deal with underlying issues, not just symptoms, and they help prevent health problems from advancing to crisis proportions.
HOW DID I GET INVOLVED IN HERBAL MEDICINE?
Let's go back in time for a moment to catch a glimpse of me one decade ago, at the age of twenty-one. I was young and should have been the picture of health. Youth equals health, right? Not! |
| In Europe, where much of the modern research on herbal medicines has been conducted (much of it government approved), natural medicines briskly outsell synthetic ones.1
But in the United States, current use of herbal medicine reflects a return to roots after a hiatus; our history with herbal medicine is a broken line. While at one time herbs were native to medicine and our culture, the field today is being resurrected from ashes. Now its popularity is unquestionably on the rise. |
Dr. Gary Null
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 Findings of researchers working with autoimmune-prone mice support traditional Chinese herbal medicines, specifically sairei-to, as a promising systemic lupus erythematosus treatment.
H. Kanauchi et al., "Evaluation of the Japanese-Chinese Herbal Medicine, Kampo, for the Treatment of Lupus Dermatoses in Autoimmune Prone MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr Mice," Journal of Dermatology 21, no. 12 (December 1994): 935-39. |
Robyn Landis
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| Valerian is also one of England's best-selling herbal medicines.
Valerian is yet another good example of why herbs are more valuable as a whole rather than as isolated extracts of compounds. Three major groups of active components in valerian have been identified: alkaloids, essential oils, and valepotriates. Valerenic acid and a volatile oil were believed by many researchers to be the components with sedative effects, but at least one study shows that these weren't as effective when used individually. |
Dr. Gary Null
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| Efficacy of Traditional herbal medicines in Combination with Acyclovir Against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in Vitro and in Vivo," Antiviral Research 27 (1995): 19-37.
Genistein inhibits the replication of herpes simplex virus type I.
Y. Yura et at, "Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus Replication by Genistein, an Inhibitor of Protein-Tyrosine Kinase," Archives of Virology 132 (1993): 451-61.
A poplar bud extract was found to inhibit herpes simplex virus type I in vitro.
M. Amoros et al. |
Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 Subsequently, I graduated from the National Institute of Nutritional Education and the Sequoya College of Herbology Along with a friend, I eventually owned and operated a large health food store in Westport, Connecticut, that focused on organic foods and herbal medicines as well as nutritional supplements. This is where I began a private practice that offered people guidance in the areas of nutrition and herbal medicine. |
| My mission in founding WellSprings (a nonprofit corporation) was to create a healing retreat center that would offer a holistic approach to health by utilizing herbal medicines, nutrition, and other healing modalities for disease prevention and treatment and for wellness promotion. This planned center, with its hot water artesian springs and ornamental, culinary, herb, and staple food gardens, will provide a sanctuary for healing in body, mind, and spirit. |
Ralph W. Moss PhD
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 The "World Health Organization (WHO), which has done much to promote the use of herbs, defines "herbal medicines" as "finished, labeled medicinal products that contain as active ingredients aerial or underground parts of plants, or other plant material, or combinations thereof, whether in the crude state or as plant preparations." Such plant materials can include juices, gums, fatty oils, essential oils, and any other substances of this nature. |
| It is estimated that 80 percent of the world's population relies on traditional herbal medicines for a significant part of their healthcare. Although this is often by necessity, it is also frequently by choice.
Meanwhile, in the developed countries, we have seen a "preference of many consumers for products of natural origin" (415). This trend is reinforced by the desire of many immigrants to incorporate the traditional remedies of their former homes into the context of Western scientific medicine. |
| WHO has stated that "consumers and health care providers need to be supplied with up-to-date and authoritative information on the beneficial properties, and possible harmful effects, of all herbal medicines" (415).
To that end, several world conferences of drug regulatory authorities have been held by United Nations agencies. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) jointly sponsored a similar groundbreaking conference called: "A Symposium on Botanicals: a Role in US Health Care? |
James Green
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| Certainly, the science and technology we employ to prepare our herbal preparations are important factors in bringing forth high-quality herbal medicines, and the main body of this handbook offers guidelines for these techniques. But as author of this work I must allege, as I repeat, these are not the most crucial factors. The harvest is. Therein lies the art and soul of excellent medicine-making. |
Robyn Landis
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| Since everyone stopped making natural remedies for kids for the period of time that herbal medicine was languishing in the United States, herbal medicines are often difficult to find in the forms that are best suited for children. Now that herbal medicine is increasing in popularity and availability, a good many preparations are available for adults, but there are fewer available yet for children. It's a secondary segment of the field, and needs some time to catch up.
