Herbal Medicine
From Herbalist to Author: the Writer's Journey
How long does it take to publish a textbook series? For this naturopathic doctor and renowned herbalist, the journey spans nearly a decade. “I think this is the culmination of my many notes and class handouts and conference venues and powerpoint presentations or lecture notes that I would give to students or give to conference attendees. […]
Ler maisSupporting Busy Women – Lifestyle, Diet, & Medicinal Food
Botanical Insights My practice is filled with busy women who are struggling to work, manage a household, stay fit, and juggle many roles, from careers and families to personal interests and just the basic tasks of life. When the women I work with show an interest in herbs, cooking, classes that I teach, and saving […]
Ler maisHerbs for Weight Loss
We have all seen patients who struggle with their weight and for whom, on taking a look at their diets and their activity levels, we conclude that their biochemical balance must be working against them. Results of tests for thyroid function, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, and liver function may help us uncover precise diagnoses in […]
Ler mais“Down Home” Detox
There is a great deal of research available on nutraceuticals, chemical constituents in plants, whole herbs and foods that support systemic detoxification by a variety of mechanisms. I’m not going to write about those this time. Instead, let’s focus on what a whole detoxification regimen might include in addition to those pills and potions. Following […]
Ler maisReview of Herbs for Allergies: Important Options to Remember
We welcome springtime with great joy here in the Pacific Northwest, embracing the sun, the flowers and the fresh green growth after months of winter’s gray drizzle. Many people, however, pay for their delight in the garden and first blush of colorful blooms with respiratory allergies. What really works to reduce this tendency, not only for hay […]
Ler maisHerbal Sexual Tonics for Men: Help or Hype?
Health food stores often have an entire section of products dedicated to enhancing the libido, improving erectile function, and boosting low testosterone, sometimes located right next to the pills that help you gain muscle mass and “burn” fat. Low testosterone levels are frequently demonstrated with modern lab testing, especially in the elder decades of a […]
Ler mais“Women’S Herbs” For Men
Approximately half of all men experience some symptoms of prostatic hypertrophy in the latter decades of life,1 and American men have an 18% chance of developing prostate cancer.2 Herbal medicine is both therapeutic to and preventive of the development and progression of this common disorder. Most readers will be familiar with the value of nettle root (Urtica species), […]
Ler maisTasty Herbal Options for Children
How many of you have ever struggled to find a botanical medicine that children would take? What can you do when children are too young to swallow pills, tinctures are a bit too vile to consume, and not enough tea can be consumed to do the trick no matter how much licorice you add? Sure, […]
Ler maisHerbal Medicines for Hair Loss
In addition to genetic predisposition to androgenic alopecia and poor circulatory health, stress may exacerbate the process. Acute stress causes hair loss in animals and humans. One investigation of serum cortisol levels and glucocorticoid receptor expression in patients with severe alopecia areata showed a lower expression of glucocorticoid receptors compared to controls1; researchers believe this […]
Ler maisAstragalus: Use of the Herb in the Treatment of Allergy & Autoimmunity
Astragalus membranaceus, going by the common names Huangqui in China, and milk vetch in the United States, is one of the most fundamental herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Astragalus roots have also been used as a medicinal food by slicing longitudinally and simmering in soups; and for culinary purposes, such as a thickening agent, by processing out […]
Ler maisYokukansan: A Traditional Kampo Formula for Dementia
With Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affecting millions of elders, the need for safe remedies to both halt the progression and help treat symptoms is greater than ever before. One of the greatest challenges for caregivers and family members of patients with cognitive impairment is handling aggression and other disturbing behavioral issues that […]
Ler maisChildhood Infections & Injuries: Topical Herbal Formulas
No one escapes childhood without some scrapes, burns, bruises, and infections. Every herbalist and family physician needs a supply of gentle but effective topical applications for lice, burns, and other common issues. Most readers will be familiar with all-purpose wound-healing agents such as Calendula and Symphytum, both useful as tinctures and teas to apply to cuts and abrasions, as […]
Ler maisRosmarinic Acid for Allergies
Research is growing regarding the use of rosmarinic acid, a safe and ecologically abundant constituent of common herbs that you probably already know and love. Rosmarinic acid is found in rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis of course, and in many Lamiaceae (formerly Labiatae) family plants, which are commonly referred to as the mint family, including Coleus species, Lycopus virginia, Lavendula,1 Melissa officianalis,2,3 Nepeta cataria, Ocimum sanctum, Origanum […]
Ler maisSarah was Saved by a Radish: A Case Study of Congenital Biliary Atresia
I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s to attend National College of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon, and found a wooded rural home with a large friendly family next door. On getting to know the neighbors a bit, they were delighted that I was beginning the naturopathic program and shared that an […]
