| Anticancer medicinal herbs (Hunan Science and Technology Publishing House, 1992).
SARSAPARILLA ROOT
Sarsaparilla root is rich in phytochemicals, including various saponins that have immune-potentiating and cancer-inhibiting properties.
YELLOW DOCK ROOT
Yellow dock root is effective for cancer and has been used in TCM for acute leukemia.
AMERICAN GINSENG
American ginseng contains ginsenosides and polysaccharides that inhibit Ehrlich's ascites carcinoma and various other types of cancers, including sarcoma-180 and adenocarcima-755. |
| The Institute also has an agricultural research station in the Catskills, Cold Mountain Farm, where it is evaluating methods of production for a variety of important medicinal herbs, including American ginseng, goldenseal and lady's slipper.
Two research associates with the Institute are Calvin Cohen and Grace Marroquin. They have helped extensively with the preparation of this book by reviewing all the sections, making numerous valuable comments and suggestions and providing helpful insights. |
Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 We are also discovering similar or closely related species of Chinese medicinal herbs that grow both in North and South America, such as reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) and uncaria (gambir, or gou teng, as it is called in Chinese medicine), which seems to be related to the famous cat's-claw of the South American rain forest. The difference is that the Chinese use only the "claws" or grasping thorns for their antispasmodic properties, while the entire vine of the South American species is used as a potent antiviral and antibacterial. |
| Conversely, hot (or inflammatory) diseases are treated with cool or cold medicinal herbs and substances that probably have antibiotic and/or antiviral properties.
Besides the concept of supplementing or freeing the circulation of qi and blood, this latter approach of integrating diagnosis and treatment is the unique and most valuable contribution of traditional Chinese medicine. One of the problems of Western medicine is that it tends to name specific diseases based on the presumed offending pathogen. |
| It is the most predominant quality that determines the classification of medicinal herbs and therapeutic foods. Generally speaking, herbs that have spicy or sweet flavors and somehow stimulate or raise body metabolism have a warm energy. Cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ginger would be classified as yang, for instance. The exceptions are plants like mint that have a spicy flavor and a cool energy and tend to be surface relaxants.
Sugar has a strong yang effect, but extremes of either yin or yang tend to produce their opposite, and the secondary reaction to sugar is yin. |
| I remember too well one woman at an overseas macrobiotic center who came to me with a full range of weird physical and emotional symptoms, probably expecting a definitive facial or palm diagnosis with appropriate admonitions such as "too much (or not enough) salt," "more seaweed," "a daily dose of kuzu-root tea" (one of the few medicinal herbs for which macrobiotics encourages regular use), "Oops! You've been eating too many umeboshi plums," or some other finicky thing. |
Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Medicinal herbs, by definition, contain large quantities of
Common Food Sources That Cause Goiter
• Members of the cabbage family (Bras-s/'ca species) including cabbage, turnip, rutabaga, and kale
• Cassava root (Manihot species), millet, peanuts, pine nuts, and raw soybeans
• Milk from cows that have eaten goitro-gens
• Dietary excess of calcium or fluorine
• High levels of indigestible crude fiber, which may bind the thyroxine secreted in the bile and prevent its reabsorption various strong-tasting components. These preparations are highly concentrated vegetables. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 When discussing medicinal herbs, the news media often quote skeptical doctors who warn ominously that if you fool around with herbs, you're playing with fire. With herbs, they say, it's impossible to guarantee good dose control. Dose control means knowing exactly how much of the active ingredient—the chemical that exerts the healing effect—you're getting per dose.
To a certain extent, those skeptics are right. Drugs offer a precise amount of chemical, usually measured in milligrams. |
| How Herbs and drugs Differ
As you can see, medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical drugs have quite a bit in common. But they also have several key differences.
Dose for dose, most herbs are less potent than drugs. While this may sound like a disadvantage, it actually makes herbs safer to take.
To make conventional pharmaceuticals, manufacturers extract unique chemical constituents from plants or create synthetic versions in the laboratory, then pack the substances into pills or capsules that can hold large quantities. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Most medicinal herbs are also rich in flavonoids, such as ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) and milk thistle (Silybum marianum). These compounds have considerable health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral, antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, and antioxidant activity.
• Quercetin: Quercetin is one of the most common flavonoids in the human diet and one of the most important in an antiviral program. It is found in apples, onions, black tea, leafy green vegetables, beans, and other fruits, vegetables, and herbs. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Phytoestrogens Plant estrogenic substances, or phytoestrogens, are components of many medicinal herbs that have historically been used to treat conditions that are now treated with synthetic estrogens. They may be suitable alternatives to estrogens in the prevention of osteoporosis in menopausal women. See Menopause for a further description.
