========== Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Medicinal herbFAQ Part 1/7 From: Henriette Kress Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 14:42:09 +0200 -------- Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part1 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 18Mar02 Version: 1.38d URL: http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-cont.html Available by ftp: ibiblio.org or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/ -------------------------------------- Contents -------------------------------------- * 1 Introduction o 1.1 Contributors o 1.2 Wishlist * 2 Single herbs o 2.1 Valeriana + 2.1.1 Valium is not derived from Valerian o 2.2 Yohimbe + 2.2.1 Yohimbe is a MAO inhibitor, yohimbine isn't o 2.3 Absinthe FAQ pointer + 2.3.1 More on Absinthe o 2.4 St. John's Wort (Hypericum) + 2.4.1 SJW and photosensitivity + 2.4.2 SJW and MAO inhibition + 2.4.3 About standardized hypericin content in SJW + 2.4.4 SJW, major depression, and the JAMA article o 2.5 Ginseng o 2.6 Stevia Leaf - Too Good To Be Legal? + 2.6.1 Changed legal status of Stevia Leaf o 2.7 Poison Ivy / Oak / Sumac + 2.7.1 How to recognize PI/PS/PO + 2.7.2 How to avoid the rash + 2.7.3 Why does it give you a rash? / Spreading the oil about + 2.7.4 What helps + 2.7.5 Jewelweed, Impatiens + 2.7.6 How to get rid of poison ivy in your yard o 2.8 Echinacea + 2.8.1 Using Echinacea + 2.8.2 Echinacea - poaching and extinction o 2.9 Feverfew and migraine o 2.10 Kava kava o 2.11 Pau d'arco o 2.12 Wild yam and contraception + 2.12.1 Edible vs. true yam + 2.12.2 Wild yam cream and natural progesterone o 2.13 Red raspberry and pregnancy o 2.14 Green tea and caffeine o 2.15 Comfrey hepatotoxicity + 2.15.1 Hepatotoxicity update o 2.16 Pennyroyal o 2.17 Cat's Claw o 2.18 Golden Seal appeal - and Goldthread too o 2.19 Ma Huang or Ephedra sinensis o 2.20 Skullcap and Teucrium adulteration o 2.21 Mellow mallows o 2.22 Not an herb, but: Melatonin * 3 Herbs for specific things o 3.1 Herbs for mosquitoes and other bothersome bugs + 3.1.1 Repelling them + 3.1.2 And now you're bitten... o 3.2 Herbs for migraines o 3.3 Herbs for vivid dreams o 3.4 Herbs and weight loss o 3.5 Herbs to make you sleep + 3.5.1 Insomnia therapeutics o 3.6 Aphrodisiacs o 3.7 Herbal Abortives and Birth Control + 3.7.1 Herbal Abortives and Common Sense o 3.8 Herbs and female infertility o 3.9 Herbs, ADD, and replacing Ritalin o 3.10 Herbs for Sunburn o 3.11 The gall bladder flush o 3.12 Herbs for cough o 3.13 Herbs for constipation * 4 Processing herbs o 4.1 Making essential oil o 4.2 Pointer to the How-to of Tinctures o 4.3 Herbal oils o 4.4 Balms and liniments * 5 General Info o 5.1 Introduction to side effects, safety and toxicity of medicinal herbs + 5.1.1 Medicinal plant actions cannot be reduced to the effects of their isolated 'active constituents' + 5.1.2 Medicinal herbs act 'multi-systemically' + 5.1.3 Herbs act on the healing processes in the body + 5.1.4 Herbs act multi-dimensionally + 5.1.5 Side effects vs. contraindications + 5.1.6 Safety and toxicity of herbal medicines + 5.1.7 Pregnancy + 5.1.8 Understanding toxicity research - politics and ideology + 5.1.9 Further reading o 5.2 Wildcrafting Ethics and similar things + 5.2.1 Wildcrafting checklist + 5.2.2 How do I find out about endangered plants (in the USA)? + 5.2.3 What plants shouldn't I pick? + 5.2.4 United Plant Savers o 5.3 Different schools of Herbal Healing + 5.3.1 Traditions in Western Herbal Medicine + 5.3.2 Ayurveda - an introduction + 5.3.3 Pointers to homeopathy sites etc. + 5.3.4 What is Traditional Chinese Medicine? + 5.3.5 Flower essences + 5.3.6 Aromatherapy intro o 5.5 The Ames Test o 5.6 Trying out the placebo effect o 5.7 How to find an herbalist / ND * 6 Information Sources o 6.1 Good books on herbal medicine + 6.1.1 Good books to get started with + 6.1.2 Specialty books: women's herbals, men's herbals etc. + 6.1.3 In-depth books, by organ system + 6.1.4 Chinese herbs, or TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) o 6.2 Good books for further studies o 6.3 Good periodicals + 6.3.1 For enthusiasts (emphasis on color pictures) + 6.3.2 For professional herbalists (emphasis on case studies) - updated 16Mar02 + 6.3.3 For universities (emphasis on scientific studies) o 6.4 Online commercial databases + 6.4.1 Napralert + 6.4.2 Medline + 6.4.3 Ingenta + 6.4.4 IBIDS o 6.5 Herb programs + 6.5.3 Demo or shareware herb programs + 6.5.4 Commercial herb programs o 6.6 Other online information sources + 6.6.1 FTP + 6.6.2 WWW o 6.7 Pointers to related documents + 6.7.1 Plants by Mail FAQ pointer + 6.7.2 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome WWW page pointer + 6.7.3 Hint for Kombucha posters + 6.7.4 Hint for Essiac posters + 6.7.5 Thinking of growing herbs for sale? + 6.7.6 Saw Palmetto and Prostata problems: Newsgroup/FAQ pointer + 6.7.7 Natural high FAQ pointer + 6.7.8 Natural vision FAQ pointer + 6.7.9 Smoking herbs document pointer + 6.7.10 Pointer to herbal-medical glossary + 6.7.11 Menopausal discomforts * 7 Schools etc. o 7.1 Some hands-on schools I know of in the US o 7.2 Some hands-on schools in Canada o 7.3 Some correspondence courses I know of in the US o 7.4 Some schools and correspondence courses elsewhere o 7.5 About correspondence schools, and licensing of herbalists o 7.6 Accreditation of ND schools and ND licensing in the US * 8 Related forums o 8.1 Mailing lists (= email) - updated 16Mar02: + 8.1.1 The Medicinal Herblist - changed address + 8.1.2 The Aromatherapy List - two addresses added + 8.1.3 The Kombucha List + 8.1.4 The Paracelsus List + 8.1.5 The Homeopathy List - changed sub instructions + 8.1.6 The Phytopharmacognosy List - dead + 8.1.7 The Culinary Herblist + 8.1.8 The HerbInfo List + 8.1.9 The Wellpet List + 8.1.10 The Holisticat List + 8.1.11 The Natural Health & Beauty List - list scratched + 8.1.12 The Apothecary List + 8.1.13 The HolisticBird List - new + 8.1.14 The Toiletries List - changed address + 8.1.15 The Wildforager List - changed address + 8.1.16 The Aboutherbs List - changed address + 8.1.17 The UK Herbal List o 8.2 Newsgroups o 8.3 Online discussions o 8.4 Newsgroup (and mailing list) netiquette o 8.5 Dealing with spam and trolls -------------------------------------- 1 Introduction -------------------------------------- Hi all, This is the (umpth + n) edition of the FAQ / Resource list. (I've lost track). Feel free to send additions, corrections and comments. hetta.saunalahti.fix (no x) -------------------------------------- 1.1 Contributors -------------------------------------- FAQ Keeper: Henriette Kress, hetta.saunalahti.fix (no x) Contributors so far (listed alphabetically): ; ) Aine Maclir, Al Czap, Alex Standefer, amethyst, Andy + Sharon, Anita Hales , August West, bahwi.technologist.com, Barbara Heller, Callie, Carolyn Mohney, Cathy Weigl, Christopher Hedley, Clarke Hoover, Colette Gardiner, Coyote Osborne, Craige Roberts, Dale Kemery, David Powner, Dennis McClain-Furmanski, Dorene Petersen, Duane Weed, Elizabeth Perdomo, Elizabeth Toews, Eric Yarnell, Eugenia Provence, George M. Carter, Gerry Creager, Gloria Mercado-Martin, Howie Brounstein, James Mally, N.D., Jim Bardon, J. Mark Taylor, Jonathan Treasure, Julia Moravcsik, JunieWrite.aol.com, Kathjokl, Kay Klier, Kenneth R. Robertson, Kevin Jones, Kris Gammon, Lawrence London, Lupo LeBoucher, Marcia Elston, Mark D. Gold, Mary Jo Gilsdorf, Maven, Michael Moore, Michael M. Zanoni, Miriam Kresh, Noel Gilmore, Patricia Harper, Paul Bergner, Paul Iannone, Penny, Peggy Wilbur, Peter Gail, Peter L. Schuerman, P. Mick Richardson, Rene Burrough, Rob McCaleb, Robert Gault, Robert Hensley, Robyn Klein, Ron Rushing, Roy Collins, Roy Upton, Rusty Taylor, Samson, Sara Klein Ridgley, PhD, Satin, Shannon Brophy, Sharon Rust, skeevers.netcom.com, Stuart Cullen, Suzanne E. Sky, Thimbleberry, Tim Birdsall, Tim Keenan, Todd Caldecott, vicki, urban shaman -------------------------------------- 1.2 Wishlist -------------------------------------- Actually there isn't much important stuff missing anymore. The following topics are currently up for grabs: Wanted for chapter 2.1 (Single herbs): * Ginkgo Wanted for chapter 2.2. (Herbs for specific things): * Herbs for flu Wanted in addition: * Anything else you see posted every so often, but that I haven't included in the FAQ or on the wishlist. If you wish to contribute send me a short note; I'll keep track of who promised to do what, and if you can't find the time to put something together in two months your topic will be up for grabs again. Your contribution can be as long as you wish to make it; but it should be GOOD (like all the entries in this FAQ - thanks, folks). Also, if you really know what you are talking about I'd like to hear your comments on any entry in this FAQ. (Strange - all I ever get is 'Good Show. Keep it up.', but no-one ever tells me if they found any errors.) -------------------------------------- 2 Single Herbs -------------------------------------- 2.1 Valeriana -------------------------------------- Also see 3.5, Herbs to make you sleep. ----- > Valeriana - uses? pros? cons? safety? dosage? From Todd Caldecott (toddius.netidea.com): Valerian is an excellent herb to use, in combination with other herbs, or used alone. The active constituents are the volatile oil (isovalerianic/enic acid) and valepotriates. Valerian depresses the central nervous system, similar to GABA (which occurs naturally in the brain and inhibits nerve impulse transmission.) There are no cons to taking valerian other than if you use it other than in a capsule it can smell up your house as a tea. Or if you have cats they may rub up and down your leg (they like it, similar to catnip) while you are drinking you tea, causing you to stumble and fall, spilling hot liquid all over yourself. For Valerian to be effective you must take it in sufficient quantities to work e.g. 1-2 tsp. of the tincture (alcohol extract) before bed, or 6-10 capsules of the dried plant. Onset is typically 1 hour. You may awaken a little muddleheaded, which is quickly relieved as soon as you move about. For a daily dose, 5 ml (1 tsp.) of the tincture 3 times a day between meals is the standard dose. About 20% of the population respond to Valerian as a stimulant, so if you take it and have insomnia or buzzed out, try hops, chamomile, passionflower, skullcap or Avena, which are all excellent herbs to relieve stress, anxiety and insomnia. -------------------------------------- 2.1.1 Valium is not derived from Valerian -------------------------------------- >Valerian is the parent of Valium isn't it? From Michael Moore (hrbmoore.rt66.com): There is absolutely NO connection between Valerian and Valium...believe me...just an accident of circumstance...Valeriana is a classic Roman Latin reference...Valium is an invented trade name...a copycat name from a pharmaceutical manufacturer to aid in making a conscious or unconscious connection with "Librium", a successful tranq whose market Valium was originally aimed at. Valerian HAS had some anecdotal use for ADD...the only problem is that extended use of enough Valerian to have value has ALSO brought about emotional lability in some folks. Using herbs as drug substitutes has value, but with Valerian having SO many different physiologic effects (depressant for CNS, stimulant to gastric, pulmonary and cardiovascular functions) it is a botanical that is best used within a constitutional framework...i.e. evaluating the PERSON metabolically to find out if the profile of effects from Valerian is complementary or antagonistic. -------------------------------------- From Colette Gardiner coletteg.efn.org: Re the name Valium and its relation to the name Librium. For some weird reason I actually remember reading an article in the newspaper on the new drug Valium. There was a quote from the inventor basically saying he had been trying to invent something similar to Librium only better. He went on for a paragraph or so about comparing the various sensations and effects, and concluded that yes Valium was "nicer". -------------------------------------- 2.2 Yohimbe -------------------------------------- From _urban shaman_, reached over Carras.aol.com: If people wanted to obtain a legal hyperalert sexually aroused state, they might find some yohimbe (Corynanthe yohimbe, Pausinystalia yohimbe) and brew it up by simmering a quart of water with 1 gm of ascorbic acid to 5 gm yohimbe until there's only 50% of the original water volume left. Add a lot of sugar afterward. Mixes synergistically with sassafras and Pau d'arco if you're adventurous and would like to cure your ills and get a hard-on at the same time. However, most people who have tried yohimbe have been disappointed. They didn't know you need to brew it 20 to 30 minutes at approx. 200x with an organic acid to release the alkaloid components. The active alkaloid, yohimbine bitartrate, is the component of the only allopathic medicines known to cause erection in impotent males and approaches the concept of an aphrodisiac. Yohimbine bitartrate particularly affects nerves and changes blood flow regulators in the genital area. The medical texts never mention that it does the same thing to women, showing a typical disregard for female erection. In the best case scenario this decoction will cause many users to get a melting spinal sensation and extreme epidermal sensitivity with high interpersonal perception and melding. It can be extremely sexually arousing...or at least all the signs and signals are there... And the worst case scenario for yohimbe? - well, you have to remember ethnographic reports documenting cases of some African tribes drinking it in copious quantities in pre-raid rituals to suppress fear and jack up physical aggressiveness. After getting to the point where they were bouncing up and down so much they looked like a mosh pit full of spears, they'd run 10 miles over to the next village and kill off most of the neighboring tribe, stopping only to rape the dogs, cattle, women, children, surviving males, dead bodies, water jugs and tree holes before running back home. I'm not sure this is something we need downtown on Friday night. Yohimbe Caution: it will keep both partners up all night. In the male of the species this becomes really inconvenient and irritating as after a few hours an erection becomes more of a liability than an asset - especially as this aspect continues long past the point - as long as 8 hours - where you'd like to go to sleep and there's this turgid log attached to you that won't go away and is just beginning to ache. Note on the Caution: A warm bath can help with the log-on problem, as can gentle massage. However this should be avoided for at least four hours after ingestion because of the effect of raised body temperature on metabolism of the alkaloid - i.e., heat could intensify the stimulant effects. Females are not exempt from this - it has the same effect on them, although it is easier to sleep on. A possible downside of this erectile effect in high doses is the danger of blood vessel damage and gangrene in the penis resulting from the localized poor circulation condition known as penile erection. -------------------------------------- More from _urban shaman_ on the subject: There are a number of caveats re yohimbe - it shouldn't be taken with MAO inhibitors or by persons with high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, or a history of mental disturbance, especially