Ultimate Resource on Herbs

Natural Herbal Remedies Can Offer Effective Solutions to Many Common Ailments.

Over the centuries the use of herbs has evolved as experience has confirmed/disproved their relevance. This Hub is designed as a service to people who wish to use natural herbal remedies as an adjunct or alternative to conventional therapy. Indeed, more and more people are returning to the traditional herbal remedies. Over the last decade usage of herbal remedies has increased by over 40%. This trend is expected to continue because of the increasing evidence of their effectiveness.

The usage and preparation of specific herbs is well documented and information is available from many books and from British and European Pharmacopoeias and Monographs.

What is the difference between Herbal and Pharmaceutical Preparations?

Pharmaceutical drugs (which are often derived from plants) are chemically synthesised derivatives of single therapeutically active substances. The active component will have both a therapeutic effect and side effects. Herbal preparations contain extracts from part or parts of the whole plant and so will contain hundreds of plant constituents.

Herbalists believe that the use of all or part of the herb ensures that the action of the active components of the herb are balanced by other components of the plant thus achieving a more gentle effect without loss of efficacy.

Herbal preparations can be a single herb preparation, where the herb is selected as being best suited for an individual's symptoms, or they can be blended into herbal combinations.

Blended combinations of herbs are designed to complement each other in their actions so as to produce a gentle and balanced effect. In general, herbalists often prescribe combinations of herbs, which work together to greater effect, known as a ‘synergistic effect'. The herbs are often used to correct underlying imbalances rather than just to give temporary relief. It is for this reason that the effects of herbal remedies can sometimes take longer to become apparent.

There are different ways of preparing the herbs, depending on their availability and the equipment to hand.

Preparations that are made fresh daily Infusions - are made from soft herbs where finely diced material is covered with boiling water. After 30 minutes this is cooled, strained and divided into doses. Decoctions - are used for woody preparations where finely chopped or ground raw ingredient is placed in cold water, brought to the boil and simmered until the required volume is attained (typically 800 ml is reduced to 500 ml). This is then cooled, strained and divided into doses.

Methods for preserving herbs

Liquid Extracts - These are prepared by steeping the finely chopped or ground raw ingredients with the solvent best suited, for example a mix of purified water and alcohol. When complete, they are evaporated under vacuum until the required concentration is reached.

Solid Extracts - The fresh expressed juices of herbs or liquid extracts of herbs are evaporated down under vacuum to the consistency of a paste.

Dry Extracts - The remaining water is removed from the solid (soft) extract by drying under vacuum.

Tinctures - These are spirituous, using different strengths of alcohol and purified water as solvents. Different herbs require different proportions. The fresh or dried herb is finely chopped or ground and left in the solvent for a specified time. They are especially suitable for herbs with resinous or volatile components because they are prepared at room temperature when the solvent acts selectively and retains components that may be lost in drying.

Many herbalists prefer tinctures as they subject the plant material to a minimum of processing.

Pills - The dried herb is crushed and suspended in a solid substance.

Tablets - Usually herbal extracts suspended in a solid substance.

Capsules - Capsules are used for masking unpleasant extracts, e.g. garlic oil or cod liver oil.

During a lifetime the joints in the skeleton are exposed to many risks. These include trauma, infection, rheumatoid disease and wear and tear. Generally, given our longer life expectancy in the latter part of the twentieth century, it is remarkable how well the joints stand up to all that we ask of them.

Arthritis is a general term meaning ‘inflammation of a joint or joints'. The two commoner types of ‘arthritis' are:

Osteoarthritis

which is the commonest joint disorder. It is caused by wear and tear in various joints, typically the hips or knees. It therefore is much more prevalent in the elderly, in lifelong athletes, the overweight and those who have had very active manual jobs. Previous injury to any joint can lead to osteoarthritis. Joints are very well supplied with nerves so pain is a common symptom of joint wear. Treatments such as local heat, massage, use of a walking stick and various medications can help. Medications commonly used vary from simple painkillers such as paracetamol and aspirin to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, although this latter class of drug is not without side-effects. Various other treatments are available including herbal medicines, whose effectiveness is well documented.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

which is a less common form of arthritis. The body, for reasons unknown, mounts an attack on the joints. Those affected are usually small ones, especially at the bases of the fingers, the wrists, elbows and small joints in the feet and ankles. There is no element of wear and tear. Typically the symptoms are pain (sometimes severe), stiffness and joint swelling. The aim of medication is not only to relieve or avoid pain but also to slow down the process of joint destruction. Since rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition with a high level of symptoms, potent drugs inevitably having side-effects are often necessary and patients often turn to alternative therapies.

These include herbal medicines, which are often used in conjunction with their conventional therapy. If the disease is in a dormant stage these alternatives can be used effectively on their own.

