The World of Medicinal Herbs

In our little sphere of modernity, the use of medicinal herbs may seem edgy and new, but the truth is that human beings have turned to the world of green for health and nurture from the beginning. The oldest known treatments for the ailments that still plague us today—from headaches to sore feet, from muscle cramps to melancholy—come from the world of plants. In becoming more knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, their powers, and their limitations, we join people who have harvested plant parts and prepared them according to their cultural traditions throughout history. Our advantage, in these days of modern medical science, is that in many cases we have the ability to learn how and why these plants can do what they do for our minds and bodies. That is the purpose of this book: to draw together the ancient and the modern, to recognize the remarkable healing properties of plants both familiar and rare, and to bring modern science to bear on understanding how the plant world interacts with the human.

The Many Ways of Using Herbs

Herbal remedies come in many forms, and each has a strict definition:

Infusion: A tea is prepared by pouring hot water over plant parts and letting it steep for a short time.
Decoction: A longer tea preparation: plant parts simmer in hot water for a longer time.
Syrup: Plant parts are added to a sugar-water or honey-water mixture.
Powder: Dried plant parts are pulverized, traditionally by mortar and pestle.
Tincture: Essential plant components are dissolved in a water and alcohol solution.
Essence: Essential plant fragrance is added to alcohol.
Ointment: Powdered or essential plant parts are added to an oily substance such as olive oil, petroleum jelly, or lard, and often mixed with beeswax.
Poultice: Fresh or dried plant parts are applied to skin with moist heat.

Today, with so many herbal preparations available commercially, it’s important to read labels to confirm that the product contains a “standardized extract,” which is the manufacturer’s promise that from batch to batch a measure and control are placed on the levels of active herbal ingredients in the tea, tincture, salve, or other product. Standardization assures proper, consistent, and effective levels. This measure is especially important in capsules and tablets, the method of delivery most often chosen by consumers of commercial herbal medicine today. Mention of specific products, companies, or organizations in this book does not imply that the publisher or the authors endorse them.
For the sake of simplicity, and to match current practices, this broad array of delivery methods has been narrowed down in this book to the five most common: tea, tincture, capsule or tablet, topical application, and in or as food.

To those who wish to bring medicinal herbs into their daily lives, whether as part of a regular health regimen or as an alternative or supplement to modern medical treatments, we say: Read, learn, consider—and good health to you.

The Safe Use of Medicinal Herbs

Consumers of commercial herb preparations would do best to educate themselves about what they are buying and using medicinally. Herbs can be potent. Read labels, pay attention to recommended dosages, and avoid combining herbs on your own. Although in many cases this book identifies several herbs that may address the same health problem, in no way does it imply that a person should use all of them at one time. Many commercially available herbal teas contain blends of herbs to enhance flavor and benefit, but consumers should be cautious about mixing herbs on their own.
It is best to seek the advice of a health-care professional before beginning the use of herbal therapies. Especially if you use prescription drugs, seek advice before turning to herbal remedies, because some combinations of herbs and pharmaceuticals can be dangerous or cause undesirable side effects. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should be especially careful about using herbal remedies, and parents should seek advice before giving herbal remedies to children.

Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana, H. vernalis

For most of the year, witch hazel might easily be missed amid the pines, oaks, hickories, and maples of its native eastern North American woodlands. But come November, when these larger trees have lost their leaves and gone to seed, smaller, shrubbier witch hazel bursts into bloom. Explosions of pale yellow flowers, each composed of four streamerlike petals, crowd the trees’ slender branches and often last well into December. Despite its common name, the plant has little to do with witches. The witch of witch hazel is likely derived from the Anglo-Saxon wych, meaning “pliant” or “bendable.” It refers to H. virginiana’s traditional use as a source of forked branches used as divining rods, or witching sticks, to locate underground sources of water or precious minerals. Witch hazel’s real magic, however, lies in its mild astringent and antiseptic properties, useful primarily for treating inflamed or irritated skin.

Therapeutic Uses

Minor cuts

Hemorrhoids

Varicose veins

Eczema

Household first-aid kits have long held distilled witch hazel water, one of the few widely available commercial medicines made from a wild native plant. The reason for its wide distribution? Witch hazel is one of the classic astringents. The tannins in its leaves, bark, and twigs help to heal a variety of skin conditions. Various preparations of witch hazel are used topically to stop bleeding from minor cuts and abrasions; to calm inflamed mucous membranes and skin, such as those affected by eczema; and to decrease the size and symptoms of varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

There are many different types of tannins in witch hazel, including catechins (also present in green tea and chocolate), which have antioxidant properties. These compounds may be antivirals, anti-inflammatories, and cancer preventives. Witch hazel also might counteract the harmful effects of enzymes that damage connective tissue in skin or blood vessels.

