Review

 Exam
o Approx 60 questions
o Starts at emetics
o May see herbs that are related in some way in the same questions
o May see herbs from the first part included in the questions (for example, if
they contain tannins)
o Separation of plants into groups according to function is somewhat
arbitrary
 Emetic
o Makes you vomit
o Emesis is the process of vomiting
o Principle indication for an emetic
 Poisoning
 Want to get something out of the stomach
o Empties the ST – can’t really go beyond that
o Occasionally get some reflux of bile in the ST
o Time factor involved
 How long would you allow after the consumption of a poison
would you say that an emetic is no longer of value?
• An hour
• Emetic is indicated for approx 20min
o Certain things that you would never induce emesis
 Anything corrosive, volatile,
 Petroleum products
 Acids
 Sharp objects
• Commonly swallowed by children
o What are the two major emetics that we talked about
 Cephaelis ipecacuanha
 Gillenia trifoliata
o If give too much Cephaelis ipecacuaha
 Poisonous
 Isoquinoline alkaloid
 Active constituent
 Has resulted in several deaths
 If using toxic herbs and not an expert  refer to an expert
(medical profession)!!!
 If have time to get someone to ER and think they’ve swallowed
broken glass, liquid plumber  give syrup of ipecacuaha
o Lobelia
 Primarily known as an expectorant from the respiratory tract
  General rule: if have an expectorant in a high dosage  emetic
o Gillenia
 Expectorant
 In high doses  cathartic
o Remove toxins from the body
o Goal of nature cure in many cases  detoxify
 Anthelmintics and Parasitic
o Not commonly used by NDs b/c don’t often see severe cases
 a lot of work
 need to be around patient for 48 hours
o Why need to supervise patient?
 b/c it’s toxic
 need to be able to observe that they are not exhibiting symptoms
 if they are give an emetic
 mostly use anthelmintics for roundworms, ringworms…
• don’t often kill them but get them to detach/paralyzed
• then give something to stimulate peristalsis
o purgative or laxative
 anthraquinone laxative
 some cases saline laxative
• works osmotically
• if give someone a saline drink, it
brings water into the intestine so that
the contents are moved through from
the bulk
• get a combination of increased
peristalsis and a washing through of
the inside of the intestine and
anything that is unable to hold on is
washed out with it
o artemesia cina
 common qualities
 extremely bitter
• bitter tonic (remember! Goes together)
 stimulate digestion
 tonifies the body in all manner of ways
 so when we talk about bitter’s as antidepressants, is that a stretch?
• No, b/c works the same way as a cup of coffee might
o Elevates the mood
• Bitters can do that
 Chemical constituents that are responsible for the bitterness in
Artemesia?
• Partly a function of the volatile oil
 • Which part of the ingredient list is responsible for the
anthelimetic qualities?
o Sesquiterperpine lactone
 Toxic in high doses
• Need to be otherwise won’t be able to paralyze worms
 Usually used for round worms
o Chenopeodum ambrodiodes
 American wormseed
 Useful anthelmintic, works really well
 Has a volatile oil
• Ascaridol – main anthelmintic element
 Toxic
 When read about use of it
• Use powdered seed
• Saline cathartic after about two hours
o Curcubita pepo
 Pumpkin seed
 A lot needed to act as anthelminitic
• About 200-400g of ground, unpeeled seeds in two doses
• Mix with milk and honey
• Follow with castor oil purge, two to three hours later
 Not particularly toxic
 Used for tapeworms
o Dryopteris filix-mas
 is the other really good tapeworm remedy
 Very effective but need to supervise’
 Phloroglucinol derivatives
 Toxic
 Pay more attention to things that have the potential to poison
people
o Juglans cinera and Juglans nigra
 Walnut, butter nut family
 Most famous vermifuge is black walnut
 Popularized with cloves
 Laxative
 People who buy this are often concerned about cleansing the body
 Eating healthy diet is probably a better way of doing it
 Most parasites have problems establishing themselves in healthy
people
 Both anthelmintic and laxative
 Also contain a lot of tannins
• How do you know?
 o b/c ground is covered with hulls of walnut and it
leaves a black stain on the ground, as the rain
breaks the hull down
o the black stain is tannins
o if continue to take juglans hulls, will get
constipation
o astringency always trumps purgative actions in the
long run
 one of the dangers of using juglans or any
other tannins
o Punica granatum
 Vermifuge and taenoside
 Use the rind of the fruit or the bark of the tree
 Then use strong purgative
 Has a lot of tannins in it
 Also used as a gargle for sore throats or as an astringent
o Spigelia marilandica
 Vermifuge
 The constituent in both cases are alkaloids
• Pomegranates and spigelia
 Not difficult to remember b/c named for the plant they come from
 Toxicity
• Increased cardiac reaction
• Two major systems poisoned by alkaloids
o Neurological and cardiovascular
o This is why the alkaloids can be very useful as
tonics and useful to the immune system
o This is why they are useful if we know how to dose
but can be dangerous
o Tanacetum vulgare
 Not usually taken internally
 Use it outside body as an insecticide
 Can be used growing as a plant, a strewing herb around animals or
powders
• Keeps biting insects away
 It is a toxic anthelmetics
 Contains thujone
• Contain in artemeisa as well
• Belongs to volatile oile
 was used by eclectics in small doses
 the oil used as an anthelimitic and as an abortive
 will kill the woman as well as the fetus
 contraindicatons
 • not used very often
 Female Herbs
o Most difficult group to understand
o Angelica archangelica
 Need to know about
 Somebody talked very highly of
 Used during time of death or serious illness to connect to a serious
illness.
