| Before using any herbal therapy, be sure to discuss it with a physician, who can determine if a specific herb's effect is appropriate for any specific stage of the disease.
BENEFICIAL HERBS
HERB
FORM AND DOSAGE
COMMENTS
Aloe1
Juice. Take % cup (50-75 ml) 1-2 times daily.
Soothes lining of digestive tract; increases nutrient absorption.
Astragalus2
Capsules. Take 500-1,000 mg 3 times daily.
Stimulates T-helper cells. Prevents strep infections.
Bromelain
Tablets. Take 250-500 mg twice daily, between meals.
A natural, nontoxic protease inhibitor.
Cat's claw3
Capsules. |
Paul Pitchford
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 Extensive herbal therapy strengthened members of the community to help develop their skills in the healing arts and awareness practices.
Vitamin B12 and the Modern Vegetarian
Since the Western diet is based on meat, the typical Western body has become habituated to a certain type of nutrition. Most high-quality animal products are characterized by abundant protein and also by vitamin B12, the nutrient many medical doctors claim to be most difficult for vegetarians to obtain. Vitamin B12 is produced only by microorganisms. |
Kathi Keville
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 Along with your herbal therapy, vitamins A, C and the B-complex can be extremely helpful.
While Nancy's story attests to the power of herbs, do not get discouraged if you try them and you do not experience Nancy's success. Herbs sometimes work quickly, sometimes not. Another friend of mine, Dora, was given three weeks to seif-treat cervical dysplasia that had nearly reached stage four. She was diligent about taking sitz baths and applying castor oil packs and taking an herbal tincture similar to the tea recipe given below. She even made her own herbal suppositories. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 A HISTORY OF HELPING
Vitex agnus-castus, also known as chasteberry or chaste tree, is the most important herb for women in western and European herbal therapy. If I were limited to one herb for women's health, vitex would be the one I would pick, as it is so versatile. It can help acne, fibrocystic breast syndrome, infertility, lactation, menopausal hot flashes, menstrual disorders, ovarian cysts, and premenstrual syndrome. In other words, it is a woman's best herbal friend.
The long history of medicinal use dates back to the fourth century B.C. |
Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D.
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 When an individual undergoing herbal therapy eats in a way that energetically opposes what the body needs and what the herbs are intended to do, then the herbal treatment will either be less effective, take longer to have an effect, or have no effect at all. Even when a patient's disease is correctly diagnosed and the proper herbal treatment is prescribed, the body of a patient eating contraindicated foods may not respond favorably or healing may generally progress too slowly. |
Bill Gottlieb
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 Santa Monica, California, who specializes in homeopathy and herbal therapy. She says that a similar dose of Sepia wid help if you have painful intercourse and an itchy yedow or green discharge.
To tame a burning vagind discharge that causes skin rashes and that is worse from bathing, warmth or drinking alcohol, and if you are prone to getting skin rashes, Dr. Watson says to try a 6X dose of Sulphur three times a day or a 30C dose once or twice a day. |
| Back to Nature—Back to Herbs
Why do people try herbal therapy? One reason, says Robert McCaleb, president of the Herb Research Foundation, a research and education organization in Boulder, Colorado, is that they're searching for self-care and disease prevention techniques in a time of soaring health care costs. "To people who are in good health, herbal remedies offer opportunities for staying well," McCaleb says.
Taking ginseng capsules, for instance, may help people stay mentally alert when they're coping with the stresses of working too hard, says Dr. Tyler. |
| Santa Monica, California, who specializes in homeopathy and herbal therapy. "Women who experience pain may be ashamed of their bodies or may feel that sex is dirty and contaminated," she explains. Men and women suffering from poor body images may benefit from the Bach flower remedy Crab Apple, according to Dr. Watson, while the California essence Easter Lily can help men and women with negative feehngs about sex.
Flower remedies/essences are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). |
John Robbins
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 In 1995, the American Cancer Society commented simultaneously on vitamin C, the Hoxsey herbal therapy, the Gerson diet, the macrobiotic diet, and several similar dietary methods. "None of these approaches is supported by adequate clinical data," the organization began, neglecting to mention that a major reason for this is its own refusal to conduct or support any sort of testing that would provide adequate clinical data.
"Some involve a diet that is nutritionally inadequate," the report continued. "Some involve potentially toxic doses of vitamins and/or other substances."16
I see. |
| Chinese herbal therapy for people infected with HIV looks much more promising. It is nontoxic, in great contrast to the Western antiviral drugs in current use, and may enable many of those with HIV infection to have relatively long, symptom-free lives, even though the virus remains in their bodies.
