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 Mongelli E, Desmarchelier C, Coussio J, Ciccia G, Antimicrobial activity and interaction with DNA of medicinal plants from the Peruvian Amazon region. Rev Argent Microbiol, 27:199-203, 1995 Oct-Dec
Pinder AR, (1976) Tetrahedron 23:2172.
Aegle marmelos
See Bael
Aegopodium podagraria
See Goutweed
Aesculus hippocastanum
See Horse Chestnut
Aethusa cynapium
See Fool's Parsley
Aframomum melegueta
See Grains-of-Paradise
African Potato
Hypoxis rooperi description
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the plant's rhizome tuber. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 Flavonoids are a group of compounds found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and numerous medicinal plants. Over 4,000 different flavonoids have been identified in foods and plants. Quercetin, rutin, catechin, and hesperidin are the most frequently used in medicine. Flavonoids inhibit the peroxidation of lipids by acting as free radical scavengers.284 Quercetin specifically has been shown to inhibit LDL oxidation.285 In addition to these direct antioxidant effects, flavonoids inhibit platelet aggregation, protect vitamin E from oxidation, and chelate iron. |
| The following herbs are some of the most common medicinal plants used in traditional herbal practice for promoting and maintaining health during pregnancy.
Dandelion Leaf and Root (Taraxacum Officinale). Dandelion is a potent source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and iron. Mildly diuretic and stimulating to bile flow, dandelion leaf helps with the inevitable digestive complaints of pregnancy, and its root cleanses and tones the liver.117 In early pregnancy, dandelion can help to alleviate nausea, upset stomach, and indigestion. |
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| Atta-ur-Rahman Zaman K. medicinal plants with hypoglycemic activity. J Ethnopharmacol. 26:1-55. 1989.
Kern W, List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 4. Aufl., Bde 1-8, Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1969.
Behen
Moringa oleifera description
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the leaves, bark, nuts and root, which have had numerous uses in traditional medicine.
Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is a leaf-axillary panicle. The flowers are zygomorphic with their structures in fives and a bowel-shaped receptacle. |
| Antimicrobial activity and anti-complement activity of extracts obtained from selected Hawaiian medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol. 1995 Nov 17;49(l):23-32.
Obizoba IC, Anyika JU. Nutritive value of baobab milk (gubdi) and mixtures of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) and hungry rice, acha (Digitaria exilis) flours. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 1994 Sep;46(2): 157-65.
Osman MA. Chemical and nutrient analysis of baobab (Adansonia digitata) fruit and seed protein solubility. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2004 Winter;59(l):29-33.
Sidibe, M. and Williams, J. T. (2002) Baobab. Adansonia digitata. |
| Medicinal Plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press UK.
Sharma BR and Sharma P, (1981) Planta Med 43:102.
Schimmer O, Furochinolinalkaloide als biologisch aktive Naturstoffe. In: ZPT 12(5): 151. 1991.
Balloon-Flower (Jie-Geng)
Platycodon grandiflorum description
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the main and secondary roots.
Flower and Fruit: The flowers are at the tip of the leading shoot. The flower structures are in fives and are fused. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D.
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 Determination of germanium in medicinal plants by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization. Chem Pharm Bull 28, 2687-2691,1980.
6. Brekhman II and Dardymov IV: New substances of plant origin which increase nonspecific resistance. Annu Rev Pharmacol 9, 419-430,1969.
7. Brekhman II and Dardymov IV: Pharmacological investigation of glycosides from ginseng and Eleutherococcus. Uoydia 32, 46-51,1969.
8. Petkov W: Pharmacological studies of the drug P. ginseng C.A. Meyer. Arzniemittel-Forsch 9, 305-311,1959.
9. Petkov W: The mechanism of action of P. ginseng. |
Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe
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 Sent by his sovereign in 1570 to the New World in a search for medicinal plants (of which more in Chaptet Four), Hernandez was in Mexico by 1572, remaining there until 1577. His magnum opus on the plants of New Spain (Mexico) contained descriptions of over 3000 species, along with their Nahuatl names, and was illustrated by native artists. Unhappily fot posterity, the original went up in flames in 1671, in the fire that destroyed Philip's libtary in the Escorial; but it had a partial survival in a poor copy that was finally published with woodcuts based on the native watercolors. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D.
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| Bombardelli E: Technologies for the processing of medicinal plants. In: The Medicinal Plant Industry (Wijeskera ROB, ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1991, pp. 85-98.
5. Awang DVC and Kindack DG: Echinacea. Can Pharmacol J 124, 512-516,1991.
6. Heptinstall S, et ah: Parthenolide content and bioactivity of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz-Bip.). Estimation of commercial and authenticated feverfew products. / Pharmaceut Pharmacol 44, 391-395,1992.
