Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news2.telebyte.nl!newsfeed.stueberl.de!feed.news.tiscali.de!uio.no!newsfeed.kolumbus.fi!not-for-mail From: Henriette Kress Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Medicinal herbFAQ Part 3/7 Followup-To: alt.folklore.herbs Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 13:28:13 +0300 Organization: Yrtit ja yrttiterapiaa Lines: 1268 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: Sun, 30 May 2004 23:59:00 GMT Message-ID: Reply-To: hetta @ spamcop.net (no blanks) NNTP-Posting-Host: a80-186-14-229.elisa-laajakaista.fi Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: phys-news1.kolumbus.fi 1082888687 9475 80.186.14.229 (25 Apr 2004 10:24:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@kolumbus.fi NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 10:24:47 +0000 (UTC) Summary: What you have always wanted to know (and ask on a newsgroup)(more often than once a month) about medicinal herbs X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.folklore.herbs:97203 alt.answers:72624 news.answers:270424 Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part3 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 15Oct03 Version: 1.38h URL: http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-cont.html ---------------------------------------------- 2.12 Wild yam and contraception ---------------------------------------------- This one is from Henriette, with help from unca Mike and unca Jonno. A stubborn question, coming up on the newsgroups and mailing lists again and again: "How do you use wild yam for herbal birth control?" Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) does not work as a herbal birth control. People who try it invariably end up being called "Mom", unless they're naturally infertile. So why is this myth still going strong? Back in the early 40's the only hormones available were very expensive, injectable slaughterhouse hormones. An American, Dr. Russell Marker, had this great idea on making oral hormones from saponins (actually they're not really hormones, just hormone look-alikes - but that's another topic), and tried to get backing for research on this from the pharmaceutical companies of the time. None of these thought this worth pursuing ("we -have- hormones, enough for our needs, why would anybody want cheap oral hormones?") (which goes to show just how short-sighted people can be). Dr. Marker then went abroad, and the Mexican ministry of health said yep, sounds like a good idea. So he went to Mexico and started to look for plants with lots of saponins. Both Yucca and Agave roots contain enough saponins, and both were abundant, but neither was acceptable to the Mexican government as they were needed in the Tequila industry. So Dr. Marker settled for a plant that was abundant and easy to grow: Dioscorea mexicana, Mexican yam. It took him a couple of years to get the "Marker Degradation Process" going, and he proceeded to make progesterone, in a lab, from the saponin diosgenin found in said Mexican yam. At first the process was not economically feasible (at something like 37 steps), but when he got it down to something like 6 steps, industrial production of oral hormone look-alikes took off. And so did contraceptive pills. A decade or three later: officials in strategic places in Mexico are looking at OPEC, thinking, "Hmmm, those guys have a monopoly -and- money, we can do that too." So they doubled the prices of the output of their oral hormone precursor factories, and whammy, next thing you see is Japanese looking around for cheap raw material - aha, soybeans. So the Japanese put up a couple of factories of their own, undercut the Mexican prices, and diosgenin the oral hormone raw material was no more. It's all soybeans now, folks. Back then you also saw lots and lots of semi-scientific herbalists latch on to the sentence "Dioscorea is a hormone precursor". These guys and gals were totally disregarding the fact that a _lab_ is needed between raw root and hormone precursor. _People_ use cholesterols as steroid hormone precursors. The only time you're short of cholesterols is when you're reduced to skin and bones and one big belly - and if so, you've got far worse problems to worry about than an upset hormone cycle. Now why did the name "Mexican yam" morph into things like "Mexican wild yam", "wild Mexican yam", and later on even into "wild yam" (which properly is another species altogether, Dioscorea villosa)? In the 50's and 60's Mexico fell out of fashion and, in the minds of norteamericanos, got an image as a poor country. In a stroke of genius some semi-scientific herbalists, this time exclusively from North America (at least at first), thought "we don't want any of that there imported stuff, we've got wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), let's use that". Now, if you know your plants, you know that Dioscorea villosa is a North American plant that's been widely used as an antispasmodic (it's also called "colic root"). It has -never- been used for diosgenin extraction, nor has it therefore ever seen the inside of an oral hormone factory. It probably won't ever be used that way, either, as a) it doesn't contain enough saponins to make industrial hormone precursor manufacture worthwile, and b) it's really not all that abundant, nor all that easy to gather in quantity. However, thus was born the name and concept of wild yam cream. Both are _completely_ off the wall, if you ask me. Be honest about it and call it progesterone cream, and tell folks