Medicinal Plants in the Garden. The disclaimer

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1 Medicinal Plants in the Garden Kirsten Conrad Buhls, Extension Agent Virginia Cooperative Extension Arlington County The disclaimer The historical or documented medicinal uses for various plants mentioned in this presentation does not constitute an endorsement by Virginia Cooperative Extension for their usage or efficacy. No product, preparation, or consumption of plant products for medicinal purposes should be undertaken without the advice of a physician. 1

2 The disclaimer the fine print! he who doctors himself has a fool for a physician (We make no guarantees that any treatment mentioned in this presentation will improvement your sex life.) Uses of Plants Oldest branch of human knowledge Fed, clothed, sheltered, provided fuel, helped protect us, healed us, and allowed us to talk to the gods. Survival depended on knowledge of plants! How did they learn this stuff? 2

3 Modern Pharmacopaia? 25-50% of industrial world prescriptions are plant based but Nothing new from Amazon forests beyond those based on plants brought to Europe by the conquistadores and successors more than 300 years ago No modern pharmaceutical drug with one exception is based on Native Americans use of plants Only one from Ayurveda,Indian ancient medical sytem Only 2 drugs from China s massive plant pharmacopoeia In past 40 years-less than a dozen plant based drugs have been approved. History Herb Teachings Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine (TAM) Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) General Herbs-Western and European 3

4 Roots of Medicine- India India Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Ayurveda-Sanskrit- life and knowledge First Sanskrit medical treatises 200 BC AD 200 CarakaSamhitadescribes uses for 500 plants SushrataSamhitadescribes how to use 760 plants Both were aides to traditional oral system of lok swasasthya paramparas Threats to Ayurvedic medicine came from Muslims and from Great Britain s occupation of India Roots of Medicine China Guangxi Medicinal Herb Botanical Garden Located near the city of Nanning in Guangxi province, it is the largest of its kind in China, containing over 2400 species of medicinal plants. Foundations in 29 th 27 th centuries B.C. All creation is marriage of polar elements of yin and yang Health = harmony and balance of chi/qi and moisture and blood 5 elements: water, fire, earth, metal, and wood Han dynasty 200 B.C.-205 AD first book of pharmacopoeias Cross pollination with Indian culture, Spice Islands, Java, and Byzantine empire (Turkey) 4

5 Jacob Boehme Doctrine of Signatures Bones? Lungs? Heart? Bones? Like cures like? "Faith is believing what Reason shows to be untrue." -Voltaire Paracelsus Womb? Testes? 5

6 2/3 s of world s 6.1 billion people cannot afford or do not have access to western drugs Western drugs-generally have only one active ingredient 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary health care In Germany, about plant-based medicines are available and are prescribed by some 70% of German physicians Modern Medicines? Tubocurarine- most powerful muscle relaxant in existence is derived from curare Morphine- most powerful painkiller- Opium poppy Anesthetics- Cocaine- coca plant Quinine- anti malarial Cinchona Digoxin- heart remedy- Digitalis Ephedrine- cough remedy- Ephedra sinica 1990 s biomedicine relies on plants for 25% of medicines - derived from isolated plant constituents 6

7 Regulatory matters? Currently, no organization or agency regulates the manufacture or certifies the labeling of herbal preparations. This means you can't be sure that the amount of the herb contained in the bottle, or even from dose to dose, is the same as what is stated on the label. Some herbal preparations are standardized, meaning that the preparation is guaranteed to contain a specific amount of the active ingredients of the herb. However, it is still important to ask companies making standardized herbal products about their product's guarantee. It is important to talk to your doctor or an expert in herbal medicine about the recommended doses of any herbal products. Herbal products are classified as dietary supplements Food Vs. medicine? Herbal medicine works when the distinction between food and medicine is removed Lemon- lemonade and infection resistance Onion- seasoning, nutrition and fights bronchial infection Oats- thickener, fiber, nutrition..supports convalescence 7

8 Whole Plant = whole Medicine Humans have evolved with plants Value of whole plant vs constituent parts Pharmacological approach to understanding how herbs work is trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with only half the pieces. Tea Camellia sinensis vs Coffee Coffea arabica? Tannins reduce the amount of nutrients and drugs that are absorbed from the intestines. Study requires combining scientific research on active constituents, observation of clinical results, and traditional knowledge of whole plant The dose makes the poison. Paracelsus, called the father of toxicology, wrote: Alle Ding sind Gift, und nichts ohn Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist. "All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." 8

9 Plants as mediators between humans and the Creator? Immortality bites. Epic of Gilgamesh-Sumerian prose poem pre 2000 BC and the thorny plant that promises everlasting life Bible-Garden of Eden s tree of life and the tree or knowledge of good and evil also appear in the Koran Chinese myths about Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou and herbs of immortality; Han epic from 4 th -5 th centuries A.D. mentions the Herb of deathlessness Ornamentals Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Feverfew Lavender Golden Rod Solidago canadensis 9

