TEA INFORMATION

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)

Antiseptic, astringent, circulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory.

Common Uses: Bilberry contains over 15 anthocyanosides which help to maintain the integrity of capillaries, stabilize collagen and are also potent antioxidants. Numerous clinical studies have shown Bilberry to be effective in the treatment of circulation disorders, varicose veins and other venous and arterial problems. Bilberry has also been promising in dealing with vision disorders, helping with eye strain and visual acuity, retinal disturbances, day and night blindness, myopia, pigmentary retinitis and diabetic induced cataracts. Studies have also shown that Bilberry can act as a coadjutant in hemo-ralopy and diabetic retinopathy and can stimulate rhodopsin production.

Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale)

Diuretic, cholagogue, antirheumatic, laxative, hepatic, depurative.

Common Use: The blood cleansing properties of this simple plant, and its stimulating effect on the stomach, liver and bowels, make it a very valuable plant for all disorders of this kind. Dandelion is also one of the highest natural sources of potassium, as well as numerous other vitamins and minerals. This herb is a most valuable general tonic and perhaps the best widely applicable diuretic and liver tonic available.

The Health Benefits of Dandelions
By Peter Gail

Suppose your doctor tells you, on your next visit, that he has just discovered a miracle drug which, when eaten as a part of your daily diet or taken as a beverage, could, depending on the peculiarities of your body chemistry:

prevent or cure liver diseases, such as hepatitis or jaundice;
act as a tonic and gentle diuretic to purify your blood, cleanse your system, dissolve kidney stones, and otherwise improve gastro-intestinal health;
assist in weight reduction;
cleanse your skin and eliminate acne;
improve your bowel function, working equally well to relieve both constipation and diarrhea;
prevent or lower high blood pressure;
prevent or cure anemia;
lower your serum cholesterol by as much as half;
eliminate or drastically reduce acid indigestion and gas buildup by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods;
prevent or cure various forms of cancer;
prevent or control diabetes melitis;

and, at the same time, have no negative side effects and selectively act on only what ails you. If he gave you a prescription for this miracle medicine, would you use it religiously at first to solve whatever the problem is and then consistently for preventative body maintenance?

All the above curative functions, and more, have been attributed to one plant known to everyone, Taraxacum officinale, which means the "Official Remedy for Disorders." We call it the common dandelion. It is so well respected, in fact, that it appears in the U.S. National Formulatory, and in the Pharmacopeias of Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, and the Soviet Union. It is one of the top 6 herbs in the Chinese herbal medicine chest.

According to the USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods" (Haytowitz and Matthews 1984), dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. Minnich, in "Gardening for Better Nutrition" ranks them, out of all vegetables, including grains, seeds and greens, as tied for 9th best. According to these data, dandelions are nature's richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A of all foods, after cod-liver oil and beef liver! They also are particularly rich in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and the B vitamins, thiamine and riboflavin, and are a good source of protein.

These figures represent only those published by the USDA. Studies in Russia and Eastern Europe by Gerasimova, Racz, Vogel, and Marei (Hobbs 1985) indicate that dandelion is also rich in micronutrients such as copper, cobalt, zinc, boron, and molybdenum, as well as Vitamin D.

Much of what dandelions purportedly do in promoting good health could result from nutritional richness alone. Vogel considers the sodium in dandelions important in reducing inflammations of the liver. Gerasimova, the Russian chemist who analyzed the dandelion for, among other things, trace minerals, stated that "dandelion [is] an example of a harmonious combination of trace elements, vitamins and other biologically active substances in ratios optimal for a human organism" (Hobbs 1985).

Recent research, reported in the Natural Healing and Nutritional Annual, 1989 (Bricklin and Ferguson 1989) on the value of vitamins and minerals indicates that:

Vitamin A is important in fighting cancers of epithelial tissue, including mouth and lung;
Potassium rich foods, in adequate quantities, and particularly in balance with magnesium, helps keep blood pressure down and reduces risks of strokes;
Fiber fights diabetes, lowers cholesterol, reduces cancer and heart disease risks, and assists in weight loss. High fiber vegetables take up lots of room, are low in calories, and slow down digestion so the food stays in the stomach longer and you feel full longer;
Calcium in high concentrations can build strong bones and can lower blood pressure; B vitamins help reduce stress.

