tangent
01-27-02, 04:11
RESQDOC wrote:
Two herb/plant sources are know to be used by those familiar with them: Ergot (Claviceps Purpurea) and > Broom (Cytisus Scoparius). I have NO experience using these and cannot discuss them intelligently or > > recommend them, but have been told about them. Anyone with practical experience, please share.
From: Medical Botany, by Lewis and Lewis, p321-324. This is, btw, an excelent book for anyone interested in medical botanicals and is highly recommended!
REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
Uterine Stimulants
Oxytocic agents stimulate the motility of the uterus, hastening the rapidity of labor. Only a limited number of these potentially dangerous compounds are recommended for clinical use: oxytocin, an animal hormone, induces and stimu-lates labor in selected cases requiring such treatment; and two ergot alkaloids from the fungus Claviceps purpurea (Fig. 13-8)-ergonovine and a semisynthetic derivative, methylergonovine. The latter two are used after parturition to produce firm uterine contractions and to decrease postpartum uterine bleeding. They com-bine low toxicity, rapid onset, and sus-tained action and are preferred over oxy-tocin or other agents for these purposes.
Oxytocic action is known for other compounds, such as the alkaloids quinine and quinidine originally obtained from species of Cinchona (Rubiaceae), but the high incidence of fetal distress and intrauterine death associated with their use indicates that they should not be administered to induce labor unless the fetus has died in utero.
The medieval midwife aided mothers by feeding rye grains contaminated with ergot to women in labor, for they had observed that this course resulted in speedier births and recoveries with far less loss of blood. The midwives were prescribing the ergot alkaloids without knowing why the black moldy grains worked, yet this bit of European folk medicine has passed directly into modern medicine.
We know virtually nothing of the hundreds of other plants used by ex-pectant mothers throughout the world who live outside the realm of modern medical practice. A number of these plant extracts apparently help with labor, some serve as parturition tonics, others help relieve the pain of childbirth, or by reduc-ing hemorrhage, and still others un-doubtedly are used as fertility drugs. Those listed below must have some ef-ficacy beyond placebo, or surely they all would not be used generation after generation by women who seek relief from the suffering of parturition and its complications.
An exception to this general vacuum is the recent research with Oldenlandia af-finis (Rubiaceae).8 A decoction of stems and leaves of this herb is drunk during labor by Lulua women of Kasai Province, Zaire, just before the actual childbirth. Strong uterine contractions and short de-livery time are normally observed (yet in some cases cervical spasms supervene, necessitating an artificial delivery). Two active, chemically distinct oxytocic prin-ciples have been isolated from this species-namely, serotonin and a uteroactive polypeptide.
CHILDBIRTH AIDS
AIZOACEAE
Trianthema portulacastrum. Root decoc-tion causes mild contractions of the uterus, but in large doses it is abortive. It is widely used in the tropics.
ASTERACEAE
Arctium lappa (burdock). Root formed an important ingredient in the medicine used by the Meskwaki women while in labor.
Erigeron philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane). A volatile oil extracted from leaves and flowering tops was used by physicians in this century for hastening uterine contractions.
Montanoa tomentosa from Mexico is used to aid women in childbirth. Senecio aureus (squaw weed), as the vernacular name implies, was used by the Catawba women as a tea to check the pains of childbirth as well as to hasten labor.
CAPRIFOLIACEAE
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry). Tea made from the bark was taken by Meskwaki women in difficult cases of childbirth.
DIOSCOREACEAE
Dioscorea villosa. Tea made from the roots was taken by the Meskwakis to relieve the pain of childbirth.
LILIACEAE
Trillium grandiflorum (white trillium). Tea from the root of this and other species was employed by eastern North Amer-ican Indians to facilitate parturition; it was also used to regularize menstrua-tion.
MALVACEAE
Gossypium spp. (cotton). Boiled root tea was taken by the Alabamas and the Koasatis to ease labor.
MYRICACEAE
Comptonia aspleniifolia (sweet fern). Leaf extracts were used by the Menominees of Wisconsin as a potent medicine to hasten parturition.
RUBIACEAE
Mitchella repens (partridge berry). Tea made from its small fruit reportedly aids labor and acts as a parturient. At one time, the tea was widely used in female medicines by North American Indians.
