Naturopathic Practitionor Herbologist, Medical Technologist, Massage Therapist

Sleep Tea
Lincoln Hospital in New York City developed a combination of herbs, called Sleep Tea, to assist people who are withdrawing from drugs to sleep. The mixture contains chamomile, peppermint, catnip, skullcap, hops, and yarrow. The tea, according to Michael O. Smith, M.D. the center’s director is used to promote relaxation and to treat insomnia. It is also effective in aiding alcohol detoxification if taken hourly. According to Dr. Smith, these herbs are not habit forming and do not carry a risk from overdose or misuse.

Aging

Fo-Ti/Ho shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum)
Used as a rejuvenating tonic in China, Fo-Ti is said to prevent hair from turning gray and helps people maintain strength and vitality as they age.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
By promoting the flow of blood to the brain, ginkgo helps increase mental clarity and memory. In a French study the efficacy of this Asian herb for treating disorders of the brain due to aging was found to be promising. Another study showed that ginkgo improved mobility, communication, short-term memory, and orientation. Among those who took ginkgo regularly, those previously unable to walk because of pain were able to do so, and some increased the distances they could walk pain –free by 30-100 percent. Circulation was also greatly enhanced.

Appetite Control

Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens)
Cayenne mixed into a cup of boiling water twice a day helps stimulate the appetite.
Cayenne does irritate the stomach and kidneys if overused.

Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Animal studies have shown that an herbal preparation made from the leaves of this plant reduces uncontrolled appetite considerably.

Asthma
Baical Skullcap/Huang qin (Scutellaria baicalensis)
In laboratory studies of guinea pigs, baical skullcap root has been shown to be effective in treating allergic asthma.

First used more than 3,000 years by the Chinese, ginseng has been called the miracle herb. There have been more than 300 original papers published on the versatile benefits of this herb. The French started using it for asthma many years ago, and it is often used as an overall tonic for the entire body.

Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)
Known as cardinal flower, lobelia was used for years to treat stomachache and syphilis. Today this herb is used for asthma and as an expectorant for bronchitis. It is said that Native Americans smoked lobelia inflanta to break the nicotine addiction.

Parsley (Petroselinum sativum)
Although the effects of parsley have not undergone rigid laboratory studies, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers often used parsley as an expectorant for coughs and asthma. Steep leaves in boiling water to create a tea. Several herbalists caution that pregnant women should not use parsley juice or oil.

Poke Root (Phytolacca Americana)
A robust perennial herb that is indigenous to the eastern United States, poke root is used to treat asthma, boils, intestinal worms, cramps, and stomach ulcers. The herb is said to be effective in treating parasites in both animals and humans.

Herbs and Cancer
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)
Known in America as milk vetch, in Chinese medicine astragalus root is commonly used to treat severe qi deficiency. It builds resistance. It is often combined in prescription with ginseng, white atractylodes, dang shen , cinnamon, and Jujube date.

In recent years astragalus has become famous for treating the side effects of Western cancer therapies. When used for such purposes, it is often prescribed in doses about 30 grams or more a day, which is higher than the common dose. Astragulus is sometimes used as a substitute for the more expensive ginseng.

Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Two studies have reported anti-tumor activity in animals given burdock. The National Cancer Institute has studied this herb fourteen times, with one sample showing anti-tumor activity in the mouse leukemia system. Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) this versatile herb is frequently used in China for cancer treatment. In American herbalism it is used to treat several conditions including problems of the lungs and breast.

Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia)
There have been more than 350 studies done on this very popular herb, also known as purple cornflower, which seems to stimulate the immune system. In laboratory tests the herb has been shown to increase the number of immune system cells or T cells developing cells in bone marrow and lymphatic tissue.

Evening primrose oil can help lessen the pain of inflammation. It is especially good for ameliorating inflammation of the intestine.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
The revered Chinese herb, now popular on American shores, has many uses and is often considered an all-purpose herb that can be combined with others. Some studies indicate that it enhances the immune system and reduces stress. There have been few problems reported by people taking ginseng, but it is advised that pregnant or nursing woman or those with HTN not take this herb.

Mistletoe (Viscum album)
Both crude mistletoe and Iscador, a liquid extract from the mistletoe plant marketed by Weleda AG, Switzerland and Germany, have been studied extensively with animal subjects and have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Mistletoe has been used to treat tumors for sixty years in other countries. Helmut Kiene using homeo-sapiens has demonstrated the anti-tumor effects of this herb in 36 studies. These results are supported by studies involving animals with tumors. Other than a skin rash in some patients, there were few side effects from the treatment, as opposed to the side effects of more conventional cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy.

