Leslie Taylor, ND
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 Chapter 6 lists various diseases and disorders, and which medicinal plants are used in herbal therapy. Chapter 7 summarizes the specifics on each rainforest botanical. Together, these three chapters provide the reader with a guide to many of the most commonly used Amazonian plants, their properties and actions, and possible uses.
The tables and the summary provided in this section reorganize and cross reference much of the extensive information on each plant found in Part Three. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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 As with depression, herbal therapy (or drug therapy) does not replace the fundamental need for competent and appropriate psychotherapy.
HEADACHE
Headache (cephalalgia) is a common symptom, often associated with disability but rarely life threatening. Headache may be a primary disorder or a secondary symptom. (The Merck Manual)
Pain occurring over various parts of the head is one of the most common health problems affecting humanity. Several areas of the head can be afflicted, including the network of nerves that extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
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 It is advisable to observe a 3-5-day respite from yellow sweet clover before repeating the herbal therapy.
Oxygenation Therapy
Oxidative therapy can be useful in suppressing a variety of anaerobic infections when administered at 1.5 ATM for 60 minutes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) refers to a monoplace chamber, in which only one patient is entirely enclosed in a pressure chamber, breathing oxygen at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. HBO is regarded as a therapeutic modality because significant physiological mechanisms ate activated as a result. |
| Patients tolerated herbal therapy better than finasteride, which causes diminished libido and sexual dysfunction, including impotence in a small minority of patients (Sokeland 2000).
The combined use of nettle root and pygeum has been shown to synergize in inhibiting aromatase. In addition, these three herbs affect growth factors in ways that appear to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of BPH. |
Ray Strand, M.D.
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 But when a person combines herbal therapy with a pharmaceutical antidepressant, he or she may experience a serious adverse drug reaction. This occurs because two drugs are being combined—-just like any other drug interaction. The combined pharmaceutical effect may create difficulties that neither one would cause when used alone.
As when a physician uses Prozac and Zoloft together, the drugs will actually enhance each other's effect in the body, possibly leading to serotonin syndrome (serotonin excess), especially if the person combines the St. |
Michael Lerner
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 The Essiac herbal therapy in Canada is a widely used partially closed herbal therapy whose formula the practitioners have not disclosed, although it has been analyzed by herbal research specialists.
An almost mythological quality seems to infuse the story of why closed therapies remain closed. The mythological tale often runs like this: The practitioner discovered a cure for cancer outside the establishment. More and more patients came to be successfully treated. |
Mark Hyman, M.D.
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 If symptoms persist, then stress reduction, a change in diet, or perhaps herbal therapy may help. Drugs are not usually necessary.
Yet the drug companies want to convince you otherwise. They benefited from the disease now known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) because, when it was discovered that antibiotics cured ulcers, there was no longer a market for their high-priced antacid medications. (A recent study compared the efficacy of an antibiotic and high-powered expensive antacids in treating ulcers; the antibiotic turned out to be just as effective and far less expensive. |
Mark Blumenthal
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 We would also have to conclude that some 62% of all German adults are unconventional because that is the percentage that turns first to a natural remedy (herbs or phytomedicines) to treat their illnesses____Although herbal therapy may not be mainstream American medicine, it certainly is conventional (Schulz et al., 2001).
Evidence-Based Medicine
In the view of the editors, the term "evidence-based" presupposes a formal, systematic process in which clinical trials are ranked according to their size, design, and statistical power. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| Fortunately, infections of the upper and lower respiratory tracts often respond well to herbal therapy. Please refer to chapter 15 for specific information on the treatment of bronchitis, sinusitis, and other infections of this system.
Antimicrobial Herbs for the Respiratory Tract
Allium sativum (garlic) Baptisia tinctoria (wild indigo)
Commiphora molmol (myrrh) Echinacea spp. (echinacea) Eucalyptus spp. (eucalyptus) Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal) Inula helenium (elecampane) Ligusticum porteri (osha)
Myroxylon balsamum var. |
| Prescribing Issues Unique to Elders
When considering herbal therapy for elders, it is important to acknowledge the effects of certain age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes. Safe drug or herb prescribing for older patients must be based on an understanding of the alterations in absorption, distribution, and elimination mechanisms that occur as part of the aging process. Taking such issues into consideration can prevent many complications.
Although these concerns are not as important for the phytotherapist as for the physician prescribing conventional drugs, they still exist. |
Elson M. Haas, M.D.
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 Consider the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy to ease the body through its transition.
