Medicinal plants

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CE: De Materia Medica, written by Greek physician Dioscorides, described six hundred medicinal plants, including licorice and rhodiola. 220: The Shennong Herbal recorded 252 medicinal herbs used in China, including Asian ginseng, astragalus, and reishi. 1755: Rhodiola was included in the first Swedish Pharmacopoeia. In the past, Vikings had used the herb to enhance their physical strength and endurance. 1947: The term adaptogen is coined by Dr. Nikolai Lazarev. 1958: Soviet researchers describe the action of Eleutherococcus as that of an adaptogen.

GUDUCHI Botanical Name: Tinospora cordifolia Family: Menispermaceae Common Names: Indian tinospora, heart-leaved moonseed Taste/Energy: Bitter, warm, dry (From Indian medicinal plants by B. D. Basu, 1918) Guduchi Parts Used: Stem and root Location/Cultivation: This herb is a vine that commonly grows throughout the tropical parts of India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Safety Rating: ? ? V2 Properties: Adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, choleretic, diuretic, febrifuge, hepatoprotective, and immune amphoteric.

In India, small patches of it are HOLY BASIL Holy basil (From Indian medicinal plants by B. D. Basu, 1918) widely cultivated for daily use. There are at least three types of holy basil. The green-leafed variety sri or rama tulsi is the most common. The second type [Krishna tulsi) bears dark-green to purple leaves; this variety has a stronger taste and smell. The third type [vana tulsi, O. gratissimum) is a green-leafed forest variety that often grows wild. Safety Rating: ? ? ?

The Natural Guide to medicinal plants and Herbs Frantisek Stary See book keywords and concepts

The genus Alchemilla includes a great number of described species and lower taxons, difficult to differentiate even for an experienced botanist, let alone for a person gathering medicinal plants. Lady's Mantle is considered to be an aggregate of species native to the temperate regions of Europe, western Asia, north Africa and southeastern Canada. Elsewhere it is an introduced species. The flowering stems and the basal leaves only are used for medicinal purposes. Undamaged paper sacks, protected from light, are used to store the drug. If overdried, Lady's Mantle readily crumbles.

PDR for Herbal Medicines Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Oliver-Bever B (Ed.), medicinal plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press Cambridge, London 1986. Roth L, Daunderer M, Kormann K, Giftpflanzen, Pflanzengifte, 4. Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993. Anacyclus Pyrethrum Pellitory DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the root. Flower and Fruit: Each stem bears a 1 cm wide flower. The bracts are fused. The ray florets are white and tinged purple beneath. The disc florets are pointed. The fruit has transparent wings.

Oliver-Bever B (Ed.), medicinal plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1986. Roth L, Daunderer M. Kormann K, Giftpflanzen. Pflanzengifte, 4. Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993. Steinegger E, Hansel R, Pharmakognosie, 5. Aufl., Springer Verlag Heidelberg 1992. Teuscher E, Lindequist U, Biogene Gifte - Biologie, Chemie, Pharmakologie, 2. Aufl., Fischer Verlag Stuttgart 1994. Teuscher E. Biogene Arzneimittel, 5. Aufl., Wiss. Verlagsges. Stuttgart 1997. Wagner H, Wiesenauer M, Phytotherapie.

Oliver-Bever B (Ed.), medicinal plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press Cambridge, London 1986. Sharp TM, (1934) J Chem Soc 287. Further information in: Kern W, List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 4. Aufl., Bde. 1-8, Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1969. Althaea Officinalis Marshmallow DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the mallow flowers, leaves, and roots. Flower and Fruit: The reddish-white flowers are usually in axillary or terminal clusters.

Plants of Longevity, The Medicinal Flora of Vilcabamba Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon See book keywords and concepts

Parts of medicinal plants Used and Mode of Application In most cases (61%) the whole plant was used for medicinal purposes, followed by leaves (13%) and flowers (6%); seeds, roots, bark, fruits, and latex were rarely used (3% each). Almost all remedies were prepared from fresh plant material (96%). All of the introduced plant species were cultivated in fields and gardens, while most of the indigenous species were collected in the wild. Diseases and other health problems were most frequently treated with decoctions of various plant species. The use of single species for treatments was rare.

The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Andrew Chevallier See book keywords and concepts

Herbs & Body Systems One of the most common ways of classifying medicinal plants is to identify their actions, for example, whether they are sedative, antiseptic or diuretic, and the degree to which they affect different body systems. Herbs often have a pronounced action on a particular body system, for example, a plant that is strongly antiseptic in the digestive tract may be less so in the respiratory tract. Examples of how herbs work on the body are given below. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) Skin Antiseptics, e.g., tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia, p.

PDR for Herbal Medicines Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Oliver-Bever B (Ed.), medicinal plants of Tropical West Africa, Cambridge University Press Cambridge, London 1986. Azedarach See Azadirachta Indica Bael See Aegle Marmelos Ballota Nigra Horehound DESCRIPTION Flower and Fruit: The clearly stemed flowers are 1 to 1.5 cm long. They are arranged in 4 to 10 fairly loose and often short-stemmed cymes in the axils of the cauline leaves. The bracteoles are arrow-shaped and soft. They are half as long as the funnel-shaped, downy to silky-shaggy haired calyx. The calyx has 5 awned tips. The corolla is reddish-lilac, occasionally white.