Ler maisBotanicals for Emotional Illnesses
This article is a bit “out of the box.” As some readers may be aware, I have been living in Peru for 6 months a year for the past 5 years, studying shamanism and ethnobotany with several indigenous Amazonian tribes. Their ideas about mental and emotional illness are so strikingly different from the Western paradigm […]
Ler maisA Long Perspective on Longevity: Antiaging and “Inflammaging”
Over the many millennia of humanity’s evolution, the average life expectancy has increased substantially, from well under 30 years in Paleolithic times to about a world average of 67 years at present. There are striking differences in the average life expectancy in various countries, with Japan and other Asian countries on the high end at […]
Ler maisHerbal High Road Can Alleviate Pain Precisely: Formulas for Acutely Painful Conditions Aimed at Restoring and Correcting Underlying Pathology
Pain is of course a good way to get our attention that something is wrong in the body. We can ignore less urgent symptoms for months and even years on end, but not pain. Treatment of patients with painful conditions and acute pain often has several goals. We expect to offer something that will assuage […]
Ler maisPetasites for Pain and Inflammation
The Petasites genus comprises 15 to 20 species, and all have been used to treat pain, inflammation, and allergic hyperreactivity. Petasites species are large-leaved, moisture-loving plants native to temperate woodlands of northern Asia, Europe, and North America. They are sometimes referred to by the general name sweet coltsfoot because of similarity to Tussilago. Petasites are in the Senecioneae tribe of the Asteraceae […]
Ler maisSeaweed, Chewing Gum, and GERD
Botanical Insights Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine (H2) acid blocking drugs are the mainstay of acid reflux treatment. With an estimated 100 million people experiencing occasional symptoms, and 15 million suffering from heartburn on a daily basis, sales of these drugs currently exceed 10 billion dollars per year. However, the innocuous public opinion regarding ant-acid […]
Ler maisTraveler’s Diarrhea: Prevention and Treatment
Spending half the year in third-world countries for the past 5 years has put traveler’s diarrhea high on my radar. Statistics have shown that traveler’s diarrhea is almost part of the price of traveling to exotic locales and is somewhat hard to avoid when venturing outside of cloistered 5-star hotels. And if you are not […]
Ler maisMateria Medica Review for Gastrointestinal Inflammation
Irritable bowel, food intolerances, stress-related digestive disorders, ulcerative pathologies, and infectious and dysbiotic gastrointestinal complaints are among the most common of all patient complaints in general family practice. The acute pain, nausea or bloating, and discomfort occurring with many of these conditions will respond well to herbal therapies, especially teas because direct surface contact is […]
Ler maisBotanical Management of Difficult Skin Conditions: Psoriasis and Vitiligo
In the May issue I wrote a general article on research of herbs affecting collagen and the health of the skin. My investigations turned up so much interesting research on a variety of skin conditions that I wanted to continue presenting the information in this issue. I would like to share information on Apiaceae family […]
Ler maisPhotosensitizing Herbs: Skin Diseases and Cancers
Although photosensitizing herbs are a cause of concern for obvious skin damage and dermal inflammation, they also have many medicinal effects when used in appropriate dosages. The main photosensitizing herbs are in the Apiaceae family, but Monarda of the Lamiaceae family is photosensitizing, and the most potent photosensitizer known is hypercin in Hypericum of the Hyperiaceae family. The Apiaceae […]
Ler maisProtecting and Supporting Skin Integrity
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve investigated the research on skin supportive herbs. I’m not getting any younger and cosmetic injections are not my style. And I’m not that vain as to consider surgical methods. I just wanted to do my homework on what research was out there on herbs and the skin, which I’ve summarized below. Are […]
Ler maisBotanical Management of Streptococcal Infections of the Skin
Group A streptococci are a leading human pathogen and worldwide health issue. In chronic skin infections, the goal of supporting a healthy ecosystem to invite desirable microbes and protective skin barriers should be equal to the combat of the pathogen. Herbs are excellent in this regard as they can simultaneously support skin health and provide […]
Ler maisUsing Plants to Treat the Spirit
Plants are living beings. Although most of my articles have focused on the plant-based chemistry and research of botanical medicine in terms of diseases, enzyme systems, antioxidant activities, etc., what first got me interested in botanical medicine was a love of nature and the plant realm. I am comforted in the forest; I find joy […]
Ler maisHerbal Treatment Approaches to Insomnia
Sleep, and probably even dreaming, is essential to good health. Over the years I have seen enough people with sleep disorders to group them into several general categories: basic stress and nervous disorders, blood sugar and cortisol dysregulation, menopausal and hormonal imbalances, and musculoskeletal pain and physical restlessness. Each of these is best addressed with […]
Ler maisAnxiety and Depression: A Materia Medica Review