Throughout history, dandelions have had a reputation as being effective in promoting weight loss and laboratory research indicates that there is some support for this reputation. Controlled tests on laboratory mice and rats by the same Romanians indicated that a loss of up to 30% of body weight in 30 days was possible when the animals were fed dandelion extract with their food. Those on grass extract lost much less. The control group on plain water actually gained weight.

Beyond nutritional richness, however, are the active chemical constituents contained in dandelions which may have specific therapeutic effects on the body. These include, as reported by Hobbs (1985):

Inulin, which converts to fructose in the presence of cold or hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Fructose forms glycogen in the liver without requiring insulin, resulting in a slower blood sugar rise, which makes it good for diabetics and hypoglycemics;
Tof-CFr, a glucose polymer similar to lentinan, which Japanese researchers have found to act against cancer cells in laboratory mice; Lentinan is a yeast glucan (glucose polymer) that increases resistance against protozoal and viral infections.;
Pectin, which is anti-diarrheal and also forms ionic complexes with metal ions, which probably contributes to dandelion's reputation as a blood and gastrointestinal detoxifying herb. Pectin is prescribed regularly in Russia to remove heavy metals and radioactive elements from body tissues. Pectin can also lower cholesterol and, combined with Vitamin C, can lower it even more. Dandelion is a good source of both Pectin and Vitamin C;
Coumestrol, an estrogen mimic which possibly is responsible, at least in part, for stimulating milk flow and altering hormones;
Apigenin and Luteolin, two flavonoid glycosides which have been demonstrated to have diuretic, anti-spasmodic, anti-oxidant and liver protecting actions and properties, and also to strengthen the heart and blood vessels. They also have anti-bacterial and anti-hypoglycemic properties, and, as estrogen mimics, may also stimulate milk production and alter hormones;
Gallic Acid, which is anti-diarrheal and anti-bacterial;
Linoleic and Linolenic Acid, which are essential fatty acids required by the body to produce prostaglandin which regulate blood pressure and such body processes as immune responses which suppress inflammation. These fatty acids can lower chronic inflammation, such as proliferative arthritis, regulate blood pressure and the menstrual cycle, and prevent platelet aggregation;
Choline, which has been shown to help improve memory;
Several Sesquiterpene compounds which are what make dandelions bitter. These may partly account for dandelions tonic effects on digestion, liver, spleen and gall bladder, and are highly anti-fungal;
Several Triterpenes, which may contribute to bile or liver stimulation;
Taraxasterol, which may contribute to liver and gall bladder health or to hormone altering.

These chemicals, individually, are not unique to dandelions, but the combination of them all in one plant, along with high levels of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fiber account for the many claims made regarding the plant.

These claims include the following results of clinical and laboratory research, again as reported in Hobbs (1985):

A doubling of bile output with leaf extracts, and a quadrupling of bile output with root extract. Bile assists with the emulsification, digestion and absorption of fats, in alkalinizing the intestines and in the prevention of putrefaction. This could explain the effectiveness of dandelion in reducing the effects of fatty foods (heartburn and acid indigestion);
A reduction in serum cholesterol and urine bilirubin levels by as much as half in humans with severe liver imbalances has been demonstrated by Italian researchers;
Diuretic effects with a strength approaching that of the potent diuretics Furosemide and Lasix, used for congestive heart failure and cirrhosis of the liver, with none of the serious side effects, were found by Romanian scientists. They found that water extract of dandelion leaves, administered orally, because of its high potassium content, replaced serum potassium electrolytes lost in the urine, eliminating such side effects common with the synthetics as severe potassium depletion, hepatic coma in liver patients, circulatory collapse, and transmission through mothers' milk;
In 1979 a Japanese patent was filed for a freeze-dried warm water extract of dandelion root for anti-tumor use. It was found that administration of the extract markedly inhibited growth of particular carcinoma cells within one week after treatment;
Dental researchers at Indiana University in 1982 used dandelion extracts in antiplaque preparations;
In studies from 1941 to 1952, the French scientist Henri Leclerc demonstrated the effectiveness of dandelion on chronic liver problems related to bile stones. He found that roots gathered in late summer to fall, when they are rich in bitter, white milky latex, should be used for all liver treatments;
In 1956, Chauvin demonstrated the antibacterial effects of dandelion pollen, which may validate the centuries old use of dandelion flowers in Korean folk medicine to prevent furuncles (boils, skin infections), tuberculosis, and edema and promote blood circulation.