including bipolar disorder. A good dose prepared using methods as I described can have profound psychological effects - enough so that 'set' and 'setting' can become issues if the concentration/quantity is sufficient. This condition can easily be entered into by simply acquiring relatively recently gathered/dried/imported specimens of the herb and using enough of it. Botanicals are very wiggly in the potency dept. - a primary breakdown in the process occurs when practitioners have never seen a 'good' specimen of the herb in question. There are no low cost analytical methods for determining the active compound density of herbal materials gathered in the wild. It totally depends on recognition by experts - and sometimes even the best of them may have to compromise, as there just may not be any high quality material to be had. -------------------------------------- Still more from _urban shaman_ on the subject: The "approved" alkaloid is yohimbine hydrochloride. Herbal Yohimbe extracts are sold by a number of health food companies including I believe Michaels and Herb Pharm. Yohimbe bark and powder may be available from "...of the Jungle" in Sebastopol CA. Please remember, if you're considering making extracts - Yohimbe is strongly synergized by alcohol. It is also easily extracted in alcohol/water - but the alcohol should be evaporated off after extraction unless you're looking for a real wow-wow effect. There could be high blood pressure complications from ingesting strong concentrations of Yohimbe. Dayton Laboratories sells the prescription preparation Dayto Himbin in tablet and liquid form. The tablets contain about 5.5 mg hydrochloride. The liquid contains phenylalanine as well and should be used with caution. Total daily doses run on average between 20-30 mg of the hydrochloride. The medical action is to increase penile blood inflow and decrease penile blood outflow. The action is cited as having an erectile function without increase in libido. I have not taken the hydrochloride so don't speak from direct experience. Although the caveats state that Yohimbine exerts no cardiac stimulation, it is later noted that Yohimbine is an unpredictable CNS stimulant and may cause elevated blood pressure and cardiac rates. From this information I hazard we are to take it that in the same manner that yohimbine causes erections without raising libido, it also causes cardiac rate increase without stimulating the heart? (I love the guys who write this hype - they're so wise) Buried deep in the caveats for the Dayto Himbin product is language saying you should not give this to people with a history of mental instability, and that it causes recipients to express a range of curious behaviors at doses lower than those required to cause erection - among which are tremors, irritation, dizziness, flushing (note that niacin causes a body flush at sites almost identical to those of a sexual flush). Horse breeders administer large doses of niacin to both parties of a horse breeding "to get them in the mood". I would not suggest, however, that taking niacin along with yohimbe would have a parallel effect. If you don't know what a "sexual flush" is - take 200 mg of niacin and stand naked in front of a 3 panel mirror and watch your face, neck, "loins", and chest. -------------------------------------- From Henriette: If you have problems keeping it up, or are too dry, you might want to start with these: * reduce your stress * sleep enough and regularly * change your contraceptive pills (if applicable) * check your medication(s) for side effects (there's often surprises in the fine print) * eat your vitamins * if your partner's idea of foreplay is "Brace yerself, Sheila!" then you might benefit from some helpful books, imaginative games, or even from some softporn magazines. If all that is OK, there are some herbs which remedy imbalances or work as aphrodisiacs, that aren't as quirky as yohimbe: Try muira puama (Ptychopetalum), cotton root bark (Gossypium), or damiana (Turnera). A nice wine will relax both partners - after you've tried and had problems there's psychological barriers, too, so you do need to relax. A romantic circumstance usually helps, too. -------------------------------------- 2.2.1 Yohimbe is a MAO inhibitor, yohimbine isn't -------------------------------------- From Michael Moore: The alkaloid yohimbine is NOT an MAO inhibitor. The herb yohimbe IS. The whole plant is potentially so evil and insidious BECAUSE it's complex chemistry contains both adrenergics AND cholinergics...with effects that substantially mimic both sympathetic adrenergic, sympathetic cholinergic AND parasympathetic neuroreceptors all at the same time. It contains both yohimbine alkaloid groups (stimulating and hypertensive) and several potent reserpinoid (Rauwolfia) alkaloids (tranquilizing and hypotensive) ...a warlock's brew. Consistent use will, because of it's wildly opposite effects, find and widen metabolic chinks in almost ANYBODY. -------------------------------------- 2.3 Absinthe FAQ pointer -------------------------------------- If you really are serious about Absinthe go get the old FAQ on the subject from ftp://hyperreal.com/drugs/faqs: FAQ-Absinthe. Or get the revised FAQ here: http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~mbagg/roughabsinthefaq.html Be warned - thujone IS dangerous, no matter what that FAQ says. Comments about this statement follows: -------------------------------------- 2.3.1 More on Absinthe -------------------------------------- Dale Kemery wrote >I've been puzzled by absinthe for a long time. My recent reading has only intensified my curiosity. Is/was absinthe a true psychedelic beverage? Or what were/are its effects? For a long time I relied on the traditional reports about absinthe turning the brain to mush. >However, considering the hysterical disinformation campaign of Howard Anslinger aimed against marijuana, I've become very suspicious of any official strictures. What *is* the story about wormwood/absinthe? >Where can I learn more? -------------------------------------- From christopher.gn.apc.org (Christopher Hedley): This is from R.F.Weiss, Herbal Medicine. Weiss was an MD who taught herbal medicine in medical schools in Germany, so I suppose he counts as fairly impartial and reliable: "The plant contains 0.25-0.5% of a volatile oil the main constituent of which is thujone as well as bitters. The bitter action predominates. Wormwood is a typical aromatic bitter. The volatile oil is remarkably effective against worms. It is however toxic, whilst the bitter principle is largely non-toxic. Absinthe is made with wormwood oil, but in Germany its manufacture has been banned since 1923. The usual wormwood preparations contain so little of the oil that there is no risk of toxic effect. In some Mediterranean countries, where absinthe is consumed in large quantities, the seriously damaging effects on the central nervous system which have given the plant its bad name may develop and even lead to seizures. This shows that wormwood also has central stimulant properties that are no doubt of benefit in the small quantities normally used. Wormwood herb, for tea, 1 teaspoon to a glass of boiling water, leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Wormwood tincture. 10-20-30 drops three times daily in water." Comment; so the story is the same one as coffee, i.e. abuse/ overuse of a perfectly good and useful herb. Wormwood is Artemisia absinthium, it is used a lot in aperitif wines and spirits in Europe, but only in small amounts or it dominates the taste. It is mostly used for intestinal parasites, 'weak digestion', liver and gall bladder troubles and as an emmenagogue. I always recommend it as a prophylactic for folk traveling to hot countries, 15 drops of tincture three times daily usually does the trick. The American spp of Artemisia, incl. sagebrush and mugwort, have pretty much the same properties. - No Artemisias should be taken during pregnancy. I trust this is useful info. Christopher Hedley -------------------------------------- From Howie Brounstein : >>Be warned - thujone IS dangerous, no matter what that FAQ says. The reason this line is attached to the Absinthe Pointer is because the Absinthe FAQ is slanted. Most sources say that long term use of Absinthe is dangerous and debilitating. I was under the impression that many people became addicted to it and suffered mental and physical deterioration, thus it became outlawed. I would stress that this is long term use. Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium is pretty nasty stuff, you would have to drink a lot of tea to feel its narcotic like effects, but by then you'd be retching from its foul taste. Of course, you could try to hide the flavor with other stuff ... thus Absinthe. Personally, I don't like it, don't feel its worth the havoc on your body for the effect. I like the smell of it, and would keep it around for that. The Absinthe FAQ, however, takes the point that it may be harmless, that the debility was caused by alcohol addiction, or Absinthe impurities, and a marihuana - like political scare tactics. I am not sure what to make of it, but the warning does remain that thujone is dangerous when taken in large enough quantities, and that the Absinthe of history did hurt a generation of people no matter what the specifics. >If thujone is so dangerous, what are we to make of it as the primary constituent of Artemisia? Are we endangering ourselves whenever we inhale it? Firstly, the chemistries of Artemisia absinthium and Mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris or douglasiana are different. Some of the contraindications are different; the uses are different; their histories are different. Also, it may be a bit premature to say that one chemical, thujone, is THE active ingredient in either. That would be a bit too reductionist for my tastes. We can't even assume that because a plant contains some small amount of a poison, that the plant is poisonous, or we'd have to give up onions, spinach, mustard. The difference between food and poison is often dosage; the difference between poison and medicine is dosage. So let's focus on thujone. A brief list of plants containing thujone includes: Salvia officinalis L. - Sage (Leaf) Salvia triloba L. - Greek Sage (Plant) Artemisia dracunculus L. - Tarragon (Shoot) Mentha x rotundifolia (L.) HUDSON - Applemint (Leaf) Pycnanthemum tenuifolium SCHRAD. - Slenderleaf Mountain Mint (Shoot) Mentha pulegium L. - European Pennyroyal (Plant) Thymus orospedanus H. del VILLAR - Orosped Thyme (Plant) Achillea millefolium L. - Yarrow (Plant) Capsicum frutescens L. - Cayenne (Fruit) Carum carvi L. - Caraway (Fruit) Glycyrrhiza glabra L. - Licorice (Root) Juniperus sabina L. - Sabine (Plant) Matricaria recutita L. - Annual Chamomile (Plant) Mentha arvensis L. - Cornmint (Plant) Sassafras albidum (NUTT.) NEES - Sassafras (Root) Satureja hortensis L. - Summer Savory (Plant) This list, and others like it is available free from the Phytochemical databases (links on my home page (http://www.teleport.com/~howieb/howie.html) and many other places) So as you can see, many plants that are very safe (in normal dosages) contain this chemical. So smell your Mugwort, drink Mugwort tea, smoke it, smear the juice all over your body on a vision-dream quest, just don't extract pure thujone from it and snort it. >Someone on another list suggested smoking Artemisia because there's a strong connection with marijuana --both affect the same (or similar) receptors in the brain, and are apparently similar botanically (I don't know what that means technically). Additionally, a book called *Absinthe, History in a Bottle* by Barnaby Conrad III mentions thujone-enol's structural similarity to THC. Smoking Artemisias? Hmm, for me Mugwort is a flavor, used in small amounts as not to be too overwhelming. Kind of mentholly. Or perhaps for it's dreaming effects. But once again folks are implying a generalization: This one constituent (or group of constituents) is shaped like THC, and perhaps affects the same receptor sites as THC, so it must make you feel like you smoked THC. Oops, flawed logic again. Just because the shape of two molecules are similar doesn't mean that they have similar biological effects. They might, but its not guaranteed. My take on this: Ingesting Mugwort, or any Artemisia I've tasted, does not make you feel like you've ingested Marihuana. So enjoy the smells, drown your concerns, and a happy, aromatic holiday season to all you netters out there. Howie Brounstein howieb.teleport.com -------------------------------------- From Dale Kemery, DalePK.aol.com, to above: I thought you might be interested in more complete information about absinthe, wormwood and thujone, after our recent exchange on the subject. I've come across a comprehensive summary about it in Jonathan Ott's superb "Pharmacotheon." (Although using his name with any glowing adjective is redundant because everything I've seen of his is so complete, exhaustive and thoroughly researched and studied.) "Absinthe was prepared by distilling alcohol over mashed leaves of wormwood, and other common ingredients were Angelica root, Acorus calamus rhizome (which may contain the psychoactive asarones;...), cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise (both of which contain anethole, another potentially psychoactive compound...) and other plants. The characteristic and much-desired green color of the liqueur, which was supposed to whiten when mixed with water, was sometimes artificially enhanced by addition of indigo and other plants, or toxic metal salts like copper sulfate and antimony chloride... He chronicles the history of the banning of absinthe and a recent renewal of interest in absinthe, then says: "It is commonly assumed that the thujones were the neurotoxic principles of absinthe, although alcohol also is a potent neurotoxin (absinthe contained from 68-85% alcohol) and significant quantities of copper and antimony salts used as adulterants (particularly in cheap imitation absinthe for the poorer classes) may have been present and responsible for the neurotoxicity...While large doses of injected thujones are unquestionably toxic, modern toxicological studies of thujones, in the quantities present in absinthe, without the copper and antimony adulterants, are needed before concluding that the neurotoxicity associated with absinthism was a consequence of thujone content. I suspect the copper and antimony salts, as well as the unusually high alcohol content had more to do with absinthe toxicity than the thujone content. Non-thujone essential oils commonly present in absinthe have also been shown to have convulsant properties and are probably neurotoxic." The obvious inference is that thujone is unlikely the culprit in "absinthism." And even though he acknowledges the toxicity of "large doses of injected thujones," the operative words are "large" and "injected." It may be assumed (without any evidence to support this statement) that swallowing thujone in some form (tea, for example) would subject it to the chemical rigors of digestion, a pathway that is much different from intravenous or even intramuscular injection. Whether the same can be said for, say, smoking a thujone-containing plant is another matter since inhalation effectuates a much more direct transfer into the blood without the intervention of hydrochloric acid, pepsin and other digestive enzymes. -------------------------------------- From