POSTPARTURITION AIDS
APIACEAE
Angelica polymorpha var. sinensis. Ex-tracts have long been used in Chinese medicine to stimulate uterine contrac-tion.
Neonelsonia acuminata. Extracts are used by natives of the northern Andes after childbirth "to prevent the death of the mother."
BETULACEAE
Betula pumila (low birth). Tea made from the "cones" was taken by the Pillager women as a postparturition tonic, as well as an aid through difficult menses.
FABACEAE
Caesalpinia nuga. Powdered leaves are used in tropical Asia as a uterine tonic following childbirth.
LORANTHACEAE
Phoradendron serotinum (American mis-tletoe). Plant extracts were long used by North American Indians as oxytocic agents, namely, in arresting postpartum hemorrhage.
ONAGRACEAE
Fuchsia excorticata. As used in New Zea-land, extracts supposedly arrest hemor-rhage after childbirth
POACEAE
Paspalum scorbiculatum (koda millet). Root and rhizome decoctions have been employed in the Philippines as an al-terative during and following childbirth.
ABORTIFACIENTS
"Abortion is one of society's oldest and most effective fertility control mech-anisms. Although historically it has been associated with considerable censure and medical risk, abortion nonetheless has been sought even under the most adverse conditions."' A few examples gleaned with relative ease from reported functions of plants, illustrate the existence of numerous abortifacients among most peoples of the world, now and in the past.
APOCYNACEAE
Kibatalia blancoi. Roots and bark extracts are used in the Philippines as abor-tifacients.
ASTERACEAE
Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew). Dried flowers have been used in home remedies in Europe to induce abortion and also to promote menstruation.
CELASTRACEAE
Celastrus paniculata. Bark extract is used from India to the Philippines to terminate pregnancy.
LILIACEAE
Urginea burkei. Bark decoction is used by the natives of South Africa to induce abortion.
RHAMNACEAE
Colubrina asiatica. Fruit decoction is an abortifacient, especially favored in Malaya.
THYMELAEACEAE
Daphne gnidium, native to the Mediter-ranean region. Powdered bark is considered an abortive.
VERBENACEAE
Avicennia marina, possessing an aromatic bitter juice, is abortive as used in tropical Africa and Asia.
Petrea kohautiana. Tea is used as an abor-tive on Dominica in the West Indies.
ANTIABORTIFACIENTS
MENISPERMACEAE
Cissampelos pareira roots are used in tropical areas to prevent a threatened mis-carriage. The herb is also used to stop uterine hemorrhages.
Uterine Disorders
The skin of the mango fruit (Mangifera indica, Anacardiaceae) is used in some tropical areas to treat uterine hemor-rhages. In India a decoction of the dried bark of Saraca indica (Fabaceae) is taken for various ailments of the uterus.
Menstruation
omitted from the plants listed in Table 13-2 is nutmeg or mace (Myristica fragrans), a presumed emmenagogue or promoter of menstruation as well as an abortifacient. Late in the nineteenth century such uses were widely reported for this spice, even though earlier papers on the subject never mentioned efficacy in these regards. This folk belief seemed to be restricted to western Europe and North America, and it has persisted well into this century. For example, in 1959 a Virginia lady of 28 ate 18.3 g of, finely ground nutmeg in an attempt to induce menstruation when only two days overdue." She failed, but became violently ill and was hospitalized in a serious toxic state for a week.
The value of the plants listed in our ta-ble is unknown; they have been used for long periods of time, however, and pre-sumably would have been abandoned if they had failed consistently to induce menstruation or if they had caused serious illness. No phylogenetic pattern appears for the plants used among the many cultures sampled, nor is there a major compound common to most (e.g., alkaloids in the Rubiaceae, volatile oils in the Lamiaceae).
Advice from a physician writing in the colony of Virginia in 1734 for "sup-pression of the courses" reads as follows:
Young Women must shake off Sloath, and make Use of their Legs, as well as their Hands. They should be cautious of taking Opiats too often, or Jesuits-Bark [quinine], except in Cases of great Necessity; nor must they long for pretty Fellows, or any other Trash, what-soever."