Also, Witt (1983) recommends dandelion tea to alleviate the water buildup in PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome).

There are many testimonials from those who have benefited from the use of dandelions in the treatment of what ailed them.

Robert Stickle, an internationally famous architect, was diagnosed as having a malignant melanoma 21 years ago, and was given, after radical surgery had not halted its spread, less than 2 years to live. He said, in a letter to Jeff Zullo, president of the Society for the Promotion of Dandelions, (June 23, 1986):

" I went on a search for the answer to my mortal problem, and [discovered] that perhaps it was a nutritional dilemma.... To me, cancer is primarily a liver failure manifestation. {Italians are very concerned about problems of the 'fegato']. [I discovered that] the cancer rate in native Italians is very low among the farming population (paesanos). When they get affluent and move to the city, its the same as the rest of civilized man. Paesanos eat dandelions, make brew from the roots, and are healthy, often living to over 100 years."

He states that he began eating dandelion salad every day, and his improvement confounded the doctors. When he wrote the letter in 1986, 18 years had passed and there had been no recurrence of the melanoma.

A benefit which comes from writing articles for national media is that you hear from people who have interesting stories to tell. I recently received a call from Peter Gruchawka, a 70 year old gentleman from Manorville, NY, who reported that he had been diagnosed with diabetes melitis 3 months before and was put on 5 grams of Micronase. At the time, he had a 5+ sugar spillover in his urine. He took Micronase for about a month before he learned, from his wife who is a nurse, that Micronase can do damage to the liver. He had read in "Herbal Medicine" by Diane Buchanan and "Back to Eden" by Jethro Kloss about the effectiveness of dandelions in controlling diabetes. Without saying anything to his doctors, he stopped taking Micronase and began drinking dandelion coffee each day. During the first week, his urinary sugar, measured night and morning, was erratic and unstable, but after a week, his sugar stabilized and when he called, he had been getting negative urine sugar readings for over a month. The doctors are amazed and can't explain it. An interesting side benefit to replacing Micronase with dandelion coffee is that, while Micronase damages the liver as a side effect, dandelions are particularly known for strengthening the liver.

According to Mr. Gruchawka, he changed nothing but the medication. He had cut out pastries and other sugars when he was diagnosed and started on Micronase, and has continued to do without those things while taking dandelion coffee.

In reporting these claims, however, I must add three qualifiers:

First, unfortunately, neither herbs nor synthetic remedies work for everyone in the same way. Different bodies respond differently to medicines, and what works incredibly well for one person may not work at all, or work less well, for someone else.
Second, good health results from a combination of healthy diet and enough exercise to keep the body toned. Bob Stickle, for all his insistence that dandelions cured him, changed, according to a mutual friend, his entire lifestyle. He didn't just add dandelion salad to what he was already doing.
People with health problems need to seek the advice and care of a competent physician, with whom this information can be shared. It is important to reemphasize that it is presented as information only. I am not a medical doctor, and neither advocate nor prescribe dandelions or dandelion products for use by anyone or for any ailment. Only your doctor can do that.

Because there are so many variables, it is hard to attribute Mr. Stickle's cure to any one of them directly. Likewise, Italian farmers live a lifestyle which combines a healthy diet, lots of work and clean air. They heat and cook with wood, which they have to cut and split. They haul water for household use. When they move to the city, diet, exercise, and environmental conditions change. Stress and sedentary habits increase.

