Arthritis herbal medicine

In 1859, a chemist named Herman Kolbe identified the chemical structure of the compound that made willow hark an effective herbal medicine. Unfortunately, many people who took the medicine suffered upset stomachs from it. One such person was the father of a chemist named Felix Hoffman. To help his father, Hoffman changed the compound in such a way that it eased his father s arthritis without irritating his stomach. The new compound was acetyl-sahcyhc acid, now known as aspirin. 

Pokeweed is a tall perennial shrub growing up to 12 ft. This shrub can be found in damp fields, along fences, and wooded areas of southeastern Canada, eastern United States, as well as California and Hawaii. The stalks are reddish. There are small, greenish-white flowers and berries in opposite clusters. The berry is dark purple, almost black in color, and matures late summer to autumn. Pokeweed has been used in tea and as a herbal medicine. In folk medicine, pokeweed as a tincture has been used for arthritis and chronic rheumatism. Taken by mouth pokeweed was used as a purgative and as an emetic. The young leaves, if boiled and drained twice, are supposedly edible. 

H. styphelioides has been employed in traditional Cuban herbal medicine as a depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, and tonic against blennorrhea, cold, cough, and dysmenorrhea and for the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, hepatitis, herpes, and syphihs [124]. 

The Latin name for mistletoe is Viscum album. It is a semiparasitic plant that grows on old apple, ash, and hawthorn trees. It is one of very few cancer medications with a rich traditional history. Ancient Greeks used it as an anticancer medication, and it was a popular herbal medicine of the Druids, who used it for treating epilepsy and nervous system disorders. Dr. Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Society for Cancer Research, advocated its use in 1920 for the treatment of human cancer. " Presently, it is widely used in Europe and North America to treat arthritis and rheumatism and for palhative treatment of malignant tumors. Viscum album is listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States Mistletoe is marketed under the brand names Iscador, Isorel, Helixor, Eurixor, Vysorel, etc. 

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been nsed for both cnlinaty and medicinal purposes. Recent studies have revealed that garhc is effective in preventing many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. " Garlic preparations are used as over-the-counter herbal medicines in the Western conntries. The chemopreventive activity of garlic has been well docnmented. " ... 

Soeken K L, Miller S A, Ernst E (2003) Herbal medicines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis A systematic review. Rheumatology 42 652 59... 

As everyone knows, plants have been used for centuries in herbalism, homeopathy, and aromatherapy because of their medicinal qualities. The long-term use of plants has led to recent observations about their antioxidant properties (1, 2). Many scientists have observed antioxidant activities in compounds derived from the volatile constituents (3, 4) and essential oil extracts - of plants. They have reported that ingestion of these volatile chemicals can prevent lipid peroxidation, which is associated with diseases such as cancer, leukemia, and arthritis. In the present study, analysis and antioxidative tests on the volatile extract isolated from a commercial beer were performed. Why did we choose beer We chose beer because... 

Deliberate adulteration of botanical products is not limited to substitution of one plant for another. Various TCMs have been found to contain undeclared synthetic medicinal ingredients. Four patients developed agranulocytosis after ingesting an herbal arthritis pain relief product called Chui Fong, which contained aminopyrine and phenylbutazone (Ries and Sahud, 1975). A TCM called Black Pearl was found to contain hydrochlorothiazide, diazepam, indomethacin and mefenamic acid (By et al., 1989). Investigators have also reported the presence of corticosteroids (including hydrocortisone) in herbal TCMs (Goldman and Myerson, 1991 Joseph et al.,... 

Ayurvedic medicine also uses herbal compounds both internally and externally for symptom relief. Topical curcumin may relieve the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. When taken in capsule form, it can reduce morning stiffness and boost endurance. A combination of Withania somnifera, Boswellia serrata, and Cucurma tonga also caused a significant drop in pain and disability for study participants with osteoarthritis. 

Iridoids have been isolated from several folk medicinal plants which are used as bitter tonics, sedatives, antipyretic, cough medicine, remedies for arthritis, lumbago and muscular pains, wounds and skin disorders, etc. A good number of research papers on the bioactive iridoids isolated from several folk medicinal plants have been published in the last few decades. We have summarized here only some of the fundamental pharmacological activities of iridoids to create an interest oti the importance of this class of natural products and for their wide applications in the formulations of several prospective herbal drugs. 

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