Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 A number of manufacturers and distributors specializing in herbal products, including herbal combinations for prevention or treatment of certain disorders, are listed under Manufacturer and Distributor Information in the Appendix.
If you wish to buy organically grown herbs, look for the "certified organic" label on the product. More than half of U.S. states have certification programs for organic farms and products. Federal standards are now implemented through a nationwide certification system under the USDA National Organic Program. |
| There are a number of herbal products on the market that claim to help sexual potency:
• Prostata from Gero Vita International normalizes prostate function, increasing libido and erectile ability.
• Saw Palmetto Supreme from Gaia Herbs is an herbal tincture that helps to normalize prostate function.
• Sensuali Tea from UniTea Herbs contains damiana, sarsaparilla, and licorice root. It can be found in many health food stores that sell bulk herbs. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
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 American-made herbal products have not been implicated in this problem.
Strange as it may sound, indoor shooting ranges are a source of lead exposure. Lead bullets produce a vapor that can be absorbed through the lungs when discharged from a firearm. It is important to use only ranges that are well-ventilated. Jacketed ammunition will also further reduce your exposure to lead from bullets.
While most modern houses have PVC pipes, even modern faucets have lead-containing joints that can be a significant source of lead in drinking water. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
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 Powdered leaf and leaf extracts with standardized caffeine content are being used in capsules and formulas in herbal products as well. General dosages recommended are the equivalent of 2 g once or twice daily, or follow the labeled dosage information.
Contraindications Yerba mate is not to be used during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Yerba mate contains caffeine and should not be used by those who are sensitive or allergic to caffeine. Excessive consumption of caffeine is contraindicated for persons with high blood pressure, diabetes, ulcers, and other diseases. |
Bryan Hanson, PhD
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 Another important type of chromatography frequently used to analyze herbal products is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Gas chromatography is very similar to HPLC, in that the sample flows with the mobile phase through a tube. However, in GC, the tube is extremely narrow and long, and its walls are coated with a gel that functions as the stationary phase. The mobile phase is helium gas
FIGURE 5.15. A typical calibration curve as used with HPLC or GC-MS. The standard data points are the responses from a set of prepared standards of known concentration. flowing through the tube. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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| Finally, look for herbal products that are standardized to contain a specific percentage of active ingredients extracted from the specific herb part known to be effective.
HERBS AND THEIR USES
The following table describes some of the most commonly used medicinal herbs, including which parts of each herb are used, its chemical and nutrient content, and its various uses.
Herb
(Scientific Name)
Part(s) Phytochemical and Used Nutrient Content
Actions and Uses
Comments
Acerola Fruit. Phytochemicals: Beta-carotene. |
| There are many combination herbal products designed to offer gastrointestinal relief. Enzymatic Therapy Olympian Labs, and Solaray are recommended sources.
Q Other herbs that are good for this disorder include burdock root, echinacea, fenugreek, goldenseal, licorice, marshmallow root, pau d'arco, enteric-coated peppermint (do not use any other form), red clover, rose hips, silymarin (milk thistle extract), slippery elm, and yerba mate. These herbs support digestion, cleanse the bloodstream, and reduce inflammation and infection. For best results, use them on an alternating basis. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
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 There's no good research for any of these herbal products, but also no indication that they would cause any serious reactions, either.
Some people find that sucking on a piece of hard candy works quite well to ease a daytime cough, whether or not the candy has any active ingredients such as licorice or menthol in it. One scientist has suggested that part of the reason most cough syrup is sweet is not only to mask the nasty flavor of dextromethorphan, but also to recruit the brain's own opioids, endorphins, in calming the cough. |
Joseph E. Mario
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 The Only Herbal Shampoo (Genesis herbal products, Brooklyn, New York) with Butternut leaf, Nettle, Rosemary, and Lemongrass for healthy Hair and scalp, Kelp for softness and shine, Hops for manageable body, Red Clover blossoms to retain natural oils, Cider Vinegar, and Annatto seed extract.
L&H Vitamins' TEN ActivatormakesthinningHairthickerand fuller, with TEN Shampoo.
The Vitamin Shoppe's T.E.N. HairGrooming Formula; with Biotin Shampoo.
The above methods had less Hair fallout and more regrowth in 50-75% of cases.
SEE hair Tests.
•HALITOSIS SEE bad Breath. |
James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 Safety note: As with pharmaceutical medications, make sure to store herbal products out of the reach of children.
