| CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
Coleus should be used in the form of forskolin extract, such as forskolin dry extract from TR-Metro Natural herbal extracts. (See Appendix B: Resources.) Coleus products for high blood pressure frequently contain forskolin extract mixed with extracts of hawthorn and/or valerian that may not be listed prominently on the label. (See hawthorn and valerian, both under The Herbs in Part One.) Coleus products for inflammation are frequently mixed with bupleurum and/or licorice. (See bupleurum and licorice, both under The Herbs in Part One. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 Several herbal extracts have been shown to act as venotonics—agents that enhance the structure, function, and tone of veins—and produce excellent clinical results. opment of varicose veins. This venotonic activity may be the key factor in the positive effects of horse-chestnut-seed extracts in the treatment of varicose veins.11,13,14
Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus)
Butcher's broom has a long history of use in treating venous disorders such as hemorrhoids and varicose veins. The active ingredients in butcher's broom are ruscogenins. |
Bill Gottlieb
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 Monterice always recommends herbal extracts, not ground herbs, except when making teas.
• Kava kava: Take a 500-milligram capsule of kava extract, standardized for 30 percent kavalactones, three times a day.
• The Lotus Embryo: This Chinese herbal extract may be hard to find except in the Chinese districts of many cities. It's known as Lian Zi Xin, says Dr. de Monterice. Powdered versions are available from KPC products or from your health care practitioner. Dosages vary according to the individual, says Dr. de Monterice, so follow your practitioner's advice. |
Sharol Tilgner, N.D.
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 Another method is to add herbal extracts to honey or glycerin.
Tablet: A tablet contains compressed herbal powders, combined with excipients like binders, fillers and glidants that keep the tablet ingredients together, adds bulk and makes swallowing easier.
Tea: A tea is the second most traditional and ancient way of ingesting herbal medicine; grazing is first.
Tea Bag: Tea placed in an unbleached bag and used as a beverage or a poultice. Many brands of tea bags sold today contain herbs that are too old to be medicinally effective. |
Kathi Keville
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 Tinctures, also called herbal extracts, are a concentrated liquid form of herbal medicine. A tincture is easy to carry easily assimilated and needs no refrigeration. It will keep for years, another important consideration for anyone with an on-the-go lifestyle. This concentrated form of herbs makes it easier to down strong-tasting herbs or take large doses. |
Prevention Magazine
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 When you're sick and want fast relief, herbal extracts are usually best because they're absorbed very quickly by the body, Dr. Brammer says. While they're not as convenient as taking a pill—you have to measure them, using a dropper or a teaspoon, into a glass of water or juice—they go to work almost instantly, she says.
When you're using herbs for long-term protection—to strengthen the immune system, for example—it doesn't matter how quickly they work. What does count is convenience, since you're going to be using them almost every day. |
Dr. John Heinerman
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 She thought some liquid herbal extracts might do the trick. With her boyfriend's permission, she combined 15 drops each of sar-saparilla, red clover, and barberry and gave it to Rover orally twice a day for two weeks. She also fed him a tablespoon of cod-liver oil and one teaspoon of liquid vitamin C every day, too.
Rover soon recovered from his bladder discomforts and was himself again, much to the delight of George and his girlfriend. This made a believer in herbs out of him, and he started using some of them to improve his own health. |
| Gavriel Harel and his father before him (who was also a pharmacist) have been in business since 1921 making liquid herbal extracts for animal and human use. (See the Product Appendix under Flora Beverage Co., Ltd. for more on Essex Botanical and Hoxsiac Herbal Drink.)
The amount to be given an animal depends, of course, on its size. For cats, either tea or the manufactured liquid supplement should be given in twice-daily, 10-drop allotments. Cut a hole in an old bath towel and fit it over the cat's head; this will protect you against being scratched. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 For special preparations, such as herbal extracts standardized for active components, dosages established by clinical trials should be followed.
ORAL DOSAGE FORMS IN HERBAL MEDICINE
It is worth examining the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various oral dosage forms used by practitioners of Western herbal medicine.
LIQUIDS
Liquid preparations are widely used because of their considerable advantages. The main advantage is the easy preparation of formulations for each individual patient (extemporaneous dispensing). |
Dr. John Heinerman
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| See the Product Appendix under Nature's Answer for obtaining the herbal extracts mentioned here.)