Daytime anxiety or tension is a common experience. Up to a point it is a normal human response to life's events. This, or an episode of illness, can disturb the established routine for an individual, perhaps causing sleep to suffer and the ability to cope may become affected. The disturbance is usually self limiting but can persist for several weeks.

All grades of anxiety can occur. The causes can be explicable, for example bereavement, severe family illness, fear of job loss and so on. Sometimes the cause is less obvious; e.g. the onset of depression or other emotional upset can cause irrational daytime anxiety combined with poor sleep.

Regular restful sleep is a part of normal health and well-being, but it should be remembered that people differ in their personal sleep requirements. It is a myth that eight hours sleep is essential for everyone. For disturbed sleep, a variety of lifestyle advice is often given such as the establishment of a pre-sleep routine at night, a process of winding-down, various psychological tricks to remove the concerns of the day from the mind and so on.

When anxiety interferes with normal daily activities then it requires the attention of a doctor for medical advice. Similarly sleep disturbances can be a sign of background depression which should be managed by a doctor.

In the milder cases of anxiety and sleep disturbance herbal medicines have been available for many years and can be useful to help restore the true perspective of events and sleep patterns to normal.

Colds, Flu and Disease Resistance and Information on Herbs Used to Help Treat Colds, Flu and To Increase Disease Resistance.

Some people are prone to suffer from a sequence of colds; no sooner does one clear up than another one starts. This is more common in winter. Some people do seem more prone to repeated viral attack than others. For the individual, the reasons are often unclear.

Equally it is a common experience that following a period of illness, for example flu or glandular fever, one can feel generally run down for a period of several weeks. Again, this phenomenon is poorly explained. Nevertheless in this run-down state other opportunistic infections can sometimes occur. In the elderly for example it is recognised that pneumonia can complicate a bout of flu, because the body's normal defences are in some way less efficient. This may be a direct viral effect on the immune system.

Occasionally a run-down state with multiple viral or bacterial infections can indicate an important underlying disorder such as diabetes, blood disorder, or other significant illnesses. A visit to the doctor is the first step in eliminating these possibilities.

The majority of people reporting susceptibility to repeated infections will turn out to be in normal physical health albeit a little ‘run down.' Doctors will often give advice on lifestyle, diet, and on whether vitamin and mineral supplements are of value. The vast majority of cases clear up satisfactorily but can take time, perhaps several weeks.

Herbal remedies for poor resistance to infections have been established for many years and are commonly used alone or in combination with prescribed medication. Coughs and Information on Herbs Used to Help Treat Coughs.

Poor weather can be the time for chest infections which are often associated with coughs and colds

For severe or prolonged episodes of coughs a visit to the doctor is required to eliminate the more serious conditions. They will often recommend the use of an established range of proprietary medicines.

Herbal medicines for coughs have long been available and can be useful to help relieve the symptoms.

Depression of Mood, Restlessness and Irritability and Information on Herbs Used to Help Maintain a Healthy Emotional Balance.

During our lifetime the normal ups and downs directly affect mood. It is common to pass from feelings of well being through to feeling blue as a reaction to different events. Good news affecting our personal lives is received and handled differently to bad news. Thus most of these down episodes can be rationally explained and are often relatively short-lived. These episodes are often accompanied by feelings of tension, irritability or frank anxiety.

Normal people also vary widely in the way they handle events. Some who are robust in nature seem untouched; others can take a long time to recover from mild setbacks. These are all variations of normal personality. It is when the lowering of mood interferes with normal activities that intervention is necessary. If work performance is affected and relationships strained, then the cause needs addressing. It may be that the source of the unhappiness can be corrected thus resolving the disorder in a practical way. Perhaps the source is beyond the control of the sufferer and then some form of treatment in the short term can help the sufferer cope with or accept/adapt to the situation. Some times people cannot identify a particular reason for feeling blue. In these cases short term medical treatment might also be useful.

All the above relates to mild lowering of mood with or without accompanying anxiety or tension. There are other more serious forms of this condition labelled as frank depression. These are true illnesses that may arise without an obvious preceding cause or they may be part of other serious psychiatric illness. They can begin as an initially explicable severe reaction to a life event such as childbirth, bereavement, divorce, job loss or house move but instead of taking the normal course to recovery a distinct clinical depression takes over. This can sometimes be severe, prolonged and disabling. Given time, people often recover but do require the assistance of a doctor. Specialised drug and psychological treatment may be called for. Such disease is beyond the scope of herbal medicines.

Herbal medicines have their place in assisting people who have mild emotional upset showing as lowering of mood with or without feelings of tension, irritability and restlessness.

They are used to help restore an appropriate emotional balance. Where the lowered mood persists for several weeks the advice of a doctor is recommended.