Morton JF, An Atlas of medicinal plants of Middle America, Charles C. Thomas USA 1981. Drosera Rotundifolia Sundew DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the whole herb. Flower and Fruit: Size: The plant is from 7 to 20 cm tall. The flowers are white and arranged in racemes turned to one side. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals and 1 ovary with 3 to 5 styles. The fruit is capsular. Leaves, Stem and Root: The leaves are basal rosette, long-petioled and thickly covered in red glandular hairs. The thickened ends have a drop of viscid juice to trap insects.

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. Aegopodium Podagraria Goutweed DESCRIPTION Flower and Fruit: The flowers range from 50 to 100 cm. They have large white or reddish double umbels that are usually androgynous. The flowers have no involucre and no calyx. The petals are white or pink, about 1.5 mm long, obcordate and cuneate at the base. The fruit is oblong and brownish with pale veins.

The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Andrew Chevallier See book keywords and concepts

Cardiac Glycosides Found in various medicinal plants, most famously in common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, p. 199), yellow foxglove (D. lutea, p. 199), and wooly foxglove (D. lauata), cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin, digoxin, and gitoxin have a strong, direct action on the heart, helping to support its strength and rate of contraction when it is fiiling. Cardiac glycosides are also significantly diuretic. They help to transfer fluids from the tissues and circulatory system to the urinary Common tract> thereby lowering Foxglove blood pressure.

The Natural Guide to medicinal plants and Herbs Frantisek Stary See book keywords and concepts

The first group includes synthetic medicines, the second most drugs from medicinal plants and naturally also preparations from these drugs such as herbal teas, infusions, tinctures and extracts. The objective person must acknowledge that we need both groups of medicines. Synthetic medicines enable the physician to give rapid and effective treatment in acute cases. Natural medicines, on the other hand, if administered correctly, generally have a mild action and the effect usually occurs after a lengthier period.

Breast Cancer? Breath Health! The Wise Woman Way Susun S. Weed See book keywords and concepts

Medicinal Plants, Steven Foster, James Duke, Houghton Mifflin, 1990 13. medicinal plants of the Mountain West, Michael Moore, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1979 14. medicinal plants of the Pacific West, M. Moore, Red Crane, 1993 15. Medicines from the Earth, R. E. Schultes, Harper & Row, 1978 16. Milk Thistle, Christopher Hobbs, Botanica, 1992 17. Natural Healing in Gynecology, Rina Nissim, Pandora, 1986 18. "Natural killer and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activities in Viscum album-treated breast cancer patients," Hajito and Langrein, Oncology 43:93-7, 1986 19.

Plants of the four winds - The magic and medicinal flora of Peru Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon See book keywords and concepts

Sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants. • Reliable information for consumers on the proper use of Traditional Medicine and Complementary Alternative Medicine therapies and products. The present study, financed through the "MHIRT," attempts to address some of these issues. MIRT (Minority International Research and Training) or MHIRT (Minority Health Disparity International Research and Training) as it was recently renamed, is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, administered by the Fogarty International Center for Advanced Studies in Washington, D.C.

Foods that Fight Cancer Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

THE THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF TURMERIC Turmeric was already featured in the list of more than 250 medicinal plants mentioned in a series of medical treatises dating from 3000 B.C., written in cuneiform on stone tablets, collected by King Assurbanipal (669-627 B.C.), and published in the mid-twentieth century by the English archaeologist R.C. Thompson under the title A Dictionary of Assyrian Botany. Scientists' interest in turmeric as a food perhaps capable of preventing cancer grew from our awareness of its presence in numerous past medicinal traditions.

Plants of the four winds - The magic and medicinal flora of Peru Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon See book keywords and concepts

Parts of medicinal plants Used and Mode of Application Northern Peruvian curanderos prefer to use either the leaves (in 25% of all uses) or the whole plant (24%) for the preparation of their remedies. In 19% of the cases the stems of the plants were used, most commonly together with the leaves. Flowers (10%), Seeds (7%), fruits and roots (4% each), bark (3%), fruit peel (2%), and latex and wood (1% each) were only used for a small number of preparations. Almost two-thirds (64%) of the remedies employed in Northern Peru are prepared using fresh plant material.

Many of the introduced species were medicinal plants that were brought in for the treatment of European diseases during colonial times. The families best represented were Asteraceae with 69 species, Fabaceae(35), Lamiaceae(25),andSolanaceae(21).Euphorbiaceae had 12 species, and Poaceae and Apiaceae 11 species.

Breast Cancer? Breath Health! The Wise Woman Way Susun S. Weed See book keywords and concepts

Indian Herbology, Alma Hutchens, Merco, 1969 12. medicinal plants, Steven Foster, James Duke, Houghton Mifflin, 1990 13. medicinal plants of the Mountain West, Michael Moore, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1979 14. medicinal plants of the Pacific West, M. Moore, Red Crane, 1993 15. Medicines from the Earth, R. E. Schultes, Harper & Row, 1978 16. Milk Thistle, Christopher Hobbs, Botanica, 1992 17. Natural Healing in Gynecology, Rina Nissim, Pandora, 1986 18.