Helping Your Child with Herbs
The following information offers creative ways to administer herbs to children. Medicine doesn't have to taste bad to be good. In fact, many herbal medicines not only work better than conventional medicines but also taste better! |
| When purchasing quality herbal products:
• Make sure the label provides easy directions and recommended dosages.
• The label should list all ingredients in order of potency.
• Look to see if the specific parts of the plants used are identified. For example, some herbs work better when their leaves are used; other herbs house their medicinal ingredients in the roots, not the leaves.
• Purchase products that are wrapped in safety seals to prevent tampering and preserve freshness.
• Make sure the label lists an expiration date and a lot number. |
Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon
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 The most popular herbal products included Ginseng (Ginkgo biloba), Garlic (Allium sativum), Echinacea spp. and St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) [12].
Traditional and Complementary Alternative Medicine are gaining more and more respect by national governments and health providers. Peru's National Program in Complementary Medicine and the Pan American Health Organization recently compared Complementary Medicine to allopathic medicine in clinics and hospitals operating within the Peruvian Social Security System [13]. |
Joseph E. Mario
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| Vitamins and herbal products. Several Naturopathic Doctors and Vitamin producers were raided by armed S.W.A.T. teams, arrested, and had products and property seized, apparantly on various unconstitutional and malicious charges. It is rumored that the importation of the contaminated batch may have been part of a central plan to violate and seize control ofourhuman,civilandreligious rights of free access to natural God-made products, which have been used for nourishment and healing for centuries, certainly eons before any governments-come-lately. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 That really is not true, because there are some excellent anti-inflammatory herbal products, mineral products [and] oil products that have really good research behind them to show that they work just as well as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. I talk about those in the book. I didn't list all of them -- it's a little book -- but we have a really good selection to make in that.
Mike: Indeed. Can I call you a critic of the pharmaceutical industry?
Simontacchi: You can call me a very cynical critic instead.
Mike: Okay, great. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
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 The following herbal products have demonstrated liver toxicity: germander, comfrey, chapparal leaf, ma huang, pennyroyal, skullcap, and mistletoe. If one desires to use any of these herbal products, it is advisable to do so under the care of a physician and with careful monitoring of liver enzymes and hepatitis C viral counts (Harvey et al. 1981;Gossrau et al. 1990).
@ SUMMARY
Conventional physicians administer a two-drug combination consisting of interferon and ribavirin in an attempt to eradicate HCV. While this dmg therapy is very effective in some patients, it fails in many others. |
Joseph E. Mario
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| The Only Herbal Skin Freshener (Genesis herbal products) with Rosewater, Carmine extract, Annatto extract, and Citric acid.
Rachel Perry's Peach & Papaya Facial Scrub with pH-balanced Papaya extract, Peach kernel oil, Spanish Juniper, Belgian Chamomile, Clary Sage, Evening Primrose oil, Mint, Arnica, and Geranium. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
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| Feverfew is used more often in Europe and Canada than in the United States, perhaps because their regulatory bodies have authority over herbal products. In Canada, feverfew products must by law contain a minimum of 0.2 percent parthenolide. In France, the minimum is 0.1 percent. Animal studies have confirmed that parthenolide is the active ingredient.335 For migraine prevention, the herb is taken daily for at least 2 months.
A rigorous review of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials involving feverfew found that the results were mixed. |
| Because the quality of herbal products and dietary supplements varies widely in this country, keeping close track of how well you do may help you find a more effective or more consistent formulation.
CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS
There are a number of Chinese herbs that are traditionally prescribed in complex formulas. Several herbs are included to help potentiate and balance the main ingredient or ingredients. |
Michael T. Murray
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 Make your physician aware of all the nutritional supplements or herbal products you are currently taking to avoid any negative interactions with any drugs you are taking. žIf you are currently taking a prescription medication, you absolutely must work with your doctor before discontinuing any drug or altering any drug regimen. žDiabetes is a multifactorial disease that requires a multifactorial solution: medical, nutritional, and lifestyle changes. Do not rely solely on a single area of focus. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 There is no herbal products company that I'm more impressed with than the Amazon Herb Company.