Two herb/plant sources are know to be used by those familiar with them: Ergot (Claviceps Purpurea) and > Broom (Cytisus Scoparius). I have NO experience using these and cannot discuss them intelligently or > > recommend them, but have been told about them. Anyone with practical experience, please share.
From: Medical Botany, by Lewis and Lewis, p321-324. This is, btw, an excelent book for anyone interested in medical botanicals and is highly recommended!
REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
Uterine Stimulants
Oxytocic agents stimulate the motility of the uterus, hastening the rapidity of labor. Only a limited number of these potentially dangerous compounds are recommended for clinical use: oxytocin, an animal hormone, induces and stimu-lates labor in selected cases requiring such treatment; and two ergot alkaloids from the fungus Claviceps purpurea (Fig. 13-8)-ergonovine and a semisynthetic derivative, methylergonovine. The latter two are used after parturition to produce firm uterine contractions and to decrease postpartum uterine bleeding. They com-bine low toxicity, rapid onset, and sus-tained action and are preferred over oxy-tocin or other agents for these purposes.
Oxytocic action is known for other compounds, such as the alkaloids quinine and quinidine originally obtained from species of Cinchona (Rubiaceae), but the high incidence of fetal distress and intrauterine death associated with their use indicates that they should not be administered to induce labor unless the fetus has died in utero.
The medieval midwife aided mothers by feeding rye grains contaminated with ergot to women in labor, for they had observed that this course resulted in speedier births and recoveries with far less loss of blood. The midwives were prescribing the ergot alkaloids without knowing why the black moldy grains worked, yet this bit of European folk medicine has passed directly into modern medicine.
We know virtually nothing of the hundreds of other plants used by ex-pectant mothers throughout the world who live outside the realm of modern medical practice. A number of these plant extracts apparently help with labor, some serve as parturition tonics, others help relieve the pain of childbirth, or by reduc-ing hemorrhage, and still others un-doubtedly are used as fertility drugs. Those listed below must have some ef-ficacy beyond placebo, or surely they all would not be used generation after generation by women who seek relief from the suffering of parturition and its complications.
An exception to this general vacuum is the recent research with Oldenlandia af-finis (Rubiaceae).8 A decoction of stems and leaves of this herb is drunk during labor by Lulua women of Kasai Province, Zaire, just before the actual childbirth. Strong uterine contractions and short de-livery time are normally observed (yet in some cases cervical spasms supervene, necessitating an artificial delivery). Two active, chemically distinct oxytocic prin-ciples have been isolated from this species-namely, serotonin and a uteroactive polypeptide.
CHILDBIRTH AIDS
AIZOACEAE
Trianthema portulacastrum. Root decoc-tion causes mild contractions of the uterus, but in large doses it is abortive. It is widely used in the tropics.
ASTERACEAE
Arctium lappa (burdock). Root formed an important ingredient in the medicine used by the Meskwaki women while in labor.
Erigeron philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane). A volatile oil extracted from leaves and flowering tops was used by physicians in this century for hastening uterine contractions.
Montanoa tomentosa from Mexico is used to aid women in childbirth. Senecio aureus (squaw weed), as the vernacular name implies, was used by the Catawba women as a tea to check the pains of childbirth as well as to hasten labor.
CAPRIFOLIACEAE
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry). Tea made from the bark was taken by Meskwaki women in difficult cases of childbirth.
DIOSCOREACEAE
Dioscorea villosa. Tea made from the roots was taken by the Meskwakis to relieve the pain of childbirth.
LILIACEAE
Trillium grandiflorum (white trillium). Tea from the root of this and other species was employed by eastern North Amer-ican Indians to facilitate parturition; it was also used to regularize menstrua-tion.
MALVACEAE
Gossypium spp. (cotton). Boiled root tea was taken by the Alabamas and the Koasatis to ease labor.
MYRICACEAE
Comptonia aspleniifolia (sweet fern). Leaf extracts were used by the Menominees of Wisconsin as a potent medicine to hasten parturition.
RUBIACEAE
Mitchella repens (partridge berry). Tea made from its small fruit reportedly aids labor and acts as a parturient. At one time, the tea was widely used in female medicines by North American Indians.