And there is the importance of faith in the healing process, whether it be faith in God or faith in the curative properties of the herb being taken.

While dandelions, given all these variables, may never be proved to cure any specific ill, they are an extremely healthy green which cannot in any way hurt you. Research on how much you would have to eat to cause harm indicates that eating grass is more dangerous than eating dandelions (Hobbs 1985). Therefore, with everything going for dandelions, it is highly probable that everyone can derive at least some nutritional benefit from them by eating or drinking them regularly.

The medical and pharmacological establishment is generally critical of claims regarding the use of herbs on disease, and their concerns need to be put in perspective.

Herbal medicines have been used very effectively far longer than synthetics, and many current pharmaceutical products have been derived from research on plants used as medicine by many cultures. The problem with plants, however, is that they are available to anyone. It is impossible to patent a plant, and thereby gain proprietary rights to it. As a consequence, pharmaceutical companies attempt to isolate the active properties from medicinal plants and synthesize them so that they can patent them. Many of the synthetics have serious side-effects which were not present in the natural plant product, often because other chemicals in the plant offset them (i.e. the large quantities of potassium in dandelions which allows for potassium replenishment when dandelion is used as a diuretic).

USDA botanist Dr. James Duke (1989) suggests that a proper and appropriate "herbal soup", filled with "vitamins, minerals, fibers and a whole host of bioactive compounds," from which the body can selectively strain the compounds it needs to restore itself to health, will be more effective than synthetic medicines containing a "very select and specialized compound or two plus filler, usually non-nutritive." This is especially true if the "herbal soup", in the form of a potent potherb like dandelion, is a regular part of the diet so that the appropriate bioactive substances are present in the right amounts when the body needs them.

The book that this reprint was taken from "The Dandelion Celebration-The Guide to Unexpected Cuisine" is recommended to anyone who would like to know more about this remarkable plant. It covers everything you could want to know about dandelions and more, including recipes, planting, picking and preparing, along with the wonderful history of this "Official Remedy for Disorders", Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion.

Hawthorn berry (Crataegus sp.)

Cardiac tonic, hypotensive.

Common Use: Hawthorn berries provide us with one of the best tonic remedies for the heart and circulatory system, they act in a normalizing way upon the heart by either stimulating or depressing its activity, depending on the need. In other words, hawthorn berries will move the heart to normal function in a gentle way.

For best results hawthorn is recommended to be taken for 6-12 months consecutively. Inform your doctor of your hawthorn berry use if taking Digitalis medication.

Milk Thistle seed (Silybum marianum)

Regenerates the liver on a cellular level, hepatic, cholagogue, galactagogue, tonic.

Common Use: The extensive modern clinical and laboratory research on milk thistle seed would fill (and has filled) a whole book. The most important active constituents discovered so far are the flavonoid-like compounds called flavanolignans, the group of which is collectively called silymarin. The three most abundant of these molecules are silbinin, silychristin, and silydanin. These compounds have two major actions:

they bind to the liver cell (hepatocyte) membranes and protect them from being injured by foreign chemicals, endogenous and environmental toxins and free radical damage;
they enter the liver cells and enhance their ability to produce enzymes vital to the liver's proper functioning, thus speeding recovery from injury to the liver and even stimulating regeneration of liver tissue.

The seeds are also rich in betaine, a proven liver protector, as well as essential fatty acids that may help lower excessive and chronic inflammation in the body. This herb is specific for protection and enhanced liver regeneration after exposure to heavy metals, radiation, or toxic chemicals. Milk Thistle is an important part of a therapeutic regime for hepatitis (both chronic and acute) or cirrhosis. It is also useful for psoriasis or other skin ailments, according to clinical experience.