By numerous accounts, a large percentage of the US population is using antidepressant and anxiolytic medications. This may say a lot about the condition of the human heart and soul. A 2005 survey1 done by Kaiser Permanente reported that the use of antidepressants by youth, mostly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, doubled in the decade between 1994 […]
Ler maisBotanical Therapies for Headaches
Headache Pathophysiology and Botanical Considerations Headache is one of the most common medical complaints treated in general clinical practices and is a significant public health burden, in terms of suffering, disrupted family interactions, and lost work and wages. Headaches can have numerous underlying causes, such as stress, hormonal, vascular, allergic, dysglycemia, exhaustion, chronic constipation, and […]
Ler maisOpiate Addiction: Pathophysiology and Herbal Interventions
Opiate addiction is an enormous and devastating health problem worldwide, with over 5 million active addicts in the United States alone.1 And not only the addict is affected; marriages suffer or are ruined; jobs are lost; meaningful relationships to people, other hobbies, nature, and the world at large are lost; and, most of all, the mind […]
Ler maisAll About Autoimmune Thyroiditis
Autoimmune diseases of the thyroid are on the rise worldwide, believed to be due to nutritional and environmental factors including exposure to heavy metals, organochlorides, pesticides,1 and tobacco smoke.2 Autoimmune thyroid disease, namely Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, involve T cell-mediated inflammatory processes and affect approximately 5% of the population; the incidence of elevated anti-thyroid antibodies is […]
Ler maisImproving Estrogen Dominance With Food and Herbal Medicine
Estrogen dominance is extremely common in the general U.S. population and is associated with the discomforts of PMS, the pathologies of breast cysts, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids, as well as contributory to the emergence of hormone-related cancers such as breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancer. For several decades, an unanswered question has been whether […]
Ler maisMelissa and Other Dopaminergic Herbs Useful in Treatment of PCOS
Dopamine is increasingly being recognized as a key regulatory neurohormone in the hypothalamus and the pituitary. Dopamine and L-Dopa inhibit the release of some pituitary hormones. Most notable are prolactin and luteinizing hormone (LH); possibly inhibited is thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and, in some cases, so is growth hormone (GH). Insulin response and complex feedback loops […]
Ler maisBook Review – Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 1: Digestion and Elimination
Medical Resources for NDs: A Review of Current Publications for the Naturopathic Industry After reading this first volume from Dr Jill Stansbury, my immediate reaction was that I can’t wait for the remaining 4 in her series. Herbal textbooks are not widely available, to begin with, and this series promises to be a cornerstone not […]
Ler maisInositol Compounds: Effects on Fertility, Ovarian Function, & Insulin
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility, affecting from 5-10% of all women. PCOS is commonly associated with insulin resistance, even in those with a normal body mass index (BMI). Insulin-sensitizing compounds not only improve insulin resistance and reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, they may also improve ovarian response to […]
Ler maisTreating Autoimmune Diseases: A Functional Approach for Practitioners
If you have patients with an autoimmune condition, it’s not surprising. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a division of the National Institutes of Health, autoimmune diseases affect over 23 million Americans.1 Other estimates push this number to over 50 million, because while there at least 80 different autoimmune-related diseases and conditions, only […]
Ler maisCalming Effects of Lavender Comparable to Diazepam
Lavender is a flowering plant from the mint family (Lamiaceae or Labiatae) and is known not only for its beautiful purple flower and sweet fragrance, but also for its calming and soothing effects. Diazepam is a prescription medication used to treat anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, muscle spasms, and certain types of seizures. Known commercially as […]
Ler maisThe Emerging Diagnosis of Lower Urinary Dysfunctional Epithelia
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is frequently reported to affect women 5 times more often than men; however, these statistics may reflect the fact that men are often labeled as having nonbacterial chronic prostatitis rather than IC. In many cases, the symptoms of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis may be identical to and indistinguishable from the symptoms of IC […]
Ler maisCurcumin: A Potential Powerhouse for RA Treatment
In conventional practices, NSAIDs and glucocorticoids are used the most frequently for RA treatment, but they also bring with them a host of side effects, especially in long-term use. Possible adverse effects include stomach and liver damage, allergic reactions, lowered immunity, increased blood pressure, lowered red blood cell activity (myelosuppression), and increased risk of osteoporosis.1,2 Worse […]
Ler maisPSA: A Failed Screening Test
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protease produced by prostate cells to liquefy the semen. Though it is found in non-prostatic cells in minute amounts, it is largely a product of the prostate and thus fairly specific for problems in that organ. Unfortunately, the idea that PSA levels are a direct marker of lethal prostate cancer […]
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