A semisynthetic isoflavonoid called ipri-flavone, similar in structure to soy isoflav-onoids, is approved in Japan, Hungary, and Italy as a drug for the treatment and prevention of osteopororis. |
Kathi Keville
See book keywords and concepts |
 In many cultures, including Chinese, medicinal herbs are incorporated into soups, stews and other foods. Herbal honeys—powdered herbs mixed with honey into a thick paste—are used as medicine in India and the Middle East. They make an instant drink and can be used as a spread. And while burdock is considered an herb in North America, the Japanese use it as a vegetable. On the other hand, North Americans eat parsley, which is considered medicine in most European cultures. Actually, nearly all the herbs and spices we use to season food have medicinal properties. |
| In one study, medical researchers looked at more than 50 medicinal herbs. Once the results were in, the strongest flu fighters were found to be eucalyptus, sage and licorice. Lavender, tea tree, rose geranium, bergamot, lemon balm and hyssop also scored high in numerous studies testing their ability to inhibit the most common types of flu. As it turned out, these were also effective against cold viruses.
You can even eat your way to good health. |
| Actually, toxicity from medicinal herbs pales in comparison with injuries resulting from prescription drugs and even vitamin supplements. For example, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C., six children died in the United States in 1993 and three in 1994 as a result of taking products that contained iron. No deaths have been reported from the low doses in children's chewable vitamins.
I suspect that some undiscovered factors cause certain people to be more susceptible to certain herbs than others. Researcher and herb toxicity specialist Ryan J. Huxtable, Ph.D. |
Sharol Tilgner, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Edible & medicinal herbs. Volume II (Video): $29-95 ($2.50 shipping). Narrated by Dr. Sharol Tilgner. Wise Acres, PO Box 1168, Creswell, OR 97426 or www. herbaltransitions. com
7. Income Opportunities in Special Forest Products, Margaret G. Thomas: May 1993, USDA, Publication call local forest service.
8. Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West. Michael Moore.
9. Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. Michael Moore.
10. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Michael Moore.
CAPSULES
Items needed:
1. Powdered herb
2. Capsules
3. |
Margarita Artschwager Kay
See book keywords and concepts |
 Mentha species, which are among the most popular medicinal herbs, are often given the same common names and employed interchangeably, although M. pulegium differs pharmacologically in important ways.
Historic Use. Mentha species have been known through the centuries in the Old World for treating stomachache. Gerard ([1633] 1975:681) said they were 'hot' and 'dry' in the
Mentha
1. Used for stomachache, menstrual problems, and colic.
2. Antispasmodic and relieves gas.
3. Plants can cause dermatitis; peppermint and spearmint oil is toxic if ingested. Pennyroyal is very toxic. |
| Health food stores, yerberias, and large grocery chains carry hundreds of different medicinal herbs. Mexican Americans can purchase packets of flowers, roots, or leaves labeled with Spanish common names, together with traditional booklets in Spanish describing purpose and preparation. The inventory is not static: for
FIGURE 1 Agave americana. |
| In biomedical pharmacy, one active ingredient is emphasized, whereas chemists of herbology say that it is often the interaction of many compounds in each plant prescription that account for the action of the medicinal herbs. Further, these compounds may potentiate the beneficial actions or mitigate the toxicity of other phytochemicals. In describing the phytochemistry of a medicinal plant, most pharmacologists feature only a few of the hundreds of compounds that have been identified and make no provision for possible interactions among them. |
| From medicinal herbs of Early Days of Mission San Antonio de Padua, a photocopy of studies of Father Doroteo Ambris (d. 1882) in southern Monterey County, California, edited by Father Zephyrin Engelhardt.
5. Bye and Linares (personal communication) report that as recently as 1990, guareke was unknown; yet by December 1994 Mexico City markets were selling these giant tubers at prices up to $20 (U.S.). In Arizona, a packet of thirty capsules cost the customer $7.50 in October 1994.
4: HEALING THE ILLNESSES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
1. |
| The historian Juan de Torque-mada, who was a member of the faculty of the Mexican College of Santa Cruz, wrote, "Montezuma kept a garden of medicinal herbs and ... the court physicians experimented with them and attended the nobility. But the common people came rarely to these doctors for medical aid, not only because a fee was charged for their services, but also because the medicinal value of herbs was common knowledge and they could concoct remedies from their own gardens" (Emmart 1940:48; italics in original). |
Henry Pasternak, D.V.M., C.V.A.