MORE ON MILK THISTLE:

Milk Thistle: Nature's Liver Protector
By Michael Castleman

Mainstream medicine has little to offer those with disease of the liver. "Most liver treatment," says herbal medicine authority Varro Tyler, Ph.D., the Lily distinguished professor of pharmacognosy (natural product medicine) at Purdue University, is simply supportive." Doctors keep patients comfortable and away from liver-damaging drugs, alcohol, and viruses until the organ can heal itself (if it can).

However, liver healing could be significantly spurred by a remarkable herb that has been hiding in plain sight for almost 2,000 years. It's milk thistle (Silybum marianum). This common herb's value against liver disease has been demonstrated in more than 100 rigorous scientific experiments. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these studies have been European, mostly German, and few mainstream American physicians read German botanical medicine journals. As a result, they are in the dark about milk thistle's astonishing liver-protective powers.

Mary's Milk

Milk thistle is native to the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan, but now grows throughout the temperate world. The plant grows from five to ten feet tall, and has large prickly leaves and reddish purple flowers with sharp spines that resemble artichokes. When de-spined, milk thistle leaves are edible, and some vegetable gardeners cultivate the plant as a substitute for spinach. When broken or crushed, the stems and leaves exude a milky white juice, hence this herbs's name. Milk thistle's specific name, marianum, comes from an ancient legend that its leaf veins turned white after being touched by a drop of the Virgin Mary's breast milk.

Milk thistle has been used in traditional herbal medicine since the first century, when the Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder (AD. 23-79), wrote that the plant's milky juice was good for "carrying off bile." (Today "bile" denotes a product of the gall bladder, part of the liver, which assists in the digestion of fats, but in ancient times, bile was used more generally to describe any internal fluid.) The noted 16th century British herbalist, John Gerard, was the first to recommend milk thistle for liver problems, though his prescription was oblique. He actually suggested the herb for "expelling melancholy," which physicians at the time considered a liver ailment. Half a century later, Britain's most famous herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, was the first to recommend milk thistle specifically for liver disorders. By the 19th century, German physicians were using a tincture prepared from milk thistle seeds (actually the plants seed like fruits) to treat jaundice and other liver diseases. America's 19th century eclectic physicians, who specialized in botanical medicines, adopted the herb for liver ailments and for intestinal cleansing.

With the rise of the modem pharmaceutical industry, U.S. research of herbal medicines declined considerably. Fortunately, this did not happen in Germany, where in 1949, scientists noticed that milk thistle seemed to protect animal livers from poisoning with highly toxic carbon tetrachloride. In 1968, scientists isolated the three specific liver-protective molecules in milk thistle - silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin - now known collectively as silymarin [milk thistle extract].

Studies Galore

More than 100 studies have confirmed silymarin's [milk thistle extract] liver-protective value. Here is a brief overview of what researches have discovered:

