Herbalism

The most ancient uses of spices appear to be therapeutic in nature. The use of spices was common in China but tittle, if any, authentic Chinese records exist to confirm this. According to Chinese myths and legends, Shen Nung, the Divine Cultivator, founded Chinese medicine and discovered the curative powers of many herbs. He is said to have described more than 100 plants in a treatise reportedly written in 2700 BC. It has been shown, however, that no written language was available in China at that time. Although some of the herbal uses in the treatise go back several centuries BC, the work seems to have been produced by unknown authors in the first century AD. Other records on the use of cassia and ginger are known to have been written in the fifth and fourth centuries BC, in the latter case by Confucius. 

The words aromatherapy, aromachology, and aromakinetics are coinages of the 1990s. Aromatherapy, once based on a tradition of folklore and herbal medicine, is being investigated scientifically. 

By the thirteenth century AD, essential oils were being produced along with medicinal and herbal preparations in pharmacies. Around this time improvements in distillation techniques were made, in particular the development of the alembic apparatus, which would eventually estabUsh the quaUty of such matenals. As a result, many of the essential oils in use today are denved from those produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centunes in terms of odor character, even though production methods have continued to evolve. The current practice of aroma therapy is an indication of this common root of medicinal and fragrance chemistry. 

The modern usage of P2" go Asts for the treatment of asthma dates to 1903 when the effect of injected epinephrine [51-43-4] (adrenaline) C2H23NO2, (1 R = CH3) was investigated (see Epinephrine and norepinephrine) (33). As in some other modem treatments, eg, xanthines and anticholinergics, the roots of P2" go Ast therapy for asthma can be found in historical records which document the use of herbal extracts containing ephedrine [299-42-3] C qH NO, (2) as bronchodilators. Epinephrine and ephedrine are stmcturaHy related to the catecholamine norepinephrine [51-41-2] CgH NO, (1, R = H), a neurotransmitter of the adrenergic nervous system (see Neuroregulators). 

At this writing anticholinergic agents are not widely used for the symptomatic treatment of asthma, although compounds such as atropine [51 -55-8] C17H23NO3, (18) have been used for centuries (111). Inhalation of the smoke produced by burning herbal mixtures, such as Datura Stramonium provided bronchodilation and rehef from some of the symptoms of asthma. The major active component in these preparations was atropine or other closely related alkaloids (qv). 

Chinese Herbal Medicines. Many traditional Chinese medicines have been screened for radioprotective activity in experimental animals. In one study of more than a thousand Chinese herbs, a number of agents increased the survival rate of dogs exposed to a lethal dose of y-rays by 30—40%, and some symptoms of radiation injury were ameHorated. These effects are potentially related to stimulation of the hemopoietic and immune systems (130). Extracts of five Chinese dmg plants, as weU as aspirin, effectively protected mice exposed to 7.5—8.0 Gy (750—800 rad) of y-radiation, and increased survival rates by 8—50% (131). Several Chinese traditional medicines, adininistered ip before or after irradiation, protected against Hpid peroxidation in a variety of mouse tissues, including BM, Hver, and spleen, as weU as in mouse Hver microsomal suspensions irradiated in vitro (132). 

A Chinese traditional herbal treatment for malaria obtained from the roots of Dichroafebrifuga is called Ch ang Shan and was investigated in the 1940s. Febrifugine (80), the alkaloid responsible for its activity, was isolated and found to be considerably more active than quinine in experimental infections. Unfortunately, the dmg caused nausea and vomiting in humans. Synthesized analogues were generally less effective than the parent. 

R. Gunther, The Greek Herbal ofDioscorides, Hafner, New York, 1959, p. 42. 

Maine purpose of our work was too developing methods for standardization of these products. Among methods traditionally used in analysis of plant material and herbal preparations HPTLC has shown to be fast, convenient and not to expensive. Because the goal of analysis is not to prove presence of certain compound, but to check if the product was made of proper raw material accomplishing technological conditions the best standard, in most cases, was properly prepared raw material sample. 

