Dr Ron Roberts
See book keywords and concepts |  Nicholas Culpeper, the famous seventeenth-century English astronomer and physician, now recognised as the father of modern western herbalism, was a strong advocate of natural remedies. He encouraged people to follow a natural lifestyle, and emphasised the benefits of botanical medicine. His legacy to future generations was a vast collection of herbal remedies which are as valuable today as they were more than 300 years ago.
Modern technology has demonstrated that plants and herbs contain invaluable properties and a great interest is now being taken in their powers to heal. |
James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Since the days of Hippocrates, western herbalism has taken a radically different approach. Although we no longer believe in Hippocrates' theory of body fluids, we continue his emphasize on balance, on building and protecting our natural constitutions. With a strong constitution, the regular waves of viral diseases, like the flu epidemics that hammer so many of us over and over again, can be successfully resisted. And while disease may afflict us from time to time, many herbs in nature's pharmacy can treat the root cause of the ailment—an essential part of preventing its reoccurrence. | | TCM has, in turn, had a profound effect on western herbalism.
In TCM and Chinese philosophy, this balance is represented by yin and yang, complementary qualities that exist together in all things. Yin is cool or cold fall and winter, wet and passive. Yang is its opposite: warm or hot, spring and summer, vibrant and dry. Yin is also bright and light; yang is dark. Yin is light; yang is heavy.
Just as the seasons change, cooling and heating the earth in turn, so do other elements. In each case, yin and yang are constantly transforming as the pendulum swings from one to the other. |
Michael Friedman, ND
See book keywords and concepts |  Adaptogenic Herbs
In western herbalism, TCM herbal formulas are called adaptogens. Adaptogenic herbs help us to support our vital force and increase resistance to stress and other factors leading to adrenal disorders. In India, they are called Rasayana herbs.1' These herbs are known to rebuild the body and the mind, reduce aging, and improve the quality of life. They have the unique ability to be able to balance the endocrine system. "Adaptogen" is a term coined by researchers to describe this class of herbs that help the body adapt to stress. | | Traditional Chinese medicine, Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine, and the Eclectic tradition of western herbalism have classified disease in ways that are very different from Western conventional medicine, based on seeing patients as individuals, each with a unique manifestation of a disease state. Many of the drugs of the modern pharmaceutical compendiums were derived from medicines used by these ancestors. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
See book keywords and concepts |  Specific Remedies
No specifics in the strict sense are used in western herbalism, but lymphatic herbs might be seen as specifics. However, lymphatics for children must be chosen very carefully. Phytolacca is an excellent remedy here, but great care must be taken with dosage in young children. Phytolacca can be a powerful emetic and purgative in higher doses.
A Prescription for Mumps
Galium aparine 4 parts
Echinacea spp. 4 parts
Urtica dioica 3 parts
Phytolacca americana 1 part
Dosage: up to 5 ml of tincture three times a day. | | There are a number of useful ways to group the relevant criteria, but three categories are most helpful in Western herbalism:
1. Assessing the impact of herbs upon the body and mind
2. Applying nontherapeutic criteria, such as aesthetics, economics, and ecology
3. Using herbs within the context of some kind of system
Applying these three sets of criteria facilitates the formulation of treatments that are specific to the unique needs of the individual and at the same time takes into account environmental and economic considerations. | | Today, western herbalism commonly recognizes three major categories of herbs that act on the nervous system, collectively called nervines. These are nervine tonics, nervine relaxants, and nervine stimulants. Other important categories of nervines include hypnotics, analgesics, antispasmodics, antidepressants, and adaptogens. For more information on these actions and the primary and secondary actions of specific herbs, please see chapters 25 and 26.
Of many potential remedies that could be mentioned, table 16.1 provides a listing of the best-known nervines in European phytotherapy.
Table 16.1. |
Andrew Pengelly
See book keywords and concepts |  Examples of some of the more dramatic actions of alkaloids are:
• Analgesics/ narcotics—morphine
• Mydriatics—atropine
• Miotics—pilocarpine
• Hypertensives—ephedrine
• Hypotensives—reserpine
• Bronchodilator—lobeline
• Stimulants—strychnine
• Antimicrobials—berberine
• Antileukemic—vinblastine
Because they are so reactive, even at small doses, most alkaloid-rich plants are used sparingly, if at all, in western herbalism. Indeed, use of many of the alkaloidal species is restricted by law, or listed on poison schedules. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
See book keywords and concepts | | What actions or specific herbs are indicated for these conditions? western herbalism seems to have got itself tied in knots around the word immune, and both professionals and nonprofessionals are showing symptoms of conceptual overload. Appropriate remedies for immune system problems must be selected on the basis of individual need. This can be determined only through careful diagnosis, which in turn requires the practitioner to be knowledgeable about the complexities of the process. The word immune does not mean Echinacea}. | | The interested reader should consult the excellent Green Pharmacy, by Barbara Griggs, the best and most comprehensive history of western herbalism yet written.