Plants of the four winds - The magic and medicinal flora of Peru Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon See book keywords and concepts

DB) of 510 medicinal plants organized under the headings: scientific name, vernacular name, plant parts used, administration, preparation, use, and collection number [20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26]. Antecedents - Medicinal Plant Research and Traditional Medicine in Peru Considerable progress has been made in the overall taxonomic treatment of the flora of Peru over the last few decades [27]. However, while the Amazon rainforests have received a great deal of scientific attention, the mountain forests and remote highland areas are still relatively unexplored.

Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham discusses healthy herbs that naturally increase sex drive without lethal side effects Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

Kilham:Basically, I travel around the world investigating medicinal plants in different countries. Whether it's in the Amazon, Southeast Asia, Siberia, India or China, I go to a host country, hook up with people who are knowledgeable about or experts on a particular plant that I'm investigating, whether it's ginseng, maca, horny goat weed or anything at all. Then I go as deeply as I can into the growing conditions. I investigate the science that the traditional folk use, the medicinal applications, the trade and all of the conditions around a plant.

Food Plants of the World: An illustrated guide Ben-Erik van Wyk See book keywords and concepts

Notes Both types of chamomile are well known as medicinal plants. Roman chamomile is used as a sedative, antispasmodic and antiinflammatory (the essential oil is used in aromatherapy), while German chamomile is antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, carminative and antiseptic. With an annual consumption of 5 000 tons, German chamomile is by far the most important from a medicinal point of view. Chenopodium bonus-henricus Good King Henry Good King Henry plant Description This is a perennial herb of up to half a metre in height, with fleshy, triangular leaves and small green flowers.

All these species are popular spices and medicinal plants in Southeast Asia and China but only the greater galangal is widely used and well known. Origin St history The plant is indigenous to tropical Asia, mainly Indonesia. It is widely grown in Malaysia, Laos and Thailand. Galangal is particularly popular in Thai cooking. Since the Middle Ages the fresh or dried rhizome has also become known as a spice in eastern Europe and Russia. Parts used The rhizome (without the roots but usually with short pieces of stem and young buds attached).

Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century Alex Steffen See book keywords and concepts

Aside from the trees, native medicinal plants are rapidly depleting, because of individual efforts to seek free, readily available treatments for HIV and AIDS. The threat on nontimber-forest resources compounds both the problem and the pursuit of a solution. Only the establishment of clinics, along with the availability of some conventional drugs, is offering some relief to depleted tree and plant species, as The Thinning of Rural Culture ¦¦¦¦ The destruction of rural culture needs to be seen for what it is: a serious loss of capacity.

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. See book keywords and concepts

Many medicinal plants, such as echinacea and burdock, owe much of their immune-enhancing effects to inulin. Jerusalem artichoke is one of the richest sources of inulin available. One caveat: Since the majority of carbohydrate in Jerusalem artichoke is inulin, these tubers may, like beans, cause flatulence in some people, so try them in small amounts initially. For those sensitive to gas-producing foods, a good deal of the inulin Jerusalem artichokes contain can be leached out by either boiling or freezing the tubers before cooking.

The top ten things we'd see if the FDA were put in charge of the criminal justice system Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

Car thieves would be given new jobs stealing phytochemical discoveries from medicinal plants in the Amazon rainforest that could be patented and sold as monopoly drugs. (Explanation: Drug companies frequently exploit natural medicinal compounds in plants, then modify and patent them for manufacturing prescription drugs, even while discrediting the healing potential of the very same medicinal plants. Lovastatin, for example, was stolen from red yeast rice, a natural supplement that lowers LDL cholesterol.

Interview with Chris Kilham, the Medicine Hunter, author of Hot Plants Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

I research natural medicinal plants all around the world, and so I like the name "Medicine Hunter." I think it gives people an idea that they can relate to pretty easily. Mike: And what do you do as a medicine hunter, then? Kilham: Well, I go to different parts of the world where I research plant medicine.

Why organized medicine wants to outlaw nutrition and turn healers into criminals Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

When doctors find that they're out of work because people are healthy, because they're avoiding prescription drugs, eating healthy foods, and using medicinal plants, we might retrain those doctors to become health coaches. They could go into nursing homes and schools, and be hired as health coaches teaching people how to be healthy. There's an idea! Why don't we have our healthcare professionals actually teach health instead of being experts in disease? From the history of medicine comes the idea: "First, do no harm." Today organized medicine is doing tremendous harm.

Covertly stealing from Mother Nature Secretly, however, behind closed doors, all these pharmaceutical companies have people across the world trying to find medicinal plants to look for answers. They are basically stealing them from the native healers, the indigenous tribes in the rainforest, the deserts of Australia, you name it. They're stealing all these plants, then taking them back to the laboratory and trying to synthesize them. That's what they're doing behind closed doors. They know that the answers are in the plant. Publicly, however, they want to outlaw those plants.

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