Eclectic physicians

An eclectic physician. Dr. I. J. M. Goss of Marietta, Georgia, next mentioned the use of these oily berries. He made claims supporting Dr. Reed s experience. Further testimony to the effects of Serenoa were published by a pharmacist, J. M. Dixon, in the Pacific Record of Medicine and Surgery (circa 1880). Another physician. Dr. F. A. Evans, reported in The Medical Brief circdL 1885) that he... 

Herbert T. Webster, M.D., a prominent eclectic physician from California, mentioned the following clinical insight for saw palmetto in his superb text Dynamical Therapeutics. He used the tincture of the semifresh berries for relaxation of the urinary organs with exhaustion of the nervous system, frequent urination, and vesical irritation with prostatic hypertrophy. In his text, he related a case history in which he used Serenoa for female reproductive problems. He successfully used the berries for inflammation of the fallopian tubes with concurrent ovarian pain. Further symptoms included a dragging sensation in the pelvis and abdominal tenderness with a mucopurulent discharge. 

Other prominent eclectic physicians mentioned additional therapeutic uses. J. W. Fyfe, M.D., in Specific Diagnosis and Specific Medication, advocated this herb for irritation of the nose, throat, pharynx, and larynx. 

This plant is the source of the essential oil used in to flavor candy, toothpaste, and mouthwashes. Eclectic physicians recommended wintergreen tincture for irritation and subacute inflammation of the bladder, urethra, and prostate. Its primary action is in relieving dysuria (difficult urination), making it easier to void urine. A flavorful tea can be made with dried wintergreen leaf... 

Oregon grape root (Mahonia aquafolium). This is one of the preeminent skin/acne remedies of the eclectic physicians. It is used for a wide array of skin problems, especially chronic ones involving liver congestion and a slight yellow hue to the skin. It can also be used topically as a wash for acne and acne rosacea. 

Serious blood infections (bacteremia) Though I have not met any modern clinicians who have used echinacea in this most serious of conditions, the eclectic physicians, botanical doctors that practiced in the early part of the twentieth century, used it for this condition, apparently with success. Its proven ability to stimulate white blood cell counts appears to support the use of massive doses for this condition. 

Eclectic physicians of the early 20th century and some midwives today utilize small amounts of blue cohosh during pregnancy for threatened miscarriage. The safety of blue cohosh in early pregnancy is questionable, however, given that compounds isolated from blue cohosh caused fetal malformations in rat embryo cultures (Flynn et al. 1998 Kennelly et al. 1999). 

The purple coneflower (Genus Echinacea), indigenous only to North America, was widely used for many medicinal purposes by the American Indians of the Great Plains and subsequently adopted by white settlers. An extract of . angustifolia (narrow-leaved purple coneflower) was made available to medical practitioners by Lloyd Brothers Pharmacists Inc., at the end of the nineteenth century, and became widely used in the USA by eclectic physicians for infectious and inflammatory diseases [5]. With the introduction by the FDA of stricter requirements for testing of drugs, the use of Echinacea declined in the 1930 s, but its use in self-medication has seen a renaissance in recent years. Since 1994, herbal remedies have been defined as dietary supplements in the USA which has allowed manufacturers to make general claims about their efficacy. 

Eli G. Jones, one of the most "eclectic" of physicians (he was trained as an eclectic, homeopath, physiomedicalist, and allopathic physician), felt that saw palmetto was very useful for deficient impotence (sexual neurasthenia), loss of libido, infertility due to overwork (stress), exhaustion, and excessive childbearing. His symptom picture for prostate problems was succinct and accurate chronic prostatitis or enlargement of the gland with throbbing, aching, dull pain, and difficult, often painful urination. 

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