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What is St. John's Wort?
- Family: Clusiacea
- Name: Hypericum perforatum
- European native
- Some native spp. but they are not as medicinal as the European kind
- Klamath weed
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What's in it?
- Used in medicine at least since Hippocrates (400BC)Used by Native Americans
- St. John's day (June 24)
- Greek "hypericon" (traditional use against demons, witchcraft)
- Leaves form cross shape (holy herb)
- Tannins
- Flavonoids
- Terpene oils Hypercin
- Pseudohypercin
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What is it used for?
- Antidepressant
- Some studies show as effective as Zoloft
- Mild to moderate depression
- External wounds
- Drive away phantasms, ghosts, spooks
- Paracelsus
- Removes dangerous influences at home
- May be used for digestion
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What is SJW used as?
- Neuralgia
- Anti-inflammatory
- Sedative
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How is it prepared?
- Extract
- Capsule
- Fresh flowering top oils extract
- $400 million/year
- 5th top herb in US
- 130 million doses prescribed in Germany in 1999
- Prescribed in Germany in 1989
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What is Hawthorn?
- Family: Rosaceae
- Name: Crateagus monogyna/ C. laevigata
- Includes North America
- Important ornamental
- Native to temperate world
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What's in it?
- Polyphenolics
- Phenolics linked together
- Flavanoids & procyanidins
- Leaves and flowers
- Fruits
- Procyanidins
- Entire extract is used (not sure which cmpd is best)
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Used for?
- One of the most popular prescribed herbs in Europe
- 20th in sales in US
- Cardiac performance
- Congestive heart failure
- Stage II & I
- Nervous heart complaints
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How is Hawthorn used?
- Leaf with flowers
- Infusion (10-15 min)
- Tincture
- Capsules
- Extract
- Leaf/root powder
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Hawthorn
- Is a vasodilator
- Increases coronary blood flow
- Improves heart beat
- Its an ACE inhibitor (helps stop it)
- [Similar to other drugs]
- [Ace → constriction of vessels → higher blood pressure]
- Reduces high blood pressure kidney problems
- Less shortness of breath, etc
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What is Grindelia?
- Family: Asteraceae
- Name:
Grindelia squarrosa Native to prairie & Western USGumweed
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What is Gumweed/ Grindelia?
- Diterpenes
- Copius amounts
- Flavonoids
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What is gumweed/grindelia used for?
- Wash sores, skin problems
- Asthma
- Coughs
- Relax smooth muscles
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How is it prepared?
- Tincture
- 45% alcohol
- Decoction
- 3x/day (drink)
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Chaste Tree
- Family: VerbenaceaeName: Vitex agnus-castus
- Woody shrub or tree
Native to Mediterranean/Middle east/W. AsiaAnaphrodesiac Chew berries to reduce urges
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What is in Vitex?
- Iridoid glycosides
- Acubin, agnuside
- Flavonoids
- Casticin
- Diterpenes
- "Chemicals" seem to act on pituitary glands
- No single active chemical
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Vitex is good medicine for ...
- "Normalizes pituitary function"
- "Normalize activity of female sex hormones"
- Galactogogue
- Helps:
- Dysmenorrhea
- Helpful in menopause
- Ease breast tenderness
- Reduces progesterone production
- May help reduce pms
- May cure over time (Hoffman: 1yr or longer)
- Help adjust after taking pills with progesterone
- Improve ovulation
- After 10 days
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How is vitex used?
- Used berries, leaves
- >2500 years of use
- Tincture
- 30-40 mg dried fruit
- 50-70% alcohol
- Infusion
- of the berries (hot leaves)
- Standardized fruit extract
- 5%
- Decoction of leaves,flowers & fruits
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Lobelia
- Family: Campanulaceae
- Name: Lobelia inflataL. SiphiliticaL. SpicataL. CardinalisNative to N. American Prairie
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How is it used?
- Antiasthmatic
- Antispasmodic, expectorant
- Emetic
- When relaxation is needed
- CNS depression/depressant
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Controversy
- Considered toxic by some
- Acts similar to nicotine
- Steven Foster "plant has been implicated in deaths from improper use as a home remedy"
- Eclectics had "high regard: for its use
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How is it used?
- Tincture (5mls 3x/a day)
- Infusion
- Dried herb capsules
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Cranberry
- Family: Ericaceae
- Name: Vaccinium macrocarponNative to North America Particularly upper midwest,NE
- Boggy habitat
- Low N, acid soils
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What's in Cranberry?
- PhenolicsAnthocyanins
- Malic and Citric acids
- "Antioxidants"
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Cranberry is good medicine for...
- Cranberry chemicals reduce bacterial adherence to body linings
- Cranberry chemicals are useful for treating UTI
- Prevent scurvy (inc Vit C)
- Poultices (N.Am)
- May help with bladder stones
- Listening
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Other studies show
- Effectiveness of cranberry for UTIs
- "no known limits on duration of use"
- Takes 2-5 days to work
- Optimal 12-15 days
- Serious disease 4-8 weeks
- Prevent plague and gum disease
- Antioxidant effects
- Strong in vitro
- Same as placebo in vivo
- Suggest lack of anti-cancer or heart protective effects
- Inhibits Helicobacter pylori adhesion and suppresses infection
- Help eradicate H. pylori (along with standard treatments in women)
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