In adults, a few areas may require further study. For example, there is a report of soya consumption causing an increased incidence of hyperplastic epithelial cells in the nipple aspirate fluid of pre- and postmenopausal women.This could constitute a risk factor for breast cancer. Also, the use in herbal medicine of particular plants emphasises that these species have the potential to cause physiological changes. Consequently, the increasing public interest in the use of herbal medicines could lead to unintended (adverse) effects, particularly as most... 

Day after day, patients appear in the pharmacy asking for a herbal tea for a particular kind of condition. When the pharmacist asks the routine question whether a simple" herbal tea or a special mixed tea or a tea bag or an instant tea is wanted, mostly the stereotyped answer comes back You know which is the best one. Give me that one ... 

The present book is an altcinpl to fill this gap and to make available to the pharmacist and doctor a coherent discussion of everything to do with herbal drugs. 

First of all, in the general part, the supply of herbal drugs and herbal mixtures, the indications and possible treatments, are dealt with, as well as explaining herbal preparations, how to make the lea, storage, and authentication. Short sections are devoted to the Standard Licences and the contamination of drugs (microbiological, heavy metal, fumigation, radioactive substances). 

Herbal drugs are available in coarsely to finely chopped forms, as cut or concis" drugs leaves often appear on the market cut into four-sided fragments woods, roots, and barks as chips most fruits and seeds usually unbroken, in the whole or toto " condition, and they are sometimes crushed before being used. The extent of comminution plays an important part in the preparation of herbal infusions (see below Making the Tea). 

There is a senes of herbal drugs that are used on their own - they arc called mono- or monovalent drugs examples of these are chamomile flowers, peppermint leaves, wormwood, etc. This book described 181 such individual drugs. 

Besides the medicinally used herbal mixtures, there arc also the so-called household teas which are preferred by people who are sensitive to coffee or who do not wish to drink a caffeine-containing beverage on a regular basis. Household teas are made up from drugs which, apart from small amounts of tannins, have only aroma substances and possibly also plant acids bramble leaves, raspberry leaves, hibiscus flowers, hips and haws, and apple skins arc frequent components of such teas [4]. 

It is one of the peculiarities of herbal drugs that their indications have for the most part been determijied empirically. The reason is easily understood most herbal drugs have been used for a very long time to alleviate or cure illnesses and more especially disorders. Their introduction in therapeutics happened at a time when pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics were unknown concepts, when there was no Medicines Act to require proof of the quality, efficacy, and innocuity of herbal medicines. Today, when introducing a new medicine, extensive investigations are required in the interest of safety. To many the requirement of the proof of activity of such a drug as chamomile appears to be superfluous, but nevertheless, as a representative of a scientifically oriented pharma-... 

There are already many publications that deal with various aspects of the use of herbal drugs and of the ideas about the ways in which they work some of these are listed in the accompanying bibliography [7 12]. LJnencumbered by theoretical considerations, indications belonging to certain ar-... 

Psychological disturbances With nervoms-ncss, disturbances of sleep, and similar symptoms, herbal drugs are often, and often justifiably, used. It is noteworthy that mostly aromatic constituents (essential oil) are present. 

Kidney and bladder disorders Herbal drugs with this indication arc usually only for supportive treatment, since their effects as urinary disinfectants and as diuretics are mostly slight, a point which is mentioned under the individual drugs. 

Most of the herbal drugs that are used medicinally are comprised in these five groups of indications. Relative few are employed in a limited number of other areas occasionally in skm remedies, liver remedies, coronary remedies, blood circulation remedies, and in other groups of medicines. Summarizing, it can be said that the possibilities of treatment with herbal drugs are limited for a number of reasons for a series of illnesses like severe cardiac insufficiency, tumours, infectious diseases, diabetes, etc., herbal drugs arc not adequate remedies, even though, in contravention of the law, such claims are made in many publications. In a series of further cases, they only find use in support of the actual medical treatment they are nevertheless of value. 

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