And these products are phenomenal. In my personal opinion, these products can undeniably bring people back from the brink of death due to degenerative disease. To say that they can prevent cancer, help reverse diabetes, reduce hypertension, detoxify the body, protect the nervous system and even help reverse heart disease is no exaggeration in my opinion. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 The Amazon Herb Company is an eco-conscious company that has spearheaded the development and delivery of rainforest herbal products to consumers in the United States, Canada, and developed nations around the world. Author Mike Adams uses and strongly recommends Amazon Herb products, and at the same time, he has no financial relationship with the Amazon Herb Company and is not a distributor. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Don't get caught drowning in a victim mentality
This is something I've mentioned frequently even when I get excited about herbal products, and that is: to truly heal, you have to look at what decisions in your life got you to the point where you are today. If you're suffering from a chronic disease like heart disease or cancer or diabetes or osteoporosis, then you got there by making a series of decisions over a period of years or decades that had a specific outcome. This outcome is what you are living today. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
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| Other Nondrug Approaches
As limited as it is, the research literature on herbal products like butterbur and feverfew is almost extensive in comparison to a few other approaches that pop up in medical journals here and there. A Brazilian study suggests that melatonin (3 milligrams daily) is effective in preventing migraines.351 Another study, this one carried out in Switzerland, found that coenzyme Q10, given at a dose of 100 milligrams three times a day, was superior to placebo.352 Both of these treatments are readily available without a prescription and reasonably safe. |
Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D.
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 Herbal products in capsules or tablets providing at least 250 meg of parthenolide per day may be taken.8 It may take four to six weeks before benefits are noticed. Feverfew is useful for decreasing the severity and incidence of migraines. However, it is not an effective treatment for an acute migraine attack.
Are there any side effects or interactions?
Taken as recommended, standardized feverfew causes minimal side effects. Minor side effects include gastrointestinal upset and nervousness. Chewing feverfew leaves has been reported to cause canker sores (page 90). |
Amarjit S. Basra
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 At the same time, with the WHO Guideline on Good Sourcing Practice (GSP) of medicinal plants, another proposal by the Working Party of herbal products of EMEA is also under discussion. The international interest for this topic shows the importance of building up a proper system for quality assurance of medicinal plant drugs.
Today, ecological farming in the production of medicinal and aromatic plants is becoming more and more popular. It seems to satisfy a well-defined, relatively tight demand of a certain groups of the population. |
| Currently two major herbal products are referred to as ginseng. They are Korean or Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (P. quinquefolium). The market for ginseng in the United States is estimated to be $300 million annually. Current tests for ginseng species identification rely on expert botanical identification of fresh plant/root specimens or on biochemical characterization of active and marker compounds (e.g., gin-senosides). Mihalov et al. developed several successful DNA-based protocols for the identification of commercial samples of ginseng. |
| The use of herbal products to treat a wide range of conditions is on the rise, leading to increased intake of phytochemicals. The data just presented represent recent studies that reveal potentially fatal interactions between herbal remedies and traditional drugs. A recent review by Ioannides summarizes many herbal remedies with the potential to modulate enzyme activities and thus participate in interactions with conventional drugs.38 These include milk thistle, Angelica dahurica, ginseng, garlic preparations, dan-shen, and liquorice. |
Jack Challem
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 Bioforce
Bioforce is a venerable Swiss maker of herbal products, with a strong commitment to product consistency and quality. For more information call (877) 232-6060 or go to www.bioforce.com.
217
J. R. Carlson Laboratories
Carlson Laboratories offers the widest selection of natural vitamin E products, as well as a broad range of other vitamin and mineral supplements. For more information call (800) 323-4141 or go to www.carlsonlabs.com.
Juvenon
Founded by researchers Bruce Ames, Ph.D., and Tory Hagen, Ph.D. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
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| This example illustrates yet another reason consumers should be knowledgeable about what type of medicinal plants and herbal products they choose to take and should obtain information and facts from practitioners before launching any self-treatment program with medicinal plants, especially if they routinely take prescription drugs. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
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 Holistic Horse magazine.
Small relates a case in which she was called by a frustrated trainer to discuss a thoroughbred filly that he had.
Gary was beside himself because the horse had been sick for weeks, and three vets and seven antibiotics could not bring this filly around. Gary and the vets gave up on this filly and sent her out to a farm since she could not be trained and was taking up valuable stall space at the racetrack.
Upon my arrival to the farm, I found a thin filly despondently looking out of the stall. She had copious white mucus glued around each nostril. |
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