Alcoholic Cirrhosis. A 1989 report in the Journal of Hepatology (study of the liver) described a study involving 170 people with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis, an often fatal condition, and the nation's 11th leading cause of death, claiming 25,000 lives each year. The study participants were divided into two groups. One received 200 mg of milk thistle extract (140 mg of silymarin [milk thistle extract]) three times a day, the other received a medically inactive look-alike placebo. Both groups were followed for four years. During that time, the death rate in the placebo group was about 60 percent, but among those taking silymarin [milk thistle extract], only 40 percent died, a highly statistically significant difference. Other studies have shown that silymarin [milk thistle extract] provides similar benefits for people suffering from cirrhosis.
Death cap mushroom poisoning. The common wild mushroom, Amanita phalloides, is known as the "death cap" for a good reason. It takes only a handful of this widely distributed fungus to kill an adult, less to kill a child. Standard medical treatment - activated charcoal - is not particularly effective. Amanita mushroom ingestion proves fatal in about half of the cases. Twenty years ago, pilot studies showed that silymarin [milk thistle extract] treatment substantially reduced amanita-poisoning deaths in animals fed the mushroom. Subsequently, several human studies were launched. In one German hospital test, 60 consecutive people with amanita poisoning were given intravenous silymarin [milk thistle extract]. None died. Other studies have produced results that are similar, though not as spectacular. (However, the success of silymarin [milk thistle extract] in treating amanita poisoning should not encourage anyone to go mushroom hunting without training in amanita avoidance. Unless your an experienced hunter, the only place to pick mushrooms is at a produce market.)
Hepatitis. Hepatitis means liver inflammation. It is not one disease, but several, most of which are caused by different viruses that attack liver cells. The three most common forms are hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis A is food borne. Hepatitis B and C are blood borne and sexually transmitted. Mainstream medicine treats all forms of hepatitis with rest and avoidance of alcohol and other drugs and toxins that tax the liver. However, silymarin [milk thistle extract] is a more effective approach. In one study, 77 people with hepatitis were divided into to groups, one treated with silymarin [milk thistle extract], the other with a placebo. Average recovery time for the placebo-takers was 43 days, but those who took silymarin [milk thistle extract] recovered in an average of just 29 days.
Gallstones. Up to 10 percent of Americans are estimated to have gallstones, little pebbles that develop in the gallbladder. Some cause no symptoms, but many cause abdominal pain, sometimes severe enough to require surgical removal of the gallbladder. Most gallstones are formed from cholesterol, and then precipitates out as stones. A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet helps prevent gallstones. So does silymarin [milk thistle extract]. In one study, people with gallstones were given 420 mg of silymarin [milk thistle extract] a day. Without diet changes, after several weeks, they showed significant reductions in the cholesterol concentration of their bile, which minimized the risk of stone formation.
Liver Function Tests. The liver metabolizes all drugs, and powerful medications often stress the liver, producing abnormal liver function tests that sometimes require physicians to stop drug treatment people need. Silymarin [milk thistle extract] helps normalize liver function, allowing those who must take liver-harming medications to do so with less risk of liver damage. In one study, 66 women taking anticonvulsant or psychiatric medications showed abnormal liver-function tests. They began taking silymarin [milk thistle extract] in addition to their medication, and 52 of them showed significant improvements in liver function.
Occupational Toxic Chemical Exposure. Like drugs, toxic chemicals also stress the liver, causing liver-function tests to register abnormal results. European studies show that silymarin [milk thistle extract] renormalizes liver-function tests in workers who produce pesticides, and in those exposed to toxic heavy metals, for example, lead and cadmium.
Psoriasis. A few European studies suggest that silymarin [milk thistle extract] may even help treat the scaly skin patches of psoriasis.

How Silymarin [milk thistle extract] works

Silymarin [milk thistle extract] works in three ways. It strengthens the outer membranes of liver cells, preventing penetration by liver-damaging substances. This accounts for its effectiveness against amanita mushroom poisoning. Both silymarin [milk thistle extract] and the mushroom toxins bind to the same sites on liver cell membranes. As silymarin [milk thistle extract] blood levels increase, the milk thistle extract occupies the cell-membrane receptor sites, displacing the amanita toxins.

Silymarin [milk thistle extract] also protects liver cells because of its powerful antioxidant action. Antioxidants neutralize cell damage caused by chemically unstable oxygen molecules formed by high-fat diets, smoking, and other toxic substances. The best known antioxidants are Vitamin A (beta-carotene), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and the mineral selenium. However, in the liver, silymarin [milk thistle extract] is more than 10 times as potent an antioxidant as Vitamin E.

Finally, silymarin [milk thistle extract] inhibits the action of the enzyme largely responsible for inflammation in hepatitis.

As far as scientists know, silymarin [milk thistle extract] does not interfere with the liver's metabolism of drugs, so it does not interfere with the action of medications.

Preventive Medicine?

You don't have to munch amanita mushrooms to stress your liver. Every day we're exposed to pollutants, pesticides, food additives, and other substances that the liver must detoxify. In addition, anyone who drinks alcohol or takes any medication - either prescription or over-the-counter drugs - boosts the liver's workload, and damages some liver cells in the process. Fortunately for all of us, the liver is quite large. Its the second largest organ, after the skin, so you can lose millions of liver cells and still function normally. But why lose even a single liver cell if you don't have to?