7. Awang DVC: Commercial taheebo lacks active ingredient. Can Pharmacol J121, 323-326,1988.
8. |
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| Herb Identification Guide
G-1
In this full-color photo section, you'll find pictures of over 300 common medicinal plants. Each herb is labeled with its generally accepted common name immediately above the photo, and its scientific name immediately below. The pictures are arranged alphabetically by common name.
Please note that the plants are not reproduced in actual size, and that the scale of the photos varies. For the average dimensions of the plant and its component structures, please check the Description section of the corresponding herbal monograph. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 Gone were the days of trial and error; foraging for medicinal plants in the woods seemed entirely too primitive compared with what replaced it: white-coated scientists leaning over microscopes, determining the effect of individual chemicals on cells and then making those substances into drugs. Pharmaceutical chemists figured out ways to tinker with natural molecules to change their absorption into the body or the way they affected individual cells, targeting them to act on specific receptors.
The era of modern pharmacology had begun. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 These guys basically tested the effects on glucose metabolism of forty-nine different herbs, spices, and medicinal plants. As Broadhurst told me, cinnamon was the star of the show. The active ingredient—methylhydroxychalcone polymer, or MHCP—seems to mimic insulin function, increasing glucose uptake by cells and signaling certain kinds of cells to turn glucose into glycogen (the storage form of sugar). |
| Coconut Oil Is a Natural Remedy with Antioxidant Powers
In his seminal book medicinal plants of the World, the dean of American herbalists, James Duke, wrote that coconut and coconut oil are used as folk remedies to treat more than thirty-five ailments, from abscesses to wounds. And it's well known that the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and also amino acids has been found to increase when infants are fed a diet using coconut oil. Coconut oil also has substantial antioxidant power. And populations that consume coconuts as a major part of their diets are rarely troubled by osteoporosis. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 USDA researchers tested the effects of forty-nine different herbs, spices, and medicinal plants on blood sugar metabolism and published their results in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2001. Cinnamon was the star of the show. |
Andrew Chevallier
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 Most other ^flfftfe medicinal plants contain at ^¦W^^^^ least some vitamins. While % the content may be small it f^j contributes to overall daily
\ J J^mf intake. For other plants *^(P^ that are rich in vitamins, see p. 297.
Wormwood
(Artemisia absinthium) ^
Bitters
Bitters are a varied group of constituents linked only by their pronounced bitter taste. The bitterness itself stimulates secretions by the salivary glands and digestive organs. Such secretions can dramatically improve the appetite and strengthen the overall function of the digestive system. |
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| Oliver-Bever B (Ed.), medicinal plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press Cambridge, London 1986.
Ratnayake S, Rupprecht JK, Potter WM, McLaughlin JL, Evaluation of various parts of the paw paw tree Asimina triloba (Annonaceae)' as commercial sources of the pesticidal annonaceous acetogenins. J Econ Entomol, 55:2353-6, 1992.
Woo MH, Cho KY, Zhang Y, Zeng L, Gu ZM, McLaughlin JL, Asimilobin and cis- and trans-murisolinones novel bioactive Annonaceous acetogenins from the seeds of Asimina triloba. J Nat Prod, 4:1533-42, 1995. |
Hyla Cass
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| Gone were the days of trial and error; foraging for medicinal plants in the woods seemed entirely too primitive compared with what replaced it: white-coated scientists leaning over microscopes, determining the effect of individual chemicals on cells and then making those substances into drugs. Pharmaceutical chemists figured out ways to tinker with natural molecules to change their absorption into the body or the way they affected individual cells, targeting them to act on specific receptors.
The era of modern pharmacology had begun. |
Andrew Chevallier
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| The Topnaar formerly depended completely on their environment for medicines, using the few medicinal plants that grow in such harsh and arid conditions. Although they are now greatly influenced by the Western way of life and have lost much of their plant lore, they continue to employ many indigenous plants medicinally. The stem of the seaweed Ecklonia maxima, for example, is roasted, mixed with petroleum jelly, and rubbed into wounds and burns to speed healing, while Hoodia currori, a low-lying cactus, is stripped of its thorns and outer skin and eaten raw to treat coughs and colds. |
| There are many thousands of medicinal plants in use throughout the world, with a tremendous range of actions and degrees of potency. Most have a specific action on particular body systems and are known to be suitable for treating certain types of ailments. See p. 13 for specific actions.
Digestion, Respiration & Circulation
Improving the quality of the diet is often an essential starting point in sustaining or regaining good health. The saying "You are what you eat" is by and large true, though herbalists prefer to qualify it, saying "You are what you absorb from what you eat. |
Frantisek Stary
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 The synthetic medicines that were produced over the years far outnumbered the two to three hundred species of medicinal plants but how many of them lasted any length of time? Perhaps only acetylsalicylic acid
17th century wood veneer vessel for extract of licorice.
