Maesimund B. Panos, M.D. and Jane Heimlich
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 It is made from the mullein plant, which is still used by herbalists for its soothing properties. Think of Verbascum for an earache in the left ear. Baby is hoarse, and may have a deep-toned cough.
COLIC
Colic is a general term meaning spasmodic pain in the abdomen. In the infant, it usually means a digestive upset as evidenced by the baby's crying, doubling up as if in pain, and passing intestinal gas with temporary relief. This is not a serious problem—most infants outgrow it by three to four months—but while baby is suffering, it's distressing to all. Fortunately, homeopathy can help. |
Christopher Hobbs
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 Adaptogens and
Now that we have explored some of the ways in which modern science views medicinal fungi, I would like to explain a bit about how modern herbalists and natural health practitioners classify and use fungi. Fungi are, by and large, used as adaptogens and immune stimulants. An adaptogen is any substance that meets three criteria, as defined by the Russian doctor and researcher, I.I. Brekhman, who, with his teacher, N.V. Lazarev, first defined the category of natural plant-derived "biological response modifiers. |
| The agaric is not much known or used by modern herbalists and the risk of side effects, such as bowel irritation, may outweigh its benefits (Dharmananda, 1994). |
| The nettles are thought by many herbalists to build the blood because of their high mineral content; the burdock is traditionally recommended to stimulate liver and digestive function and has been reported to have antimutagenic effects (Morita, 1985); and the chanterelles soothe and nourish the liver and the eyes according to TCM.
Pati
Preheat oven to 350F. Toss together 3 cups wild mushrooms, sliced, 1 tblsp. chopped garlic, 1 tblsp. chopped green onions, and 2 tblsp. balsamic vinegar. Roast for 15 minutes.
Roast 1 cup of shelled walnuts for 5 minutes. |
| Subsequently, influential botanists like John Ray of the 17th and early 18th century, as well as the Renaissance herbalists, used agaric as a generic name for the entire group of bracket-like fungi with pores (instead of gills) that grow on trees. This trend was forever reversed when the great Swedish botanist, Linnaeus, single-handedly reformed systematic botany, placing thousands of species of plants and fungi into generic groups and applying specific names to each. Linnaeus mistakenly applied the name agaric to fleshy gilled fungi, and it remains so today (Cooke, 1862). |
| There are a number of well known products manufactured in China and prescribed by acupuncturists and herbalists which contain a combination of several medicinal mushrooms. As an example, Wu Ling San is a traditional Chinese formula that was first recorded in the classic Chinese work, Discussion of Cold-induced Disorders. The uses of this are detailed in the monographs on the Chinese herb Grifola umbellata below. |
Cynthia A. Foster, M.D.
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 This is new news to medical doctors, but is old news to herbalists and other natural healers.
I saw one patient in the urology clinic who told me he and his wife had started taking some sort of tree bark, getting rid of their diabetes. I told him, "Don't tell anybody what you told me, or else they'll tell you to stop taking it. And you just go right on taking it if it's helping you that much." I used to ask for everything the patients were taking, and they would tell me because I would really listen and not judge them. |
Jean Carper
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 I did it because it's something herbalists and natural healers have used for centuries. If it works and is harmless [see the next section, about safety], in my view, you don't need double-blind controlled studies to tell you so. I think people should experiment with it themselves and see if it works. It might cure their allergies as it did mine."
The Safety Factor
Some people are allergic to bee stings, which can cause potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. And there are reports of serious allergic reactions to bee pollen. Dr. |
Kathi Keville
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 Oatmeal is probably one of the last things you would think of to help in overcoming an addiction, but modern herbalists report that fresh oats are indeed useful, especially during nicotine withdrawal. (Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have been recommending it for at least a thousand years to treat opium addiction.) A 1971 study on this herb showed that a tincture made from fresh oats can indeed help people stop smoking. |
Prevention Magazine
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 Over the years, herbalists (and doctors) became pretty knowledgeable about which herbs were best—for easing a headache, for example, or stopping an infection.
By the middle of the twentieth century, however, scientists were less interested in the herbs themselves than in what the herbs contained. "With the advancement of laboralN THE KjjCHEN
Most herbs are easy to grow, either in backyard gardens or simply in flowerpots on the windowsill. But to preserve their healing powers, you have to dry and store them properly. Here's how. |
Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D. and Jean Barilla, M.S.
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 Today, herbalists believe this mixture creates an unfavorable environment for cold viruses.
For more remedies for cold symptoms, read the congestion section which follows and the cough section on page 203.