QUESTIONING AUTHORITY IN HERBALISM
Herbalism is an aspect of human culture that takes many forms. While this rich diversity is a gift deserving of celebration, it can also be a cause of much misunderstanding. There appears to be an inherent antagonism between those who see herbalism as an expression of a green flowering in human consciousness and those who view it as a vehicle for the pharmacology of secondary plant products. |
Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND
See book keywords and concepts |  Given the different species and the fact that the aerial parts rather than the root are used in western herbalism, it is unknown how applicable the above information is to scullcap products used medicinally in North America.15
ADVERSE EFFECTS
Large doses of scullcap can cause giddiness, confusion, drowsiness and convulsions.16 In addition, herbal products containing scullcap as one of the ingredients have been implicated in a number of cases of hepa to toxicity,1617 which has resulted in the removal of a number of herbal scullcap preparations from the market in the United Kingdom. | | Traditional Use
Within western herbalism, burdock is considered an important alterative herb (an agent capable of favorably altering unhealthy conditions of the body and tending to restore normal function). In Western and Chinese herbalism, burdock was used as a detoxifying agent to 'cleanse' the blood, removing toxins from the body. Consequently, it was used, internally and externally, for many conditions of the skin, such as acne, boils, abscesses, and eczema, and for situations of chronic inflammation, such as rheumatism and gout. | | While many different forms of hawthorn have been used traditionally, in western herbalism C. laevigata and C. monogyna are the most common species used.
CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS
Hawthorn contains a number of medicinally active constituents, but most attention has been focused on the triterpene acids and oligomeric procyanidins and their cardiovascular properties. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
See book keywords and concepts | | By extension, it may seem that western herbalism is at a disadvantage and suffers from a lack of research on Western plants. However, this is an artifact of research funding, not an herbal reality. Until very recently, the preponderance of research on immunomodulating plants and their constituents was performed in Asia, primarily in the People's Republic of China, India, and Japan. Funding for these studies was driven by a desire to improve the lot of the people of these countries. Consequently, and quite appropriately, the research focused on the plants used medicinally in those nations. |
Michael Tierra
See book keywords and concepts |  Their main college was located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where, during the Western expansion of the mid-1800s, North American herbalism (perhaps all of western herbalism) reached its highest achievement. There was the distinguished work of such esteemed doctors as King, Ellingwood, Cook, Scudder, Felter, and the greatest herbal pharmacist, John Uri Lloyd, who specially crafted the many herbal Eclectic medicines that were sold to physicians and used throughout the country.
The Eclectics, especially as described in the writings of Dr. John M. |
Christopher Hobbs
See book keywords and concepts |  As discussed below, western herbalism traditionally considered digestive stimulants strengthening to the entire bodily constitution. Cold and bitter herbs such as gentian and golden seal stimulate the production of digestive enzymes and if used chronically over several months, especially when combined with warming herbs such as ginger, can help strengthen the immune system, improve energy levels, and facilitate the healing process in people who are recovering from long-term chronic ailments (Maiwald, 1987). |
Gale Maleskey
See book keywords and concepts |  It's also been appreciated for its medicinal properties for thousands of years and employed by many cultures, including India's Ayurvedic medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and western herbalism. People have used ginger to treat indigestion, nausea, gout, flu, fever, headache, and flatulence.
Good for the Gut
The medicinal part of ginger is the rhizome, an underground stem that most people mistakenly refer to as a root. In Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, the rhizome has a long-standing reputation as a digestive aid. It is ground up and used in numerous Chinese herbal prescriptions. |
Lesley Tierra
See book keywords and concepts |  This symptomatic treatment approach is used by both modern medicine and western herbalism. It gives decongestants or expectorants for colds, antibiotics and diuretics for bladder infections and antibiotics or anti-inflammatories for bronchitis. In many cases this works, but in others it doesn't, making it a rather hit-or-miss approach. When it doesn't work, it can cause a prolonged healing process, a weakening of the body and/or a suppression of the true cause of the illness. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
See book keywords and concepts |  TRADITIONAL VIEW
Berberis vulgaris has had a long history of use in western herbalism. A decoction was taken in the spring months as a blood purifier and used externally as a mouth and eyewash. The Eclectics regarded Berberis primarily as a tonic but it was also used for conditions affecting the liver and gallbladder, diarrhoea, dysentery and parasitical infections including malaria. |
Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.