christopher.gn.apc.org (Christopher Hedley): A note.. Sage (Salvia officinalis) essential oil is 30% thujone and good sage has up to 2.5% essential oil. Wormwood contains 1% essential oil, I don't have a figure on the % of thujone but if we assume it to be less than half then it is possible to consume more thujone in Sage tea than in Wormwood tea and no one has suggested that long term use of sage is toxic. Distilling alcohol over Wormwood would extract mostly the volatile oil. Weiss says that the pure volatile oil was also used in the making of absinthe - this is still an ingrained habit in food and drink manufacture and one that should be condemned. Flavouring with volatile oils is NOT the same as flavouring with plants. Thujone has been given bad press but I still don't think that consuming large amounts of volatile oil for long periods has anything to recommend it. Also the thujone has strong stimulating effects, noticeable when smoking wormwood - which as Howie says is nothing like smoking Mugwort. Presumably absinthe had the same degree of stimulation and thus people were encouraged to drink more and abuse it. The comparison between thujone and THC is an interesting example of just how far theory can lead people astray. Always try for yourself I say. -------------------------------------- From Howie Brounstein : > Also the thujone has strong stimulating effects, noticeable when smoking wormwood- which as Howie says is nothing like smoking Mugwort. Presumably absinthe had the same degree of stimulation and thus people were encouraged to drink more and abuse it. Hmmm. Did I say that. Oh yes, so I did. It is hard to put into words. Mugwort can be used like Wormwood for worms, warming, female reproductive system effects, and it has similar contra-indications. Yet wormwood has something else, a more overtly drugged feeling it produces that I have never experienced with other Artemisias. I don't know what chemical is responsible for it, it may be thujone unrelated, for all I know. But I know the feeling. -------------------------------------- From: "Rob Miedema" <8rm1.qlink.queensu.ca> Thujone does not in fact act like THC at all. That belief was founded on the observation that they have similar chemical structures, but was proven incorrect (Hold et al., 2000). Actually, it seems that thujone exacts its effects on GABA-A receptors in the brain. This is the same receptor that alcohol acts on, but the two chemicals have opposite effects. Therefore the balance between thujone and ethanol in the absinthe is critical. Thujone, or rather it's active metabolites (7-hydroxy-alpha-thujone, alpha-thujone), and other products in wormwood that steep into absinthe (e.g. camphor) are actually convulsants. They inhibit the brains inhibitory system causing overexcitation. Death in animals as large as cats and rabbits results from moderate doses and there are documented cases of death in humans (Burkhard et al., 1999). One person's statement that oral ingestion is not injection so it is probably fine is false, the thujone actually needs to be metabolized by the liver to break it down into its active components. -------------------------------------- If you still want to try it here's one how-to, and a vivid description of the experience: -------------------------------------- >Making Absinthe is extremely easy, as long as you don't require the full alcoholic content. Just take Pernod, pour off about an ounce and cram wormwood herb in the top. Let it set for a week or two. That's it. Pernod is Absinthe without the wormwood and about half the alcohol. From ix.io.com (Lupo LeBoucher): This is unlikely to absorb much thujone; for a really horrible and ridiculously potent absinthe, buy a fifth of 100 proof vodka, pour it over an ounce of wormwood, and a quarter ounce of anise seeds, and let it steep for a month or two. After straining the liquid, the resulting decoction will be a horrible looking liquid with approximately the color and psychoactivity of 1970s gasoline, though gasoline tastes better (long story). To ingest (one cannot drink it), pour over a lump of sugar into a strong mixture of water & lemon juice, hold nose, and swallow before you taste the bitter horror. Be sure to do this in the vicinity of a sink with running water; one may need to wash the awful stuff down or provide your absinthe with a convenient place to rest should it decide to come up for a breather. Effects reportedly include, audio-visual hallucinations similar to the opiates, with a bit o nitrous; numb mucus membranes; dizziness, nausea, picking up the ugliest member of the opposite sex one has ever encountered and vomiting green bile over oneself while asleep (experts disagree whether or not the latter was an effect of the previous, rather than an effect of the thujone - ask Heysoos, I didn't do it). The above recipe was taken from a book called "The Magical and Ritual Uses of Herbs" (by Richard Allen Miller) which described Absinthe as "an excellent after-dinner liqueur" which makes one wonder what types of dinners Mr. Miller has at his place. -------------------------------------- From ix.io.com (Lupo LeBoucher): >Anise has no effect; the active ingredients in absinthe are just wormwood and alcohol. The anise went in the mix in a misguided attempt to kill some of the bitter flavor (since it was what the standard recipes used). All I succeeded in doing was killing some of the wormwood "flavor" *retch* upon burping. >The plain wormwood probably could be swallowed as a tea followed by the booze as a chaser. The plain infusion used to be prescribed as a "tonic". I don't know if it would have the same effect; the essential oils in the wormwood, which contain the active ingredients, are not likely to be water soluble. -------------------------------------- From stygianv.shadow.net (Coyote Osborne): > Anise has no effect; the active ingredients in absinthe are just wormwood and alcohol. Ah, but anise does have an important effect here. It keeps the wormwood/absinthe from irritating your stomach so much. I would recommend fennel and perhaps peppermint or basil for this also. > The plain wormwood probably could be swallowed as a tea followed by the booze as a chaser. The plain infusion used to be pre-scribed as a "tonic". Actually, most of the things in wormwood are damaged or destroyed if added to hot water. Warming it gently (like brandy) works, but not making an infusion with water that is boiling. I suspect that a good rule of thumb is that if it is hot enough to destroy alcohol, it is also hot enough to make the wormwood lose it's efficacy. >From reading that book or other, somehow I got the idea to make absinthe by mixing a whole ounce of wormwood in a half fifth of whiskey and forgetting about it for a few months. That shit is impossibly bitter. It's one of the most bitter herbal substances you know. Yes. Not even the worms like it. : ) It does have some interesting properties, though, and prepared properly can even taste... well I won't say nice... but it will taste such a way that it is desirable. Acquired taste perhaps? Good for the sensually indulgent? Weird? -------------------------------------- From Stuart Cullen stuartcullen.hotmail.com Just a little extra info from an experienced Absinthe drinker. I have drunk three different types of absinthe (two Portugese [50% and 58% alcohol by volume] and One Czech [55% by volume])on innumerable occasions- usually 4+ European shots a night. In Portugal, to get its most extreme effect I was told to add sugar to the shot, light the absinthe, blow it out, drink it through a straw, cup my hand over the glass and inhale as much of the fumes as I could. I am sure this would be potent with any alcoholic drink. I have drunk stronger vodka [63% by volume] yet it has never had the effect of absinthe. I have experienced one 'hallucination' - I was once positively sure that a girl was dancing beside me for several minutes when there was no-one there. I have experienced numerous total blackouts from its usage. I am not an expert on herbs or a student of any related subject but absinth/e is a drug NOT an alcoholic drink (believe me) -------------------------------------- 2.4 St. John's Wort (Hypericum) (SJW) -------------------------------------- Also see http://www.hypericum.com. -------------------------------------- 2.4.1 St. John's Wort (Hypericum) and photosensitivity -------------------------------------- Here's the question (on the herblist (see 8.1.1 below) in November 1994): >As to Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) causing photosensitivity in humans, I have been unable to find a single study that verifies this in vivo. Lots of research on the effects of hypericin on cattle and insects, but humans? This may be an example of assumptive jumping from mammalian lab results to humans. Anyone know a study that indicates photosensitivity in humans due to Hypericum? -------------------------------------- Here's the answer: From Howie Brounstein: I don't know of any, Peggy. I have not heard of one case of human photosensitivity, even in the blond, blue-eyed, fair skinned ones, from standard dosages of tincture. Now I haven't asked any albinos doing truckloads of Hypericum a day - maybe they'd have a problem. I've known a few folks who definitely did not like the feeling they got from St. John's Wort, but being slightly saner than the average bear, they stopped taking it. Perhaps they've shunned the sun if they continued. But albino cows definitely have a problem with St. John's Wort. And so the authorities that be in charge (of cows and bugs, anyway) in Northern California has waged a war against the poor St. John, hapless victim of human transport from Europe. By releasing bugs from afar, they strive to rid our pasture of this scourge from the old country. Alas, for I wonder - when there are only small populations left in the area, will St. John become a rare and protected plant?? I do know that some common psychiatric pharmaceuticals DO cause photosensitivity in humans... And when you hold the leaves of the Hypericum perforatum up to the light of the sky you will see little holes, actually compartments (perforations), that trap and use the energy of the sun to run a biochemical factory, making hypericin, the red colored constituent assumed to be one of the active ones. Squueeezze that unopened flower bud - just a hint of yellow petals peaking so cautiously from its sepal safety - sqqqueeeezze and you will delight to find a drop of redness so strong as to dye the fingers. Now when I teach my students about this Wort, we general use flower buds and the stems and small leaves attached to them to prepare oils and tinctures. This appears to work just fine, producing extracts of wondrous redfulness. But those who wish for an herbal nectar of delight of greater strength, they sit for hours collecting just flower petals in some Zen like quest. Well, what good's an herbalist without patience :) ...Certainly they are rewarded with extract of unequaled value (not found in Cheapside). Now I'm not one to believe new herbal scientific data until I see the experiment reproduced by other researchers (especially if they have different sources of funding). Recently I saw an article (was it Medical Herbalism?) that stated two research teams at about the same time released results of this Wort being antiviral against enveloped virus that include herpes, etc. But of interest to me was the notion that sunlight increased the Wort's anti-viral effects - that sun again - somehow, in some mysterious way linked to this plant and it's effects. Without exposure to sunlight the herbs anti-viral effect dropped markedly. I don't have all that much experience with bipolar and other mental disorders and Hypericum, although I believe that consistent dosages long term is the way to go ...and careful with self medication. With many of these kinds of problems you may not be able to tell if it's working, especially since you started taking it and you feel great, I mean really good, as you swing up into a manic phase and over one edge or the other. Have someone who can help you gauge your illness objectively (ha) or at least tell you if you've fallen off the fence. It can be hard to tell from the inside. So ideally the Wort would take away the highs and lows and make the emotional rollercoaster of todays hectic society more even. As opposed to the muscle relaxing tranquilizing effects of Valerian, Skullcap, Pedicularis, and such. I don't know about clinical studies, but in my experience the Wort works for some and not others for simple depression and light rollercoaster rides that do not incapacitate the riders. And it even works as a muscle relaxant in some people. Not the "sure and steady" herb that works effectively for everyone (like that bitter Hore Hound that makes everyone gag ...I mean cough.) And this even tempered plant grows in disturbed places, roadsides, lots, loves it when its been bulldozed a year or so ago. A calming herb that grows all over disturbed areas ...hmmmmm. Perhaps one shouldn't focus on the oddities and quirks of nature and coincidence, but I think it's cool. The Wort Oil is good for skin irritations and such. I seen it help when the calendula, comfrey, penstemon and other herbs won't work. It also helps cuts and external physical injuries in general. But in my eyes it seems to have an affinity for the nerves, and it seems to be specific for injuries accompanied by nerve trauma, like I cut my arm and my finger goes numb. I wouldn't claim it reconnects severed nerves, but it will aid in healing them if traumatized. But don't be mislead by symptoms - put the oil on the arm injury, not the numb finger. Howie Brounstein http://www.teleport.com/~howieb -------------------------------------- From Peggy to above: >But of interest to me was the notion that sunlight increased the Wort's anti-viral effects... (snip) Without exposure to sunlight the herbs anti-viral effect dropped markedly. Yes, and another really neat thing is that the hypericin (and its phototoxicity in predator insects) is activated, in the presence of oxygen, at the same wavelength that is given off by the Hypericum leaves in the sun. (540-610 nm). Some insects that ingest Hypericum have adapted by tying together leaves and feeding inside the ties, therefore protecting themselves from the effects of the hypericin. (Sandberg, SL, et al. "Leaf-tying by tortricid larvae as an adaptation for feeding on phototoxic Hypericum perforatum." JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY, 1989 15(3):875-886.) Cheers- Peggy -------------------------------------- From Jonathan Treasure: Phototoxicity of Hypericum in a small proportion of the (blonde) population has been clinically noted especially with topical application whether published or not. Here is an extract from a report from this years' Convention of Naturopathic Physicians in the US which adds some interesting information about the incidence of Phototoxicity in Puerto Rican AIDS sufferers: One doctor at the conference who treats a lot of AIDS patients said she had seen frequent cases of phototoxocity in dark skinned Puerto Ricans, especially with higher doses and long term administration. AIDS patients started taking Hypericum when is was found that the hypericin had an anti-HIV effect in mice. Use has persisted in spite of later discovery that it doesn't help HIV in humans. Most AIDS patients feel much better when