In a clinical study, researchers used a witch hazel ointment on 231 children with diaper rash, skin inflammation, and minor skin injuries and a pharmaceutical ointment on 78 children with similar conditions. The dose and duration of treatment were left to the discretion of the primary care physician for each child, and symptoms were rated over the course of 7 to 10 days. Both the witch hazel and the pharmaceutical ointment improved skin appearance and symptoms over the treatment period.

Another study of 72 people with moderate to severe eczema compared the use of a cream containing witch hazel distillate with that of a 0.5 percent hydrocortisone cream. Findings showed that both treatments relieved eczema symptoms, but the hydrocortisone worked much better.

How to Use

Extract: Many different forms of witch hazel begin with a distillation of the leaves, bark, and/or twigs. This liquid is added to ointment or creams and then applied to the skin.

Liquid: Witch hazel water is made by soaking plant parts in water and distilling the mixture. Alcohol is added to keep the distillate from spoiling (for example, 86 percent witch hazel distillate and 14 percent alcohol). The tinctures and other preparations commonly used by herbal medicine practitioners are usually stronger than distilled witch hazel water.

Precautions

Although witch hazel preparations can be consumed orally, there is some concern about ingesting the tannin compounds in any appreciable quantity; they can cause stomach troubles and kidney or liver damage, and they can interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. There are very rare reports of allergic reactions to topical witch hazel products, and some people develop redness and a burning sensation when witch hazel is applied to the skin.

Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

It is common knowledge that cats are attracted to catnip. Some even go crazy over it. It’s less well known that valerian has much the same effect. Something in the scent of valerian sends cats—and, strangely enough, rats—into an intoxicated frenzy. Most people, however, find the musky odor of valerian offensive. The ancient Greeks certainly did. Their name for valerian was phu, a word that aptly communicates people’s typical reaction to smelling the plant’s leaves or roots. Unpleasant smell aside, the Greeks valued valerian greatly as a medicinal herb. They used it to cure a variety of ills, notably insomnia. Some 2,000 years later, valerian is one of the best sleep-inducing sedatives in the modern herbal medicine chest.

Therapeutic Uses

Nervousness

Insomnia

Anxiety

Valerian is the most widely used sedative in Europe, where more than a hundred preparations are sold in pharmacies across Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Now researchers are getting closer to understanding the compounds in valerian, as well as the mechanism responsible for its sedative effect. GABA is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, and its receptor, GABAA, is the target of many drugs used to reduce anxiety or aid sleep, such as benzodiazepines. Valerenic acid and valerenol are two compounds in valerian root that have been shown to strongly bind GABAA receptors and are likely to be key players in its therapeutic effect.

There have been numerous clinical trials studying the effect of valerian on insomnia. Two studies administering valerian every night for 2 to 4 weeks found that those taking it had significant improvement in sleep and sleep quality compared with a placebo. Other studies yielded contradictory results, especially studies that tested valerian for shorter periods for acute insomnia. It appears that if valerian does improve sleep, it must be taken for at least 2 weeks to achieve a benefit.

The majority of valerian preparations sold in Europe contain other sedative herbs such as hops, lemon balm, or passionflower. The combination of valerian and hops is popular in Europe and has been shown in several studies to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and to reduce waking up during the night. A clinical trial of valerian and lemon balm was shown to improve sleep in children 12 years of age and under. It appears that valerian is a safe herbal choice for treating mild insomnia. Valerian in combination with hops and/or lemon balm may be more effective than valerian alone.

How to Use

Tea: Steep 1 teaspoon dried valerian root in 1 cup water for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink 30 to 60 minutes before bed.

Capsules: Take 2 to 3 g of dried valerian root 30 to 60 minutes before bed.

Extract: Doses of 300 to 900 mg of valerian extract standardized to valerenic acid were used in clinical trials.

Tincture: Generally, 5 to 10 ml, 30 to 60 minutes before bed.

Precautions

The American Herbal Products Association gives valerian a class 1 safety rating, indicating that it is a very safe herb with a wide dosage range. Valerian does not appear to be habit-forming, which is an important advantage over many other sleeping medications. A small number of people may experience adverse reactions to valerian, such as restlessness. This is believed to be an idiosyncratic reaction, however, that is limited to individual hypersensitivities.

Turmeric

Curcuma longa

Turmeric is the source of the brilliant golden-orange spice that gives many curries their peppery, somewhat musky flavor and ballpark mustard its bright yellow hue. It comes from the rhizome of a stately, large-leafed perennial that belongs to the same family as ginger. The genus name of turmeric, Curcuma, comes from korkum, a word used in ancient Rome to mean “saffron,” which is a much costlier, more subtly flavored spice. Turmeric is mentioned in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, as being associated with purity and cleansing. Even today, orthodox Hindu brides and bridegrooms take part in a ceremony called haldi—the Hindi word for “turmeric”—in which their faces and hands are coated with turmeric paste before they take their vows. As a healing herb, turmeric has its roots deep in the medicinal traditions of India, China, and several Southeast Asian cultures. In Western herbal medicine, it has recently gained popularity as a potent but safe anti-inflammatory treatment for a host of digestive ailments and other conditions.