CONGESTION
Congestion that accompanies a cold, flu or allergy attack is caused when the mucous membranes in the respiratory system become irritated and inflamed. Your head aches, you have difficulty breathing — and you feel miserable. Drink plenty of fluids to help loosen the stuffiness, and take advantage of the following herbal remedies to ease your discomfort. |
| Modern research supports this use of nasturtium as a cold and flu treatment. Many herbalists believe fresh nasturtium has antibiotic properties.
The Truth About Chicken Soup
The first thing my Grandma (and maybe yours) did when someone in the family came down with a cold was serve up a bowl of hot chicken soup. And it turns out that Grandma may have been on to something. |
| European herbalists have used these anti-pain dandelion recipes for many years:
¦ Steam or saute the leaves, adding a touch of garlic and olive oil for flavor.
¦ Steep 3 teaspoons of fresh leaves in 1 cup of boiling water for dandelion tea.
¦ Make a coffee-like beverage by boiling 4 ounces of fresh dandelion root in 2 pints of water.
Devil's CLAW An ominous-sounding plant, devil's claw comes from the Kalahari Desert of South Africa where it has been used for over 250 years to treat arthritis pain. |
| JASMINE Among herbalists, jasmine is known to have a calming effet on the nerves. However, in India, the scent is thought to arouse erotic notions, acting as a powerful aphrodisiac. Centuries ago, lovers would bathe in moonlight near a garden containing jasmine plants.
Try massaging your body with oil of jasmine to help overcome frigidity.
CAUTION: The essential oil should only be used externally.
KlNO GUM The kino tree, widely used in India as the source of a treatment for minor cuts, is known in Africa as the source of a pleasant aphrodisiac. |
| Ginseng: Health Riches From the East
Chinese herbalists have always said, "A person would rather take a handful of ginseng than a whole cartload of gold and jewels." Today, as we find out more and more about the beneficial effects of ginseng, this old saying begins to make that look like quite a bargain! Sometimes called the "most heavily studied herb in the world," ginseng has been shown to cure, prevent or assist in the healing of over 20 major ailments, including stress problems, diabetes, tumors, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, impotence, fatigue and even radiation sickness. |
| ECHINACEA Many herbalists believe echinacea (or purple coneflower) stimulates the immune system by increasing the body's ability to produce white blood cells (which destroy viruses and bacteria). Echinacea is available in tea and capsule form in most drug stores and natural products stores.
GARLIC The Egyptian pharaohs ate garlic to fight infections. And today, the Irish (who live in a damp, cold climate that makes them prone to lung infections), along with many other European and Asian people, make garlic syrups to ease coughs. |
Dr. John Heinerman
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 What's more amazing is that this same remedy still prevails today and is one of the most popular medicines employed by medical herbalists and animal doctors throughout the British Isles. The entire herbe is generally used. One large tablespoon of chopped plant is added to a pint of boiling water, covered, and steeped for 30 minutes before being strained and given to the person or creature suffering from renal calculi. It is best administered when the stomach is empty. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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 Some herbalists suggest finding an echinacea product that contains all the species listed in the category head, preferably in a 300- to 500-milligram dose capsule to be taken three to five times a day (in tincture form, 1 to 2 teaspoons, three to five times a day). Large and frequent doses are necessary for clinical results. No toxicity is known over long-term use (more than three to four months consecutively). Echinacea is not in the same medicinal category as GINSENG (where long-term use is traditionally advised). |
Jean Carper
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| Keung interviewed thirteen modern and traditional physicians or herbalists and compiled 300 cases of patients with chronic alcoholism who had been treated with kudzu tea or kudzu-based medications. "In all cases," Dr. Keung reported, "the medications were considered effective in both controlling and suppressing appetite for alcohol and improving the function of alcohol-affected vital organs. No toxic side effects were reported by the Chinese physicians." Actually, the kudzu significantly reduced the craving for alcohol in a week, he reported. |
Margarita Artschwager Kay
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 Recently, Michael Winkel-man reported interviews with herbalists in Baja California Norte (1986) and treatments for diabetes (1989), while at the southernmost end of the peninsula, Rosalba Encar-naci6n Dimayuga and colleagues (Encarnaci6n and Agundez 1986; Encarnacion, Fort, and Luis 1987; Encarnaci6n and Keer 1991) interviewed elderly informants regarding medicinal plants in Baja California Sur.
Mexico has had a sustained interest in the study of traditional plant medicine, as evidenced by the establishment of imeplan, the Mexican Institute for the Study of Medicinal Plants. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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| Echinacea is not in the same medicinal category as GINSENG (where long-term use is traditionally advised). Some herbalists suggest periodic discontinuance of echinacea for one to three months.