taking Hypericum, probably because of the antidepressant effect -- depression is probably the least often mentioned symptom of AIDS. Another doctor showed us her legs at the conference -- she had used a Hypericum ultrasound gel to treat a sprained ankle. The ultrasound drives the contents of the gel directly into the tissues. She later worked in the direct sunlight, and soon had second degree burns, complete with blisters, whenever the sunlight fell on the gel-treated skin. Six weeks later we could still see the shadow on the back of the leg where the sunlight didn't fall, and the shadow of a sandal strap across the front of the ankle. There was scarring from the blisters. By the way, she said the only thing that would help the severe pain was aloe vera gel. Jonathan http://www.pacinfo.com/~herbmed/ -------------------------------------- From Peggy to above: Thank you for the reply. I suspected that incidents of phototox could be found somewhere, just couldn't come up with them. I understand that hypericin's anti-viral activities (in vitro) are dependent on "light-dose" (wavelength and duration), drug-dosage, and the presence of oxygen. It makes sense, then, that phototoxicity was found at the higher, long-term usages (in addition to other factors). Thank you, again. Cheers- Peggy -------------------------------------- From Howie Brounstein to above: Still, I believe that the average user treating depression shouldn't shy away from trying this Wort. The chemical alternatives have their dangers, too, including photosensitivity. I'll avoid ultrasound/ Hypericum treatments. Howie -------------------------------------- From Michael Moore: I have retailed and wholesaled herbs for 20 years and have taught and written about green stuff for 16 years (...and breathed and micturated for almost 54), and I have only run across 1 person to have shown signs of photosensitization from Hypericum. He was a student of mine in an 8-month program a few years ago. He was what my grandma used to call "Black Irish" (I guess as opposed to a Dirty-Blond Irish like myself) and had the semi-transparent skin and jet-black hair of people like Liam or Patrick Clancy. Since he suffered from some mild hereditary neuropeptide imbalances that showed up as a fairly classic long-cycle bipolarity, he was quite taken with the use of the fresh tincture of both Hypericum perf. and H. formosum which we gathered during a couple of field trips. As he related a year later, he took a fly-fishing vacation after the class, returning to a place in the San Juans of Colorado (8,500 feet) that the class had visited. He had been going through a depressive period ("Got Those OLD Relationship Blues...scooby do-WOP... (beat>...(beat>...scooby-dooby...do-WOP!"), and was taking up to an ounce of the Hypericum tincture (1:2, fresh plant) a day...a truly excessive amount (it's an Irish thing, y'know?). He broke out in hives that lasted nearly a month. He casually announced that he had been taking a pharmaceutical anti-depressant for nearly a decade...I hadn't even noticed. I guess I am too likely to take people as they are without a second thought. (snip) I figure the photosensitivity resulted from A. Racial sensitivity B. High altitude C. VERY high dosage D. (he was a Pisces) --and especially-- E. Synergy with antidepressant meds (that he declined to identify) Several years later another man (a customer) had a lip herpes outbreak, possibly the result of playing tennis in the sunlight while using Hypericum to help some back pain. He had had sun reactions before, so it is hard to speculate further. He too was Black Irish. In both instances the herbs were taken internally and the media was a fresh tincture...appropriate, since the dry herb is nearly inert. The student was using high quantities along with medication and the customer showed little more than passing and perhaps serendipitous symptoms, and I have had GALLONS of my Hypericum tincture and oil go through my grubbies over a couple of decades (usually used by folks going through a stretch of somato-psychic flakiness and often manifesting a peculiar, if temporary, lack of judgment regarding emotions, dosages, and self-monitoring). I consider Hypericum to be safe...this is based on personally observing hundreds of people who have used quality Hypericum preparations (...mine). I would need a BIG study to convince me otherwise...or I would need to start getting negative feedback. This is not an idle statement. Like the Wandering Homeopath, travelling the world seeking provings (you mean you haven't heard THAT legend? Well, the way I hear it, old Dr. Kent had retired to practice in Montana and one day this Basque sheepherder came into his office...) I have always tried my best to keep track of potential side-effects of herbs. I use herbs constitutionally, and any synergy or contraindication I encounter helps me to understand the secondary effects of a remedy so I can try to fit herbs and people together more reliably. Secondary effects are my grist (am I mixing metaphors again??). I can't work on Susun Weed's precepts level, that the body takes what it needs from what you offer it, anymore than I can work with a phytopharmaceutical model that ignores the multi-systemic effects of a plant while focusing only on a specific band of pharmacokinetics ... better even (they say) to refine (reduce) DOWN to single constituents so as to better exaggerate the band and diminish the "unwanted" whispers. Sort of like taking a lovely image and running it through Photoshop plugins until you only have some raggedy and stark black-and-white outlines that bear little resemblance to the source. As most herbs, only using Hypericum for its anti-anxiety effects is to ignore the subtle shades and colors it causes as it moves INTO, THROUGH and OUT of the body. This three-dimensional hologram of effects is what makes herbs superior to drugs... in a wholistic model...and makes drugs superior to herbs in a medical model. To view herbs primarily as safer "little sister" analogs to drug therapies developed FOR the medical model is to be blind to the greater value they have in vitalist wholism, and to avoid the greater task and difficulty (and even glory) we face trying to build (rebuild) models of health and disease derived from balance and imbalance. (snip) Michael http://chili.rt66.com/hrbmoore/HOMEPAGE -------------------------------------- From Jonathan Treasure: Well... I just got 88 pages of bumpf from NAPRALERT on Hypericum and there isn't a single mention of phototoxicity - so it seems that apart from a couple of anecdotal cases its not an issue as Michael Peggy Howie et aial say ... just keep away from the ultra sound gel in the solarium. Further to the Wort being a lover of roadsides etc. Howie, it was widely distributed through Europe in Roman times by marching legionaries, who also used it soothe their sore feet. (another anecdote not in NAPRALERT) jonathan http://www.pacinfo.com/~herbmed/ -------------------------------------- Two years after above was included in the FAQ: In recent discussions on a high-quality herbal mailing list the conclusion was that yes, some very few people can have problems with photosensitivity and Hypericum; that it might manifest a tad more often with topical application of oil on skin which is exposed to sunlight; but that actually, in very sensitive people, it might be enough to just take sensible amounts of tincture internally for photosensitivity to appear (even without synergy with meds). -------------------------------------- 2.4.2 St. John's Wort (Hypericum) and MAO inhibition -------------------------------------- >>St John's Wort does in fact work like an MAO inhibitor and likewise causes the same dangerous side-effects. >That's the wrong term. They're not "side effects"; they're food or drug interactions. But if SJW is an MAO-inhibitor then they're certainly "dangerous". From smisch.tiac.net (Samson): Yes, they would be if SJW really _were_ a MAOI. But it's not. That was a theory that was floating around for a while without much support, and it has since been disproven. See eg. * Thiede HM; Walper A: Inhibition of MAO and COMT by Hypericum extracts and hypericin. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, 7 Suppl 1:1994 Oct, S54-6 * Bladt S; Wagner H: Inhibition of MAO by fractions and constituents of Hypericum extract. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, 7 Suppl 1:1994 Oct, S57-9 "Using pure hypericin as well as in all ex vivo experiments, no relevant inhibiting effects could be shown. From the results it can be concluded that the clinically proven anti-depressive effect of Hypericum extract cannot be explained in terms of MAO inhibition." Hypericin does show some MAO-inhibition in vitro at _very_ high concentrations. At regular human doses, though, virtually nil. -------------------------------------- 2.4.3 About standardized hypericin content in St. John's Wort (Hypericum) -------------------------------------- On alt.folklore.herbs in Oct 97: >(somebody) wrote: >>I gathered my own SJW when it was flowering, (snip) (somebody else) replied: >You don't know how strong a dose you are receiving in your homemade tincture. St. John's Wort keeps the serotonin in your brain from breaking down so rapidly. This is called a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and the level of serotonin in your brain goes up. This may be good for people who have low levels of serotonin such as depressives but it is not good for people with normal serotonin levels. I would stick to the companies who standardize their dose for 0.3% hypericin and only take the recommended dose. -------------------------------------- Then J. Mark Taylor stepped in and replied to the recommendation to "stick to the companies who standardize their dose for 0.3% hypericin": ... I would ignore this advice. We don't buy carrots by beta-carotene content and we don't buy potatoes by carbohydrate ratings. Although neutraceutical interests may soon begin marketing things that way, they only take away from the fundamental nature of wholistic health. -------------------------------------- Comment from Henriette: This 'standardization' is just yet another marketing trick to me. Get suppliers you trust, know your tinctures, and don't fall for scams, not even 'scientifically proven' ones. Pure hypericin -has- been shown to produce side effects in almost all laboratory tests, while side effects with the whole plant extract (Hypericum tincture, made solely with Hypericum flowering tops and alcohol) are exceedingly rare. However, after the herb made it big in the US (in 1996? 1997 ?), tens of thousands of people have been taking it, daily, in larger or smaller quantities (they don't always remember or even know that more is not always better); as tinctures, "standardized extracts", capsules, and you-name-its. If -you- experience side effects, you're just one of the unhappy few "exceedingly rare" cases. If that's the case use your common sense and _stop_ taking it. -------------------------------------- End of part 1 of 7 -------------------------------------- -- hetta.saunalahti.fi Henriette Kress Helsinki, Finland Over 30 MB herbal .html files (FAQs, classic texts, articles, links), plus pictures, zipped archives, the works, at: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed ========== Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Medicinal herbFAQ Part 2/7 From: Henriette Kress Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 14:42:20 +0200 -------- Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 19Jun01 Version: 1.38b URL: http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-cont.html Available by ftp: ibiblio.org or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/ -------------------------------------- 2.4.4 St. John's Wort (Hypericum), major depression, and the Shelton group research results (= the JAMA study) -------------------------------------- I've just finished reading "The Science of Discworld", by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. It's an absolute gem. It's a book on the evolution of roundworld (ie. earth) and science, and it's done very nicely indeed. (ISBN 0-09-187477-7, Ebury Press, London, UK, 2000, for those who are interested. Having read Discworld books is not a requirement, but it would set you up for louder chuckles.) On the reliability of scientific research in general these guys say: "But ... whenever a scientist says 'there is no scientific evidence for', there are three important questions you should ask -- especially if it's a government scientist. These are: 'Is there any evidence _against_?, 'Has anyone looked?', and 'If they did, would they expect to find anything?'" I think we need to add one question up front, when evaluating a specific subset of research, namely research on medicinal herbs, as done by people in the pay of pharmagiants. That question should be: "Is there _really_ no evidence for?" (*) Why do we need that? Because some of these guys _cheat_. So let's put the four questions to the following bit of research: http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v285n15/abs/joc02013.html ("Effectiveness of St John's Wort in Major Depression" by Richard C. Shelton, MD, et al.) The researchers say "there is no evidence for" SJW to work for major depression. They conclude, too, that SJW won't work for minor to moderate depression. That's quite an interesting conclusion, seeing that they did not research that bit. Here goes: * "_Is_ there no evidence for?" Yes. SJW (St. John's wort, Hypericum)_has_ been shown in a few dozen studies to help with mild to moderate depression. So yes, there's evidence for. The Pfizer (or JAMA) researchers (or Shelton's group) clearly did their very best not to find anything -- they cheated both in their study setup and in the interpretation of the results. Others were more honest. And the Pfizer folks were too blatant. A bit less cheating and the study might have been thought reliable. The way it was done? It's useful as fire kindling, and to show just how much some "honest" scientists cheat and twist their facts, but not good for much else. Details follow. * "Is there evidence against?" Nope. * "Has anyone looked?" Nope. * "If they did, would they expect to find anything?" Er. Good one. Let's hope the next lot to look into this gets their funding from somebody who doesn't have a lot to gain from showing alternatives to their goods (in this case Zoloft) in a bad light. Here's the promised details: From Paul Bergner, editor of Medical Herbalism: Here's how the JAMA authors turned a successful trial of hypericum in major depression into a failed one. Typical results for pharmaceutical antidepressants are about 50% response to the drug (symptom scores improved by 50% or more) and about 30% for placebo. In this trial, it was about 52% for hypericum and 30% for placebo using the same criteria as the metaanalysis that produced the typical results.. BUT, the authors in the JAMA trial divided the responders into a "response" group and a "remission" group. Of those who completed the trial, these subgroups each showed a strong trend toward drug efficacy, but it did not reach statistical significance (P=.07 for each subgroup). The combined groups may have shown statistical significance, being a larger number of patients, but the authors do not report on this one way or the other. Reseachers used the HAM-D depression scale. Initially the subjects had a