| Their knowledge about the best way to prepare medicinal plants into effective herbal remedies has been built over decades of empirical knowledge from trial and error, human experimentation, and even serendipity passed down from generation to generation. |
| Poultices and Compresses
Many herbal remedies are applied directly to the skin as poultices, usually on rashes and wounds and as topical pain-relieving remedies. Poultices are prepared in various ways—from the jungle shaman chewing up fresh leaves or roots and spitting them out onto the skin, to mashing up fresh leaves or roots by hand or with a mortar and pestle. Sometimes just enough hot water is poured over dried or fresh plant material to soften them. Then, the wet herbs are placed directly on the skin or between two pieces of cloth and laid on the skin. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 Today, however, scientists are taking a second look at herbal remedies. Particularly in the past twenty years, a growing body of research (much of it done in Europe) has pointed to the therapeutic potential of numerous herbs. But a lot of work remains to be done; only about 15 percent of the estimated plant species on earth have been investigated for possible medicinal uses. |
The Editors of FC&A
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| Here's a short list of botanicals, or traditional herbal remedies, that are full of ulcer-fighting antioxidants.
Licorice. It's more than just candy. Licorice aids your stomach by battling free radicals, protecting the stomach lining, stopping H. pylori from spreading, and easing inflammation.
Your best bet is to buy supplements of deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). They appear to offer all the benefits of licorice without the side effects. Herbalists recommend taking two to four chewable 380-milligram tablets, 20 to 30 minutes before meals for two to four weeks.
Angelica root. |
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
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 Ginger is one of the best herbal remedies for stomach problems of all kinds. And you're right, it helps rheumatoid arthritis, too. But before we talk about any more specific remedies, let's go over your diet. Have you made any changes there?"
"Well ..." She looked at her feet. "That's part of why it took me 3 years to get here. Emily says I'm one of the worst junk-food junkies she's ever seen. My husband says there's no point spending the money to come in here if I'm not ready to make a big diet change." She took a deep breath, "So I'm ready."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. And Emily says she'll help. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
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 Basic information about methods for preparing herbal remedies (Chapter 3) and details about rainforest remedies and recipes (Chapter 4) are also discussed.
CHAPTER 2
Differences and Similarities of Drugs and Medicinal Plants oday, there are at least 120 distinct chemical substances derived from plants that are considered important drugs and are currently in use t^i." in one or more countries in the world. Some of these drugs are simply a chemical or chemicals extracted from plant materials and put into a capsule, tablet, or liquid. |
Tanya Harter Pierce
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 Also, Rene Caisse injected the sheep sorrel into her patients and none of the herbal remedies today use that approach.
There can be no debate that herbal remedies such as the Hoxsey therapy and Essiac have, historically, been extremely powerful anti-cancer treatments. In today's modern world, there are still people getting well from cancer using these herbal treatments. Finding herbal sources today that use good quality herbs and prepare the herbs optimally is the biggest concern. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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| Buy your herbal remedies from a reputable company. If you collect or grow herbs on your own, be absolutely positive in your identification.
• Use the correct part of the plant. For instance, don't substitute roots for leaves. When buying fresh herbs, check to be sure which part of the herb is required for a remedy—the whole herb, flowers, fruit, leaves, stems, or roots.
• When using an herbal remedy for the first time, start with a small amount to test for possible allergic reactions.
• Don't take certain herbs if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. |
Amarjit S. Basra
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 There is no historical basis for lipid-lowering herbal therapy; therefore herbal remedies need closer scientific evaluation. Orthodox treatment is mainly with a group of drugs called the statins; several of those very effective agents (e.g., simvastatin and pravastatin) are produced by fungi.
As is the case with diabetes, a high-fiber diet reduces cholesterol absorption and simple bulking agents such as psyllium (Plantago isphagula) have been found to have small effectives. |
Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson
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 TYPES OF DRUGS DERIVED FROM PLANTS
Herbal drugs, derived from specific parts of a medicinal plant
These are known as herbal medicinal products (HMPs), herbal remedies or phytomedicines and include, for example:
• The herb of St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), used in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.