Indigestion and Information on Herbs Used to Help Treat Indigestion.

Most people experience ‘indigestion' at some time in their lives. This is a feeling of fullness, upper abdominal discomfort often accompanied by pain which can get quite severe. Other features include ‘feeling sick' and belching. (There is some overlap of symptoms with heartburn but this is still a distinct condition with its own symptoms and treatment).

The commonest cause is a dietary indiscretion or over-indulgence, which is therefore self-limiting but often difficult to avoid. Other common causes are gastric hyperacidity (a tendency to overproduce stomach acid), peptic ulcers in the stomach or neighbouring duodenum and intolerance to specific foods.

Just occasionally, a more serious stomach disease can present first as indigestion. For this reason a visit to the doctor is advisable for any newly arising and persistent symptoms of indigestion.

Many people will be diagnosed as having hyperacidity. The condition is often a long-term one but can clear up spontaneously in some people. Several well-established treatments are available over the counter and on prescription. The first is an extensive range of alkaline products designed to reduce the stomach acidity. Their drawbacks are principally on dosing which might be required every three to four hours in marked cases. Another class of drugs reduce acid production and are available as tablets. A further and still more effective group of drugs block acid production almost completely. All drugs having this level of potency inevitably have side-effects, nevertheless they remain important choices for doctor and patient.

Pain felt during indigestion arises from inflammation of the stomach or duodenal wall and also from muscular contractions of the intestine, responding to the inflammation. Herbal remedies can help provide very effective and fast relief from these symptoms, reducing spasms and easing the discomfort.

Mental and Physical Exhaustion and Information on Herbs Used to Help When Mentally and Physically Run Down.

Periods of stress and worry or a bout of illness can take their toll. This can lead to the individual feeling generally mentally and physically run down. This can persist for several weeks or longer.

A visit to the doctor is recommended if the effect is severe or persists to eliminate more serious causes.

Herbal remedies have long been used to help refresh the mind and body and restore a general feeling of well being.

A Natural Approach to Migraine Relief

More and more people are assuming increased responsibility for their health and are using natural products instead of chemicals in treating their ailments, especially, those who suffer the often debilitating affects of migraine.

Find Out If You Have Migraine?

If you have two or more of the following symptoms during an attack it is probable that you are suffering from Migraine.

• Visual Disturbances
• Intense throbbing headaches, often on one side of the head only.
• Nausea, vomiting and or diarrhoea.
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Increased sensitivity to sound
• Increased sensitivity to smells

Other symptoms include stiffness of the neck and shoulders, tingling or stiffness in the limbs, an inability to concentrate and difficulty in speaking.

Migraine pain is caused by the inflammation of blood vessels in the tissue surrounding the brain. The inflammation in the brain, triggers nerve endings to release neurotransmitters, sending chemical messages of pain throughout the body. Certain factors can trigger attacks in susceptible people. These triggers are too numerous to mention in this article but include emotional factors such as stress, physical factors such as changes in the weather, hormonal and physiological factors.

Avoid Your Migraine Triggers!

It is possible to avoid many of these triggers without radically changing your lifestyle. Other triggers are more difficult or indeed impossible to avoid. It is almost impossible to avoid stress, the menstrual cycle and changes in the weather.

Control Migraine Symptoms through Self-Hypnosis Techniques

Studies have shown this technique to be effective at reducing the incidence and severity of migraine attacks. A recent study on self-hypnosis with the aid of audiotapes showed that 83% of participants benefited from this intervention.

Reduce Your Migraine Attacks by 62% with Butterbur Petasin.

There is a natural alternative people can try to prevent migraine attacks, Butterbur Petasin. Used successfully in Europe for 25 years. One recent clinical study at the University of Munich looked at the effectiveness of this extract over a three-month period. Patients who experienced at least three migraine attacks per month for at least a year participated. When given 50mg of the Butterbur extract twice a day for three months they experienced fewer and less severe attacks. In fact, the supplement reduced the average number of migraines by 62%!

In addition to lower intensity pain and shorter duration of migraines, they also experienced less nausea. Butterbur Petasin can ease the crippling pain of migraine, by preventing the inflammation of blood vessels and tissue in the brain. An even more recent large-scale clinical trial involving 202 patients in Germany and the USA confirms the results of the first study.

Sore Throats and Information on Herbs Used to Help Treat Sore Throats.

Many people commonly experience sore throats, especially in the winter months. They normally only last a few days, but they can cause considerable discomfort.

For severe or prolonged episodes of sore throats a visit to the doctor is required to eliminate the more serious conditions. They will often recommend the use of an established range of proprietary medicines.

Herbal medicines for sore throats are available and can be useful to help relieve the symptoms.