POSTPARTURITION AIDS
APIACEAE
Angelica polymorpha var. sinensis. Ex-tracts have long been used in Chinese medicine to stimulate uterine contrac-tion.
Neonelsonia acuminata. Extracts are used by natives of the northern Andes after childbirth "to prevent the death of the mother."
BETULACEAE
Betula pumila (low birth). Tea made from the "cones" was taken by the Pillager women as a postparturition tonic, as well as an aid through difficult menses.
FABACEAE
Caesalpinia nuga. Powdered leaves are used in tropical Asia as a uterine tonic following childbirth.
LORANTHACEAE
Phoradendron serotinum (American mis-tletoe). Plant extracts were long used by North American Indians as oxytocic agents, namely, in arresting postpartum hemorrhage.
ONAGRACEAE
Fuchsia excorticata. As used in New Zea-land, extracts supposedly arrest hemor-rhage after childbirth
POACEAE
Paspalum scorbiculatum (koda millet). Root and rhizome decoctions have been employed in the Philippines as an al-terative during and following childbirth.
ABORTIFACIENTS
"Abortion is one of society's oldest and most effective fertility control mech-anisms. Although historically it has been associated with considerable censure and medical risk, abortion nonetheless has been sought even under the most adverse conditions."' A few examples gleaned with relative ease from reported functions of plants, illustrate the existence of numerous abortifacients among most peoples of the world, now and in the past.
APOCYNACEAE
Kibatalia blancoi. Roots and bark extracts are used in the Philippines as abor-tifacients.
ASTERACEAE
Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew). Dried flowers have been used in home remedies in Europe to induce abortion and also to promote menstruation.
CELASTRACEAE
Celastrus paniculata. Bark extract is used from India to the Philippines to terminate pregnancy.
LILIACEAE
Urginea burkei. Bark decoction is used by the natives of South Africa to induce abortion.
RHAMNACEAE
Colubrina asiatica. Fruit decoction is an abortifacient, especially favored in Malaya.
THYMELAEACEAE
Daphne gnidium, native to the Mediter-ranean region. Powdered bark is considered an abortive.
VERBENACEAE
Avicennia marina, possessing an aromatic bitter juice, is abortive as used in tropical Africa and Asia.
Petrea kohautiana. Tea is used as an abor-tive on Dominica in the West Indies.
ANTIABORTIFACIENTS
MENISPERMACEAE
Cissampelos pareira roots are used in tropical areas to prevent a threatened mis-carriage. The herb is also used to stop uterine hemorrhages.
Uterine Disorders
The skin of the mango fruit (Mangifera indica, Anacardiaceae) is used in some tropical areas to treat uterine hemor-rhages. In India a decoction of the dried bark of Saraca indica (Fabaceae) is taken for various ailments of the uterus.
Menstruation
omitted from the plants listed in Table 13-2 is nutmeg or mace (Myristica fragrans), a presumed emmenagogue or promoter of menstruation as well as an abortifacient. Late in the nineteenth century such uses were widely reported for this spice, even though earlier papers on the subject never mentioned efficacy in these regards. This folk belief seemed to be restricted to western Europe and North America, and it has persisted well into this century. For example, in 1959 a Virginia lady of 28 ate 18.3 g of, finely ground nutmeg in an attempt to induce menstruation when only two days overdue." She failed, but became violently ill and was hospitalized in a serious toxic state for a week.
The value of the plants listed in our ta-ble is unknown; they have been used for long periods of time, however, and pre-sumably would have been abandoned if they had failed consistently to induce menstruation or if they had caused serious illness. No phylogenetic pattern appears for the plants used among the many cultures sampled, nor is there a major compound common to most (e.g., alkaloids in the Rubiaceae, volatile oils in the Lamiaceae).
Advice from a physician writing in the colony of Virginia in 1734 for "sup-pression of the courses" reads as follows:
Young Women must shake off Sloath, and make Use of their Legs, as well as their Hands. They should be cautious of taking Opiats too often, or Jesuits-Bark [quinine], except in Cases of great Necessity; nor must they long for pretty Fellows, or any other Trash, what-soever."