score of at least 20, and a median of 22. On that scale, most patients diagnosed with major depression according to DSM IV criteria score at least 14. The researchers said that if patients reached a score of 7-12, they were "responders" but had to score below 7 to be called "remission." There were 3 times as many patients in the remission group as in the placebo, and this reached statistical significance (p=.02) Results for the combined groups were typical of those for antidepressant drugs taken as a group. See the full article from Medical Herbalism (electronic preview article) at http://www.medherb.com/hypericum-jama.htm ) -------------------------------------- In addition, the researchers used several other tricks to make sure they could report a failure: >I found an article on MSNBC, attacking the credibility/efficacy of SJW. I noticed the study was funded by Pfizer Inc. treating major depression." Do I smell a rat? http://www.msnbc.com/news/560669.asp From Jim Callaway: Yes, there is a distinct aroma of rodent emanating from the offices of Richard Shelton. The actual study showed improvement in some of the patients who used the St John's Wort, an earlier article stated that "patients who did well with St John's Wort were given a 6 month's supply". The 8 week study is just inside the window of time we should allow for St John's Wort to show effectiveness. The test subjects were evaluated as having "moderate to severe" depression, while St John's wort is recommended for "mild to moderate" depression, The dosage level was lower than that commonly recommended (900 - 1200 mg vs 1200 - 1500 mg). My personal opinion is that the preparation used for the tests is not as effective as our traditional extract of fresh flowering tips, as it was made from dried plant material. Vanderbilt University is just down the road from my home and herb lab in middle Tennessee. They are very much locked into the pharmaceutical mindset, and have consistently rejected the idea of medicinal herb use. The grant from Pfizer (makers of Zoloft) was for 2 million $, unrestricted. Now we know what Shelton and his colleagues are, and we also know their price. Depressing! ----- footnotes: ----- (*) Except, of course, when they find evidence against, in which case the question should be "Is there _really_ evidence against?". This twist should be applied to things like the findings of SJW affecting P450 liver enzymes - so SJW enhances liver function. And this is _bad_? If so, why is nobody talking about banning dandelion, lettuce, cabbage, or carrots? They, too, enhance liver function, and some of them in much the same way as SJW. -------------------------------------- 2.5 Ginseng -------------------------------------- There are a number of plants called ginseng; a websearch (I don't recommend it, you'll get from 16000 to 90000 pages to wade through) will turn up a lot of different plants, not always correctly named: * Ginseng, Asian (Panax ginseng) o also including Korean Red Ginseng, which is processed, making the root red and giving it a bit differing properties from the unprocessed yellowish-white ginseng root * Ginseng, American (Panax quinquefolius) * Ginseng, "Siberian" (Eleutherococcus senticosus) - better to call this Eleuthero, as it isn't a true ginseng. * Ginseng, "Brazilian" (Pfaffia paniculata) - better to call this Suma, as it isn't a true ginseng. * Ginseng, "Indian" (Withania somnifera) - better called Ashwagandha, as it isn't a true ginseng While not all of these are ginsengs, they are all adaptogens. Adaptogens help you with your general stress response. The definition of an adaptogen is that it lets mice swim for longer in their bucket of water before they drown; it will also give you more stamina. Further adaptogens are for example: * Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) * Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) * Rose root, gold root (Rhodiola rosea or Sedum roseum) * Maral root (Leuzea rhaponticum or L. carthamoides, or Rhaponticum carthamoides), a Russian plant - you use the root and/or seeds. This is only a partial list. In any list of adaptogens you will find at least one plant that isn't found in any other adaptogen list. A couple of good webpages on ginsengs and adaptogens can be found here: * http://www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/hobbs/ll_adap4.htm * http://www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/hobbs/zadapt5.htm * http://www.herb.com/adapt.htm -------------------------------------- There are some practical considerations: On the herblist Aug. 1994: >Could someone be kind enough to summarize the possible adverse effects of ginseng? I've been taking a popular brand for a month now and am generally happy with the effect on a chronic sinus problem and energy levels, but beginning to feel kind of strung out ... I am drinking caffeine and wonder if this could be a problem. Also need to know about possible adverse interactions with prescription drugs such as blood pressure medications. From Jonathan Treasure : Woah...."Ginseng Abuse Syndrome" is even recognised by the AMA. You do not mention what kind of Ginseng or how much. I will defer to the TCM people on this list to give wither you from the Chinese view but ... surely you're not really doing coffee and ginseng? Oh dear oh dear ... tut tut. 1. It is nonsensical to take caffeine and ginseng together regularly. You will stress your adrenals (*get strung out*) and possibly raise your *stress threshold* to a danger point. 2. Ginseng should be used with extreme caution in hypertensive situations especially if under medication. 3. Sinusitis? Not the *usual* prescription. Pass. 4. Toxic signs - not uniformly predictable but can include hypertension, euphoria, nervousness, skin eruptions, morning diarrhea. 5. Contraindications - nervous anxiety, nervous tension, hypertension, disturbed menstruation, stimulant or rec. drug abuse, good vitality in younger persons. Most recommend taking as a tonic for a period then alternating without e.g. 3 weeks on 2 weeks off. -------------------------------------- > the Peterson guide I have on edible wild plants recommends wild American ginseng as a trail nibble... If you did happen to find a Wild American ginseng, you should leave it right where it is! Shame on Peterson. The plant is rare, and probably endangered throughout its range. Paul Iannone -------------------------------------- On alt.folklore.herbs June 1995: > I've heard the ads for ginseng pills - are they worth the money? If so, are all brands the same? You definitely want to buy from a reputable company. According to Professor Wang at the University of Alberta, researchers found that many prepackaged ginseng products had a major shortcoming designed to fool the consumer. You guessed it ... no ginseng. Elizabeth Toews -------------------------------------- The UP side of poison ivy Rarely mentioned but soon enough found out, ginseng and poison ivy are childhood sweethearts: they grow up in the same neck of the woods. If you go digging ginseng in the Cumberlands of Tennessee, you will get poison ivy -- all over your fingers. With common roots in the forest loam, the one looks out for the other. But if that's not sufficient protection, the 'sang has yet another look-out in the plant kingdom: Virginia creeper. A master of disguise, ginseng sets up housekeeping in the thick of creeper beds. Takes a covite to tell them apart; the untutored need not apply. Cumberland ginseng endangered? Don't think so. Most of the knowledgeable diggers have sense enough to harvest after the seeds have matured, and don't have to be told to replant from what they've dug. If there's to be "more where that came from" (talking car payments), they know they have to replant. It's city slickers, out for a test drive of their bean boots, we got to look out for. For their advancement, thank we heavens, there is poison ivy. Alex Standefer (astandef.seraph1.sewanee.edu) -------------------------------------- > I had read somewhere that women should not take ginseng on a regular basis (I'm cutting back from six capsules to two per day), but was told by a friend that Siberian ginseng is suitable for women to take. Ginseng shouldn't be used as a stimulant, but where needed it can be taken for comparatively long periods by children, women, old people, anyone. I have many female clients who take ginseng on a regular basis, in formulas appropriate to their health pattern. As a general rule Chinese herbalists don't use ginseng by itself. --Paul Iannone -------------------------------------- 2.6 Stevia Leaf - Too Good To Be Legal? -------------------------------------- by Rob McCaleb, Herb Research Foundation For hundreds of years, people in Paraguay and Brazil have used a sweet leaf to sweeten bitter herbal teas including mate. For nearly 20 years, Japanese consumers by the millions have used extracts of the same plant as a safe, natural, non-caloric sweetener. The plant is stevia, formally known as Stevia rebaudiana, and today it is under wholesale attack by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Stevia is a fairly unassuming perennial shrub of the aster family (Asteraceae), native to the northern regions of South America. It has now been grown commercially in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Central America, the United States, Israel, Thailand and China. The leaves contain several chemicals called glycosides, which taste sweet, but do not provide calories. The major glycoside is called stevioside, and is one of the major sweeteners in use in Japan and Korea. Stevia and its extracts have captured over 40% of the Japanese market. Major multinational food companies like Coca Cola and Beatrice foods, convinced of its safety, use stevia extracts to sweeten foods for sale in Japan, Brazil, and other countries where it is approved. Europeans first learned of stevia when the Spanish Conquistadors of the Sixteenth Century sent word to Spain that the natives of South America had used the plant to sweeten herbal tea since "ancient times". The saga of American interest in stevia began around the turn of the Twentieth Century when researchers in Brazil started hearing about "a plant with leaves so sweet that a part of one would sweeten a whole gourd full of mate." The plant had been described in 1899 by Dr. M. S. Bertoni. In 1921 the American Trade Commissioner to Paraguay commented in a letter "Although known to science for thirty years and used by the Indians for a much longer period nothing has been done commercially with the plant. This has been due to a lack of interest on the part of capital and to the difficulty of cultivation." Dr. Bertoni wrote some of the earliest articles on the plant in 1905 and 1918. In the latter article he notes: "The principal importance of Ka he'e (stevia) is due to the possibility of substituting it for saccharine. It presents these great advantages over saccharine: 1. It is not toxic but, on the contrary, it is healthful, as shown by long experience and according to the studies of Dr. Rebaudi. 2. It is a sweetening agent of great power. 3. It can be employed directly in its natural state, (pulverized leaves). 4. It is much cheaper than saccharine." Unfortunately, this last point may have been the undoing of stevia. Noncaloric sweeteners are a big business in the U.S., as are caloric sweeteners like sugar and the sugar-alcohols, sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol. It is small wonder that the powerful sweetener interests here, do not want the natural, inexpensive, and non-patentable stevia approved in the U.S. In the 1970s, the Japanese government approved the plant, and food manufacturers began using stevia extracts to sweeten everything from sweet soy sauce and pickles to diet Coke. Researchers found the extract interesting, resulting in dozens of well-designed studies of its safety, chemistry and stability for use in different food products. Various writers have praised the taste of the extracts, which has much less of the bitter aftertaste prevalent in most noncaloric sweeteners. In addition to Japan, other governments have approved stevia and stevioside, including those of Brazil, China and South Korea, among others. Unfortunately, the US was destined to be a different story. Stevia has been safely used in this country for over ten years, but a few years ago, the trouble began. FDA ATTACK ON STEVIA Around 1987, FDA inspectors began visiting herb companies who were selling stevia, telling them to stop using it because it is an "unapproved food additive". By mid 1990 several companies had been visited. In one case FDA's inspector reportedly told a company president they were trying to get people to stop using stevia "because Nutra Sweet complained to FDA." The Herb Research Foundation(HRF), which has extensive scientific files on stevia, became concerned and filed a Freedom of Information Act request with FDA for information about contacts between Nutra Sweet and FDA about stevia. It took over a year to get any information from the FDA, but the identity of the company who prompted the FDA action was masked by the agency. In May, 1991 FDA acted by imposing an import alert on stevia to prevent it from being imported into the US. They also began formally warning companies to stop using the "illegal" herb. By the beginning of 1991, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) was working to defend stevia. At their general meeting at Natural Products Expo West, members of the industry pledged most of the needed funds to support work to convince FDA of the safety of stevia. AHPA contracted HRF to produce a professional review of the stevia literature. The review was conducted by Doug Kinghorn, Ph.D., one of the world's leading authorities on stevia and other natural non-nutritive sweeteners. Dr. Kinghorn's report was peer-reviewed by several other plant safety experts and concluded that historical and current common use of stevia, and the scientific evidence all support the safety of this plant for use in foods. Based on this report, and other evidence, AHPA filed a petition with FDA in late October asking FDA's "acquiescence and concurrence" that stevia leaf is exempt from food additive regulations and can be used in foods. FDA, apparently attempting to regulate this herb as they would a new food additive, contends that there is inadequate evidence to approve stevia. However, because of its use in Japan, there is much more scientific evidence of stevia's safety than for most foods and additives. The extent of evidence FDA is demanding for the approval of stevia, far exceeds that which has been required to approve even new synthetic food chemicals like aspartame (Nutra Sweet). AHPA's petition points out that FDA's food additive laws were meant to protect consumers from synthetic chemicals added to food. FDA is trying, in the case of stevia to claim that stevia is the same as a chemical food additive. But as the AHPA petition points out, Congress did not intend food additive legislation to regulate natural constituents of food itself. In fact, Congressman Delaney said in 1956, "There is hardly a food sold in the market today which has not had some chemicals used on or in it at some stage in its production, processing, packaging, transportation or storage." He stressed that his proposed bill was to assure the safety of "new chemicals that are being used in our daily food supply," and when asked if the regulations