Therapeutic Uses

Inflammatory bowel disease

Rheumatoid arthritis (joint pain)

This ancient spice is one of the most intensely researched herbs in the marketplace. Interestingly, studies in animals suggest turmeric may offer protection from Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have discovered that curcumin, a group of highly active, yellow-colored compounds in turmeric, stops the accumulation of plaque in the brain. Destructive protein fragments known as beta amyloid plaques build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s and lead to memory loss. Studies in humans are currently under way to confirm this preliminary finding.

Turmeric seems to have a special affinity for reducing inflammation in the body, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. Curcumin has been shown to be beneficial for reducing symptoms in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions are collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease. In studies, patients given doses of 1 to 2 g per day of curcumin experienced fewer symptoms and less systemic inflammation.

Curcumin may protect against colon cancer. A small pilot study in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) disorder—characterized by the development of hundreds of benign tumors in the colon, eventually leading to colorectal cancer—garnered positive results. A combination of 480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin taken orally 3 times a day reduced the number and size of tumors in patients by roughly 60 percent over a 6-month period. A larger study is currently under way at Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers around the world are showing a tremendous interest in turmeric. In the United States alone, the National Institutes of Health is currently funding studies on turmeric and curcumin for a variety of conditions, including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and rheumatoid arthritis.

How to Use

Tea: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1 teaspoon turmeric and steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Add honey and/or lemon if desired.

Capsules: 2 to 3 g turmeric per day provides 60 to 100 mg curcumin, the daily amount typically consumed in the diet in India.

Standardized extract: To replicate the levels of curcumin used in the clinical trials on turmeric, purchase an extract that guarantees a specific level of curcumin (sometimes written as curcuminoid on the label). Most studies used turmeric extracts providing 1 to 2 g per day of curcumin, taken in 2 to 3 divided doses.

Precautions

Eating turmeric is very safe. Scientists have shown that taking curcumin at doses of up to 12 g per day is also very well tolerated, though there is little reason to take that much. Some people may get indigestion when taking high amounts of turmeric/curcumin.

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

Common thyme is an uncommon herb. Its diminutive leaves give off an invigorating fragrance and impart an agreeable depth of flavor to almost any dish containing meat. Thyme is traditionally bundled together with parsley and bay leaf to form the French bouquet garni and dropped into soups, stews, and other savory dishes while they simmer. Tiny thyme leaves also contain a volatile oil with remarkable antiseptic properties. The ancient Etruscans and Egyptians used thyme oil for embalming their dead. Many early cultures associated thyme with death, and the minute, pale purple flowers were thought to provide a resting place for the souls of those who had died. The ancient Greeks burned thyme as part of funeral rites, as incense in temples, and as a fumigant to chase insects from houses. But they also believed that the herb had the power to instill courage. Thyme’s genus name may be derived from the Greek word for either “courage” or “to fumigate.” The link to courage, however, followed thyme to England when the Romans introduced it there. During the Middle Ages, ladies of the court presented their brave knights with scarves embroidered with a sprig of thyme.

Therapeutic Uses

Coughs

Colds and flu

Thyme is one of several fragrant herbs that double as spices and medicines. The aromatic compounds, also called essential or volatile oils, are the important parts of thyme leaves and flowers. The volatile oils in thyme help to relieve coughs, probably in two different ways. Thyme is antispasmodic and an expectorant, meaning that it not only calms coughs but also helps clear bronchial mucus. It is also antibacterial and antiviral.

Several volatile oils in thyme, including thymol and carvacrol, account for its aroma. Much of the research on carvacrol comes from studies of oregano oil, which is also rich in carvacrol. Carvacrol and thymol are also the oils that account for thyme’s expectorant effects and for its inhibition of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Many bacteria and viruses shown in lab tests to be inhibited by thyme oil are the same ones that cause upper respiratory infections or colds—possible support for its long-standing traditional use.

Few clinical trials have examined the use of thyme for coughs or respiratory infections. One study used a product combining thyme with evening primrose oil in people suffering from bronchitis; the group taking the thyme product showed less coughing than those taking a placebo capsule. However, this study, which did not separate out the effects of thyme by itself or test it on other types of infections or coughs, does not offer conclusive results.

How to Use

Tea: Steep 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme leaves and flowers in 1 cup hot water and drink 3 times daily.

Capsules/syrup: Thyme extracts are available as capsules and syrups in a variety of doses and strengths. These products often combine thyme with other herbs thought useful for respiratory conditions; specific use depends on each product.

Precautions

Thyme is safe, especially when consumed as an infusion—made by steeping thyme in hot water. Stomach upsets are rare. Consumption of thyme essential oil—as with any essential oil—should be avoided in high doses or over long periods of time.