"The Eastern concept of strengthening internal defenses is Hygeian, because it assumes that the body has a natural ability to resist and deal with agents of disease. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
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 Herbs That May Be Helpful
While there have been few studies on herbal therapy for bursitis, most practitioners of natural medicine would consider using anti-inflammatory herbs that have proven useful in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. These would include boswellia (p. 403), turmeric (p. 465), white willow (p. 468), and topical cayenne (p. 408) ointment. Refer to rheumatoid arthritis (p. 571) for specific recommendations for these herbs.
Are There Any Side Effects or Interactions? Refer to the individual herb for information about any side effects or interactions. |
| Efficacy of traditional Chinese herbal therapy in adult atopic dermatitis. Lancet 1992; 340: 13-17.
29. Evans FQ. The rational use of glycyrrhetinic acid in dermatology. Br J Clin Pract 1958; 12: 269-79.
30. Laux P, Oschmann R. Witch hazel-Hamamelis virgincia L. Zeitschrift Phytother 1993; 14: 155-66.
31. Weiss RE Herbal Medicine. Gothenberg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum and Beaconsfield: Beaconsfield Publishers Ltd, 1988, 328-29.
Edema (Water Retention)
1. Piller NB. A comparison of the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs on thermal oedema. Br J Exp Pathol 1975; 56: 554-59.
2. |
Michael Castleman
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 Weiss is a leading German physician who specializes in herbal therapy. This is a medical text for those who want technical information.
Natural Health, Natural Healing by Andrew Weil (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1990). Has an excellent introduction to herbal medicine.
Magazine
HerbalGram
American Botanical Council P.O. Box 201660 Austin, TX 78720
The best source for recent new herbal medicine research. Products
A selection of 350 herbs and spices. For a free catalog, contact: Nature's Herbs 1010 46th St. Emeryville, CA 94608
More than 200 herbs. |
Bill Gottlieb
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| For a list of organizations that may help you locate an herbal therapy practitioner near you, refer to the resource list on page 635.
Homeopathy
Small Doses Yield Big Results
After years of trying to fend off his hay fever with antihistamines, Richard D. Fischer was fed up. . "It was so bad that by the time I blew my nose and washed my hands, my nose would be dripping again. It was getting to the point that I could barely practice dentistry," says Dr. Fischer (D.D.S.), a dentist in Annan-dale, Virginia. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 He hopes this might encourage his patients to openly discuss herbal therapy with him.
This is important, because doctors need to know when their patients are using herbs. Certain herbs can interact with pharmaceuticals—sometimes beneficially, sometimes harmfully.
T Is for Touch
To borrow a line from a phone company ad, reach out and touch someone—the people around you and the world around you. Look for love, which is rejuvenating. Avoid hatred, which, like all stresses, is aging.
If you have a spouse, strive to maintain and nurture the intimacy of your relationship. |
Elson M. Haas, M.D.
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 In her programs, all include some form of stress reduction, exercise, supplementation, herbal therapy, acupressure massage, and yoga postures.
For acne problems with PMS, extra vitamin A (20,000-40,000 IUs, mainly as beta-carotene) and zinc (20-40 mg.) are usually helpful. Choline and inositol, nutrients found in lecithin, may help nourish the skin; 500 mg. of each daily are recommended.
Dysmenorrhea and other pain problems respond well to higher amounts of magnesium, about 500 mg. more than calcium, as this has a nerve tranquilizing and muscle relaxing effect. |
Michael Lerner
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 It has been reported to be protective in animal studies against the side effects of the chemotherapies mitomycin C and cisplatin and "markedly changed survival curves" for the animals, suggesting that the herbal therapy "may be a new way to prevent or minimize the toxicity" of both chemotherapies.29 It potentiated a combination of chemotherapy and hyperthermia in mice with experimentally induced sarcoma tumors, while reducing or eliminating the chemotoxic-ity of mitomycin C.30
Juzentaihoto also helped strengthen the biological recovery of mice following radiation treatment. |
| Patients who received palliative surgery were given a combined herbal therapy said to "strengthen the patient's resistance and dispel the invading evil" in combination with chemotherapy. Control groups were given one of two chemotherapy regimens, S-fluorouracil (5-FU) or MMF. "The combination of traditional Chinese medicine with chemotherapy was better than chemotherapy regimen alone . . . Immunological studies of the survivors revealed an enhancement of both humoral and cellular immunity. |
| Finally, and most important, the herbal therapy in combination with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy was reported to have extended life and improved quality of Ife for metastatic breast cancer patients. In a controlled clinical trial at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, advanced metastatic breast cancer patients were given either chemotherapy and endocrine therapy alone or in combination with juzentaihoto. There were 58 patients who could be evaluated in the group receiving the herbal remedy and 61 in the control group. |
| Still another uncontrolled Chinese clinical trial assessed combining chemotherapy and herbal therapy in liver cancer and showed good short-term results. Thirty patients were given the herbal immunostimulator bai nian le in combination with the chemotherapies levamisole and cimetidine. The authors reported increased natural killer cell activity with "expansion of tumor mass checked and with clinical conditions obviously improved. |
| The clinic uses mainstream therapies in combination with anthroposophical therapies including vegetarian diet, movement therapy, color therapy, art therapy, speech therapy, herbal therapy (including Iscador; see section XIII, below), and special baths. The disadvantage of the clinic for Americans, at least at the time of my visit, was that most staff did not speak English and most discussion was in Swiss German. For German-speaking cancer patients with a proclivity toward the anthroposophical spiritual tradition, the Lukas Klinik is well worth exploring.