Something Fishy for Poochy
If you have been led to believe all these years that fish is only for pussycats, then think again: It's also a highly desirable food remedy for treating arthritis in dogs. This can be done one of several ways, but they all involve giving your motion-limited canine shark. That's right, shark as in the monster movie Jaws. |
the Editors of PREVENTION
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 If we don't have that foundation, we're simply wasting the herbs," says Gregory Tilford, a member of the American Herbalists Guild and developer of Animals Apawthecary, manufacturers of glycerin-based herbal extracts for dogs and cats, in Conner, Montana. "The medicinal activities of herbs work in concert with the quality of food that goes into your pet."
Half the battle of using herbs is getting them into your pet, says Tilford. For the most part, though, botanical remedies are easy to incorporate into a holistic health plan. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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| The test preparation contained standardized valerian extract (equivalent to 400 mg of root) and other herbal extracts (hops and lemon balm) which were also present in the placebo tablet, effectively measuring the action of the valerian only. |
Michael Tierra
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 Liniment
Liniments are herbal extracts that are rubbed into the skin for treating strained muscles and ligaments. They are also used for the relief of arthritis and some types of inflammation. Liniments usually include stimulating herbs, such as cayenne, and antispasmodic herbs, such as lobelia. Oils of aromatic herbs, such as eucalyptus, will penetrate into the muscles, increasing circulation and bringing relaxing warmth to the area.
Place four ounces of dried herbs or eight ounces of fresh bruised herbs into a bottle. Add one pint of vinegar, alcohol or massage oil and allow to extract. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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| Alteration in the migratory behaviour and internal metabolism of macrophages as a result of exposure to herbal extracts (herbal medicine claims to improve resistance to infections by a general enhancement of defensive mechanisms; looking directly at macrophage response is an established screening technique).
• The influence of herbal preparations on microbiological cultures (direct antiseptic action for some plant constituents has been established but many questions remain unanswered). |
| Valerian has also been combined with other herbal extracts including Melissa officinalis (lemon balm), passionflower and hops for the treatment of sleep disorders. The combination of valerian extract (240 mg, 4.5:1) and hops extract (400 mg, 5:1) reduced the noise-induced disturbance of sleep stage patterns (slow-wave sleep and REM) in sleep-disturbed subjects compared to baseline values. The authors recommend that the initial treatment of severe insomnia with strong sleeping pills should be followed by a period of herbal sleeping pill use before discontinuation of therapy. |
| The influence of herbal extracts on epithelial tissue cultures (e.g. gastric, enteric and tracheal tissues; unfortunately the former two decline rapidly in culture). This represents a point of genuine tissue interaction with herbal remedies and might add much to pharmacokinetic research.
• Observations on the biotransformation of plant constituents using liver cultures (again short-lived and a technically difficult operation but one that is well established in conventional pharmacological research). |
| Tannins
(-)- Epicatechin complex with and precipitate alkaloids and herbal extracts containing tannins should not be mixed with alkaloid-containing extracts.
Pharmacodynamics
When tannins come into contact with mucous membranes, they react with and crosslink proteins in both the mucus and epithelial cells of the mucosa. The mucosa is consequently bound more tightly and rendered less permeable, a process referred to as astringency: If this phenomenon is experienced in the mouth, such as when eating an unripe banana, a puckering and drying sensation is experienced. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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 These herbal extracts are high in bioflavonoids and act as natural anti-inflam-matories.
Days 8-12: Take 100 milligrams of standardized Siberian ginseng extract containing 0.5 percent eleutheroside E thirty minutes before breakfast and another thirty minutes before lunch. This is another excellent source of trace minerals and micronutrients, and will help strengthen your internal defenses.
Note: Do not take this herb if fever or any other signs of acute infection are present. |
| When making an herbal douche, you can use either dried herbs or herbal extracts. If you use the dried form, use 2 ounces of herb for every 4 to 6 ounces of water. Simmer the herb in the water for fifteen minutes, then strain and let the mixture cool to a lukewarm temperature. If you use a tincture, add 5 to 10 drops to a quart of lukewarm water.
Purchase a douche bag or syringe at your local drug store. To administer a standard douche, if you are using a syringe, squat or sit in an empty bathtub and insert the syringe into the vagina. |
| A mouthwash made with folic acid, herbal extracts, and essential oils can be helpful. Dissolve 1,200 micrograms of folic acid, 1 tablespoon of hawthorn berry extract, 1 tablespoon of echinacea extract, 40 drops of peppermint oil, and 10 drops of thyme oil in 24 ounces of spring water. Swish this mixture around in your mouth after thoroughly brushing your teeth (and tongue). |
| Purchase liquid herbal extracts, and make a mixture containing 3 parts echinacea, 2 parts each goldenseal and ligusticum, 1 part licorice root, and V2 part lomatia. Take 30 to 40 drops (about V2 teaspoon) of the mixture twice a day for three weeks.
HOMEOPATHY
¦ The best way to treat cervical dysplasia homeopathi-cally is to see a homeopathic physician for a constitutional remedy.
ACUPRESSURE
For the locations of acupressure points on the body, see ADMINISTERING AN ACUPRESSURE TREATMENT in Part Three.
¦ Bladder 23 increases circulation to the reproductive organs. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 Herbs
There are herbal extracts that have properties similar to conventional antidepressant drugs, but that are gentler and without the drugs' side effects. Prime among these is St. John's wort, which is very popular in Europe. Clinical double-blind, placebo-controlled studies exist to support the efficacy of St. John's wort. Also consider valerian, skullcap, hops, kava kava root, passionflower, Chinese schizandra berry, wild oats, and calamus root.
Light Therapy
According to Dr. |
the Editors of PREVENTION
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| If your health food store or pet supply store doesn't carry glycerin-based herbal extracts, you can substitute a tea made from the dried herb. Prepare it by placing 1 heaping teaspoon of couch grass in 8 ounces of boiling water. Remove from the heat and steep until cool.
If your pet is prone to infections, include the fresh green leaves of the plant as part of his regular diet to discourage bacteria growth and promote overall health of the urinary tract.
Cranberry
Feed your pet one 400-milligram capsule of extract for every 20 pounds of body weight daily. |
Dr. John Heinerman
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| I bought some liquid herbal extracts that were free of alcohol at my health-food store and started giving him these," she said with pride while picking up the dog and giving him a big hug.
The program Millie put her pet on consisted of the following herbal regimen:
Yellow Root 15 drops orally Early a.m.
Yucca 10 drops orally Early a.m.
Middle p.m. |
Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 When making an herbal tonic, I often use an aloe leaf extract as a base for the herbal extracts.
In clinical trials, one highly concentrated, specially grown and processed aloe product called T-UP has demonstrated the ability to increase T-lymphocytes, which in turn produce cytokines that destroy microbes and cancer cells. T-UP is, to my knowledge, the most potent form of aloe made. It has been shown to effectively inhibit many cancer-cell lines, particularly cancers of viral origin.43
Amla [Emblica officinalis]
Amla is a small fruit that grows in India. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 They combined the pharmaceutical anti-herpes drug, acyclovir (Zovirax), with any one of four tannin-rich herbal extracts: Japanese avens (Geum japonicum), Javanese sumac (Rhus javanica), cloves (Syzygium aro-maticum) and chebula (Terminalia chebula). The combination treatment worked significantly better than acyclovir alone or the herbs alone. Because acyclovir is a prescription drug, you'll have to ask your doctor about trying this one.
V Healing beverages. Tea and the juices of apple, cranberry, grape, pear, prune and strawberry all seem to help kill viruses. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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 It is recommended that you start with the herbal extracts or tinctures, as they can be much simpler to use than the fresh herbs and are more reliable in determining potency. If you are attempting to treat a health condition, please check with a qualified herbalist, practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, or a naturopathic physician. (See the Where to Find Help section
Acupressure Points—Back View in the Herbal Medicine chapter to find organizations that can refer you to health practitioners who are specialists in herbal medicine. |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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 More recently, manufacturers have begun incorporating herbal extracts into selected food products, such as food bars, cereals, and even snacks. These are sometimes called Junctional foods. In general, it is difficult to add enough of an herbal extract to food to make a product that is truly effective yet still good tasting. Remember, the effectiveness of any herb, or for that matter anything used for health care, is dependent on how much of it we consume. An inadequate dose is useless, whereas an excessive dose may be hazardous in some cases. |
Dr. Gary Null
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 Other nutritional supplements found useful for herpes treatment are vitamin C, adenosine, L-lysine, and retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A found in breast milk. herbal extracts that have lessened or eliminated herpes symptoms include gly-cyrrhizic acid, a component of licorice root; pine cone extracts; tannins; poplar bud extract; lemon balm cream; an infusion from flowers of Sambucus nigra, aerial parts of Hypericum performatum, and roots of Saponaria officinalis; peppermint; and extracts of Cordia salicifolia, Geum japonicum, Rhus javanica, Syzgium aromaticum, and Terminal chebula. |
| Several herbal extracts show promise for more natural birth control than is offered by the pill; Ilavones extracted from the plant Striga lutea have demonstrated significant antiferlilitv activity in rats and mice, and a herbal medicine based on Vicoa indica has prevented conception without side effects. The daily urine assay method of birth control seems effective with perfect use, but prone to high levels of failure with faulty use, according to one study. |
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