tangent
12-12-01, 03:14
In general, it is best to be very suspicious
of anything that claims to be a panacea - the way bacteria and other
nasties work, there is not ever going to be a single thing that does
everything.
there are a number of herbs that seem to have utility
in specific situations.
The use of aloe vera gel as a topical agent to aid in wound
healing is well established now; there is conflicting evidence
regarding _possible_ immunomodulatory effects when used
internally.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) may have utility in treating upper
repsiratory tract infections and bronchitis.
Garlic (Allium sativum) has also shown utility for treating
respiratory tract ailments
Goldenseal (Hydratis canadensis) - extracts contain berberine,
which has demonstrated antimicrobial and antipyretic
properties.
Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea angustifolia/E purpurea) may
be useful as an immune modulator, helping with some viral
infections (colds, flu), although results have been mixed.
St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which drew wide
attention as an antidepressant, appears to encourage
immune function in HIV positive individuals, which
suggests that there might be some advantages for
normal folks as well.
to mention a few.
In general, it is probably best for you to get access
to some good references, either through the library or
by buying them. This will allow you to check out things
for yourself and become an informed consumer, as well as
tailoring the answer to your specific needs.
Some references I would recommend are:
Tyler's Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals
James E. Robbers, Varro E. Tyler ISBN: 0789001594
List $49.95
($39.96 from Amazon)
(Fairly extensive discussion of effects of some herbs.)
Herbal Medicinals: A Clinician's Guide
Lucinda G. Miller, Wallace J. Murray (Editors)
List $39.95
($31.96 from Amazon)
Tyler's Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs
and Related Remedies
Steven Foster, Varro E. Tyler ISBN: 0789008750
List $24.95
($19.96 from Amazon)
Tables of Contents, etc. for the above are on the web
at the Haworth Press site
http://www.haworthpressinc.com/
PDR for Herbal Medicines (2nd Ed.)
Medical Economics Data; ISBN: 1563633612
List $59.95
A good practical herbal is also of use - I like the
Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, because
it gives some good examples of preparation methods,
but you need to be careful, as she sometimes messes
up the taxonomy, and you can find yourself using the
wrong herb if you are not careful. In general, check
the books out at your local library before you buy
to make sure they suit you.
There are also a number of online resources:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://altmed.od.nih.gov/
The Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database
(includes a search page that will let you look for
a specific activity - such as antimicrobial)
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/
The Longwood Herbal task Force
(a whole bunch of monographs in pdf format)
http://www.mcp.edu/herbal/default.htm
Herbmed
(a really nice set of naterials with links
to the Medline abstracts of references, and
including contraindications)
http://www.herbmed.org/
The American Botanical Council
(a useful guide to terminology here)
http://www.herbalgram.org/
************************************************** ****************************
Renegade academician. They're a dangerous breed when they go feral,
academics are...a chemist, too.
--(James P. Blaylock in "Lord Kelvin's Machine")
My organization hasn't agreed with any of my opinions so far, and
I doubt they'll start now.
Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms)
Stanley Roberts
----------------
Another reasonable reference, more as a backup than primary ref,
is "A Modern Herbal" by Maude Grieve -- she wrote it in WWII
when subs were sinking too many supply ships to the U.K and they
wanted a book of alternatives to imported medicines.
--------------
of anything that claims to be a panacea - the way bacteria and other
nasties work, there is not ever going to be a single thing that does
everything.
there are a number of herbs that seem to have utility
in specific situations.
The use of aloe vera gel as a topical agent to aid in wound
healing is well established now; there is conflicting evidence
regarding _possible_ immunomodulatory effects when used
internally.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) may have utility in treating upper
repsiratory tract infections and bronchitis.
Garlic (Allium sativum) has also shown utility for treating
respiratory tract ailments
Goldenseal (Hydratis canadensis) - extracts contain berberine,
which has demonstrated antimicrobial and antipyretic
properties.
Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea angustifolia/E purpurea) may
be useful as an immune modulator, helping with some viral
infections (colds, flu), although results have been mixed.
St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which drew wide
attention as an antidepressant, appears to encourage
immune function in HIV positive individuals, which
suggests that there might be some advantages for
normal folks as well.
to mention a few.
In general, it is probably best for you to get access
to some good references, either through the library or
by buying them. This will allow you to check out things
for yourself and become an informed consumer, as well as
tailoring the answer to your specific needs.
Some references I would recommend are:
Tyler's Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals
James E. Robbers, Varro E. Tyler ISBN: 0789001594
List $49.95
($39.96 from Amazon)
(Fairly extensive discussion of effects of some herbs.)
Herbal Medicinals: A Clinician's Guide
Lucinda G. Miller, Wallace J. Murray (Editors)
List $39.95
($31.96 from Amazon)
Tyler's Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs
and Related Remedies
Steven Foster, Varro E. Tyler ISBN: 0789008750
List $24.95
($19.96 from Amazon)
Tables of Contents, etc. for the above are on the web
at the Haworth Press site
http://www.haworthpressinc.com/
PDR for Herbal Medicines (2nd Ed.)
Medical Economics Data; ISBN: 1563633612
List $59.95
A good practical herbal is also of use - I like the
Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, because
it gives some good examples of preparation methods,
but you need to be careful, as she sometimes messes
up the taxonomy, and you can find yourself using the
wrong herb if you are not careful. In general, check
the books out at your local library before you buy
to make sure they suit you.
There are also a number of online resources:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://altmed.od.nih.gov/
The Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database
(includes a search page that will let you look for
a specific activity - such as antimicrobial)
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/
The Longwood Herbal task Force
(a whole bunch of monographs in pdf format)
http://www.mcp.edu/herbal/default.htm
Herbmed
(a really nice set of naterials with links
to the Medline abstracts of references, and
including contraindications)
http://www.herbmed.org/
The American Botanical Council
(a useful guide to terminology here)
http://www.herbalgram.org/
************************************************** ****************************
Renegade academician. They're a dangerous breed when they go feral,
academics are...a chemist, too.
--(James P. Blaylock in "Lord Kelvin's Machine")
My organization hasn't agreed with any of my opinions so far, and
I doubt they'll start now.
Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms)
Stanley Roberts
----------------
Another reasonable reference, more as a backup than primary ref,
is "A Modern Herbal" by Maude Grieve -- she wrote it in WWII
when subs were sinking too many supply ships to the U.K and they
wanted a book of alternatives to imported medicines.
--------------