17th century glass apothecary vessel from the Thuringian glassworks (a). The inscription denotes that the vessel contains (or rather is intended to contain) a tincture of Asa foetida.
Italian-style majolica apothecary vessel made in northern Holland in the late 16th century (b). |
Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon
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 Many of the introduced species are medicinal plants brought in during colonial times.
Medicinal Uses
Two hundred fifteen plants registered in Southern Ecuador had medicinal properties. The same species might be used for various medical conditions. In addition, the same medical condition (e.g., heart problems) might be treated using different plant parts and/ or involving different applications, e.g., topical and oral. In the following the number of applications and the number of species used are given to emphasize the importance of the treatment of specific conditions. |
| The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders has a high prevalence in other Andean societies as documented by a variety of studies [l7
18. 19. 20. 21]
Magical Uses
Mal aire (bad air), mal viento (bad wind), susto and espanto (fright), mal ojo (evil eye), and brujeria (sorcery) are seen as very common illnesses in Andean society. Causes are sudden changes in body temperature (aire, viento), any kind of shock (susto), negative "humors" (ojo) and spells cast by other people, envy, poisoned food, sorcery (daho), etc. |
Frantisek Stary
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| Der grosse Hortus sanitatis', published somewhat later (1491), contains accounts of five hundred and twenty-nine species of medicinal plants and their products. The most renowned authors of herbals were Otto Brunfels (1489?534), Hieronymus (Jerome) Bock (1498-1554) and Leonhard Fuchs or Fuchsius (1501-1566), rightfully known today as the fathers of botany. They were followed by J. T. Taber-naemontanus (t 1590), P. A. Matthioli (1501 ?1577), and V. Cordus (1515 ?1544) whose works still served as a main source of reference for physicians in the 19th century. |
Andrew Chevallier
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| Value of Whole Plants
Although it is important to understand the actions of individual active constituents, herbal medicine, unlike biomedicine, is ultimately about the use and actions of
Ginkgo, one of the oldest kno plant species, improves the circulation of blood to the head
Cultivation of medicinal plants in Cameroon. Scientific research indicates that whole plant preparations may often be gentler and more effective remedies than isolated plant chemicals. whole plants — medicines that are literally god- or goddess-given — rather than developed in a laboratory. |
Roberta Bivins
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 What are the medicinal plants grown in the vicinity already, and the measures which might be taken for extending the cultivation of them? ... What are the medical and chemical preparations made in the district from vegetables used in medicine?... What are the mines and other localities yielding crude mineral substances, and the quantities of them attainable for medical purposes? .. . What are the preparations of these now manufactured, and the practicability of producing them on a more extensive scale? |
Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon
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| For the most part, the knowledge of medicinal plants is still transmitted orally. An illustrated field guide for Southern Ecuadorian plant use'"1 will hopefully help to keep the remaining traditional knowledge in this area alive.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ezra Bejar, Cruz Roa, and Curtis and Joy Hoffman for their collaboration during fieldwork and the Hoffmans, for their generous hospitality. Thanks go to the herbaria LOJA, QCA, and QCNE for the use of their facilities in plant identification. |
Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon
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 The Pimas of Mexico also make heavy use of wild and medicinal plants in their diet. They work hard, have no electricity or running water in their homes, and walk long distances to bring in drinking water or to wash their clothes. They use no modern household devices; consequently, food preparation and household chores require extra effort by the women. In contrast, the Pima Indians of Arizona are largely sedentary and follow the dietary practices of typical Americans.
The differences are astounding. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
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 In terms of research purposes, about two thousand species are documented as medicinal plants, but another eighteen thousand species have received little or no chemical or biological screening.
In the past twenty years, most of the clinical research on herbal products has been conducted in Germany, France, Eastern Europe, Thailand, Japan, China, and India. Most studies are hard to access in the United States or have never been translated into English. |
| Around 2000 to 3000 BCE, the earliest written accounts of using medicinal plants were created. For instance, there is a great deal of mythology and history surrounding the plant holy basil. It has captivated the human imagination in India for millennia. Ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine for more than three thousand years. Table 3.1 lists adaptogens by the cultures in which they were traditionally used. As we continue to study how herbs are used in different cultures, we find many similarities, and this is certainly true of adaptogens. |
| Rasayana—Rejuvenation
Ayurveda classifies medicinal plants into multiple groups according to their actions. One of these is the rasayana group. The word rasayana, which is derived from the words rasa (primordial tissue or plasma) and ayana (path), literally means "the path that rasa takes." It is believed, in ayurveda, that the qualities of the rasa influence the health of other dha-tus (tissues) of the body. Hence, any medicines or herbs, such as rasaya-nas, that improve the quality of rasa should strengthen or promote the health of all tissues of the body.
Table 3.2. |
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