Although Weleda has a branch in the U.S., it does not sell Iscador, because the product has not been approved for sale in the U.S.

Rehmannia(Rehmannia glutinosa)
Cooked Rehmannia root is often used in China to treat anemia and fatigue and to promote the healing of injured bones.

Shitake Mushrooms (Lentinula edodes)
In China and Japan shitake is known as an anti-cancer herb and has been shown to slow the growth of cancerous cells in animals.

Sweet Violet (Viola odorata)
Since 500 B.C. violets, especially the fresh leaves have been recommended for use in a poultice to treat surface cancer.

COLDS AND UPPER RESIRATORY INFECTIONS

Echinaccea/Purple Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)
Native Americans introduced this herb as a snakebite potion.One of the most highly researched herbs, echinaccea is now very popular because of its immune-enhancing properties. European studies indicate that Echinacea is very effective in treating colds, flu and candida.

Ephedra/Ma huang (Ephedra sinica)
Traditionally used by the Chinese to treat asthma, this herb acts as a stimulant and should be avoided by people with HTN. Ma huang is found in many natural cold remedies, but compounds derived from this herb are also found in over-the –counter cold and allergy medications.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
The oil of this plant has been used for many things. For years it has been placed in steam to relieve the effects of cold and flu. It is found in over the counter cough drops.When rubbed on the skin, eucalyptus oil provides some pain relief from arthritis. It should not be taken internally.

Fenugreek (Trigonella graecum)
Dating back to Hippocrates, fenugreek has been a popular folk remedy for colds and sore throats. In a study conducted in India, the pulverized seeds of this herb were shown to reduce blood sugar in insulin-dependent individuals.

Lobelia(Lobelia cardinalis)
Known as cardinal flower, lobelia was used for years to treat stomachache and syphilis.
Today this herb is used for asthma and as an expectorant for bronchitis. It is said thatNative Americans smoked lobelia inflanta to break the nicotine addiction.

Pueraria/Ko Ken (Pueraria lobata)
Chinese practitioners to treat flu, colds, and gastrointestinal conditions have used Pueraria.

Rabbit Tobacco(Gnaphalium obtusifolium)
Used first by the Lumbee Indians, rabbit tobacco is said to cause profuse sweating. This herb is a native plant of the eastern United States and is said to treat colds, flus, neuritis, asthma, coughs, and pneumonia.

Sweet Flag (Acorus Calamus)
This root has been used to treat gas, colds, coughs, sore throats, and headache.Early Native American tribes thought that sweet flag was a panacea for most ailments.

Wild Chrysanthemum Flower/ye ju hua(Chrysanthemum indicum)
Also used to treat HTN, this herb has been proven effective in treating colds and bronchitis. In one study of 1,000 individuals, wild chrysanthemum flower was made into tea and given to five groups. –There were two who rarely got colds—this herb was taken once a month, twice a month or every week. When compared to the past history the incidence of colds decreased by 14%. Simultaneously another study examined bronchitis with 119 cases. There was a 38% reduction than the previous year.

Many people prefer using herbs, a combination of medicinal herbs and western medicine, to cure or alleviate their symptoms. These remedies have no guarantee.

Herbology is the art of combining medicinal herbs. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant.

Herbology is traditionally one of the more important modalities utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of herbs is typically decocted twice over the course of one hour. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient's Yin Yang conditions.

Sometimes, ingredients are needed to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew is ineffective. The latter steps require great experience and knowledge, and make the difference between a good Chinese herbal doctor and an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients. A key to success in TCM is the treatment of each patient as an individual.

Chinese herbology often incorporates ingredients from all parts of plants, the leaf, stem, flower, root, and also ingredients from animals and minerals. The use of parts of endangered species has created controversy and resulted in a black market of poachers who hunt restricted animals. Most herbal manufacturers have discontinued the use of any animal parts from endangered animals. History of Chinese Herbology

Since the dawn of creation, plants have been the primary source of medicine for the human race. Medicinal plants have been mentioned in the Bible, and in historical literature. Plants that are used as medicines have been referred to as "herbs" for over 4000 years by European and the Mediterranean cultures, hence the word "herb", being a derivation of "herbe" and the Latin word, "herba".

Originally, the term "herb" only applied to non-woody plants.

Today, "herb" refers to any part of any plant used for flavoring or medicine. Although the term "herb" can also be equated with food spices, it is generally used in reference to any plant, or any part of a plant, having nutritional and / or medicinal value(s). Additionally, an "herb" may be a fruit, a bark, a flower, a leaf, or a root, as well as anon-woody plant.

