Herbalists

The term pasaon flower is used to denote many of the approximately 400 species of the herb. F saon flower has been used in medicine to treat pain, anxiety, and insomnia. Some herbalists use the herb to treat symptoms of parkinsonism. F saon flower is often used in combination with other herbs , such a valerian, chamomile, and hops, for promoting relaxation, rest and sleep. Although no adverse reactions have been reported, large doses may cause CNS depression. The use of passion flower is contraindicated in pregnancy and in patientstaking the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Fission flower contains coumarin, and the risk of bleeding may be increased when used in patientstaking warfarin and pasaon flower. 

Most herbalists recommend that echinacea should be taken at the initial signs of infection, when symptomsfirst become apparent. Smalt repeated dosesthroughout the day may be better than taking larger doses less frequently. Because it isan immunosuppressant, the herb should not be taken for more than eight consecutive weeks. Seven to fourteen days of treatment is usually sufficient. 

Brigitte Mars, an herbalist and nutritional consultant in Boulder, Colorado, has been working with natural medicines for over 27 years. The formulator of the popular "UniTea" line of herbal teas, she teaches herbalism at Naropa Institute, The Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies and The Boulder School of Massage Therapy. She frequently contributes articles to The Herb Companion, Natural Health, Let s Live, and other magazines, and is a member of the American Herbalist Guild. This is her first book. 

The great English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper (16161654) extolled elder by saying, "The juice of the leaves snuffed up into the nostrils purge the tunicles of the brain." In 1644, a book written by Dr. Martin Blockwich called Anatomie of the Elder was... 

There must be a good reason to use elder bark as a medicine because it is strongly purgative. It may be wise to consult with an herbalist first. To make tea from the bark, simmer 2 oz. of bark in I quart fresh cold water. Simmer until it is reduced by half. Strain. Take 2 to 4 oz. at a time. 

For many herbalists, a favorite method of treating a cold, flu or fever is to give a strong tea of elder blossoms, peppermint (Menthapiperita) leaves and either yarrow (Achillea millefolium) or ginger root (zingiber officinale). The tea is often consumed while sitting in a hot bath to further open the pores. The... 

Nicholas Culpepper, the famous English herbalist of the 1700s, said about elder, "I hold it needless to write any description since every boy that plays with a pop gun will not mistake another tree instead of the elder."... 

Many legends claim that elder is a key to enchanted realms and that standing under the elder on Midsummer Night allows one to see fairies. Herbalist Ed Smith refers to elder as, "a condominium for... 

In the play, Arsenic and Old Lace, elderberry wine was laced with arsenic to put old men out of their misery. One of my favorite. French movies is The Sorceress, where elder is used for its many healing virtues by the main character, a medieval herbalist and wise woman. 

Some herbs are standardized for several active constituents, while others are standardized to a single active ingredient. St. John s wort is standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin, whereas ginkgo is standardized to contain 24% flavone glycosides and 6% ter-pene lactones. However, standardizing an herb product to one or more plant component(s) that are identifiable by assay may be incorrect. Many herbalists believe that the whole plant contributes to the efficacy and that there are many unknown active compounds in each plant [6]. 

Junius, Manfred M. The practical handbook of plant alchemy an herbalists s guide to preparing medicinal essences, tinctures, and elixirs. Rochester (VT) Healing Arts P, 1993. ix, 262 p. ISBN 0-89281-485-3... 

The methods used for making pigments from these and other natural dyes were more like recipes than scientific procedures and were probably derived from the work of alchemists and herbalists. The former spent their lives trying to prepare gold by dissolving all kinds of cheap substances in acids and then re-precipitating them (hence their discovery of many precipitants), while the latter sought to extract compounds of medicinal value from plants and some of their extracts must have included natural dyes. 

In this context, judging the qualifications of an alternative medicine practitioner can be difficult— there are no universally accepted guidelines. Some states require licensing of alternative medicine practitioners (e.g., acupuncturists, naturopathic herbalists), and licensure is often used by courts to establish school-specific standards of care. In cases where no licensing exists, courts apply conventional medical or lay standards of care. Eisenberg (1997) has proposed strategies for physicians in guiding patients who seek alternative medical treatment. 

The majority of herbs are safe to handle and consume, but not all of them. Some herbs can be toxic to humans and animals even in small doses, so they need to be treated with respect. Never use anything that you are not sure is completely safe, and consult a medical herbalist first if you want to use herbs for their medicinal properties. 

Anon. The Herbalist. Hammond Book Company, Hammond Indiana 1931 ... 

LT029 Nebelkopf, E. Herbs and cancer. Part II. Herbalist 1981 6(1) 26-39. LT030 Bernhard, H. O., and K. Thiele. Additional flavonoids from the leaves of Larrea tridentata. Planta Med 1981 41 100-103. 

Lucas, R. Secrets of the Chinese herbalists. Parker Publishing Co., New York, 1977. 

In 1962, Pierre Eymard, a graduate smdent at the University of Lyon, synthesized a series of khellin derivatives. Khellin is a biologically active substance that occurs in the fruit of the wild Arabian Khell plant and which has been used for centuries by herbalists for the treatment of kidney stones. Eymard arranged to have his new compounds biologically evaluated at the Ecole de Medecine et de Pharmacie in nearby Grenoble. When attempts to produce a solution of these khellin compounds failed, advice was sought from H. Meunier of the nearby Laboratoire Berthier. In view of Berthier s recent peripheral interest in valproic acid as a solvent for bismuth compounds, Meunier recommended valproic acid as a nontoxic inert solvent. 

From the fifteenth century onwards, the major European powers were sending plant collectors to scour the world for new, exotic plants and the number of species that were accessible to herbalists and physicians increased. The great rmiversities began to assemble plant collections in Botanical Gardens and some royal collections were also established, the best known perhaps being Kew Gardens in London. The reasons... 

In contrast to over-the-counter use by consumers, Chinese botanical products prescribed by TCM practitioners or herbalists are usually in the... 

---