Herbal Medicines and How They Work: Part 2

Okay, I got a little behind on this project. As a freelance writer, I have to take projects when I get them. But here is the second in the series on herbal medicines and how they work. This time we're talking about ginseng, the second most commonly used herbal supplement in the United States.

As a child I lived in rural Virginia, near the Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee borders. Digging "sang", as the folks around there called it, was a extra source of income for many people in the area. Below is a picture of some of the tools used in the Appalachian Mountains for digging "sang".



Not long ago, scientists reported that digging ginseng by the locals had affected the diet and possibly the health of herds of deer in the area. This is just one indication of the popularity of the wild plant.

Native Americans ate raw ginseng root as an aid to digestion and for the health of the prostate. Most interesting to researchers today, is that it was used to retard cancer growth.

Native Americans also dried ginseng leafs and used them to make teas. The teas were used as remedies for coughs, to increase energy and fight off exhaustion, to improve memory and as a sexual stimulant.

The root was boiled and use in teas to relieve menstrual cramps.

The active components in American and Asian ginseng are called ginsenosides, which are steroid like substances. This explains how they work as sexual stimulants.

Siberian ginseng is a completely different plant that does not contain ginsenosides, but is sometimes substituted for Panax ginseng by supplement manufacturers. Particularly when the supply of Panax is limited.

Okay, how does ginseng work to fight cancer? Oncologists have found that ginsenosides inhibit certain processes that are involved in cancer tumor growth. Other researchers have shown that ginsenosides inhibit changes in the lining of the uterus that typically lead to cancer.

Purified extracts from the ginseng plant have been shown in laboratory test tubes to either kill cancer cells, cause a process that causes the cell to "kill itself" or generally prevent the growth of cancerous tumors.

Many studies have been published concerning the health benefits of ginseng. You can read more at Pubmed.com. Just type panax or ginseng into the search box along with any other condition in which you are interested.

Herbal Medicines and How They Work

Here's a look at some of the most popular herbal medicines and how they work. According to surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the most commonly used herbal medicines in the United States are echinacea, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, garlic, St John's wort, peppermint and ginger. Other natural products are popular and commonly used, such as fish oil, glucosamine and soy, but these are dietary supplements, not herbal medicines.

Briefly, here, I am going to try to explain a little about these most popular herbal medicines and how they work.

40% of US adults, who use natural products or dietary supplements, use echinacea. As with most herbal medicines, there is some controversy surrounding it's effectiveness. The most recent study, published July 2007 by the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, was a meta-analysis. When performing a meta-analysis, researchers combine the results from a number of previously published studies (in this case 14)and publish those findings.

The conclusion of the meta-analysis was that echinacea reduced the risk of developing the common cold by 58% and reduced the duration by 1.4 days. So, clearly echinacea may be beneficial in preventing colds, which is why most people use it. How it works is difficult for scientists to explain.

If you go to www.pubmed.com and type in echinacea, you will see that there are hundreds of published studies relating to this herb. Most indicate that some compounds in echinacea are antioxidants, some scavenge free radicals, some have anti-microbial activity, some are anti-viral, others are anti-toxin...in other words there are numerous components that can be derived from the root of echinacea. Polyphenols, anthocyanins, flavonols and others.

Historical usage by Native Americans

Given in the form of a tea made from the dried root, echinacea has been used to treat pneumonia, sinus infections, ulcers, cancer and to reduce the effects of aging.

As a wash made from the boiled fresh root, it was used to treat burns, wounds, boils, skin cancer and ear infections.

Other Reported Uses

Treatment of snakebites...anthrax poisoning...natural anti-biotic...immune system stimulant...increase the production of white blood cells...blood cleanser...improve the function of the lymph glands...and there may be others.

Warnings

The only warning for echinacea is that there are different species of the plant native to North America. Another herb (andrographis paniculata) is sometimes referred to as Indian Echinacea. Follow the link to see what one company has to say about Indian Echinacea.

Most of the modern research has been done using purified or standardized extracts from echinacea purpurea (the purple cornflower pictured at the beginning of this post), but echinacea augustifolia (narrow leafed cornflower) and other species may have been used by Native Americans, depending on which species grew in their area. And, there are over 100 studies at pub.med concerning andrographis paniculata, so this one may be effective, but has yet to become popular in the United States. There is a lot of debate over which is best and whether it is best to use fresh herbs obtained from an herbalist or concentrated standardized extracts found in capsules and commonly sold as dietary supplements.