There are several types of herbal medicine systems that are used today; European, Native American, Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbalism are the most prevalent systems. Despite differences in terminology and in the herbs used, there is a common thread that joins these systems: all of these systems treat the body as a 'whole', and they each utilize the energy of plants to 'work as needed' in synergy with the natural energy in each individual.

Because there are many different herbal systems, there are also many different ways of classifying herbs. Some systems being used over the years tend to classify herbs by 'plant part'; by humoral theories; by botanical family; by color; or by morphology. One example is the Chinese system, which has a complex classification system based on 'chi', or 'body energy concepts'. This classification scheme is very successful at correlating the human body to proper herb usage, but does not provide for easy substitution of one herb for another.

There are many other ways to classify herbs. Another simple method is to identify five (5) major herbal categories:

Aromatic (volatile oils)
Astringent (tannins)
Bitter (phenol compounds, saponins and alkaloids)
Mucilaginous (polysaccharides)
Nutritive (food stuffs)

This category system makes it easy to identify herbs using 'taste' and 'smell', and becomes useful when needing to substitute herbs for one another.

There are many ways to grow, gather, and harvest herbs. Herbs are considered the "best" by some practitioners when they are naturally grown in the wild, untouched by industrial pollutants. Others prefer herbs that are cultivated indoors, away from all contaminants, in a controlled environment.

Some herbalist's recommend gathering only certain herbs (depending on the seasons, the weather, and the time of day) to achieve the highest level of medicinal qualities. And still others may disregard this practice, and will purposefully plant herbs 'out of season' so that they will be available for sale year round. Many believe that the energy with which the herbs are gathered is also very important, and should always be done with great spiritual awareness and prayerful thankfulness. And others feel that herbs should be handled with reverence and respect.

In addition to growth and gathering techniques, harvesting practices vary as well. Recommendations may include taking the whole plant at once (buds, roots, seeds, leaves and blooms), or taking each part of the plant in a particular order, and only using younger, or older, plants.

There are also several ways to dispense herbs. The most common methods are herbal pastes, juices, decoctions, hot or cold infusions, powders, pills (tablets, capsules), aromatics, tinctures or extracts (alcohol or glycerol bases), liniments, syrups, poultices and fomentations, medicated oils, salves and ointments, lotions, teas, and whole herbs. Each type is good for specific ailments, and often may be used together (i.e. internally and externally for an external wound) to take full advantage of the healing attributes of each.

All these choices, like others, should be integrated with both your personal external needs and your internal ideals for the best possible results. An experienced herbalist can help you decide which system is right for you. Herbs are foods, and like any other food, herbs should be taken in moderation. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for use.

In Chinese medicine herbs are associated with the major organs of the body. For example - certain herbs are used to heal lung ailments and the meridians associated with the lungs. The practioner will always provide the patient with 2 herbs. One is called the guiding herb that gets the healing herb to the right spot. The second herb is the healing herb. Much of this is intuitive - as the body will crave the food, tastes, or herbs that it needs.

In plant spirit medicine the practioner not only administers the healing herb but he has a relationship with the Spirit of the healing plant. He can actually communicate with the spirit of a powerful healing plant to heal the patient. This can be done as a remote healing - with patient and practioner in two different parts of the country. In this case the spirit goes to the patient.

Herbalism

Dioscorides' Materia Medica, c. 1334 copy in Arabic,
describes medicinal features of cumin and dill.

Herbalism, also known as phytotherapy, is folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Finding healing powers in plants is an ancient idea. People in all continents have long used hundreds, if not thousands, of indigenous plants for treatment of various ailments dating back to prehistory.

There is evidence that Neanderthals living 60,000 years ago in present-day Iraq used plants for medicinal purposes (found at a burial site at Shanidar Cave, Iraq, in which a Neanderthal man was uncovered in 1960. He had been buried with eight species of plants). These plants are still widely used in ethnomedicine around the world.

The first generally accepted use of plants as healing agents were depicted in the cave paintings discovered in the Lascaux caves in France, which have been Radiocarbon dated to between 13,000 - 25,000 BCE.

Over time and with trial and error, a small base of knowledge was acquired within early tribal communities. As this knowledge base expanded over the generations, tribal culture developed into specialized areas. These 'specialized jobs' became what are now known as healers or Shaman. Plants have an almost limitless ability to synthesize aromatic substances, most of which are phenols or their oxygen-substituted derivatives such as tannins.Most are secondary metabolites, of which at least 12,000 have been isolated, a number estimated to be less than 10% of the total. In many cases, these substances (esp. alkaloids) serve as plant defense mechanisms against predation by microorganisms, insects, and herbivores.

Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food yield useful medicinal compounds.The use of and search for drugs and dietary supplements derived from plants have accelerated in recent years. Pharmacologists, microbiologists, botanists, and natural-products chemists are combing the Earth for phytochemicals and leads that could be developed for treatment of various diseases.

In fact, many modern drugs have been derived from plants.The use of herbs to treat disease is almost universal among non-industrialized societies.. A number of traditions came to dominate the practise of herbal medicine in the Western world at the end of the twentieth century:

The Western, based on Greek and Roman sources,
The Ayurvedic from India, and
Chinese herbal medicine (Chinese herbology).

Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to Western physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. All plants produce chemical compounds as part of their normal metabolic activities. These can be split into primary metabolites, such as sugars and fats, found in all plants, and secondary metabolites found in a smaller range of plants, some only in a particular genus or species.The autologous functions of secondary metabolites are varied. For example, as toxins to deter predation, or to attract insects for pollination. It is these secondary metabolites which can have therapeutic actions in humans and which can be refined to produce drugs. Some examples are inulin from the roots of dahlias, quinine from the cinchona, morphine and codeine from the poppy, and digoxin from the foxglove.As of 2004, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine started to fund clinical trials into the effectiveness of herbal medicine.

Examples of some commonly used herbal medicines:

Artichoke and several other plants reduced total serum cholesterol levels in preliminary studies.
Black cohosh and other plants that contain phytoestrogens (plant molecules with estrogen activity) have some benefits for treatment of symptoms resulting from menopause.
Echinacea extracts limit the length of colds in some clinical trials, although some studies have found it to have no effect.
Garlic lowers total cholesterol levels, mildly reduces blood pressure, reduces platelet aggregation, and has antibacterial properties.
St John's wort, though dangerous in incorrect doses, is more effective than a placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate depression in some clinical trials.
Peppermint tea for problems with the digestive tract, including irritable bowel syndrome and nausea.
Nigella sativa (Black cumin) is a generalist medicinal plant used for diverse ailments such as cough, pulmonary infections, asthma, influenza, allergy, hypertension and stomach ache. The seeds are considered carminative, stimulant, diuretic and galactogogue. It is often taken with honey. Seed powder or oil is externally applied for eruptions of skin.

A common misconception about herbalism and the use of 'natural' products in general, is that 'natural' equals safe. However many plants have chemical defence mechanisms against predators that can have adverse or lethal effects on humans. Examples are poison hemlock and nightshade, which can be deadly. Herbs can also have undesirable side-effects just as pharmaceutical products can. These problems are exacerbated by lack of control over dosage and purity. Furthermore, if given in conjunction with drugs, there is danger of 'summation', where the herb and the drug have similar actions and add together to make an 'overdose'. In animals, there are other dangers. There may be residues in food from farm animals (e.g. eggs, milk, meat) or danger of 'doping' in competition animals. The latter may also apply to human athletes.

The common names of herbs may be shared with others with different effects. For example, in one case in Belgium in a TCM-remedy for losing weight, one herb was swapped for another resulting in kidney damage[citation needed]. One variety of the herb causes elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate, versus another variety for the weight-loss remedy, the varieties are differentiated by the suffix in the Latin names.

The legal status of herbal ingredients varies by country. For example, Ayurvedic herbal products may contain levels of heavy metals that are considered unsafe in the U.S., but heavy metals are considered therapeutic in Ayurvedic medicine.

Those wishing to use herbal remedies should first consult with a physician, as some herbal remedies have the potential to cause adverse drug interactions when used in combination with various prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Dangerously low blood pressure may result from the combination of an herbal remedy that lowers blood pressure together with prescription medicine that has the same effect. Physicians may not be the best sources of information because most have no knowledge of herbal medicine. There is little known about interactions of herbal remedies with pharmaceuticals because, contrary to pharmaceutical medicine, there is no official system, database, or hotline to report and publish adverse interactions, so even herbalists may not be aware of adverse interactions.

A meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported the following: "The overall incidence of serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2%-8.2%) and of fatal ADRs was 0.32% (95% CI, 0.23%-0.41%) of hospitalized patients. We estimated that in 1994 overall 2,216,000 (1,721,000-2,711,000) hospitalized patients had serious ADRs and 106,000 (76,000-137,000) had fatal ADRs, making these reactions between the fourth and sixth leading cause of death." (JAMA. 1998;279:1200-1205)

Herbology - Herbalism

Herbalism