would apply to whole foods, he replied "No, to food chemicals only." AHPA contends that stevia is a food, which is already recognized as safe because of its long history of food use. Foods which have a long history of safe use are exempted by law from the extensive laboratory tests required of new food chemicals. The AHPA petition, however, supports the safe use of stevia with both the historical record, and references to the numerous toxicology studies conducted during the approval process in Japan, and studies by interested researchers in other countries. To date, the FDA still refuses to allow stevia to be sold in the U.S. but the recently-enacted Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 may prevent the FDA from treating stevia and other natural herbs as "food additives." rmccaleb.herbs.org -- [also herbal.netcom.com] -------------------------------------- 2.6.1 Changed legal status of Stevia Leaf -------------------------------------- > Where do you get your stevia? No one here in RI will sell it. From: Mark D. Gold (mgold.holisticmed.com): You should suggest to your local natural food stores and herb stores in RI that the legal status of stevia has changed recently. While importation of stevia was banned to protect Monsanto's NutraSweet sales and the future sales of other artificial sweeteners a few years ago, stevia can now be sold as a "dietary supplement." I have a copy of the FDA's new "Import Alert" on my Web page (or I can email it to you). Stevia products can and have been sold over the last few years as skin treatment products. Therefore, your local natural foods store should be able to get stevia skin treatment products and supplements from their distributor (or they should find a distributor who does sell it). Stevia still cannot be legally sold as a "sweetener" by itself or in another product. This will help protect companies such as Monsanto (selling a dangerous artificial sweetener - aspartame) from having to compete against a safe, natural sweetener on a large-scale basis. But at least individuals can now use stevia as a supplement. I have a list of stevia resources on my web page which you can use and give to your local natural foods store. Hope this helps. http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/ -------------------------------------- 2.7 Poison Ivy / Oak / Sumac -------------------------------------- We're lucky in Finland in that we don't have any of these problem plants. But since it's asked every week in season it has to be in the FAQ, so what's in here is mostly pulled from rec.gardens archives 1992 - 1994, or from alt.folklore.herbs archives 1993 -, or taken off bionet.plants June 1995. If you wrote some text I've included here but you aren't mentioned please email - I'll be happy to mention you in the next posting. -------------------------------------- 2.7.1 How to recognize PI/PS/PO -------------------------------------- From Kay Klier (klier.fern.com): POISON IVY (Toxicodendron radicans = Rhus radicans = Rhus toxicodendron) Found in a wide range of habitats, but in the midwest often seen in disturbed woods, roadsides, and flood plains. Most widespread of PI, PS, and PO. Small, slightly woody plant, or shrubby, or vining. LEAVES ALTERNATE (= 1 leaf per node), TRIFOLIATE (= 3 leaflets), with pedicel (leafstalk) and the CENTRAL LEAFLET WITH PETIOLULE (= leaflet stalk). The lateral two leaflets are not distinctly stalked. Leaflets are a variety of shapes, but generally ovate or obovate (roughly apple-leaf shaped). Leaflets may be smooth-edged (entire), irregularly toothed, or shallowly lobed. Leaves of one variant look like small oak-leaves (but look again!). Leaves apple-green and shiny in the spring, deep green and often dusty in the summer, turning a glorious reddish orange in the fall. Flowers tiny, whitish, in clusters; fruits white berries in late summer or fall. Closest look-alike: Box-elder seedlings (Acer negundo), which has OPPOSITE, trifoliate leaves; the lateral two leaflets are often slightly stalked. Older box-elders generally have 5 leaflets per leaf. POISON SUMAC (Toxicodendron vernix = Rhus vernix) Shrub, to perhaps 15-20 ft tall, often branched from the base. LEAVES ALTERNATE WITH 7-13 LEAFLETS, lateral leaflets without a petiolule (leaflet stalk), TERMINAL LEAFLET WITH A STALK. MIDRIB OF THE LEAF WITHOUT A PAIR OF WINGS OF TISSUE THAT RUN BETWEEN LEAFLET PAIRS. More small, whitish berries in a long cluster. Usually in wetlands, Maine to Minnesota, south to Texas and Florida. Closest look-alikes: Staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, which has clusters of fuzzy, red fruits and toothed leaflets, and likes dry soils; Smooth sumac, Rhus glabra, with bright red fruits and slightly toothed leaves; much drier soil than PS. POISON OAK (Toxicodendron diversiloba = Rhus diversiloba). Reputedly the worst of the bunch. Erect shrub, usually about 3-6 ft tall (to 12 ft!), bushy, with ALTERNATE LEAVES OF THREE LEAFLETS, the LEAFLETS generally lobed slightly or as much as an oak leaf; CENTRAL LEAFLET STALKED. Leaves generally bright, shiny green above, paler below. Fruits are small whitish berries. Common on the west coast, esp. low places, thickets and wooded slopes. Occasionally a 5-leafleted form is found. -------------------------------------- Steve Hix (fiddler.concertina.Eng.Sun.COM), in response to above: >POISON OAK description... If it were only that simple! In addition to that form, you can find poison oak growing as a vine (very like wild grape, but with smooth bark) up to six inches in diameter disappearing up into the tree tops near streams, or in thickets that look a *lot* like blackberry without spines, or sometimes as collections of leafless single branches (later the leaves appear, shiny and red, changing to oily green, and so on). Fortunately, it doesn't seem to grow much above 5000' elevation. -------------------------------------- 2.7.2 How to avoid the rash -------------------------------------- Difficult if you live near PO/PI/PS... ... the best way not to get the rash is to learn to recognize the plant(s) and avoid it (them) after that. But: - You can even get a dose if a bunch of the leaves get dumped into a stream or pond ... the oil ends up floating on the surface of the water. - Dogs / cats / horses can get it on their coats and you'll get it from them when you pet them barehanded. - If you burn these plants and inhale the smoke you'll get a bad case of internal PI. -------------------------------------- 2.7.3 Why does it give you a rash? / Spreading the oil about -------------------------------------- From Ron Rushing (f_rushingrg.ccsvax.sfasu.edu): The irritant in poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak is urushiol. The rash you get is an allergic reaction. Everything I say below about poison ivy should also apply to poison oak and sumac. If you brush up against a healthy undamaged plant, you won't usually get urushiol on you. You usually have to come in contact with a damaged leaf. Almost all plants have damaged leaves - either from insects, weather, or from your stepping on them. The oil is easily transferred from one place to another. For example, I got some on my shoelaces once, and I kept getting poison ivy on my hands for a couple of months. Once it is on your hands, it can, and will, end up anywhere on your body. The rash from poison ivy can take up to 72 hours to appear after exposure, and is often spread on the body by taking showers while the oils are still on the skin. Once you get the oil on clothing, it can sit for months and still cause a rash upon contact with your skin. For example, lets say you get some poison ivy oil on your boots, then put the boots away for the winter. Next spring you get out the boots and go for a walk - but not in the woods. A few days later, voila - your hands are breaking out from putting on your boots and tying the laces. As long as you've washed the original oil off your skin, the exudate from the blisters should not re-infect your skin. It's just exudate, and does not contain urushiol. -------------------------------------- From krrobert.uiuc.edu (K. R. Robertson): Washing with strong soap merely removes excess poison from the skin, but will not remove any which has already reacted, because the poison is believed to form a complex with skin proteins and therefore is not removable short of removing the skin! Even so, it is difficult to wash off this insoluble poison completely. Eating a leaf of poison-ivy may have disastrous results. One may surpass the normal level of immunity by the first bite; in this case one is in for an internal case of poison-ivy, occasionally known to be fatal. The mechanism of sensitivity is not thoroughly understood. It does not behave like protein sensitivities such as hay fever. It is a hypersensitivity of the delayed type, whose mechanism is related to that of organ transplant rejection. (Originally prepared by William T. Gillis, 1973, Revised by Kenneth R. Robertson, 1993, Illinois Natural History) -------------------------------------- Poison Ivy, oak, sumac: Clothes contamination From: Gerry Creager One thing a lot of folks don't seem to understand, especially now that a lot of laundry detergents are available for cold water use, is that HOT water is a good element for elimination of the oily residue that causes the allergic reaction. I noted several anectdotal comments about reinnoculation that could have been prevented if the contaminated clothes were washed in hot water (not warm, not warm/cold, HOT!) and alone so as to avoid cross contamination to other clothing. I've had good result with this in our family as well as in the folks I have advised with the problem. Me? I'm one of those who so far has not manifested an allergy despite a lot fo time in the woods! -------------------------------------- From ab282.detroit.freenet.org (Robert Gault): The active ingredient in poison ivy and other plants in the same family is 3-n-Pentadecylcatechol, common name urushiol, which is a chemical in the phenol family. Dermatitis (skin inflammation and blistering) is spread by the act of scratching which redistributes the urushiol over the body. While the normal treatment for poison ivy does not include the suggestion below, a reasonable approach would be to convert the urushiol into a water soluble material. Phenols are acids so washing with a weak base like diluted house hold ammonia or a paste of baking soda should do the trick. -------------------------------------- From Kay Klier (klier.fern.com): People who react to any of the species of PI/PO/PS will undoubtedly react to the others; further, they may cross-react with mango (Mangifera indica), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), and Chinese or Japanese Lacquer (Rhus verniciflua). (the cellulose-based spray paint that is called lacquer is not involved in this... just "real" lacquer, like carved lacquer boxes, etc.). Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to sit under any member of the Anacardiaceae in the rain... they all tend to have a leaf toxin that falls on innocent bystanders below. Most people are NOT sensitive to PI/PO/PS at birth, but become sensitized through repeated exposures. Some people are apparently immune throughout their lives, but I really don't know how to test that claim... ;-) There is a barrier cream and a cleanup wash called Technu commonly used by those who are sensitized to PI/PO/PS. Works quite well. -------------------------------------- 2.7.4 What helps -------------------------------------- First a word of caution: The recommendations listed here are without medical foundation and, if actually used, are at the sole risk of the reader. * Jewelweed, Impatiens pallida, I. capensis, I. biflora, or similar species. AKA Touch-me-not, silverweed. The plant produces both cleitogamous (self-fertilized), and chasmogamous (cross- fertilized) flowers. Mature seed pods will build tension as they dry, and can "shoot" seeds 5 feet away when activated by a slight disturbance. o Jewelweed, fresh: crush some leaves and a bit of the stem and rub the resulting juice on the rashy area. Repeat frequently. o Jewelweed decoction: take one part Jewelweed (or stronger as needed), and twenty parts water. Boil water in non-metallic container, add jewelweed, boil for fifteen minutes, strain and store in jar in fridge or freeze as ice cubes. Apply frequently. o Jewelweed juice: From YE71.MUSIC.FERRIS.EDU (Robert King): + Gather the entire plant, leaves, stems, and all; the plant is very succulent and juicy... I have never had a need to add extra water, but if you do, use distilled. Don't be greedy, either trim tops & outer branches, or selectively take entire plants from the center of a crowded stand. One large (4-foot) plant should be adequate for the largest rash on one person. Plants will lose turgor and wilt quickly after cutting, this is OK, just makes it easier to emulsify. + Liquefy the plants in a blender at the highest speed possible. Then extract the juice by filtering thru cloth, common strainer, or fruit press... a little pulp in the mix won't hurt, this will settle out after a couple hours, anyway. Use immediately, or refrigerate... this stuff spoils rapidly at room temperature..!! + Apply the juice to the infected area with a common paint brush... I've found 1 to 2" size works best. Blow-dry the area as you apply it with a hair dryer on low heat... after several coats of 'paint,' an orange-colored "skin" will develop. This "skin" will protect uninfected areas against the poison ivy allergen. + Repeat this procedure as needed, especially first thing in the morning, and before bedtime. Be sure to use common sense in keeping any fluid that happens to come from blisters away from unprotected areas... yourself AND others. Keeping the infected area as dry as possible will hasten the healing; continue application until no more blisters are present... usually about 3 days. + Ironically, jewelweed favors growing in areas of similar habitat as poison ivy, therefore it can often be found nearby, preferring moist ground, near water, or often, even in shallow water. It grows rapidly in ideal environs, but usually doesn't reach significant size until mid-summer; therefore, it might pay to keep a bit frozen in the fridge from the previous year for early-season use. The extract tends to spoil rapidly, even at cooler temperatures, so I wouldn't recommend keeping it for much more than a week without freezing... the fresh solution works best, anyway. * Catnip: rub fresh catnip leaves on the affected area. * Mugwort (Jilara [jane.swdc.stratus.com]) Pick two large handfuls of fresh mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and let infuse in 1 cup alcohol for overnight. Apply to affected area with a clean sponge/washcloth/q-tips/whatever every four hours. Dries it up quickly. Robert Gault reminded me that mugwort is a strong allergen (have I told you they keep track of mugwort pollen in the air over here?). To quote Robert Gault: 'Can you imagine the result if the poison ivy sufferer is also allergic to Mugwort?!' Ouch - yes, I can. * Aloe vera (Jilara [jane.swdc.stratus.com]) Take a large leaf from the aloe vera plant you keep on your windowsill for burns. (If you don't have one, get one!) (NOTE: "aloe vera gel" sold commercially does NOT work!) Slice lengthwise to expose the juicy interior of the leaf. (This will give you an upper and lower leaf, with a juicy side to each.) Trim