See book keywords and concepts |
 This balanced effect is seen in many medicinal herbs. This is one important aspect that differentiates herbs and drugs.
Ginkgo
In general, ginkgo exerts its vascular effects primarily by affecting the cells that line the blood vessels and the tone of the smooth muscle cells of the vessels. Its vasodilating action is explained by direct stimulation of the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). The EDRF also explains the benefits of hawthorn. In addition, ginkgo inhibits enzymes in a way that leads to smooth muscle cell relaxation in the wall of the vessels. |
Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 The herbal remedies listed below under "What It Can Do for You" represent only a small fraction of the medicinal herbs available in health-food stores, markets, and through the mail. They are included here because they are some of the safer and more popular products for self-use. Descriptions of the effectiveness and safety of these herbs is based on scientific research and commentary.
Because promotional material rarely includes information about toxicities, dangerous interactions, and other possible problems, consult your physician or an authoritative book before trying an herbal remedy. |
| Many of the medicinal herbs described below are easily obtained or already stored in your kitchen as culinary herbs. The indications for use noted below have been scientifically substantiated.
What It Can Do for You
Aloe vera A soothing, healing skin gel contained in the leaf of the aloe vera plant. Many hand and body lotions and some cosmetics contain aloe. It is good for maintaining soft skin and to help heal sunburn and other minor surface burns, scrapes, and wounds. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
See book keywords and concepts |
 Carcinogenicity of some folk medicinal herbs in rats. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1978; 60 (3): 683-686.
143. Morton JF. Further associations of plant lannins and human cancer. Quarterly Journal of Crude Drug Research 1972; 12: 1829-1841.
144. Al-Habbal MJ, Al-Habbal Z, Huwezi FU. A double-blind controlled clinical trial of mastic and placebo in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 1984; 11: 541-544.
145. Al-Said MA, Ageel AM, Parmar NS et al. |
Frantisek Stary
See book keywords and concepts |
 It is one of the world's oldest medicinal herbs.
Anise (1) is a slender, very aromatic, annual herb. The spindle-shaped root (2) bears a rounded, shallowly grooved stem branching at the top and reaching a height of half a metre. The lower leaves are stalked and round to kidney-shaped, the upper stem leaves have divisions reaching nearly to the mid-rib. The flowering period is from July until August. The flowerhead is umbrella-shaped and composed of seven to fifteen small umbrellas. The small flowers have loose involucres, an indistinct calyx and white corolla. |
Kathi Keville
See book keywords and concepts |
| Fortunately, I already knew about medicinal herbs and wasted no time in searching for ones that would stop my varicose veins from getting any worse. More than 20 years later, they are smaller than they were in my college days, even though I now spend so many hours sitting at my desk.
Varicose veins and hemorrhoids have a lot in common. They both occur when circulating blood slows down as it fights gravity on its journey back to the heart, and the extra load stretches weak veins. |
Frantisek Stary
See book keywords and concepts |
| Common Lungwort is one of the oldest of medicinal herbs. The scientific name is derived from the Latin word pulmo, meaning lungs, which the leaves greatly resemble by their shape, the likeness to diseased lungs being further underscored by the white spots on their surface. This species is an example of the medieval practice of treatment per signaturam, i. e. according to similarity between complaint and remedy. |
| Two of these are familiar medicinal herbs: Silverweed, which today has a worldwide distribution, and Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), native to Europe, western Siberia and the Middle East. The composition of the active principles is more or less the same in both species, therefore both have the same uses. In the case of Silverweed it is the dried flowering stems that are used medicinally, in the case of Tormentil it is the dried rootstock. |
| Water-pepper is found in Eurasia and is one of the oldest medicinal herbs used by man. The flowering stems contain an essential oil in the leaf and stem glands with the sesquiterpene izotadeonal, which has a burning peppery taste. They also contain substances close to fagopyrin (mentioned previously in connection with Buckwheat), for example, rutin, plus tannins and other constituents. The drug has astringent properties which prove useful in the treatment of haemorrhoidal and chronic menstrual bleeding. It is purported to have a diuretic action, but this is doubtful. |
| Compositae
One of the most widely used medicinal herbs, Scented Mayweed is distributed throughout the whole world except for the tropical and arctic regions. It is thought to be native to southern and southeastern Europe. Flowerheads with stalks not exceeding two centimetres in length are gathered in succession during the summer before they are past their prime. Originally collected only in the wild, Scented Mayweed is nowadays cultivated on large tracts, several hectares in area, boasting excellent agrotechnology and mechanization. |
Email this page to a friend