Recently, Scandinavian researchers tested silymarin's [milk thistle extract] effect on livers that were stressed but not seriously diseased. They selected 106 consecutive patients who had abnormal liver-function tests from alcohol use, but who did not have cirrhosis. Half took silymarin [milk thistle extract]: the other half received a placebo. After four weeks, the placebo group showed no change in liver-function, but the silymarin [milk thistle extract] group showed highly significant improvement, in some cases, complete normalization of liver-function, despite their alcohol consumption. Perhaps we all should take silymarin [milk thistle extract]. Robert McCaleb, president of the Herb Research Foundation in Longmont, Co., does: "If I worked in an occupation [that stressed the liver], I would take milk thistle regularly, once each workday morning. [but I don't, so] I take two tablets before working with paints or solvents, and I never take aspirin acetaminophen (tylenol) without also taking milk thistle. Finally, I always take milk thistle along when traveling because almost invariably I find myself at a cocktail party" (Sage Counsel).

NETTLE LEAF
(Urtica dioica)

Alterative, nutritive, astringent, diuretic, tonic.

Common Use: Nettles are one of the most widely applicable plants available. They can effect a wide range of problems and act as an excellent general detoxifying remedy and whole body tonic. Nettles are a rich source of trace elements, absorbing and accumulating them. Because of their rich nutritional content, (this includes minerals, vitamins, iron and chlorophyll) they have traditionally been used for anemia, exhaustion, debility and to help people recuperate. The high content of silicon present has made nettles highly beneficial in stimulating hair growth and improving the condition of the hair and especially the skin.

EYEBRIGHT
(Euphrasia officinalis)

Acts specifically on the mucous lining of the eyes, nose, and upper throat, to the top of the windpipe to soothe and heal.

It can be used regularly as a protective tea to insure health.

If you tend to get repeated eye, nose or throat infections, try eyebright tea for a few weeks to strengthen these areas.

Its also a good safeguard tea for people who inhale smoke.

Eyebright tea, warm or iced, is soothing, pleasant, and healing to your eyes

It helps to clear your head and lift your spirit!

Excellent for bronchitis, colds, hay fever, asthma ...

Eyes:

For tired, dry eyes; inflamed eyes; eye infections and disorders, use eyebright tea. Bathe your eyes in cool eyebright tea for a very soothing treatment. For chronic cases of eyestrain, bathe eyes 3 times a day.

Eyes on Computers:

eyebright tea at work will help prevent weary computer eyes, it's good for clearing the head, improving memory and sight, and its mildly tonic.

Eyes on pets:

Eye infections and inflammations are common in pets, and they love this soothing eye wash. Treat their eyes to a cool tea eyewash, and use it intermittently to preserve sharp, healthy eyes on your pet. (strain the tea very well).

Properties:

good source of vitamins and minerals, including Vit. A, C, D and E, calcium, iodine, magnesium, manganese, silicon, sodium, cooper and Zinc, euphrases, tannin, mannite, glucose.

Values:

astringent, mild tonic, anti-inflammatory

For more information on eyebright or other herbs, email me

LICORICE:

Actions: Expectorant, demulcent, anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-spasmodic, mild laxative.

Indications: Liquorice is a traditional herbal remedy with an ancient history and world wide usage. Modern research has shown it to have effects upon, amongst other organs, the endocrine system and liver. The triterpenes ofGlycyrrhiza are metabolized in the body to molecules that have a similar structure to the adrenal cortex hormones. This is possibly the basis of the herbs anti-inflammatory action. As an anti-hepatotoxic it can be effective in the treatment of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, for which it is been widely used in Japan. Much of the liver orientated research has focused upon the triterpene glycyrrhizin. This inhibits hepatocyte injury caused by carbon tetrachloride, benzene hexachloride and PCB. Antibody production is enhanced by glycyrrhizin, possibly through the production of interleukin. Glycyrrhizin inhibits the growth of several DNA and RNA viruses, inactivating Herpes simplex virus particles irreversibly. It has a wide range of uses in bronchial problems such as catarrh, bronchitis and coughs in general. Liquorice is used in allopathic medicine as a treatment for peptic ulceration, a similar use to its herbal use in gastritis and ulcers. It can be used in the relief of abdominal colic.