 Has a wide variety of actions
 Astringent, ,tonic, diuretic, collegogue, anti-inlammatory
 The content of a carminative
 Bitter
 Helpful in anorexia nervosa
 Helps ease rheumatic inflammation
 Used as a urinary antisceptic
 Used in psoriasis
o Arctium Lappa
 In the endocrine section
 Burdock
 Cleanser, used in treatment of cancer in different types
 Used in the treatment of skin conditions
 Ha an effect on at least two endocrine systems
 Somewhat hypoglycemic.
o What are some of the things that female herbs do?
 Uterine tonification
• Strengthens
• Contracts better; strongly but in a relaxed way
• Smooth contractions, so there is no leaking of the arteries
• Lack of uterine tone
o Preexisting general condition of the women
 Energy – going to be tired and fatigued
 Adrenal exhaustion
 Deficiency of KI essence and energy
 So many people, especially woman talk
about female health right now
• Dysmenorrheal, PMS, almost all
symptoms are going to be improved
if adrenals taken care of
 Men feel more entitled to take out time to
rest
 Women are taught to put themselves last, to
care for others before themselves
  Even if she is single and professional of
some kind, probably knock herself out b/c
feels that she needs to work a lot to come to
same level as men
 Woman needs permission to look after
herself and love herself, and be the first
person she needs to take care of
 More yin support and more yang support
 Antispasmotics
• Vibernum
• Work on the uterus for sure
• Also works on abdomen
• Listen to abdomen and hear spastic sounds
• Vibernum will help
• Peppermint can be too strong in some people, especially in
children
• Lactuca (sp?)
o Wild lettuce
• Percidia
o On it’s own a very good remedy for dysmenorrheal
 Emmenogogues
• Emphasized a lot that it’s a herb which will help to
normalize the process of menstruation
• Doesn’t mean that it will make her menstruate no matter
what
• May not be safe to use during pregnancy
• Not going to stop the menses
• Work primarily b/c they normalize the hormonal succession
• Restore normal functioning
• Blue cohosh
o Hormone normalizer
• Minchella
• Vibernum
o Tonic
• Crocus sativus
o Very expensive to collect
o used b/c it’s rare and exotic looking
o scarce
o more has been attributed to it than is fair
o used mostly as a food colouring
o toxic
o 5g  used to make a tea out of, can be a toxic dose
o Very expensive
 o Theoretically an emeenogogue, carminative and
bitter
• Strychnos ignatia
o Nerve poison
o Indole alkaloids
o Will cause muscle cramping and stiffness,
eventually convulsions
o At ordinary doses there is a wide therapeutic index
o Good for nervous system
o Tonic to the stomach, reproductive organ, eyes and
ears
o Used to use herbs like this in the cattle industry to
get things going again
• Gossypium herbaceum
o Has an interesting side benefit, that while it is toxic
it has specific toxicity for spermatogenesis in men
o Effective in reduce spermatogenesis
o Irreversible infertility
o Contraindicated in pregnancy
o Abortifacent
o If prolonged use, infertility in men
o Has been used in parturition
• Alchemilla vulgaris
o Used as an astringent to uterus
o In a healing and gentle way
• Angelica cinensus
o Builds blood and moves blood
o Also moves Qi
o Anytime want to improve the flow of Qi and blood
– useful herb
o Proficiency of KI Qi and energy
o Difficulty building enough blood for full menstrual
flow
o Primary herb for the reproductive hears
o Vitex is the primary herb for the menopause years
o Also regarded as a menstrual regulator
o Improves the general vitality of the reproductive
process
o Has an effect on the digestive system as well
o Mover of blood
o Antispasmodic and tonic
o Building strength but reduces the spasdicity
o Evening primrose oil
 Used in menstrual symptoms
 o Red raspberry
 Partus preparator
• Emmenogogues are always contraindicated in pregnancy in
any text book, but some can be used in pregnancy when it
is threatened (viburnum, blue/black cohosh)
 Musculoskeletal Herbs
o Complex b/c there is a vast range
o Look at aging; chronological or prematurally (exhausted and overdone)
 Both those cases can improve by strengthening the adrenal fuction
o Circulation to the genitals
 Atherosclerosis, and elevated cholesterol
 Increase blood
o Enlarged prostate
 Seems mechanically to interfere with erectile function
o Psychological
 How comfortable a man is with his sexuality
 Impotence doesn’t exist
• Under the right circumstances most healthy men can have
an erection
o Salicylates
 Salix
 Wintergreen
o Anti-inflammatory
 Bromaline
 Salicylates
• Not the same as ASA
• Don’t have as much blood thinning ability as aspirin does
• Don’t substitute salicylate containing herbs for aspirin
 Devil’s claw
• Powerfully anti-inflammatory
• Reabsorbed calcified tissue that has crept into soft-tissue
o Eg. Heel spurs
o Osteophites
 Symphytum officinale
• Decreases the healing time
• Increases the capacity to heal b/c of it’s inulin content
• Demulcent and vulnerary
• Black walnut leaf
o Anthelmetic
• Lobelia
o Good for crushing injuries
o When a horse steps on your foot
o Case 51
 Osteoporosis
 Stenosis of the intervetebral foramena
 Devil’s claw used to treat the cause and the symptoms
 Ruta graveolens
• Can be used as a homeopathic
• Smooth muscle relaxant
• Increases peripheral circulation
• Used in treatment of arthritic conditions
• Antispasmodic
• Pain is causing her muscles to become spasmodic
• Magnesium and calcium deficiency
 Salicylates
• Kill two birds with one stone, reduce inflammation and
reduce pain
 Pain management was number one!
 Bromelaine and curcumin
• Often though of together
• Both are extracts and anti-inflammatories in showing their
efficacy in different types of arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis – very effective
• Manufactured?
o Stem
• Bromelaine
o Digestive enzyme and anti-inflammatory
o Standardized in milk clotting unit
(REMEMBER!!!!)
o