10 4/3/2013 Dandelion Taraxacum officinalis Burdock Weeds? Arctium lappa Plantain Plantago lanceolata Chickweed Stellaria media Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris Mullein Verbascum thapsus St. John's wort Hypericum perforatum.. Valerian Valeriana officinalis Stinging nettle Urtica dioica Milk thistle (Silybum marianum 10

11 Basil Capsicum Oregano Sage Parsley Our vegetable garden Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis Peppermint Mentha piperita Mints Catmint Nepeta cataria Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium 11

12 In our woods. The woodland botanicals currently in highest demand are goldenseal, ginseng, black cohosh, bloodroot, false indigo, and fairy wand Bloodroot American Ginseng Black Cohosh Cimicifuga racemosa Woodland Fairy Wand Chamaelirium luteum 12

13 Shrubs and Trees Elderberry Sambucus nigra Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana WHAT DO THEY DO? Sweet herbsnourish, moisten and heal the tissues and strengthen physical energy. They would be used if you are weak or sickly. Bitter herbsstimulate you to eat more and help increase the motion of digestion. They also are used for drying tissues in that they reduce secretions, inflammation Sour herbsheat and warm the body and give strength to the digestive process. Pungent herbswarm the body, increase your appetite and stimulate the senses Salty herbswill give you a better appetite, help with digestion and dissolve blockages. They also help to moisten the bodies tissues Astringent herbsgive strength and healing to tissues, decrease your digestion, slow bodily functions like urine output and bowel movements. They also help bleeding stop. 13

14 HOW DO YOU TAKE IT? Crude herbs are just like they sound. The herbs are harvested or collected, dried, cut and sifted. Generally they are brewed up into teas. Powdered herbsare nothing more than ground up crude herbs. They do not last as long in this form and are used for teas or drinks. Teas are made with water. if you do the infusion method, you bring water to a light boil, turn off the heat, toss in the herbs and steep for a few minutes or longer. Sun tea is made this way by putting tea into a container with a good seal and setting it out into the sunlight til done. Decoction is when you steep herbs in water for ten minutes up to one hour. Tinctures are made by using a solution that draws out the best of the herb while soaking. Alcohol is common for this task. Tinctures are easy to digest and absorb. There are some herbs that only can be taken in this form. When looking at a bottle of tincture you will see a ratio normally given. The first number is the amount of herb to the amount of liquid used, so 1/2 is stronger than 1/10 Extracts-come in liquid or solid and are generally times stronger than crude herbs. Capsules-herbs in powder form or dried decoctions and extracts are put in a gelatin capsule for ease of taking. Tablets-same ingredients as the capsule but a binding substance is added and they are made into a tablet form by a machine. Gel-caps- Completely sealed capsules that have tinctures or extracts inside. HOW THEY WORK Diuretic- They will help your kidneys excrete urine and waste products to leave your body Adaptogens-Bring balance to your body Amphoterics-They function on different organs in your body and will bring a normalcy if you are hyper or hypo. Expectorants Help you cough up the bad things in your lungs and upper respiratory tract Emollients Apply to your skin to soften and soothe Antimicrobials These reduce bacteria, fungus and viruses Demulcents Taken orally to soothe and protect inflamed or damaged tissues Aphrodisiacs- Stimulate sexual good feeling, desire and need Antiseptic You use these on your skin to inhibit the growth of bacteria Alteratives-These herbs will help you eliminate waste via the kidneys, skin, lymphatics, lungs, large intestines and liver. Emmenagogues- Helps to promote menstruation Hemostatic- Help you stop bleeding Stimulants Increase your mental activity and your metabolism Nervines Calm and soothe emotions and your nervous system Laxative -Encourage your system to have a bowel movement. There are two kinds on stimulates you to go and the other adds water and bulk to make it easier to go. Tonics Strengthen your immune system making it easier to fight off infection and they tone up and give energy in a general over all feeling. 14

15 Virginia Plant Savers Resources A volunteer organization with a mission to protect native medicinal plants of Virginia and their native habitat, while ensuring and promoting the renewable supply of medicinal plants through education, research, and the promotion and construction of medicinal plant sanctuaries. Sacred Plant Traditions:A Center for Herbal Studies and Traditional Healing Arts Garden Medicinals and Culinaries Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Index HortusThird: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the US and Canada McKeldin 1976 Folio Flora of North America North of Mexico McKeldin1993 vol.1-3 Medicinal Plants of the World: Chemical Constituents, Traditional and Modern Medicinal UsesMcKeldin

16 On Line Resources U. of MD Herbal Medicine and Integrated Medicine Home North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines Virginia Plant Savers