Avoid Licorice with hypertension, kidney disease or during pregnancy.

Echinacea:

Echinacea is one of the primary remedies for helping the body rid itself of microbial infections. It is often effective against both bacterial and viral attacks, and may be used in conditions such as boils, septicaemia and similar infections. In conjunction with other herbs it may be used for any infection anywhere in the body. For example in combination with Yarrow or Bearberry it will effectively stop cystitis. It is especially useful for infections of the upper respiratory tract such as laryngitis, tonsillitis and for catarrhal conditions of the nose and sinus. In general it may be used widely and safely.

Its actions relate to immune system functioning, helping deal with infections and stimulating the immune response. It activates the macrophages that destroy both cancerous cells and pathogens, increases the level of phagocytosis by raising levels of white blood cells such as the neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, and B lymphocytes.

GOLENSEAL

One of our most useful remedies owing much of its value to the tonic effects it has on the mucous membranes of the body. This is why it is of such help in all digestive problems, from peptic ulcers to colitis. Its bitter stimulation helps in loss of appetite, and the alkaloids it contains stimulate bile production and secretion. All catarrhal conditions improve with Goldenseal, especially sinus ones. The anti-microbial properties appear to due to alkaloids present. As an example of research that has been done on plant constituents we shall consider berberine. Berberine, found in a number of other herbs as well, has antibiotic, immuno-stimulatory, antispasmodic, sedative, hypotensive, uterotonic, cholerectic, & carminative activity. Its demonstrable pharmacological activities strongly contribute to the therapeutic use of Hydrastis. Berberine has marked antimicrobial activity, and while not in the same league as antibiotics, it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. In vitro antimicrobial effects have been demonstrated against bacteria, protozoa, and fungi.

Traditionally Hydrastis canadensis has been used during labour to help contractions, but it is for just this reason that it should be avoided during pregnancy. Applied externally (use tea bag as compress) it can be helpful in eczema, ringworm, itching, earache and conjunctivitis.

GINGER

Stimulant, carminative, given in dyspepsia and flatulent colic, excellent to add to bitter infusions; specially valuable in alcoholic gastritis; of use for diarreah from relaxed bowel where there is no inflammation. Ginger Tea is a hot infusion very useful for stoppage of the menses due to cold, externally it is a rubefacient.

Ginger may be used as a stimulant of the peripheral circulation in cases of bad circulation, chilblains and cramps. In feverish conditions, Ginger acts as a useful diaphoretic, promoting perspiration. As a gargle it may be effective in the relief of sore throats. Externally it is the base of many fibrositis and muscle sprain treatments. Ginger has been used world-wide as an aromatic carminative and pungent appetite stimulant. In India, and in other countries with hot and humid climates, ginger is eaten daily and is a well-known remedy for digestion problems. Its wide-spread use is not only due to flavor, but to the anti-oxidant and anti-microbial effects, necessary for preservation of food, essential in such climates.

PEPPERMINT

Peppermint is an excellent carminative, having a relaxing effect on the muscles of the digestive system, combats flatulence and stimulates bile and digestive juice flow. It is used to relieve intestinal colic, flatulent dyspepsia and associated conditions. The volatile oil acts as a mild anaesthetic to the stomach wall, which allays feelings of nausea and the desire to vomit. It helps to relieve the nausea & vomiting of pregnancy and travel sickness.

Peppermint can play a role in the treatment of ulcerative conditions of the bowels. It is a traditional treatment of fevers, colds and influenza.

Where headaches are associated with digestion, Peppermint may help.

As a nervine it eases anxiety and tension.

In painful periods, it relieves the pain and eases associated tension.

Externally it is used to relieve itching and inflammations.