Uses
Immunostimulation Antiviral Antibacterial Antiallergy Antitumor Anti-inflammatory Enhanced stress response Enhanced wound healing
Elder flowers
Taken with peppermint, good for treating onset of colds and fevers. Drink several cups, take a warm bath, go to bed immediately, and sweat. Do not allow yourself to become chilled. |
Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D.
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 This organization of family herbalists opened its doors in 1860 and manufactures a very healing, emollient slippery elm soap. (See Resources.)
SHAMPOO FOR HAIR
You should choose a shampoo and rinse that suit your hair texture and will restore its pH balance. Dry, normal, and oily hair all need a different shampoo and rinse. It therefore pays to experiment with the different natural-based shampoos on the market. Do not use a regular cake soap as a shampoo—it will dull the hair. And be wary of the highly promoted anti-dandruff shampoos. They contain chemicals that can sometimes irritate. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 Its long history of use by herbalists and naturopathic physicians for the treatment of infections is well documented in the scientific literature. Of particular importance here is its activity against many common bacterial causes of bladder infections, including E. coli and Proteus species.26-27 The chief antibiotic substance, berberine, works better in an alkaline urine, as does the hydroquinone from uva ursi. cranberry juice per day have been shown to be effective in the treatment of bladder infection, another mechanism is more likely. |
| Naturopathic physicians are professionally trained herbalists; they know both the historical uses of plants and their modern pharmacological mechanisms.
Homeopathy
The term "homeopathy" is derived from the Greek words homeos, meaning similar, and pathos, meaning disease. Homeopathy is a system of medicine that treats a disease with very minute quantities of an agent, or drug, that will produce the same symptoms as the disease when given to a healthy individual; the fundamental principle is that "like cures like. |
Grace Ross Lewis
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 Considered by herbalists to be an anti-inflammatory for skin and mucous membrane problems, medication for indigestion, menstrual cramps, muscle spasms, and so on. The oil is distilled from tiny flowers. Some varieties are used in food and beverages for flavorings of vanilla, maple, berry, or spice.
Precautions: People who are allergic to ragweed or flowers in the daisy family could suffer allergic reactions. GRAS (generally recognized as safe) when used in moderate amounts.
Synonyms: CAS: 8002-66-2 ? CAMOMILE OIL GERMAN ? CHAMOMILE-GERMAN OIL ? GERMAN CHAMOMILE OIL ? |
Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D.
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| For pain, herbalists recommend an application of Balm of Gilead ointment. An experienced acupuncturist can lessen the pain of a gout attack.
GUM PROBLEMS Water Therapy
Brush the teeth at least twice a day to avoid letting the mouth become a breeding ground for bacteria. Use a soft toothbrush.
Use any high-pressure irrigation device such as a Water-Pik to root out food caught between the teeth.
Release 3 to 4 drops of the Australian antiseptic tea tree oil into a glass of water, and swish it as a mouthwash. Most people have excellent results in several months. |
| Or try sweet sumac, a North American plant that most herbalists use specifically for bedwetting: 5 to 10 drops in water 2 times a day. Hyperforat (Klien), Suburgen (Vogel & Weber), and Nierenklar (Salus) are effective German products that can be ordered through your pharmacy or health food store.
Kegel Exercises: The most important thing you can do to fight incontinence is to learn Kegel exercises, which strengthen the bladder and bowel muscles. |
| One liver-helping plant is milk thistle {Silybum marianum), the first choice of modern herbalists and physicians who use plants for psoriasis therapy. Milk thistle is now produced in a standardized capsule. The dose can range from 70 mg up and is usually taken 3 times a day. Some patients also do well on a daily regimen of lecithin granules (avoid the capsules, because they are not well absorbed). Other causes of flareups may be yeast infections, which occur after eating sugar products. Many patients appear to need metabolic boosting from essential fatty acids. |
| Master herbalists favor the astringent bayberry bark gargle to clear all morbid matter from the throat. Simmer 1 teaspoon of bayberry bark in 1 pint of boiling water for half an hour. Strain out the bark and gurgle the water in the throat.
General Therapy
At the turn of the twentieth century ear, nose, and throat physician Dr. William Fitzgerald developed a touch therapy he named Zone Therapy. He showed his patients two control points to press to alleviate pain and discomfort: the sides of the tongue, and the joints of the second, third, and fourth fingers of each hand. |
Kathi Keville
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| This is especially true of meadowsweet, which herbalists even recommend to treat the pain of stomach ulcers. The results of numerous European studies indicate that meadowsweet protects the stomach from ulcers and other irritations, something that the Eclectic physicians knew a century ago.
Both natural and synthetic aspirins decrease pain by reducing the levels of pain-producing prostaglandins, hormonelike chemicals that are manufactured in the body. Prostaglandins serve many important functions, but for various reasons the body sometimes makes too much of them. |
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