off leaf edges. Apply directly to affected area, juicy side against the sores. Bandage in place. Apply a new leaf every day until healed. This works phenomenally well, but you have to put up with bulky slabs of aloe vera leaf against the area. Which would you rather have: oozing sores or a succulent slab of leaf? Thought so. ;-) I can't laude this one enough! It works faster than any other remedy! And relieves the dreadful *itching*, too! * Gumweed Plant (Grindelia) Native Americans used the resin from the gumweed plant to treat poison ivy. * Baking Soda I swear by baking soda paste for poison oak. It not only soaks up the oozing mess, it completely stops the itching throughout the day. * Mixed alcohol liniment Take sweetfern, jewelweed, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol... Zip it all up in a blender until it's green and mushed, let it sit for two weeks (ouch! I know...not for THIS outbreak, sorry), strain it and voila, a marvy liniment. * Poison Ivy leaf From: bear.helium.Gas.UUG.Arizona.EDU (Soaring Bear), May 1994: Actually, this is just the time of the year to build up your immunity by nipping off a very tiny piece of poison ivy leaf (size of a head of a pin) and put in a capsule and swallow. Do 1-2 times a week. Stop if you start breaking out. Caution from krrobert.uiuc.edu (K. R. Robertson): Eating a leaf of poison ivy may have disastrous results. One may surpass his normal level of immunity by the first bite; in this case he is in for an internal case of poison-ivy, occasionally known to be fatal. * Salt (from bss8n.galen.med.virginia.edu) For the little initial blisters, I rub salt and burst them and leave the salt on to dry. They're history. Also salt worked on the moist areas of my face and under my nose where lye soap lather couldn't stay dried out long enough to dry out the rash. Works well on large surface rashes in case the blister stage grew untreated (but it didn't work on the "mini-mountain" reaction to p.i. that my mom got). MOST essential, leave the salt on to dry, adding more salt moistened with water to help create a paste that will stick as it dries, thus drying out that nasty, annoying p.i. The worse the spread, the longer the duration of salt/soap treatment alternated 12 hours to 1) dry out the present fresh redness, and 2) dry out *new* fresh red. Yep, you guessed it... the salt falls off everywhere. That's one reason I used the lye soap during bed hours. The other reason was that neither treatment, in a prolonged battle (1 1/2 wks) stayed effective by itself, i.e. continuous dry-out, but alternating them did it. I've wondered why? * Lye soap (bss8n.galen.med.virginia.edu) - initially from a pioneer reenactment lady. The older/yellower the bar got, the less effective it seemed. Now, I've found it at the grungiest grocery store in town, a soap called Oxygon. Wet the bar and lather it up on the rash into a paste and let dry. Easier than the salt but since discovering salt, I tend to believe salt is more effective for me, at least with my initial tiny blisters, which is all I ever have to deal with now. -------------------------------------- 2.7.5 Jewelweed, Impatiens -------------------------------------- From Elizabeth Perdomo, ElizPer.aol.com: Jewelweed is a plant I wouldn't be without here in the South, any time of the year! It works so remarkably well for Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac, and for Fungal Infections, as well (try it on athlete's feet!). People are always getting inspired to rake up leaves in the middle of winter, and get into the roots or old leaves, producing the nasty itch. However, since the plant only grows in mid-late summer, this is what I do to keep a supply around... Harvesting: Jewelweed is an annual, which means it flowers, produces seeds and then dies all in one year. Thus, I try to harvest Jewelweed well before flowering time, so it has a chance to regroup, flower and seed before frosts. To do so, I cut off (with knife or pruner) the top 1/3 of some of the plants, leaving many untouched. I don't pull or pinch the tops, as this often dislodges or pulls up the plant. If you take more than about the top 1/3, the plant may not have enough time to sprout side shoots and go to seed, thus diminishing future supply for you, others & the earth... Preparing: Jewelweed is one of those plants which just doesn't dry well. It's too fleshy and juicy, and loses it's good qualities when dried. I make a strong infusion, by adding LOTS of the plant to a pot (non-aluminium) of boiling water. Then, I cover the pot, and allow it to simmer for at least 30 minutes. After simmering, covered, I put it into a blender or food processor and blend. Then, I cover the mixture again and allow it to cool to room temp. After cooling, I strain the mixture through a stainless steel strainer and/or cheesecloth. Then, if needed right away, I label and store part of the mixture in a jar in the refrigerator. The remainder, I freeze in ice cube trays. After frozen, pop the cubes into a zip lock bag and LABEL WELL with herb name/date before returning to freezer. Then, I have a winter's supply. The cubes also feel really good on especially sensitive areas, like on the face, between fingers, under arms and in private parts... I also use the fresh Jewelweed and make it into a tincture by filling a jar with the plant, and then covering it with 100 proof vodka. If you are going to use it exclusively for EXTERNAL use, it could be "tinctured" in rubbing alcohol. Administering: Whether fresh, infused, tinctured or in ice cube form, apply Frequently!!! Cotton balls work well to apply the infusion or tincture. Yes, the tincture burns some, so I dampen the cotton ball 1st with water, then add the tincture. The alcohol also helps to dry out the ooze... If someone has a really bad, "systemic" case (not just a few bumps on their ankles or hands), I recommend that folks take the (vodka) tincture INTERNALLY, about 1/2 dropper 2-4 x Daily, in liquid, But for only 2-3 Days! (I don't recommend using this orally if pregnant or nursing.) It seems that the oral use in conjunction with frequent, liberal external use, can really turn a bad case of poison ivy around fast! Also, for "oozy" spots, cosmetic grade (French) clay can be sprinkled on as often as desired to help dry the spots out. Sometimes, I mix the clay with powdered oatmeal, and apply the mixture to absorb and sooth. Elizabeth Perdomo -------------------------------------- From: Peter Gail Re: the post about jewelweed tincture: Be extremely careful in applying an alcohol extract of jewelweed on anybody. Over the past 8 years Steven Foster has reported one and I have observed 3 extremely severe skin reactions from such applications, in each case landing the person in hospital. Euell Gibbons also referred to the possiblity of allergic reactions to jewelweed tinctures. Comment from Henriette: the frozen cubes don't have these risks. -------------------------------------- 2.7.6 How to get rid of poison ivy in your yard -------------------------------------- Suggestions from rec.gardens/alt.folklore.herbs: 1. Planting catnip should get rid of poison ivy. 2. Goats. They are very effective, but in the end will be a bigger bother than the poison ivy. (Be suspicious if someone offers you free goats!) 3. Poison ivy again: buy the super concentrated form of Round-Up and dilute to 3 times the recommended strength. (Well, hot damn! It killed off nearly every piece of PI in one application and only a few (about a dozen) plants returned a year later.) 4. Pull it, but protect yourself (big plastic bag, disposable suit...) Immediately wash all clothes you used two-three times. Do not touch the plastic bag / disposable suit from the outside. Do not touch your clothes / boots / whatever from the outside before washing. -------------------------------------- 2.8 Echinacea -------------------------------------- 2.8.1 Using Echinacea -------------------------------------- (also see King's dispensatory, here: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/echinacea.html) -------------------------------------- From Todd Caldecott (toddius.netidea.com): In my training with NA's I learned that Echinacea (blood purifier and antibiotic) can be used as long as two weeks. The German research branch of their equivalent of FDA (called Komission E) Drs. Wagoner and Bauer demonstrated this fact. Their studies also showed that tinctured extract of this plant could be chemically potent or not depending on how it was grown, harvested and extracted. In their studies, the extracts available on the commercial market were far less potent than their own prepared version. So their conclusion was 2 weeks on then off for a week, then one could use it for another two weeks at diminished activity. Also the plant varieties of Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea and to a lesser extent E. pallida all had medicinal chemical activity. The whole plant is medicinal but needs to be at least 3 years old before you should harvest. There is no evidence to suggest that Echinacea cannot be used longer than 2 weeks. In the original study (and please be patient I'm doing this from memory) Echinacea was found to be increasingly effective for 5 days, after which the study ceased. This paper, originally written in German, was mistranslated, leading one to believe that Echinacea's effects plateaued after five days. Echinacea is being used by several professionals long term. Typically though, it is used as a surface immune tonic, useful in chronically immunodepressed patients who suffer from chronic colds etc. (although its use in AIDS is still a matter of some controversy). For most of us who take it seasonally for colds etc. it is most effective when taken in combination with other herbs i.e. garlic, Baptisia, Thymus, Astragalus etc. -------------------------------------- 2.8.2 Echinacea - poaching and extinction -------------------------------------- Thread on the phytopharmacognosy list: > Over 90% of all Echinacea material in the U.S. and Europe comes from cultivated species. There is very little wild harvested ech. on the market. The claim that the use of ech. preparations contributes to the extinction of this plant species is nonsense. Such claims may apply to other medicinal plants but not to the easy to cultivate Ech. spp.. From P. Mick Richardson , to above: Disappearance of the plant in the wild may be nonsense to you but it is reality to those of us who live in areas where the plant is native. Several points. The plant is easy to grow in cultivation but if you have no land on which to grow it you can get ready cash by collecting it in the wild. Even if 90% comes from cultivated sources, the remaining 10% is still a massive amount in relation to the ever decreasing number of plants in the wild, especially when consumption rises each year and the 10% translates into an ever increasing number of plants to be sought. After receiving your message, I sought out a local person who collects seeds of Echinacea from wild plants in Missouri for cultivation of the plant. He confirmed my suspicions that the plant is becoming non-existent in many parts of Missouri as local populations are exterminated. So the nonsense is in fact reality to the people who see the plants. I suggest greater cultivation of the plant would decrease the demand for wild-harvested material. After all, no-one would be killing rhinos and elephants for sale if there was not a market for them. Let's stop before Echinacea becomes a great auk or a passenger pigeon example for textbooks. Sorry to ramble on, but extinction is for ever and it would be shameful for herbalists to contribute to it. -------------------------------------- ... and more in the same thread: From: P. Mick Richardson : It is illegal to collect Echinacea unless it is on your own property in Missouri. However, if someone offers cash for echinacea plants, then the demand will be met by poaching. Although on a lesser scale, it is no different to the situation with rhino horm and elephant ivory. If there is a cash market, people will provide the product. I could give descriptions of the nationalities of the buyers but this is probably unnecessary. The plants end up in Europe, presumably the site of greatest demand. Hopefully, there will soon be enough Echinacea in cultivation that the price will fall and this may remove the demand for wild-collected plants. Until then, if you encourage the use of Echinacea, you endanger the plants growing wild in Missouri. Admittedly Echinacea is being poached on a lesser scale than Panax or Hydrastis, but it is still disappearing. Let's aim for complete domestication. It works for Ginkgo, which is a cultivated cash crop in the U.S.A. now. -------------------------------------- 2.9 Feverfew and migraine -------------------------------------- by Eugenia Provence, Eprovence.aol.com It's not at all unusual for people interested in using herbs to replace over the counter medications with simple herbal counterparts. What has been unusual enough to generate headlines, though, is the conventional medical community's research and acceptance of a traditional European folk remedy, Feverfew, in preventing migraine headaches. Migraines are believed to be caused by an upset in serotonin metabolism, causing spasms of intracranial blood vessels, which then causes dilation of extracranial blood vessels. In the 1970s an English research group sought volunteers already using Feverfew before beginning a study of its efficacy. Their advertisement in a London newspaper brought more than 20,000 responses. Since then, several well-documented double-blind, placebo studies in England confirm its value. An interesting one reported in The Lancet (July 23, 1988; 2(8604):189- 192) followed 72 volunteers. After a one-month trial using only a placebo, half of the group received either one capsule of dried Feverfew leaves a day (or a matching placebo) for four months. Neither the group nor the researchers knew which group was receiving the Feverfew. The group kept diary cards of their migraine frequency and severity. After four months, the groups switched medications, and the trial continued for an additional four months. 60 patients completed the study, and full information was available on all but one. The study found Feverfew to be associated with reducing the number and severity of attacks (including vomiting), with the researchers concluding that there had been a significant improvement when the patients were taking Feverfew. There were no serious side effects. Feverfew is currently classified as Tanacetum parthenium, a member of the Asteracea (or Compositae) family, and was formerly named Chrysanthemum parthenium, where you'll still find it listed in some references. Feverfew is a corruption of Febrifuge, based on its tonic and fever-dispelling properties. It's been called Maid's Weed, referring to its emmenagogue qualities, which are also reflected in its Greek name, Parthenion ("girl"). Its primary actions are anti-inflammatory, bitter, emmenagogue and a vasodilator. Aside from migraine relief, long-term users report relief from depression, nausea and inflammatory arthritic pain. Drunk in cold infusion, it can relieve the cold, clammy sweats associated with migraine. Additionally, it's been used externally as an insect repellant, and topically for insect bites. Perhaps the insect-repelling quality accounts for the tradition of planting it around the house to ward off illnesses and to purify the air. The tea, drunk cold, has been used for sensitivity to pain, and for relief of face-ache or ear ache (all migraine-like symptoms). The Eclectic physicians of the 19th century called it one of the pleasantest of the tonics, influencing the whole intestinal tract, increasing the appetite, improving digestion, promoting secretion, with a decided action on kidney and skin. John Gerard's Herbal in 1663, said it to be "...good against summer headaches to inhale crushed Feverfew blossoms. Dried and taken with honey or sweet wine good for those as be melancholic, sad, pensive or without speech." Culpepper used in it poultice form for head ache. Feverfew in blossom is easily identified by its flat or convex yellow disk and numerous short, broad 2-ribbed white rays. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, flat, bi or tripinnate with ovate, dentate segments. It quickly escapes cultivation, and has become naturalized in many areas of the U.S. and Europe, in some places regarded as a nuisance weed. Among its constituents are a volatile oil, containing pinene and several pinene derivatives, bornyl acetate and angelate, costic acid, B-farnesine and spiroketal enol ethers; Sesquiterpene lactones, the major one being parthenolide); and Acetylene derivatives. Pharmacologists say it is likely that the sesquiterpene lactones in Feverfew inhibit prostaglandin and histimine released during the inflammatory process, preventing the vascular spasms that cause migraines. It appears to regulate the serotonin mechanism. To attain the maximum benefit from Feverfew, it should be taken daily as a preventive. For migraine prevention, parthenolide plays an important role. The parthenolide content in Feverfew is highly variable in different populations grown in different locations or harvested at different times of the year. Recent Canadian tests of U.S. Feverfew products found all of them to be low in parthenolide. Canada, which has recently recognized Feverfew products as official, over the counter drugs for migraine prevention and relief, will require that they contain a minimum of 0.2% parthenolide. So, this is one of the few cases where a standardized extract may be more desirable than the whole plant, with a lot to be said for fresh or freeze-dried preparations. If you want to use the fresh plant, the flowers have a higher parthenolide content than do the leaves. If you are picking the leaves, they are best just before flowering. In one of those magical bits of synergy that herbalists love, the isolated parthenolides used alone don't work on migraines, nor does the whole plant with the parthenolides removed. The parthenolide is bioavailable only in the whole plant. PRECAUTIONS: I know of nothing, whether allopathic or herbal medicine, that I would feel free in saying to have absolutely no unpleasant side effects. We're all unique individuals when it comes to body chemistry. Some unfortunate people are allergic to chamomile. They may also be allergic to Feverfew. A few recent studies of parthenolide in vitro point to toxicity involving smooth muscle tissue. However, no side effect resembling this has ever been reported in human use. Feverfew's safety and usefulness are historic. Pregnant women should never take Feverfew. Its traditional use as an emmenogogue underlines the risk here. The bitter tonic qualities, so useful for indigestion, can cause gastric pain in people with gall stones or gall-bladder problems, by making the gall bladder try to empty. Likewise, the increased production of stomach acid would make it highly aggravating to anyone with a gastric ulcer or esophogeal reflux. Some people have developed mouth ulcers from eating the fresh leaves. DOSAGE: Feverfew is most effective fresh or freeze dried. Take the equivalent of 1 fresh leaf or 125 mg. freeze-dried herb once a day (0.2% parthenolides) 1-3 times daily (don't chew the leaf). In addition to Feverfew on its own as preventive herbal therapy, one would want to look at one's individual migraine triggers or pattern and add herbs whose actions complement Feverfew's anti-inflammatory, bitter and vasodilator actions to support the affected body systems. -------------------------------------- Please also check entry 3.2, Herbs for migraine. -------------------------------------- From Rene Burrough : Eating feverfew leaves I learned this from a nursery woman here who grows herbs commercially & was a nurse during WW2, and has suffered from migraines from years, and it extremely sympathetic to herbal medicine. She swears that the GREEN leaf is far more efficacious than the yellow or golden version. And she takes one leaf a day for months at a time to keep the migraine at bay. What she does is to make a with the feverfew leaf inside and squished into a tiny ball with a doughy bit of bread around it as a casing. Then the pill can be swallowed without the leaf coming into contact with the lining of the digestive tract. -------------------------------------- From: MORAVCSIK.CLIPR.COLORADO.EDU (Julia Moravcsik) I looked up feverfew in Medline and would like to report what I found there. If you aren't interested in medical experimentation as it applies to herbs, you will probably not be interested in what follows. The good news (for migraine sufferers): I found two double blind experiments looking at the effectiveness of feverfew on migraines: The first one used 72 migraine sufferers. Half got a capsule per day of feverfew, the other half got a placebo. There was a significant reduction in the mean number and severity of migraine attacks. The other experiment looked at 17 migraine sufferers who normally ate feverfew to control headaches. They gave placebos to some and continued the feverfew with others. The placebos increased frequency and severity of migraines. The bad news: Feverfew affects the smooth muscles of the body. These are muscles that control much of your involuntary muscular processes, such as the vascular system (blood vessels), digestive system, internal organs, aorta, etc. From what I can gather from some of the abstracts in Medline, feverfew PERMANENTLY affects the ability of these smooth muscles to contract and relax. Here are some snippets from the abstracts which looked at this: * "(Feverfew)...inhibits smooth muscle contractability in a time- dependent, non-specific, and irreversible manner." * "(Feverfew)...affects smooth muscles...may represent a toxic modification of post-receptor contractile function in the smooth muscle...effects are potentially toxic" * "...inhibition of eicosanoid generation is irreversible" * "...irreversible loss of tone of precontracted aortic rings... inhibited ability of acetylcholine to induce endothelium dependent relaxation of tissue." What does this all mean for the long term health of those who take feverfew? That does not seem to have been looked at yet; these articles were very recent. However, I think that people who take feverfew should know that they may be permanently affecting the smooth muscles in their bodies and may want to take this into account when deciding whether or not to continue taking it. -------------------------------------- From: Jim Heath (heath.iinet.net.au) (in reply to above): I sent a copy of Julia Moravcsik's Medline findings about feverfew to Reader's Digest (who published an article in their Feb 1995 issue advising that feverfew can help prevent migraines.) I've had a letter back from Elizabeth Craig, a RD researcher. She confirms that none of their sources when they researched the article (late 1994) showed any side-effects from feverfew. She also said that after she got my letter (dated 21 June 95) she contacted a migraine research scientist who is studying the effects of feverfew. The researcher is familiar with Medline and says that "research has shown the dosage taken by migraine sufferers has no side effects at all." Whew -- that's good. (Or maybe, feverwhew.) Jim Heath -------------------------------------- 2.10 Kava kava -------------------------------------- by Dennis McClain-Furmanski (dynasor.infi.net) Kava-kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant native to the Pacific Islands, originally from the island of Vanuatu. Following the influx of missionaries over the last century, its cultivation and use has decreased but not disappeared. Several botanical houses in the US and elsewhere have begun regular cultivation. The supply remains low, as the harvest rotation period is from 1.5 to 5 years. Restrictions on import have been considered and may be imminent, meaning only locally grown supplies will be available. Indigenous growths are now being protected as endangered in some areas, but this does not preclude cultivation. Kava is more of a social and ceremonial preparation than it is medicinal. Its primary action is as a relaxant, and at high levels an intoxicant and divinitory preparation. In normal use, the kava drinker becomes relaxed and sociable, and may later drift off into revery. Large doses, as used by village chieftains and seers, induces a trance-like state with vivid dreaming. It is still used in some areas as a medicinal liniment, being prepared there as a tincture. Modern use of kava has included a preparation given to electroshock therapy patients as a muscle relaxant. The active constituents of the plant, such as the lactone resins yangonine and kawaine, are found primarily in the root rhizomes, although some preparations such as the Hawaiian liniment make use of the fresh stem. Most preparations use chopped root material. There are some commercial products in the form of tablets made from a powder, but these tend to suffer in strength, apparently due to excessive drying. Use of kava requires bringing the insoluble resins into emulsion. Traditional preparation is done by chewing the stems and spitting them with copious saliva into a bowl, to which water and coconut juice is added. The mixture is then kneaded and strained through fiber and drunk immediately. A more palatable preparation is to wrap about an ounce in a single layer of plain cotton cloth or a few layers of cheese cloth, and tied off to form a ball. This is dunked in a quart or so of water, lifted and squeezed out, repeating this until the bubbles forming from the dripping water tend to remain on the surface of the water -- about 10 to 15 minutes. As with the traditional preparation, this tastes strongly musty and not particularly pleasant. It is drunk immediately in gulps. A tablespoon of sugar helps, and my favorite additive is a tablespoon of Ovaltine or other malted mixture. Most non-traditional preparations such as herb teas and other mixtures are either too low a dosage or improperly prepared and so are ineffective, most probably due to the bad taste of effective dosages. A tincture is made by soaking the chopped root material in 3 times its volume of alcoholic liquor such as brandy or gin. This is shaken daily over 2 or 3 weeks and then strained. Internal use is 1 to 2 ounces, and external use is an ounce rubbed into sore muscles or soaked into a cloth which is laid over the affected area. Some reports have been made regarding chewing and swallowing fresh root. All the same effects are noted, with the addition of a decongestant-like opening of breathing passages. This is only in healthy individuals; there is no true decongestant effect in congested individuals. Heavy daily use of kava for years has been reported to cause dry, flaking skin, yellowing of the eyes and persistent lethargy. The doses involved are those used by local chiefs and visionaries, and normal recreational or medicinal use will not cause this. When this syndrome does appear, 2 to 3 weeks of abstinence cures it. Reports of lowered peripheral blood flow seem to be anecdotal only. The plant itself is available from some ethnobotanical houses, and seems to thrive even in non-tropical conditions, though it still requires indoor cultivation. -------------------------------------- 2.11 Pau D'Arco -------------------------------------- by Dennis McClain-Furmanski (dynasor.infi.net) Pau D'Arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa), also known as Taheebo and Lapacho colorado, is a tree native to the Andes and nearby rain forests. The bark, and in particular the inner bark lining, is scraped and turned into a tea. It has been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples as an immunofortifier. Recent pharmacologic studies have uncovered the anti-tumor agent lapachol, as well as the anti-candidas agent xylidione, and the consistent effects of both have gathered the interest of the global pharmacological community. Claims that the tea contains a large proportion of oxygen in solution have peaked the interest of the oxygen-therapy movement, and it is being considered for anti-AIDS/HIV testing. The normal preparation is a small amount of scraped bark prepared as a normal tea. The taste is reported to be heady and pleasant. -------------------------------------- From hrbmoore.rt66.com (Michael Moore), as a sidenote in a post on herbs and fibroids: I, frankly, have no idea why you would want to use Pau D'Arco (Tabebuia spp.). It is a useful anti-oxidant and anti-fungal. I fail to see its implication with fibroids. Besides, it is a pocket-change byproduct of rain-forest timbering...don't let anyone fool you otherwise. -------------------------------------- End of part 2 of 7. -------------------------------------- -- hetta.saunalahti.fi Henriette Kress Helsinki, Finland Over 30 MB herbal .html files (FAQs, classic texts, articles, links), plus pictures, zipped archives, the works, at: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed ========== Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Medicinal herbFAQ Part 3/7 From: Henriette Kress Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 14:42:33 +0200 -------- Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part3 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 19Jun01 Version: 1.38b URL: http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-cont.html Available by ftp: ibiblio.org or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/ -------------------------------------- 2.12 Wild yam and contraception -------------------------------------- also see http://wildyam.com -------------------------------------- This one is from hetta.saunalahti.fi, with help from unca Mike and unca Jonno. A stubborn question, coming up on the newsgroups and mailing lists again and again: "How do you use wild yam for herbal birth control?" Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) does not work as a herbal birth control. People who try it invariably end up being called "Mom", unless they're naturally infertile. So why is this myth still going strong? Back in the early 40's the only hormones available were very expensive, injectable slaughterhouse hormones. An American, Dr. Russell Marker, had this great idea on making oral hormones from saponins (actually they're not really hormones, just hormone look-alikes - but that's another topic), and tried to get backing for research on this from the pharmaceutical companies of the time. None of these thought this worth pursuing ("we -have- hormones, enough for our needs, why would anybody want cheap oral hormones?") (which goes to show just how short-sighted people can be). Dr. Marker then went abroad, and the Mexican ministry of health said yep, sounds like a good idea. So he went to Mexico and started to look