9. Instead of reaching outwardly for a substance or other crutch, practice breathing and relaxation will follow.
Nontoxic Living
ţ
Now that we've talked about cleaning up our diet and our body, how do we decrease toxicity in our home? Here are some ideas for effective cleaning supplies, well-made kitchen tools, and safe drinking water.
The "New" Old Way of Cleaning
We remember our grandmothers hanging the laundry out to dry on the line rather than using the electrical dryer. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| The classic Eclectic, Physiomedicalist, and European texts on herbal therapy do not address these considerations. In an attempt to clarify the issue for myself, I have established provisional guidelines for identifying therapeutic situations in which immunostimulation is indicated and those for which it may be contraindicated.
In general, it seems safe to say that immunostimulant plants should be avoided in conditions that involve inappropriate activity of some aspect of the immune complex. |
| When the ecological effects of drug therapy and herbal therapy are compared, another vital aspect of the selection criteria is revealed. An example will clarify this point. In the treatment of gastric ulceration, a whole spectrum of options is available. A holistic approach will not only focus on treating the stomach itself, but also examine diet, lifestyle, general health, and so on. Treatment may combine dietary changes, relaxation, exercise, counseling, and other factors with the specific medicines indicated.
How should these medicines be chosen? |
Gary Null
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| Please consult your physician before starting any herbal therapy if you are taking prescription medicine.
Homeopathic preparations, especially Kelpasan, Coffea, Natrum muriaticum, and Thyroidinum, may be useful, or homeopaths may prescribe Iodum 30C twice a day for two weeks. Homeopathy can yield excellent results.
Acupuncture is recommended to restore health to your immune system. Stress causes changes in your immune system that promote autoimmune disease. Stress reduction techniques, such as meditation, yoga, or tai chi, can all be effective. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| Whether an acute infection, such as bronchitis, influenza, the common cold, or sinusitis, or an immune system issue, such as asthma or hay fever, treatment with herbs can be beneficial. herbal therapy makes a particularly valuable contribution in the treatment of a form of atopic asthma closely associated with eczema. Please see chapter 15 for more details on the treatment of this and many other respiratory conditions. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 Chrubasik S, Wink M (1998) Traditional herbal therapy for the treatment of rheumatic pain: preparations from devil's claw and stinging nettle. Pain Digest 8: 94-101. Chrubasik S, Wink M (Hrsg) (1997) Rheumatherapie mit Phytopharmaka. Hippokrates Verlag
Stuttgart.
Chrubasik S, Zimpfer CH, Schiitt U, Ziegler R (1996) Effectiveness of Harpagophytum procumbens in treatment of acute low back pain. Phytomedicine 3:1-10. Danesch U, Rittinghausen R. Safety of a patented special butterbur root extract for migraine prevention. Headache 2003; 43: 76-8. |
Lesley Tierra
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 Because mild herbs do not interfere with chemical drugs, they can be taken to assist modern medical procedures, from surgery and hospitalization to the intake of daily medicines. herbal therapy can thus be used in complex, serious conditions or in more simple situations.
When using herbal therapy to heal an illness, however, it is important to know when it is not working and other help is needed. For acute ailments, if no improvement is noted within three days, then it may be wise to consider other approaches. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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| If instrumental diagnostic techniques as well as clinical follow-up indicate a positive response to herbal therapy, it is reasonable to conclude that these preparations can be important in the treatment of lower-extremity venous disorders (Marshall and Loew, 1994).
|m Horse Chestnut Seed Extract 3.4.1.1 Introduction
The horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum (family Hippocastanaceae), was introduced into northern Europe from the Near East in the sixteenth century. Extracts from horse chestnut seeds were already used therapeutically in France in the early 1800's. |
Tanya Harter Pierce
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 Nutritional Therapy
?Herbal Therapy (a variety including Black Salve)
?Immune-Stimulating Vaccines
?Far-Infrared Therapy
?UV Light Blood Irradiation
It is recommended that patients first stay at Hospital Santa Monica for an intensive two- or three-week period. This is done on an in-patient basis. After the initial intensive, each patient leaves the hospital with a specialized program to continue at home that is uniquely designed for his or her individual needs.
Dr. |
| One of the Essiac herbs, "burdock root," is also part of the Hoxsey herbal therapy. While the Hoxsey herbal formula came to America from a horse rancher, the Essiac herbal tea came to Canada as a gift from Native America.