Germany
Hans A. Nieper, Dr. med. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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| During the next four decades, in numerous trials with people who had high cholesterol, guggul extract proved to be a potent herbal therapy, helping to reduce not only high cholesterol but also triglycerides. Studies show it to be as effective— or even more effective—than many cholesterol-lowering drugs. It's much safer, too. It is approved by medical authorities in India as a lipid-lowering drug.
A TREE GROWS IN BANGLADESH
Guggul is a small, thorny tree native to India and Bangladesh. The resin is extracted from underneath the bark where yellow fluid oozes out. |
| In traditional Chinese herbal therapy, it is used for colds, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infections, and for its diuretic properties. It is known for its ability to relax the bronchial muscles.
Ephedra contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, two nerve stimulants that act like the pharmaceutical epinephrine. In traditional Chinese medicine, ephedra was always used in a combination with other herbs and always in very small amounts. When combined with herbs like licorice root, doctors of Chinese medicine found that ephedra's toxicity was reduced. |
| Still later, when I was already in clinical practice, I continued my studies in nutrition, nutritional supplements, herbal therapy, and homeopathy, and am currently working on my master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Today I enjoy helping people with all kinds of health ailments at my practice in La Jolla, California. I also educate people through my work with the media and through a class I teach at San Diego State University.
Holistic therapies made sense to me from the very beginning. |
John Heinerman
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 Seymour Diamond, M.D., "Herbal Therapy for Migraine: An Unconventional Approach." Postgraduate Medicine 82:197-98 (July 1987).
2. E.S Johnson et al, "Efficacy of Feverfew as Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine." British Medical Journal 291:569-573-
Feverfew works well for migraines in three different forms. There is, of course, consumption of the fresh leaves each day with a little parsley. Then there is the tea, made by simmering 5 leaves in 2 cups of boiling water for 15 minutes and sipping 1 cup 3 times daily. |
James A. Howenstine, MD
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 If the PSA begins to rise, a Chinese herbal therapy (PC SPES) often proves effective in treating the cancer, which coincides with a falling PSA value. This also works on those who at first responded and then relapsed on hormone therapy. Antineoplaston from Dr.Burzynski's clinic in Houston has also cured some prostate cancer.
For prostate cancer management, stay on a low fat diet, eat tomato products often, take a multivitamin, vitamins C, E and selenium.
If I developed prostrate cancer I would take flax oil and cottage cheese. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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 In two studies, survival times reportedly doubled among those patients receiving herbal therapy that included astragalus, as compared with those who got only standard chemotherapies and radiation. Test-tube studies with astragalus show that the herb can have positive immune modulating effects. Researchers in the U.S. have confirmed some of these findings. Investigators at the University of Texas have reported strong immune-restorative effects in test-tube studies of cancer cells treated with astragalus extracts. |
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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| In the science of herbal therapy, your body is the expert.
• The same goes for allergic reactions. If you experience a reaction after taking an herb, don't take it again. This is especially true if you experience any difficulty breathing within 30 minutes or so of trying a new herb. Play it safe and call 911; some allergic reactions can seem innocuous at first but are, in fact, potentially fatal.
• Be alert to interactions. Herbal medicines sometimes interact badly with certain foods and with each other. Always be especially careful when combining herbs with other herbs or drugs. |
Michael Tierra
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 The concept of Yin/Yang balance suggests a basis for many healthful dietary changes, as well as for determining the best herbal therapy. It is a major point of departure from the modern Western approach to health and disease. Michael also relies heavily on the use of Ayurvedic diagnosis and treatment, but this field of study is still quite difficult to present in a book such as this, so most of the references to these techniques have been reserved for a subsequent work. |
| It is one thing to eliminate the bad habit of drinking coffee and black tea by replacing it with an herbal beverage, and another thing to treat an ailment with a potent medicinal tea or other herbal therapy. Herbal therapies will generally require a fairly large dose of herbs and an extended period of treatment. In fact, it is important to continue the treatment beyond the point where the symptoms have vanished, to bring strength to the deepest levels from which the ailment had sprung forth. |
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