• The leaves of Ginkgo blloba, used for cognitive deficiencies (often in the elderly), including impairment of memory and affective symptoms such as anxiety. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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 The herbal remedies of the world vary in strength from potentially lethal poisons to gentle tonics that might be considered to be foods. This variation in the potency of pharmacological impact is chemically based and has a profound effect on the therapeutic selection of herbs for any individual. Herbs may be loosely categorized into the following broad groups.
Normalizers. These herbs gently nourish the body in ways that support natural processes of growth, health, and renewal. They are primarily tonics and "herbal foods. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 A more reasonable approach is to base the prescription and recommendation of herbal remedies on the way in which patients actually use these products, which presupposes that the products generally have a broad, safe therapeutic range. Potent plant-based medicines, such as preparations made from cardiac glycoside-containing plant parts like the foxglove (Digitalis spp. |
Lesley Tierra
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 Herbal Medicine Kits
An herbal medicine kit is a place to store herbal remedies for treating a range of common ailments. It can be a larger medicine chest for home use, or a smaller portable first aid kit. Having various remedies made up and stored together in one location can be invaluable for emergencies. It is also extremely helpful in preventing more serious ailments when you feel the first signs of a cold, flu, fever, stomachache, headache or constipation for example.
Making your own herbal remedies is one of the best ways to learn about herbs. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| Althaea officinalis (marshmallow), like many other herbal remedies, is produced by small-scale growers and distributed through channels that support a diversified economic system. This system provides a perfect example of how small can be beautiful. Not only does it provide the benefits of small-scale economics and ecological viability, but this also works to produce a medicine that carries the multiple advantages inherent in herb remedies.
If organic techniques were used to produce the herb, the soil was nurtured, which Wetsh farmers describe as putting "heart" back into the soil. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 Herbal Remedies
T^here are several herbal remedies that can alleviate fibroid symptoms. Fifteen J. drops of shepherd's purse taken three times daily can aid in controlling uterine bleeding, while the herb white ash can facilitate the reduction of fibroids. False unicorn root can be useful in treating severe bleeding when 15 drops are mixed with water and consumed on an hourly basis. The Chinese herb dong quai, which contains useful phytoestrogens and acts as a muscle relaxant, has demonstrated its ability to alleviate cramps attributed to fibroids. |
Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson
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| Non-herbal active ingredients of any type cannot legally be included in unlicensed herbal remedies, and inclusion of drugs with POM status represents an additional infringement of European and US legislation. Some ingredients, such as certain animal parts, are also restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). |
Richard P. Brown, M.D., and Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D.
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 An excellent, consumer-friendly review of common herbal remedies for various medical conditions.
Web Sites www.artofliving.org
Provides information on Sudarshan Kriya yoga and includes yoga breathing courses available throughout the United States and the world. www.consumerlab.com
Regularly updates its independent evaluations of many supplement brands. www.fda.gov/medwatch www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html
Lists recalls and warnings about poor-quality or unsafe brands. www.hmrprogram. |
Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson
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| Ultimately, herbal remedies became transformed into chemically defined drugs.
The 20th century
One of the most important events that influenced the use of medicinal plants in the Western world in the last century was the serendipitous discovery of the antibacterial properties of fungal metabolites such as ben-zylpenicillin, by Florey and Fleming in 1928 at St Mary's Hospital (London). These natural products changed forever the perception and use of plant-derived metabolites as medicines by both scientists and the lay public. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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| Thus, the demand of many patients, especially the elderly, for herbal remedies is rooted partly in the emotional perception that natural products are gentler and safer than chemical products. Beyond some very concrete evidence for certain active plant constituents, even a consultation with their doctor would be unlikely to shake patients from this preconceived notion. |
| With the development of the natural sciences and the scientific method in medicine beginning in the early 19th century, herbal remedies became an object of scientific analysis. The isolation of morphine from opium (1803-1806) marked the first time that relatively modern chemical and analytic methods were used to extract the active principle from a herb. It then became possible to perform pharmacologic and toxicologic studies on the effects of morphine in animals and humans. Various substances isolated from opium, including morphine, codeine, and papaverine, are still in therapeutic use today. |
Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson
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| Plant extracts are now rarely used by physicians or in hospitals, although herbal remedies are popular with the public and improvements in their formulation have resulted in a new generation of phytomedicines that are more potent than before and also chemically standardized. There is, however, a resurgence of interest in the older Oriental systems; this is due partly to a dissatisfaction with conventional treatments and partly to the recent interest in all things natural, environmentally friendly and biodegradable. |
| REPPED: Importance of plants in modern pharmacy and medicine
AIMS AND DEFINITIONS
This introductory textbook aims to provide a scientific basis for the use of plants in pharmacy (pharmacognosy) and also to describe the main characteristics of herbal remedies (phytomedicines) and their clinical use (herbal medicine, phytotherapy). There is also an overview of some historical aspects of medicinal plant use by different societies (ethnobotany, ethnopharma-cology) and on the role of plants in a variety of popular 'non-scientific' medical systems (traditional medicine). |
Dr. Gary Null
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 Before I had the herbal remedies, my menstrual cycles were extremely heavy, I had mood swings, and I was very prone to exhaustion. I was extremely irregular. When I started taking the herbal remedies, the menstrual cycle became very regular again, approximately every thirty days. The flow was more regular, the cramping was easier to deal with. The mood swings disappeared, and I became balanced. My own body told me that this was certainly working for me. The herbs have made a fundamental difference in my life. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
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 Because valerian-containing products often are promoted as natural herbal remedies, the public mistakenly believes they are safe to take on a regular basis (Donath et al. 2000). Studies indicate, however, that there is a possible toxicity risk when taking valerian over an extended period of time (Chan et al. 1995). Because a tolerance effect occurs with valerian due to its Valium-like properties, people often need to take greater and greater amounts of it as time goes by in order to continue to obtain the desired hypnotic (sleep-inducing) effect. |
| Many old herbal remedies, however, have fallen into oblivion with the development of modern medicine.
Artichoke extract is one of the few phytopharma-ceuticals whose experiential and clinical effects have been confirmed to a great extent by biomedical research. Its major active components have been identified, as have some of its mechanisms of action in the human body. In particular, antioxidant, liver-protective, bile-enhancing, and lipid-lowering effects have been demonstrated, which correspond well with the historical use of the plant. |
| Natural and herbal remedies can provide effective treatment when FDA-approved American antibiotics fail.
@ SUMMARY
1. With the arrival of drug-resistant bactetia, prevention becomes more important than ever. The body's immune system can be strengthened by vitamin and trace-element supplementation. Thtee Life Extension Mix tablets 3 times a day (at meal times) provide the essential vitamins and trace elements for basic immune-system health.
2. Life Extension Herbal Mix incorporates 27 different herbs into a powder designed to make 1 daily drink. |
| Examples of useful herbal remedies abound. Goldenseal may be an effective natural antibiotic (Scazzocchio et al. 2001). Raw garlic has potent antibacterial effects (Kumar et al. 1998). Kyolic, an aged garlic product, does not kill bacteria directly, but does boost immune function, enabling the body to fight off some chronic bacterial infections.
Restoring Intestinal Flora
Antibiotics often destroy friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract that are needed to digest food and prohibit the growth of fungal infections and pathogenic bacteria. |
| It is important to note that the German government's Commission E, which evaluates herbal remedies prescribed in conventional medical practice in Germany, has approved chasteberry for menstrual inegularities, breast pain, and premenstrual complaints (Schellenberg R., 2001).
The commonly recommended dose from water-alcohol extracts of chasteberry (in dry or fluid form, standardized to agnuside or aucubin) equals 20-40 mg of fresh berries per day. |
Walter Last
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 Commonly used are herbal remedies, colloidal minerals, natural vitamins, or fresh vegetable juice.
Bioenergy: If we eat fresh raw food, we gain additional bioenergy. If we eat precooked or processed food and drink dead water, then our body loses bioenergy by charging the ingested food or drink from its own energy store. Rainwater is energized, especially during thunderstorms and if it comes as showers on sunny days. However, the maximum benefit is gained if the rainwater is collected and used without it touching metal. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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| The classic term "cholagogues" was based on older pathogenetic concepts for this group of herbal remedies, and a more accurate current term is "anti-dyspeptics." From the standpoint of differential indications, cholagogues are used mainly in the treatment of dyspeptic complaints that are characterized by a feeling of pressure or pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. The term cholagogues in this context is a generic one for choleretics (agents that stimulate bile production in the liver) and cholekinetics (agents that promote emptying of the gallbladder and extra-hepatic bile ducts). |
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