OK, so this was a long post and I only covered echinacea and probably did not cover it fully. So next post I'll try to cover more of the popular herbal medicines and how they work. Numerous books about herbal medicines and how they work are available from expensive to moderately priced, click here to view a list of books about herbal medicines.

Next: Popular Herbal Medicines and How they Work...Ginseng

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Complementary and Alternative Medicine, often abbreviated CAM, is a field that is continuing to grow. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines CAM as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.

Some of the practices that currently fall under the category of CAM, at least in the United States, include chiropractic care, acupuncture, meditation and even prayer. Complementary medicine is used along with conventional treatments. Alternative therapies are used instead of conventional treatments.

Herbal, naturopathic and homeopathic remedies also fall under the broad heading of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Naturopathic remedies may include all herbal medicine, but complete treatment plans usually include dietary and lifestyle changes, as well.

The term homeopathic remedies is often misused. I have heard radio advertisements that really annoy me because they say that their product is "homeopathic" and that homeopathic means safe and all natural. In fact, homeopathic remedies may be natural, but the way that they are used is totally different from all herbal medicine and other Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Homeopathic medicine actually means treating "like with like". After evaluating a person's symptoms, a homeopath would select a compound that in a healthy individual would cause those same symptoms. The compound is then diluted until, scientifically speaking, no trace of the original compound can be detected. Homeopaths feel that the water used for dilution retains some aspect of the original compound. Personally, I do not believe in homeopathic remedies, but to each his own.

Herbal medicine, on the other hand, is actually the basis for modern medicine. Traditional healers used herbs in the same way that medical doctors use drugs to relieve, prevent or treat a condition. In fact, many prescription drugs are composed of compounds found in plants, herbs and botanicals that can be synthetically reproduced. For example, penicillin was originally derived from an ascus fungus, a kind of mold. And molds were used since ancient times to treat infection.

Next: A look at some popular herbal medicines and how they work.

Definitions: What is Herbal Medicine?

Herbal medicine has been around for just about as long as there have been people on planet Earth. Nomadic groups of people following herd movements and fishing along the coasts gathered plants along the way. Some were eaten right away, some were saved for future use. Although the exact process is unknown. It is likely that most groups had at least one person who was knowledgeable about the healing properties of herbs and other plants.

The knowledge was probably handed down from generation to generation and expanded upon as new plants were encountered. From what we know of ancient texts and traditions still used today by native people throughout the world, the original healers tested the new plants on themselves, before offering it to others in the tribe.

They noted taste, whether it was suitable as a food source or if it could have medicinal value. Side effects were also noted.

Today, herbs and other plants are categorized according to their uses. Some plants are simply food sources. Some have only medicinal value. Some fall into both categories. And, finally there are plants that are poisonous and should be used with great caution, if at all.

Next: Defining Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Purpose & Introduction

For many years, I have studied herbal remedies. For the last several years, I have written informational articles about the health benefits of herbs for numerous websites. My goal here is to try to put it all together in one spot or rather "blogspot". I intend to provide links to other sites, particularly when the information that I can include here is incomplete.

I believe in "All Herbal Medicine", but I realize that conventional medicine has much to offer, as well. Nothing that I write here is meant to take the place of a doctor's advice.

Recent surveys have shown that one of the reasons people search for alternative treatments is because the price of "modern" treatment is out of their reach. It is sad that some people may not be able to afford the health care that they need.

Another reason for the interest in all herbal medicine and other forms of alternative treatments has to do with effectiveness and unwanted side effects. According to surveys published by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 28% of people who chose some form of alternative treatment did so because conventional treatments would not work.

Most prescription drugs are accompanied by unwanted side effects and when conditions are not life threatening, herbal remedies and dietary supplements typically offer a "kindler, gentler approach". I have personally read the testimonials of hundreds of people whose lives were improved through the use of herbs, botanicals and nutritional supplements. I also know people whose prognosis was poor, until they tried an alternative or complementary treatment plan.

This will likely be an extensive project, since there are thousands of herbs and botanicals in the "Earth Mother's Pharmacy". The best I can promise to readers is a new post every day or so.

Next post: Definitions