The history of Essiac begins in the late 1800s with a Canadian woman who was suffering from advanced breast cancer. She happened to meet an Ojibwa Indian medicine man, who told her he could cure her of her illness. She didn't want to have the surgery her doctors recommended, so she decided to accept the medicine man's offer instead. |
the Editors of PREVENTION
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 M Even if you've seen a doctor about a particular problem, don't substitute an herbal therapy for your prescribed treatment without discussing it with your doctor first. This is especially true if you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
H Don't try herbal medicines if you are pregnant or nursing.
H Don't give herbs to children without consulting a qualified health practitioner who can advise you about dosage and safety precautions that apply specifically to children. None of the advice in this book is intended for children under the age of 16. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 However, such a therapy should only be attempted if the gallstones are not calcified, the cystic duct is patent, the gallbladder is functional and herbal therapy to soften the stones has been given for at least 6 months.
Case history
A male patient aged 69 had been experiencing recurrent attacks of biliary pain for several months. A blood test showed the presence of high levels of bilirubin, perhaps due to temporary obstruction caused by the passage of a stone, and X-rays revealed gallbladder inflammation and gallstones. |
| This underlines the need in herbal therapy for long-term treatment concurrent with appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes.
The essential elements of treatment are as follows.
• Bitter herbs to improve digestive and gallbladder function, e.g. Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), Gentiana or Picrorrhiza.
• Choleretic herbs to improve bile flow, e.g. Chelidonium (greater celandine), Cynara (globe artichoke), Taraxacum radix (dandelion root) and Silybum (St Mary's thistle).
• Cholagogue herbs to improve gallbladder motility, e.g. |
| Acute gastrointestinal diarrhoea with vomiting is generally not suited to herbal therapy. This is because the patient will invariably vomit back the herbal treatment and may consequently develop an aversion to taking herbs.
Acute infectious diarrhoea in the absence of vomiting can be approached in the following way.
• Boost immunity with immune-enhancing herbs, particularly Echinacea and Picrorrhiza.
• Control fever with diaphoretic herbs such as Mentha piperita (peppermint) and Achillea (yarrow). |
| It is recalled that herbal therapy aims to support vital functions (in China the worth of any therapeutic practice is determined by how successfully its use appears to encourage a long and healthy life). If the intention of a trial was to assess the effects of herbal medication applied in approximately therapeutic doses adjusted for body weight and metabolism, there could be little complaint that the animals would be harmed and they are likely to actually benefit. |
| To be fully effective in herbal therapy, it is not enough simply to know about the herbs themselves. Information must also be sought about how and when to use these herbs in response to the various therapeutic challenges. It is the therapeutic content in this text, complete with actual case histories, which differentiates it from other works and genuinely defines its audience as the student or professional reader.
A form of herbal medicine is practised in every culture and in every country of the world, be it industrialized or not. |
| Follow-up of adult patients with atopic eczema treated with Chinese herbal therapy for 1 year. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 1995; 20(2): 136-140
4. Sheehan MP, Atherton DJ. One-year follow up of children treated with Chinese medicinal herbs for atopic eczema. British Journal of Dermatology. 1994; 130(4): 488^93
5. Kane JA, Kane SP, Jain S. Hepatitis induced by traditional Chinese herbs; possible toxic components. Gut 1995; 36(1): 146-147
6. Ferguson JE, Chalmers RJ, Rowlands DJ. Reversible dilated cardiomyopathy following treatment of atopic eczema with Chinese herbal medicine. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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 Standardized extracts are the most advanced form of herbal therapy available today. By being an informed consumer and knowing what to look for, you can be sure that you're getting what you pay for with herbal remedies. five minutes, most of the alcohol will have evaporated away, and the mixture should be cool enough to drink. Also, some herbs do not extract well in alcohol, and some compounds may not stay stable in tincture form, so tinctures may not always have the desired potency. |
| Standardized extracts are currently the most advanced form of herbal therapy. They allow you to be sure that the product you buy contains consistent doses of active herbal components (see Standardized Extracts, page 25).
Capsules and Tablets
Capsules and tablets contain a ground or powdered form of raw herb. They are easy and convenient to use, and most people prefer them. In general, there seems to be little difference between the two in terms of clinical results. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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 Traditional Chinese medicine views the aging of the kidneys as the aging of the body, and herbal therapy can slow down this process." According to Wolfe, two Chinese herbal formulas—Two Immortals Decoction or er xian tang and Eight Flavor Rehmannia or shai di huang—can be effective. However, she cautions, specific recommendations for each person's needs should be prescribed by a professional.
Maoshing Ni, D.O.M., Ph.D., L.Ac., President ofYo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Marina del Rey, California, provides the following anecdote. |
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