just how much natural progesterone you added to that there cream, so they know in advance just how well the cream will work. ---------------------------------------------- 2.12.1 Edible vs. true yam ---------------------------------------------- From Michael Moore: Edible yams and sweet potatoes are simply different strains of the same plant...edible tubers of several varieties of Ipomoea batatas. NO "true yam" (Dioscorea spp.) is used in North America for food. Most Dioscoreas are about as edible as pencil shavings, with less taste. From Thomas Mueller: I can't recall ever tasting pencil shavings, but true yams, Dioscorea genus, are cultivated and eaten in tropical countries, and some are available in some ethnic markets in the USA. In my experience, these yams are starchy, not sweet, more like potato than sweet potato, but lower water content than potato. From bogus.purr.demon.co.uk (Jack Campin): And they are widely available in the UK, anywhere there's a sizable Asian or Afro-Caribbean population, i.e. pretty much any city. The smaller variety are usually called "eddoes", the large variety just "yams". Nobody calls sweet potatoes yams here any more (they probably did after WW2; that was what my father learned to call them when in the army in India and North Africa, but he unlearned it fast enough in New Zealand). From Henriette: Edible yams roots are enormous. Peel, cut into chunks, boil with a bit of oil and salt. They take longer than your usual starchy vegetable to boil. They don't get all that soft. The cooking water transforms into an unappetizing whitish jelly overnight. Not really all that tasty. Sweet potatoes, batatas, are smaller (in fact, somebody told me, long ago, the smaller the better). Peel, cut into bits, boil. Add a dash of butter - yum, tasty! The ones I've tried have all been more or less yellowish internally, with a whitish sap (sticky when dry) that turns gray on exposure to air. They're done about as fast as potatoes, and go about as soft as potatoes, too. I expect Michael means that the North American species of Dioscorea do not sport edible roots. ---------------------------------------------- 2.12.2 Wild yam cream and natural progesterone ---------------------------------------------- Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) as such does not contain progesterone nor anything else that would act like progesterone. It's a good antispasmodic, and that's it. So, unless your menopausal symptoms include lots of cramps wild yam won't do squat for them. The "wild yam" creams that work for menopausal symptoms (like hot flashes) contain synthetic natural progesterone. Natural progesterone is a pharmaceutical term. It doesn't mean that the progesterone is plant-derived, nor that the plants it possibly is derived from are organically grown - it means that the progesterone is identical to the human hormone progesterone. Natural progesterone is all synthetical, i.e. you need a lab to manufacture it from your raw materials. Unless, of course, it's extracted from animal glands, in which case it's not identical to our own progesterone (vide the allergic reactions from animal-derived conjugated hormones), and should be called something else. How come these creams can contain synthetic progesterone without that being stated on the label? Natural progesterone is considered a cosmetic in the USA, because the FDA doesn't recognize that topical progesterone works ("just look at those women, they'll believe -anything- ..."). Labeling of cosmetics is rather loose, and if you squint hard enough the legislation gets blurred, too. So you end up with creams labeled "wild yam extract" or something equally unlikely. This might be bordering on the illegal, particularly considering that you won't find any progesterone derived from wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) on the market. Like I said, be honest about it and call it progesterone cream, -and- add amounts to your labels. For further reading you can try John Lee's book "Natural progesterone, the many roles of a wonderful hormone". He's also written "What your doctor may not tell you about menopause". I don't have either so can't say how good they are. ---------------------------------------------- 2.13 Red raspberry and pregnancy ---------------------------------------------- You use an infusion of the leaf of Rubus idaeus to ease pregnancy and/or childbirth. The controversy is when to use it - throughout the pregnancy or just the last trimester. One piece of advice on the paracelsus list: From: herbal.got.net (Roy Upton) Almost all popular texts state that red raspberry is good to use throughout pregnancy. On several occasions I have seen first trimester women experience spotting each time they drank moderate amounts of the tea. When they discontinued the tea, spotting stopped. Four tried the tea again and spotting began again. I asked a few midwives about their experience and found that they too had experienced the same thing, so did not generally recommend it in the first trimester. I do not feel that red raspberry is inherently problematic, but also feel that is not necessarily inherently benign. ---------------------------------------------- 2.14 Green tea and caffeine ---------------------------------------------- The usual question is: does green tea contain caffeine? The answer is yes, if it hasn't been decaffeinated. So does black tea, and oolong. A good post on teas in general and green tea in particular: From alczap.thorne.com (Al Czap): It is thought that the traditional use of tea (Camellia sinensis) began in China about 4700 years ago. Europeans were introduced to the beverage in the 1500's, and by the second half of the 17th century it was being widely consumed throughout Europe. Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world (water is #1) with 2.5 million tons of tea leaves produced annually. The Chinese produce over 300 varieties of tea, which can be separated into three basic categories; black tea, oolong tea, and green tea. These three types of tea can actually be derived from the exact same plant. The difference between them is how the leaves are handled after harvesting. Black tea is allowed to ferment, and is then dried. Oolong tea is partially fermented. Green tea is dried without fermenting. Allowing the tea to ferment oxidizes naturally-occurring catechins, transforming them into theaflavins and thearubigin, chemicals responsible for the color and flavor of black tea. An increase in theaflavins increases the commercial value of black tea, but decreases the catechin content. Green tea infusion contains intact catechin polyphenols, which give rise to its bitterness and astringency. Six catechin polyphenols have been isolated from green tea; (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), gallocatechin-3-O-gallate (GCG), methyl-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, and (-)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate (ECG). These substances were tested for their antioxidant activity, and the gallic acid esters EGCG and EGC were found to be the strongest antioxidants, with EGCG being over 200 times more active than Vitamin E in an in vitro model. In another test, EGCG was more active against fat rancidity (lipid peroxidation) than Vitamin C or Vitamin E, and also exhibited synergistic action with those vitamins. Many nutritive and protective qualities have been associated with green tea, both in infusion and extract form. A Japanese epidemiological study of 9500 non-drinkers/non-smokers age 40 and above showed a decreased incidence of stroke (CVA) in those consuming green tea, with a direct correlation between increased consumption and decreased incidence, so that at 3-4 cups a day the overall incidence of CVA was 17 percent that of people drinking no tea. Other epidemiological studies show a decreased risk of esophageal, gastric, and colon neoplasms with tea consumption. Numerous studies have shown that standardized green tea extracts or components of the extract exhibit antioxidant activity, stimulation of glutathione peroxidase and catalase, induction of phase II enzymes, and inhibition of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and angiotensin converting enzyme. Green tea extract also has anti-platelet-aggregation activity, and inhibits delta-amylase and sucrase, in addition to the known effects of catechin: collagen stabilization, histidine decarboxylase inhibition, and hepatic support. Green tea extracts can contain a substantial amount of caffeine, and may be standardized to low levels of polyphenols. HPLC isolation and identification reveals that the main constituent of our extract is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), the most active compound in the extract. ---------------------------------------------- 2.15 Comfrey hepatotoxicity ---------------------------------------------- From: Rene Burrough Comfrey is the victim of a bad press, inaccurate reports, and four true cases of toxicity which in themselves are not straightforward, but suggest overdosing on comfrey. Governments in the UK & Australia have restricted the uses of comfrey root or banned the plant respectively. The problem is two-fold: firstly there are two "comfreys" and reference to them is often casual. Regular, common, medicinal comfrey is Symphytum officinale. Russian comfrey, the great compost heap maker, is Symphytum x uplandicum. Medical herbalists in the UK, from whose written reports I am extrapolating, point out that Russian comfrey was probably the herb used in the toxicity trials yet regular comfrey is also restricted or banned. Secondly, when the toxicity tests were done in the late 70s, a chemical constituent called pyrrolizidine alkaloid was isolated, extracted from leaves & injected into baby rats at what many medical herbalists consider an "unrealistic level". In other words far more comfrey than a human would eat to get such a toxic level of . Also baby rats are smaller than humans; they do not have the same metabolism as humans; and an isolated chemical injected outside the rat's stomach wall is not the same as a human eating leaves with many chemical constituents and digesting them normally. A chemical in isolation will cause different reactions from a group of chemical constituents containing that one as well. To digress, but to explain, I hope. Aspirin is a synthesized chemical, acetylsalicylic acid, based on a real life plant constituent found in meadowsweet & willow. Aspirin can cause ulcerations of the stomach lining; meadowsweet has a soothing, gummy constituent called mucilage which lines the stomach, preventing erosion of the stomach wall but allowing the anti inflammatory properties of the salicylates of the herb to be utilized. OK? So -- the bad guys in , the were isolated & did bad things. But that too must be qualified. The early research, late 70s, concluded that these do indeed cause liver damage in humans. Medical herbalists would point out that Pyrrolizidine alkaloids can cause obstructions of the veins in the human liver, known as hepatic veno-occlusion, but and that the level of alkaloids in comfrey was too low to in any case. And finally, is comfrey carcinogenic? The carcinogenic alkaloid has been identified as symphytine which apparently is about 5% of the total alkaloids in comfrey. The original, often cited report was written by Culver et al in 1980. There have been many criticisms since of the research itself; how the scientific testing was conducted, which comfrey was really used, etc. What I found most interesting was the tumors in all but three of the rats were benign -- out of three groups of 19-28 rats and 3 groups of 15-24 rats. . There were clear cut cases of liver damage. That's in rats. There are four cases involving humans which do implicate comfrey. One involved a woman who was finally diagnosed as having veno-occlusive disease & did consume a quart of herbal tea/per day that contained comfrey. A second case involved a boy with Crohns disease who was treated with conventional medicine for some time before going over to comfrey root & acupuncture. The long running malnutrition may have weaken the liver predisposing it to the venal obstruction problem. Comfrey root was blamed. The drugs were not considered as possibilities. The third case involves a woman who overdosed: 10 cups of comfrey tea a day & handsful of comfrey pills. After 9 years, she had serious liver problems. The fourth case became a fatality. A vegetarian, given to specific food binges for weeks, took an unknown amount of comfrey for flu like symptoms possibly over a period of four months. The particulars of his case are blurred. All cases involve comfrey; in at least three, there are suggestions of overdose or abuse of the plant. WHICH plant, I don't know. There are also disagreements about the efficacy & safety of leaves vs. root. Some studies show the leaf to be almost alkaloid free -- thus safe. The UK finally restricted the internal use of comfrey root... saying that there are still too many unanswered questions. Most medical herbalists I know will politely to vigorously disagree, but the law restricts the root. At least externally the root's OK here & the leaves can still be used as tea or poultice. I'm sorry this is so long, but bear with me one more paragraph, please. I must credit Penelope Ody, MNIMH, former Editor, writing in Herbs, the British Herb Society magazine & Margaret Whitelegg, MNIMH, whose paper for the National Institute of Medical herbalists to the UK government in was later published in the European Journal of Herbal Medicine. Both were published in 1993. I cannot do justice to their articles so briefly, but I do hope I have fairly summarized their writings. Any misstatements, confusion of explanations here are mine. ---------------------------------------------- 2.15.1 Hepatotoxicity update ---------------------------------------------- Comment from Henriette: Yes, the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in comfrey do hurt your liver. Yes, you have to take lots of the herb in order to get veno-occlusive liver disease. No, you can't blame that disease on pharmaceuticals taken at the same time - they'd hurt the liver in _other_ ways. So don't take lots of comfrey every day for weeks at a time; if you do believe that you need it (and not, say, Calendula, which works much the same in wounds, or Plantago, which works much the same way both in wounds and in coughs; neither of these are problematic), take it in small amounts. Know that if your liver is healthy it'll get hit worse than if it's already compromised. That is because the hepatotoxic PAs are catalysts, much like freons in the ozone layer - each cell tries its best to detoxify this molecule, can't do it, dies, and the next one tries, until the PA is passed out unchanged. And know, too, that PAs are absorbed through the skin. That means that it's a really bad idea to use comfrey long-term for wounds. Some comfreys are more toxic than others. Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) is one of the worst. And there's more hepatotoxic PAs in comfreys that are grown without a real winter, eg. in California. Other plants contain the same kinds of hepatotoxic PAs. Among these are, for instance, borage (not in the seeds, not much in the flower), some of the senecios, germander (Teucrium chamaedrys), and lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.). The most toxic ones of the lot are the Lithospermums. ---------------------------------------------- 2.16 Pennyroyal ---------------------------------------------- by Rene Burrough In answer to your question...how deadly & which one. The very brief answer is both IF you're talking about ingesting the isolated, essential oil. So, here's a longer answer. Pennyroyal, European Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium). Labiatae. American Pennyroyal, Mock Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides). Labiatae. Other synonyms for American Pennyroyal: Pudding grass, Lurk-in-the-ditch, Squaw mint, Mosquito plant. I knew very little about pennyroyal, except that it seems to keep the ant population down in a large stone planter I have. Six feet long by 2 feet wide & 3 feet deep to ground level, it has been a hotbed of ant breeding for 15 years or so. Anything that grew there was by courtesy of millions of ants. I put two creeping pennyroyals in...and for the last two years there have been considerably fewer massive colonies of ants. Some have moved underground and over to the veggie patch, but that's beside the point. Ants don't like pennyroyal, so that's my starting point. Certainly the essential oil used topically or the fresh leaves crushed and rubbed onto the skin will ward off mosquitoes and fleas (see section IX). Philbrick & Gregg, in their ancient & treasured _Companion Plants_ agree. They also state that the American pennyroyal yields a commercial oil which can repel gnats & mosquitoes. Soak a dog collar in an infusion of pennyroyal or add a strong decoction into the floor washing water are well regarded folklore remedies by Adele Dawson. Richard Mabey claims pennyroyal is also good with bites of all kinds, repelling ticks as well as the above. Tierra suggests using citronella oil with pennyroyal oil for external application against mosquitoes. Topically, it is a refrigerant, antiseptic, insect repellent, and thus good for skin eruptions, itching, formication [the sensation of small insects crawling all over the skin] & gout [presumably for its cooling property applied to the affected, joint in an acute attack]. Parenthetically, it is only the _British Herbal Pharmacopoeia_ that includes gout in the pennyroyal portfolio. ---------------------------------------------- I HISTORY OF THE NAME ---------------------------------------------- from Malcolm Stuart's _Encyclopedia of Herbs & Herbalism_ Pennyroyal was held in very high repute for many centuries throughout Europe & was the most popular member of the mint family. Pliny is regarded as the originator of its name "pulegium" ...derived from "pulex" meaning flea...since both the fresh herb & the smoke from the burning leaves (smudging) were used to eradicate the insects. Linnaeus retained the association with fleas when he gave the plant its botanical name. Prior to that scientific classification, the unusual aroma led some to consider it a thyme. "Puliol" was an old French name for thyme, & this plant was designated the royal thyme or "puliol royale" which was corrupted into pennyroyal. In modern French, the herb is called "la menthe Pouliot". Herb books written in the US tend to list American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides) first , and medical herbals written in the UK & Europe prefer Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium). All agree the pennyroyal has the same or similar properties. Where the real differences lie are in the appearance & life cycle of the two herbs. ---------------------------------------------- II DESCRIPTION OF PENNYROYAL ---------------------------------------------- Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is an aromatic Perennial and is common wild or garden plant in the UK, France & Germany; found in wet grounds around the Med & in Western Asia. Mrs. Grieve says the more common, at least in the UK, is the creeping or pennyroyal. With weak, prostrate stems, though quadrangular -- as all mints have square stems -- it roots easily where ever the leaf nodes touch the ground. H 10-15cm or 4-6in. S indefinite. the upright or sub-erect has stouter stems, & obviously there's no rooting at leaf nodes. It is less common in the UK but better for cultivation according to Mrs. G.. H 20-30cm or 8-12in. S indefinite. A planting will last 4-5 years, though Mrs. G says frost may kill it, & a new planting should be made each year. Deni Brown lists pennyroyal as fully hardy [minimum -5C or 5F). Ethne Clarke's _Herb Garden Design_ shows pennyroyal appropriate for Zones 5-9. The leaves of Pennyroyal are generally small, ovate, slightly serrate, slightly hairy, and opposite. For the record, the leaf of the non-creeping pennyroyal can be up to 3cm or 1.5in long and may be entire rather than slightly toothed. The color depends on the variety and whether wild or cultivar. Greyish-green to light green. The IMPRESSION of the appearance of the leaves is similar to that of wild oregano (Origanum vulgaris), marjorams (O. majorana, O. onites) & thymes...that is... tiny & crowded together on thin stems but with more rounded leaves. Not surprisingly Mrs. G described pennyroyal as . The small flowers are produced in distinctive, dense whorls (similar to corn or fieldmint & gingermint in bloom. ) The tight, axillary clusters appear in July-August with colors ranging from reddish -purple to lilac. There are few flowering stems on the prostate form; they lie on top of what appears to be "a dense green turf". Seed is light brown, very small & oval. To harvest: for drying, the stems should be gathered just before flowering in July. Pungently aromatic, it can be added to potpourris & insect sachets. The dried herb can also be made into infusions, liquid extract, tinctures for medicinal uses. (see section X) ---------------------------------------------- III DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN PENNYROYAL ---------------------------------------------- According to Deni Brown, there are 39 species of annuals & perennials in the NAmerican genus, Hedeoma. They have no great merit as garden plants, but are often seen in herb gardens. Its neat habit & aromatic foliage makes it especially suitable for containers & planting near seats & entrances, or between paving stones. American pennyroyal is an Annual, found in dry fields & open woods from the East coast to Minnesota/Nebraska. It is bushy plant with erect, square stems. H 10-40cm (4-16in) S 7-24 cm (3-10in) it bears small, opposite, thin ovate leaves sparingly toothed. Axillary clusters of small, tubular lavender or purplish flowers appear from June-October. The whole plant has a pleasant, aromatic, mint-like smell. The name _Hedeoma_ comes from the Greek for sweet and for scent. It has also been described as having an acrid taste and aroma; none-the-less it is used as the basic flavoring herb of North Carolina black pudding... hence the local name of Pudding Grass. A culinary aside: In the north of England, Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is also used in black pudding, and in Spain it is added to sausages. To harvest: plants should be cut when in flower for drying. The fresh herb can be gathered and used almost as a "strewing herb" for deterring fleas. ---------------------------------------------- IV THERAPEUTICS OF MENTHA PULEGIUM ---------------------------------------------- For the basic framework, I am using the information from the _British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 1983_ supplemented by Potter's, Culpepper's Colour, David Hoffmann, Deni Brown, & Simon Mills. Actions: Carminative, Spasmolytic = arresting or checking spasm especially of smooth muscle. [Antispasmodic means preventing or relieving.] Diaphoretic. Uterine stimulant/ Emmenagogue... principally used for delayed menses. (see section VIII) Topically: Refrigerant. Antiseptic. Insect repellent. Indications: Flatulent dyspepsia. Intestinal colic. The common cold. Delayed menstruation. Topically: Cutaneous [skin] eruptions. Formication. Gout. Specific indications: Delayed menstruation owing to chill or nervous shock. Contraindication: Inadvisable in pregnancy. (see section VIII) In small doses & as an infusion, pennyroyal is used for colds (as it promotes sweating), With its richly aromatic volatile oil, pennyroyal will ease indigestion, wind, nausea, colic, dyspepsia, and painful menstruation. It is considered a warming & stimulant herb by Culpepper, while Adele Dawson also suggests its use in cases of stomach spasm & hysteria. Hoffmann explains that the volatile oil will relax spasmodic pain & ease anxiety. NB: This should NOT be construed as ingesting the isolated, essential oil which could be fatal. (see section IX) The volatile oil is a constituent of the plant & will be released in the preparation of the infusion. Pennyroyal is given to children with stomach & bowel upsets & also to ease feverish symptoms in measles & whooping cough. Taken by infusion according to Culpepper. BHP suggested dose: for an infusion: 1- 4gm of dried herb in 1C ** boiling water; steeped for 10-15 minutes. 3 times a day. Or 1-4ml of liquid extract (1:1 in 45% alcohol). 3 times a day. Other herbals consulted tend to suggest smaller doses: up to 2 or 3gm dried herb; up to 2ml tincture...though Potter's range is from 0.5ml - 5ml of the liquid extract. **NB: the general proportions for infusions are: 30gm dried herb or 75gm fresh herb to 500ml boiling water. So "one cup" is the proverbial length of a piece of string. Pennyroyal is available on the General Sales List in the UK. [In itself, that is an indication of its considered safety.] The BHP suggests the following combinations: for acute amenorrhea - may be combined with Chamaelirium (False Unicorn Root), Achillea millefolium (Yarrow), & Picrasma (Quassia, Quassia Wood, Jamaica Quassia); for flatulent dyspepsia - may be combined with Filipendula (Meadowsweet), Althaea Root (Marshmallow root) & Melissa (Lemon Balm); in the common cold - may be combined with Sambucus (Elderflower) & Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) ---------------------------------------------- V THERAPEUTICS OF HEDEOMA PULEGIOIDES ---------------------------------------------- The basis of this information came from Lust's _Herb Book_, Deni Brown's _Encyclopedia of Herbs, Tierra's Plant Herbology, & Earl Mindell's _Herb Bible_ Properties & uses: carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, sedative, expectorant. The Amerindian tradition shows use of pennyroyal for headaches, feverish colds, & menstrual cramps & pain. It was also used as a digestive herbal tea. It was listed in the _US Pharmacopoeia_ (1831-1916). It is still used internally for colds, whooping cough(the expressed juice can be made into a lozenge/sucking candy). In childbirth, the PLANT is used. NB: the essential oil taken internally could be fatal. (see section IX). It should be used by qualified practitioners only. Topically: as a wash for skin eruptions, rashes, and itching. Suggested dose: 1 tsp. herb/1C water. 1-2 cups/day. Tinctures 20-60 drops at a time, as needed. For children, small, frequent doses. ---------------------------------------------- VI CONSTITUENTS OF MENTHA PULEGIUM ---------------------------------------------- (The American pennyroyal has similar constituents.) Sources: Potter's, Malcolm Stuart, Tierra, & David Hoffmann. Volatile oil (0.5-1%) of which approx. 85% is a ketone, pulegone; also isopulegone, menthol, isomethone, limone, piperitone, neomenthol. There are also misc. bitters, tannins, & flavone glycosides. Pulegone is described as a toxic compound, "notorious for causing abortions". It is present in both Mentha pulegium & Hedeoma pulegioides. ---------------------------------------------- VII ADDITIONAL MEDICAL INTERPRETATIONS ---------------------------------------------- Tierra in _Planetary Herbology_ collectively describes Hedeoma pulegioides & Mentha pulegium ...in much the same way as mentioned above. He does add the following: The Energetics are spicy, bitter, warm . The Meridians/organs affected are liver & lungs. In David Bellamy's & Andrea Pfister's _World Medicine_ they have a large section called The Families of Healing Plants. Mentha pulegium is listed with two sources of information: The 1907 British Pharmaceutical Codex and Book I of Avicenna's _Canon_. The BPC states that Oil of Pennyroyal (Ol. Pulegii) is given as an emmenagogue. During excretion, it mildly irritates the kidneys & bladder, and reflexly excites uterine contractions. Avicenna lists the herb as Mint (Podina in Urdu). The leaves are the part used. The herb's Temperament is described as Hot & Dry in the 2nd Degree. ---------------------------------------------- VIII HOW DEADLY IS DEADLY...AND WHICH PENNYROYAL ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? ---------------------------------------------- Simon Mills in _Out of the Earth_ issued the strongest warning that I found in my trawl of herbals. There are a number of herbs which should be avoided altogether because they can damage the fetus or provoke a miscarriage. In many popular herb books the term emmenagogue is found, widely but erroneously, having come to refer to a gynecological remedy. In fact, the effect of an emmenagogue is to bring on a delayed menstruation: it takes little imagination to realize that the most common reason for a delayed menstruation is pregnancy and that emmenagogues are thus abortifacients. Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is among 21 herbs Simon Mills lists. This information was part of a short section of herbs in pregnancy..those quite safe, and those not so. In his first book, _The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism_ written 6 years earlier, Mills quite carefully does NOT list emmenagogue among the actions. He does include uterine stimulant with this caution: The second most complete, cautionary listing was found in Earl Mindell's _Herb Bible_. He is talking about American pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides). Richard Mabey in _The Compete New Herbal_ warns <...the oil taken internally can be highly toxic and there are a number of cases of the deaths of women who tried to procure abortions by taking the oil.> Tierra in _Planetary Herbology_ goes further in his explanation. Malcolm Stuart raises an important, tangential danger. He then goes on to state: ---------------------------------------------- IX PS ON PESTS ---------------------------------------------- And just to round things out, he adds that the plant may cause contact dermatitis which is certainly worth noting before rubbing crushed, fresh leaves on your skin to avoid mosquito bites. He adds that the pennyroyal leaves are also good for insect bites after-the-fact. They act as a rubefacient...that is drawing more blood to the area which improves its cleansing action on the affected tissue. ---------------------------------------------- X ODDS AND SODS ---------------------------------------------- While some herbalists maintain that a fresh herb/plant is medically more efficacious, I have not seen any preferences specified for either Pennyroyal or American Pennyroyal. Most herbals referred to the dried herb...so by omission one can assume dried is the preferred state. Why? I don't know. Forms of internal dosage: The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Mrs. Grieve, & Potter's call for a liquid extract to be taken. Hoffmann & de Baiiracli Levy use infusions. Lust calls for a tincture to be used. As a reminder, the differences are: Tincture: solution of substances (both active & inactive therapeutically) extracted from medicinal plants by the maceration or percolation of the plant with alcohol or alcohol-water solutions. Liquid extract: product obtained by treating plant material with a solvent or mixture of solvents designed to extract the desired constituents. Infusion: made by pouring a given volume of boiling or just boiled water over a given quantity weight of herb and letting it steep/infuse for a given time. Always cover to keep the volatile oils in the infusion...otherwise they'll escape...evaporating into the air. ---------------------------------------------- 2.17 Cat's Claw ---------------------------------------------- From Kris Gammon Latin name: Uncaria tomentosa. Peruvian name: una de gato. Cat's Claw is a thick, long, slow growing woody vine that grows between 400 and 800 meters above sea level in the Amazon jungle. This vine gets its name from the small, sharp thorns, two at the base of each pair of leaves, which looks like a cat's claw. These claws enable the vine to attach itself around trees climbing to a height of 100 feet or higher. In 1959, Nicole Maxwell made a journey to the Rio Putumayo. She painstakingly began her collection of specimens and data of medicinal plants in the Amazon. This was her first long jungle trip although she had made previous excursions. Her findings are well written in "Witch-Doctor's Apprentice: Hunting for Medicinal Plants in the Amazon". She describes a number of plants and their applications, among which is una de gato. Research began on Cat's Claw in the early 1970's. Mr. Klaus Keplinger filed the first patent in the US on Uncaria tomentosa in 1989 when the plant's alkaloids were isolated and tested. There are mainly six oxindole alkaloids most prevalent in the Cat's Claw bark, known as: isopteropodine, pteropodine, mitraphylline, isomitraphylline, ryncophylline, and isorynchophylline. Three of these have been proven to be effective immuno-stimulants. Ryncophylline has been shown in laboratory testing to display an ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and thrombosis. This means this alkaloid may be useful in the prevention of stroke and reducing the risk of heart attack by lowering blood pressure, increasing circulation, and inhibiting both the formation of plaque on the arterial walls and formation of blood clots in the vessels of the brain, heart and arteries. As well as these alkaloids, Peruvian and Italian researchers have discovered other beneficial phytochemicals inherent in the plant, including proanthocyanidins, polyphenols, triterpines, and the plant sterols: beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol. These might explain the antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-tumor and anti- inflammatory properties attributed to this plant. In 1991 there was a new study to isolate the chemical compounds found naturally within the plant that would be responsible for anti- inflammatory principles. This led to "the isolation and characterization of a new quinovic acid glycoside called glycoside 7 as one of the most active anti-inflammatory principles to be uncovered." Many species of the genus Uncaria exist in nature...more than 30. It is the U. tomentosa species that offers the most promise as a therapeutic agent. Uncaria guianensis is frequently confused with Uncaria tomentosa. Consumers should check the Cat's Claw bottles they buy for "Uncaria tomentosa" and choose from a reputable company. Cat's Claw is available in capsules, extract and the raw bark for brewing tea. Cat's Claw is used for: Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, leaky bowel syndrome, colitis, hemorrhoids, fistulas, gastritis, ulcers, parasites, intestinal flora imbalance, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental toxic poisoning, organic depression and those infected with the HIV virus. Most of the clinical research which show these alkaloids to be antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, antimutagenic, antioxidant, etc., are tests done "in-vitro" (proven in the test tube) not "in-vivo" (proven in the human body). Cat's Claw root should never be used as the medicinal qualities are most prevalent in the inner bark and harvesting the root kills the plant. Consumers should refuse to buy any Cat's Claw root products in order to ensure the plant is not destroyed. Peruvian law is now in place to help protect Uncaria tomentosa. ---------------------------------------------- 2.18 Golden Seal appeal - and Goldthread too ---------------------------------------------- Please use alternatives to Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) whenever possible. If you have to use Goldenseal please grow your own. Here's why: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/archives/Best/1996/goldenseal.html ---------------------------------------------- * There were some quality articles on goldenseal in Medical Herbalism, Vol.8, Nr. 4, online at: http://www.medherb.com/84.HTM ---------------------------------------------- 2.19 Ma Huang or Ephedra sinica ---------------------------------------------- From T. R. Hastrup: Ephedra contains ephedrine which is a drug very similar to adrenaline but with a longer halflife. It acts on exactly the same receptors as adrenaline does and has exactly the same side effects and dangers. It does not induce hallucinations and it's stimulative effect is not very far from caffeine. Even when taken in extreme doses with constant use, it is questionable if ephedrine can cause a psychosis. It has nowhere the power to push the body to the limits. I know some people out there love to spread scare but ephedrine is a very safe and natural drug. The only dangers from ephedrine is because it can cause high blood pressure and vaso-constriction, exactly like adrenaline. People with high blood pressure or heart problems should naturally be careful with this herb. Also, ephedrine is chemically related to the amphetamines but everybody should know that similarity in molecular structures does not mean the action of the drugs are similar. Ephedrine acts purely on adrenergic receptors, unlike the amphetamines which have powerful CNS stimulative effects. ---------------------------------------------- From Henriette: The problem with Ephedra sinica (and other Eurasian species of Ephedra - there is no ephedrine to speak of in the American species) is that we as are a culture are -used- to 4- or 5-hour drugs. Take coffee, or aspirin, and it'll be out of your system in 4-5 hours. Ephedrine will let you stay jittery for 8 hours - but because you're used to dosing yourself every 3-4 hours you overdose -very- easily on ephedrine. Especially if you abuse the plant (ie. you use it to keep awake), or worse, mix it with things like caffeine and aspirin to -really- get that weight down. That way lays your first (and perhaps last) heart attack, a -lot- of jittery nervous overstrung adrenergic problems, and that way lays madness. Chinese Ephedra (Ma Huang) is not -used- by the great unwashed masses in the US, it's -abused-. That's a big difference, even if it only looks like two letters. As an herb Ma Huang has its uses in TCM, and in western herbalism it's used in small discrete doses for things like bronchial spasms. NOT long-term, nor for frivolous things like "but I have to keep awake". Herbalists try to keep you -in- balance, not get you -out- of balance. If you value your health you should do the same. ---------------------------------------------- On Ma Huang and drug tests: From "Michael M. Zanoni" : Ma Huang (the Chinese variety Ephedra sinensis, not the American Ephedra plant) can produce a positive urine test for amphetamine metabolites that will also be read by the mass spec as being meth metabolites. It is because of the combination of both l- and d- forms of ephedrine. