BENEFITS OF HERBS
Chamomile, Cinchona,Cilantro=Coriander,Cloves
Cinnamon, Comfrey, Dandelion, Dill
Chamomile
has been described as meaning "capable of anything", a good description for this popular herb that is used extensively in Europe and the United States as a soothing and calming tea. Historically, chamomile has been a favored natural herbal remedy, with records of its use as a treatment for skin conditions, cramps and digestion going back to the early Romans.
In Europe, chamomile products are used extensively as carminatives to aid digestion, and in the form of bitters to stimulate ones appetite before meals. Chamomile is also an effective anti-inflammatory agent commonly used to treat skin disorders, and as an antispasmodic remedy for menstrual cramps.
There are two primary types of chamomile: Roman chamomile and German chamomile. Roman chamomile has long been used as an appetite stimulant and aid for digestion, but the vast majority of chamomile on the market comes from the flowertops of what is commonly called German chamomile.
Cultivated in Germany, the flowering tops of this plant are used to prepare a mild tea enjoyed as a mild sedative, as a remedy for insomnia, and as an aid for indigestion. Researchers documenting the effectiveness of this herb have found that subjects ingesting chamomile tea can fall asleep in as little as 10 minutes.
The active ingredients in chamomile are found in the essential oils derived from the flowers. Scientists have found that chamomile contains many active compounds, though the principal ingredients are the volatile oil alpha bisabolol and the flavonoid apigenin. Apigenin is responsible for the calming, anti-anxiety effects. Apigenin also supports alpha bisabolol, which is responsible for chamomiles anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects. Researchers have also developed topical ointments containing alpha bisabolol and found them to be more effective than hydrocortisone in treating skin inflammation.
Chamomile tea is extremely safe, though ingestion of large amounts can lead to stomach upset. For some people, especially those allergic to asters, ragweed and chrysanthemums may produce hypersensitivity to chamomile products. Though these reactions are exceedingly rare, they can lead to sneezing, congestion, anaphylaxis or contact dermatitis.
Cinchona,
the primary sources of quinine until the drug was synthetically produced, possesses the same anti-viral, anti-malarial, anti-pyretic properties as the drug. An effective dose of Cinchona extract elicits the same anti-malarial activity as an effective dose of quinine. Though large doses of Cinchona have a depressant effect on the heart, small amounts are completely harmless.
Before the advent of quinine - the drug, Americans used Cinchona not only for malaria and other fevers, but also as a tonic, and to stimulate the appetite and digestion.
Cilantro=Coriander
You say cilantro, I say coriander. Although it has two names, cilantro is a single plant, sometimes called Chinese parsley. Its leaves are known as cilantro; the seeds are called coriander. The plant has the same medicinal benefits: both ease indigestion and prevent wound infection.
Coriander has a long history as a digestive aid. In Egypt, the seeds have been found in pharaohs' tombs, presumably to prevent indigestion in the afterlife. While no one has been able to attest to its post-mortem healing properties, recent studies have supported its use as a stomach soother for both adults and colicky babies.
What' s more, it has wound healing benefits, which were first discovered by the ancient Romans, who used both the leaves and seeds to preserve meats. The herb contains an antioxidant that helps prevent animal fats from turning rancid. It also contains substances that kill meat-spoiling bacteria and fungi. These same substances in cilantro also prevent infection in wounds.
Healing with Cilantro and Coriander:
To make a medicinal tea, use 1 teaspoon of dried leaves or crushed seeds ( or ½ teaspoon of powdered seeds) per cup of boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Drink up to three cups a day before or after meals. Both forms of the herb can:
Improve digestion: The herb has been shown to improve tummy troubles of all kinds, from indigestion to flatulence to diarrhea. "Both cilantro and coriander have been shown to settle the stomach, " says James A. Duke, Ph.D., a botanist retire from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Drink a cup of the tea when stomach discomfort strikes.
Relieve colic: Weak coriander tea may be give children under age 2 for colic. It's safe for infants and may relieve their pain-and help you get some much-needed sleep.
Prevent infection: Cilantro and coriander contain substances that kill certain bacteria and fungi, thereby preventing infections from developing in wounds. Sprinkle some dried coriander seeds or leaves on minor cuts and scrapes after thoroughly washing the injured area with soap and water.
Soothe arthritis pain: Intriguing new studies suggest that cilantro and coriander have anti-inflammatory effects. Since the pain of arthritis is cause by inflammation, a cup of this tea may help you.
Safety Considerations:
"I've never heard of any problems with cilantro or coriander," says Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. If there's a sticking point, it's that some people just don't like the flavor, which is reminiscent of curry.
1. Protects against the Salmonella bacteria
2. Reportedly works as a natural chelation treatment
3. Aids in digestion and helps settle the stomach and prevent flatulence
4. Is an anti-inflammatory that may alleviate symptoms of arthritis
5. Protects against urinary tract infections
6. Prevents nausea
7. Relieves intestinal gas
8. Lowers blood sugar
9. Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good cholesteraol (HDL)
10. A good source of dietary fiber
11. A good source of iron
12. A good source of magnesium
13. Rich in phytonutrients and flavonoids
Cloves
We're taking a wild guess here, but we'd venture to say that when you were a kid, perhaps ham wasn't your favorite food. Cloves were the problem. You tried to pick the little devils out, but one would always slip by and set your entire mouth on fire.
It may have seemed like torture then, but Mom used cloves for a reason. "In addition to providing flavor, cloves are a powerful food preservative," says Ara H. DerMarderosian, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy and medicinal chemistry at the Philadelphia college of Science. "You put cloves in ham and it lasts several days longer in the refrigerator."
Cloves (Caryophyllum aromaticus) are actually the dried buds of the clove tree. We do know that oil of clove is a time-honored remedy for toothache. Clove oil is highly antiseptic. It is also used to stop vomiting.
There are many proven benefits when using clove: it relieves tooth pain and has an anti-emetic action that helps control vomiting. This herb keeps food fresh because the main active component of cloves is eugenol, which has long been known to help kill bacteria and viruses, says Gary Elmer, Ph.D., associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle. By killing bacteria, eugenol helps keep meat fresh-and prevents stomach upset, diarrhea and wound infections.
Healing with Clove:
Not limited to preserving food, this powerful herb can:
Ease toothache pain: The eugenol in clove makes the herb effective as an antiseptic and painkiller, says Dr. DerMarderosian. You may have tasted the sweet-hot flavor of clove oil in over-the-counter toothache medicines. Try a drop of this healing oil (available health-food stores) to ease an aching tooth until you can see a dentist.
Relieve indigestion: The herb's usefulness in combating intestinal problems has yet to be confirmed in humans, but laboratory studies indicate that it may be effective. To make clove tea, use 1 teaspoon of powdered cloves per cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 to 20 minutes before drinking.
Control diarrhea: An ingredient in clove fights the bacteria responsible for diarrhea-the ailment you get from drinking the water in regions where health standards are substandard. If this gastrointestinal trouble strikes you, try clove tea, using the recipe described above.
Heals cuts and bites: Studies show that the oil in cloves can help kill several strains of staphylococcus bacteria and one strain of pseudomonas-organisms that can cause skin infections. To treat cuts, make a poultice by grinding up several cloves and mixing in water to form a paste. Apply the poultice directly to the site of the cut. Cover it with a warm towel.
Cinnamon and cloves: Benefits in diabetes probed
In a new study, one to two cloves per day improved blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides in type 2 diabetics. In other research, investigators probe cinnamon's polyphenol properties and their effects on insulin function. (Experimental Biology 2006 meeting.)
Safety Considerations:
Cloves and clove tea are both safe to ingest. Clove oil is also safe to use topically; follow package directions for proper use. (Note: Ingesting high doses of clove oil may cause stomach upset.) If a clove poultice causes skin reddening or a rash, discontinue use.
Cinnamon
Hot apple cider just doesn't taste the same without a cinnamon stick. And toast, cookies, candies and fruit salads-not to mention cappuccino-all benefit from a generous sprinkling of its sweet powder. But cinnamon's most popular work isn't as a kitchen spice. This herb has been used medicinally for thousands of years to fight tooth decay, clear up urinary tract infections and soothe stomach irritation.
Ancient Chinese herbal references cite its uses as early as 2700 BC and Chinese herbalists still recommend it for relieving nausea, fever, diarrhea, and menstrual problems. Modern herbalists disagree on its ability to aid in menstrual difficulties; some think it stimulates uterine contractions, while others believe it calms the muscle.
Barking Up the Right Tree:
You won't find a cinnamon tree in your backyard if you live in the United States. Most cinnamon comes from Asia and the West Indies. To harvest the spice, collectors strip the aromatic bark form branches of trees no more than 3 years old. These strips are what we know as cinnamon sticks.
Healing with Cinnamon:
Here's how to put cinnamon's medicinal powers to work for you. This fragrant spice:
Fights tooth decay: Several toothpastes are cinnamon-flavored-for good reason. "Cinnamon is an antiseptic that helps kill the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease," says Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. Cinnamon also kills many disease-causing fungi and viruses. Cinnamon toothpastes can be found at supermarkets, and health-food stores.
Soothes upset stomach: Like many culinary spices, cinnamon helps calm the stomach. But a Japanese study of animals revealed that this spice may also help prevent ulcers. To brew a stomach-soothing tea, use ½ to ¾ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon per cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 to 20 minutes. Drink up to three cups day.
Clears up urinary-tract infections: One German study showed that cinnamon "suppresses completely" the cause of most urinary-tract infections (Escherichia coli bacteria) and the fungus responsible for vaginal yeast infections (Candida albicans).
Safety Considerations:
The amounts of cinnamon normally used in food are non-toxic, although some people experience allergic reactions after eating this spice. Cinnamon oil is a different story. Applied to the skin, it may cause redness and burning. Taken internally, it can cause nausea, vomiting and possibly even kidney damage. Never ingest cinnamon oil.
Culinary cinnamon is on the Food and Drug Administration's list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant adults, there's no danger from medicinal doses.
Benefits of cinnamon, cloves
April 06, 2006
Help against diabetes and heart disease may be as close as your kitchen cabinets.
Two new studies suggest that cinnamon and cloves boost insulin function while lowering cholesterol. The reports were presented Tuesday at the Experimental Biology meeting, in San Francisco.
One study reinforced previous research indicating that as little as a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon extract, taken two times a day, can stimulate insulin-like activity while lowering triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose levels by 10 percent to 30 percent.
And this new research found that the same amount of cinnamon may also alleviate inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
The second study revealed that a few grams of cloves per day delivers a similar therapeutic effect.
May help diabetics
Either spice might help both pre-diabetic and diabetic patients alike, researchers contended.
"If you can improve insulin function the cholesterol goes down, triglycerides go down, glucose goes down, and all this goes towards the alleviation of type 2 diabetes," said Richard A. Anderson, a research chemist with the nutrient requirements and functions laboratory at the US Department of Agriculture in Beltsville.
In the lab, Anderson and his team studied the effect of consuming one to six grams of cinnamon extract a day. One gram is the equivalent of about a half a teaspoon.
They found that cinnamon increases levels of three important proteins crucial to promoting normal insulin-signalling processes, a healthy inflammatory response, and efficient glucose transportation throughout the body.
Human trials are now underway to further understand cinnamon's effect.
The clove study involved 36 men and women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Three groups of patients consumed either one, two or three grams of cloves for 30 days in capsule form, while a fourth consumed none of the spice.
Benefits linked to cloves
At the end of the study, regardless of the amount of cloves consumed, all those who ingested cloves showed a drop in glucose, triglycerides and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. Blood levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol were not affected among the clove eaters. Those who did not ingest cloves experienced no changes.
"The people who would benefit the most are those who have impairments in their blood sugar," said Anderson. "These are the millions of people with metabolic syndrome who are pre-diabetic, people with type 2 diabetes, and even the severely diabetic and the severely overweight - although they may not benefit as much because the impairments in their insulin are much, much worse."
Caution with cinnamon and cloves
Anderson cautioned, however, that consumers should not simply start dousing their food with cloves and cinnamon. He noted, for example, that cinnamon in powder form is rendered ineffective by contact with saliva, and its lack of solubility in water can result in an unwanted build up of the spice in the body.
"But I certainly think there are things people can do," he added. "We recommend you add cinnamon to your coffee before you grind it, as this eliminates, in essence, the toxic components of cinnamon. Or you can use cinnamon sticks to make tea in hot water, which does the same thing. Or you can buy the cinnamon capsules in the store with the water-soluble extract in the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons twice a day.
Cathy Nonas, director of the obesity and diabetes program at North General Hospital in New York City, expressed reserved enthusiasm for the food studies.
She stressed that more large-scale studies need to be conducted to identify the best way to use the spices, as well as any long-term side effects.
"The findings are terrific," she noted, "but they don't take away from important food and lifestyle issues - from the need to do all the difficult things like make correct food choices and exercise. So this alone is not the solution, and it's important for people to understand that. Unfortunately, we can't now just all go out and have cinnamon Danishes and cinnamon ice cream."
Comfrey,
also known as Blackwort, bruisewort, gum plant, healing herb, knitback, salsify, slippery root, and wallwort, is a perennial plant common in moist meadows and other moist places in the U.S. and Europe. The rootstock is black outside, fleshy and whitish inside, and contains a glutinous juice. The angular, hairy stem bears bristly, oblong lanceolate leaves, some petioled, some sessile. There are also tongue-shaped basal leaves that generally lie on the ground. The whitish or pale purple flowers have a tubular corolla resembling the finger of a glove and grow in forked scorpioid racemes from May to August.
Comfrey can be used as an anodyne, astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant, hemostatic, refrigerant, and/or vulnerary. A decoction of the rootstock makes a good gargle and mouthwash for throat inflammations, hoarseness, and bleeding gums. Drink it to take care of most digestive and stomach problems, for intestinal difficulties, for excessive menstrual flow, and to stop spitting blood. Powdered rootstock can also be taken internally for bloody urine (hematuria), leucorrhea, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal ulcers, dysentery, and persistent coughs. Externally, use the powder as a hemostatic agent, and make a poultice for wounds, bruises, sores, and insect bites. The hot pulp of the rootstock makes a good external application for bronchitis, pleurisy, and for the pain and inflammation of pulled tendons. Add the rootstock to your bath water regularly for a more youthful skin.
Historical Benefits:
Assists with mouth and throat irritations.
Aid for certain intestinal disorders.
Helps heal wounds, bruises, and insect bites.
Dandelion,
also known as Blowball, cankerwort, lion's tooth, priest's crown, puffball, swine snout, white endive, and wild endive, is a perennial plant found, to the dismay of many, almost everywhere. The oblong or spatulate, irregularly dentate or pinnatifid leaves grow in a rosette from the milky taproot, which also sends up one or more naked flower stems, each terminating in a single yellow flower. The familiar puffball that succeeds the flower is a globular cluster of achenes, each of which is fitted with a parachute-like tuft.
The dandelion has been used as an aperient, cholagogue, diuretic, stomachic, and tonic. Dandelion has two particularly important uses: to promote the formation of bile and to remove excess water from the body in edemous conditions resulting from liver problems. The root especially affects all forms of secretion and excretion from the body. By acting to remove poisons from the body, it acts as a tonic and stimulant as well. The fresh juice is most effective, but dandelion is also prepared as a tea. Lukewarm dandelion tea has been recommended for dyspepsia with constipation, fever, insomnia, and hypochondria. An infusion of the fresh root is said to be good for gallstones, jaundice, and other liver problems. Dandelion leaves are popular and healthful as salad greens, especially in springtime. For chronic rheumatism, gout, and stiff joints, follow an eight-week dandelion cure.
Dill
Ever wonder what dill is doing in dill pickles? Flavor is only half the story. The herb's also a natural preservative, and in the days before refrigeration, vegetables were often pickled in vinegar or brine to keep them from spoiling. When dill was added, the pickled vegetables lasted even longer. But here's the real surprise: The same components in dill that helps keep pickles fresh can also soothe an upset stomach.
The use of dill as a digestive aid isn't new. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese all used this herb to cure tummy troubles. "Dill tea works," confirms Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. "It's even gentle enough for infants."
Healing with Dill:
To use this herb to soothe your stomach, brew a tea using 2 teaspoons of mashed dill seeds per cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Drink up to three cups a day or take ½ to 1 teaspoon of dill tincture up to 3 times a day. This herb can:
Improve Digestion: After a big meal, down a cup of dill tea to soothe your stomach and prevent indigestion.
Ease colic: If an infant has colic, try giving her small amounts of weak dill tea; allow the beverage to cool before administering it. Add fennel for extra stomach-soothing power.
Halt diarrhea: Dill inhibits the growth of several bacteria (staphylococcus, streptococcus, pseudomonas, and Esherichia coli). These microorganisms cause infectious diarrhea-another common early-childhood gastrointestinal illness.
Prevent flatulence: Traditionally, herbalists recommended dill for control of flatulence. The herb does have anti-foaming action, suggesting that it can help break up gas bubbles.
Grow Your Own:
Dill is an annual with a long taproot like its close relative, the carrot. It has a delicate, fast-growing, spindly stem with lacy leaves. Yellow flowers appear in summer and produce great quantities of tiny ridged fruits (seeds).
Dill grows vigorously from seeds sown ¼ inch deep in early spring. Germination takes about two weeks. Thin seedlings to 12 inches apart.
Dill grows up to 3 feet tall in rich, moist, slightly acidic soil under full shade. Seeds mature in about two months. Harvest them when they begin to turn brown. Dill self-sows. Leave a few plants unharvested and you'll have a fresh supply every year.
Safety Considerations:
People sensitive to dill may develop a skin rash from ingesting it, but the leaves, seeds and seed oil are generally considered nontoxic. If skin irritations develops, discontinue use.