One of the best ways to figure out which method of getting herbs into your kids may be to ask them. |
Gale Maleskey
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 Saw Palmetto to Shrink Your Prostate
One of the most widespread herbal medicines used to reduce the size and irritating symptoms of an enlarged prostate is an extract of the berries of saw palmetto. Studies show that up to 60 percent of men with mild to moderate BPH experience some relief from all major symptoms within the first four to six weeks of treatment with this herb.
In a study, 305 men who had mild to moderate BPH were given 160 milligrams of saw palmetto extract two times a day for a period of three months. After 45 days, there was a significant improvement in symptoms. |
Dr. Vern Cherewatenko and Paul Perry
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 It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of the world's population uses herbal medicines, many because they prefer a more gende and natural approach to treatment.
Among the thousands of plants used effectively is a reddish fruit the size of a small orange from the botanical tree Garcinia cambogia. When this rind is dried and ground into powder, it has uses for many different diseases. In India, for instance, garcinia is sometimes used as a topical application for infections. It also has use as a "chewing stick" to keep teeth and gums healthy. |
John R. Smythies
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| Many herbal medicines have a high content of antioxidant phytochemicals. An ayurvedic—the ancient folk medicine of India—drug prepared from a number of plants is marketed today as a product named Geniforte. In animal experiments this induces the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes and reduces the level of lipid oxidation. Boldine, an ingredient in a Chilean folk medicine made from the boldo tree, is used for the treatment of liver complaints and rheumatism. Very potent at mopping up hydroxyl radicals, this antioxidant is nontoxic and nonmutagenic. |
Gale Maleskey
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| Commission E, a team of physicians, toxicologists, pharmacologists, and other specialists established by the German government to study herbal medicines, determined that nettle is also a good supportive therapy for inflammatory diseases of the lower urinary tract. All of these scientific conclusions fit with the traditional use of nettle as a diuretic, notes Dr. Beyrle. "This is really one of the great herbs for increasing the secretion of urine," he says. "I've also used it to treat chronic inflammation of the bladder. |
| A Regulatory Purgatory
Currently, herbal medicines sold in the United States are in limbo between regulation and free-market distribution. Since they are classified as dietary supplements, not drugs, they can be purchased without a prescription.
This policy raises doubts in the minds of many health practitioners. In Europe, where phytomedicines are common, people are accustomed to having herbs prescribed by doctors. In the United States, however, you can just walk into a health food store and buy them in quantity. Why should there be such a discrepancy in the way they're distributed? |
| Or you may want to go a step further as well and consult a health practitioner who has experience with herbal medicines.
If you do consult an experienced practitioner, you have a number of choices. One alternative is to find a certified herbalist who is a member of the American Herbalists Guild. Or you might want to see a naturopathic doctor, who will integrate the use of herbs with other healing techniques. A doctor of oriental medicine will also prescribe herbs. Some chiropractors and some physicians—both M.D.'s and D.O.'s—have taken the time to learn about phytomedicines. |
James Green
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| Have fun, give your herbal medicines a magical air. They will entertain and entice, manifesting ancillary wonders in a special way.
RUBBER SPATULAS
Wide ones and narrow ones to help get every bit of herbal material out of any and all sized containers. It's akin to garbling and a gesture of respect. These healing, nourishing substances are too precious to waste.
ELECTRIC COFFEE GRINDER
These post-Edison mortar and pestles provide a high-rpm pulverizing blade. Electric coffee grinders are relatively inexpensive tools that are excellent to use for powdering small portions of dried herb. |
Gale Maleskey
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| In 1978t the German government established Commission E to evaluate herbal medicines and write a series of monographs, or scholarly works, on them, A team of physicians, toxicologists, pharmacologists, and other specialists set about to produce the most comprehensive study ever attempted,
The commission's series of monographs covers some 400 herbs. For each herbal medicine, Commission E sets certain guidelines for dosage and uses. Unlike the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, which uses a requirement of "absolute certaintyw before licensing a drug. |
Lesley Tierra
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 How To Store
For home use, a large box or chest, or an allotted space on cabinet shelves, can be a good location for your herbal medicines. For travel, you can sew a small cloth bag or purchase a make-up bag found in most drug stores. Put tinctures, liniments, syrups and oils in small glass bottles. For travel, left-over shampoo sample bottles make great containers for these remedies. Put capsules and pills in small multi-compartment receptacles, such as pill boxes or fisherman containers. Salves, gels, powders and pastes store well in small tightly capped jars. |
Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D.
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 It is rigorous, and includes only those herbal medicines well documented by scientific research. It is, as a result, somewhat restricted in scope.
Of Man and Plants, Maurice Messegue, Macmillan, New York, 1973. A fascinating anecdotal biography of France's most famous unschooled herbalists. Messegue learned his art from his father, and, applying it skillfully and intuitively, he became a minor celebrity, summoned to treat the famous in France and abroad. An appendix includes recipes for his treatments, many of which were administered as foot or hand baths. |
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