See book keywords and concepts |  One cannot imagine TCM without ginseng root and astragalus root, TAM without ashwagandha root and guggul gum, or western herbalism without echinacea and dandelion root. These are among the herbs I will discuss. I have chosen more than 80 herbs that Nai-shing and I consider to be among the most useful available to us in effectively treating the common diseases we see every day. About a dozen or so less commonly used herbs have also been included.
How do you know which herbs are best? |
Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  The fact remains that the broad classification according to therapeutic properties, such as diuretics, diaphoretics, laxatives, and Western herbalism's alteratives category, remains a far more therapeutically flexible and accurate way to describe how plants work in the body than merely relegating them to the treatment of a specific disease. This also applies to the energetic classifications of TCM, describing the relative heating or cooling nature of medicinal plants, the Five Flavors, and the organ meridians affected. | | Dose: 3-9 grams
Horsetail (MU ZE1) Herba equiseti hiemalis
Common Names: Horsetail, shave grass, scouring rush
Family: Equisetaceae
Part Used: Leaves (grass)
Energy and Flavors: Neutral; sweet, bitter
Organ Meridians Affected: Lung, liver
Properties: Diaphoretic, diuretic, astringent
Indications: Although used in western herbalism for urinary problems, horsetail is used in Chinese medicine for such ailments as bloodshot eyes and conjunctivitis. Because it is rich in trace minerals, it is excellent as a semiregular tonic, although it should not be used for extended periods of time. | | In western herbalism, these might be classified as alterative, blood purifying, or detoxifying. Herbs such as dried ginger or cinnamon bark have a warm energy and counteract cold, hypotonic conditions, promoting digestion and circulation. One characteristic of a cold-natured disease is the presence of clear or white mucus. A tea of fresh or dried ginger is a simple and effective treatment for these conditions. Warm- or cool-natured
142 herbs are a lesser degree of cold or hot and are used accordingly. | | These mineral compounds are also present in abundance in green and sea vegetables as well as in all the herbs classified as blood purifiers or alteratives in western herbalism, or herbs that clear heat (heat represents acids) in Chinese herbol-ogy. The normal systems of discharge and elimination include the lungs, which discharge metabolic acids that have been transformed into carbon dioxide, as well as urine, sweat, and feces. Eating foods that are mostly alkaline forming, such as whole grains and most vegetables, helps to maintain a normal pH balance of between 7.3 and 7.45. | | In western herbalism, cayenne pepper is often used in such cases; in Ayurvedic herbalism, a formula called trikatu, consisting of equal parts black pepper, pippali (long pepper), and ginger, is used.
The herbs in this category are all spicy-hot and treat conditions of deficient yang or qi of the spleen and kidney as well as of other organs, including the heart and lungs. Because of their spicy-hot nature, they are contraindicated for conditions of excess heat or yin deficiency. |
Andrew Chevallier
See book keywords and concepts |  Oranges studded with cloves were used in the Moluccas as insect repellents.
¦ western herbalism Despite the bewildering variety of their therapeutic uses, cloves are underrated in the West. They are used regularly only in mouthwashes and for their local anesthetic effect - for example, in relieving toothache.
Self-help Uses
Acne. p. 305.
* Fever, p. 31 1.
¦ Fungal skin infections, p. 304.
¦ Neuralgia, p. 308.
* Toothache, p. 308.
Filipendula ulmaria (Rosaceae)
Meadowsweet, QUEEN OF THE MEADOW
Meadowsweet
A perennial reaching 5 ft (1. |
Michael Tierra
See book keywords and concepts | | Since the original publication of The Way of Herbs, western herbalism has expanded tremendously. Starting with the experience and knowledge that a few spread to their students throughout the country over two decades, the awareness of and use of Western herbs and alternative therapies have exploded into the mass market—down to the household level. Herbs and natural treatments, such as homeopathic remedies, are now sold in mainstream store chains. Increasing numbers of medical doctors are incorporating herbal and natural remedies into their medical practices. |
Lesley Tierra
See book keywords and concepts | | Indications: skin diseases, psoriasis, urticaria, eczema, jaundice, constipation, wounds, anemia Projects: tea, tincture, capsule, syrup with blackstrap molasses, poultice
Chinese herbs are extremely useful to us in the West as they include many tonics which are, as yet, rarely found in western herbalism. Tonic herbs build strength, prevent disease from occurring, balance the body's energy, strengthen the disease-recovery process and nourish the blood and substance of the body. |
Rebecca Wood
See book keywords and concepts |  This observation helped form western herbalism and medicine from Greek times until the seventeenth century. It remains a critical tenet in traditional Chinese medicine as well as in Ayurvedic medicine.
While all systems agree that garlic is heating and watermelon cooling, exceptions occur, arising from each one's scope. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine the overall effect of radishes is considered cooling. But in Ayurvedic medicine, radishes increase agni, or digestive fire, and are therefore considered warming. Both are correct within context. |
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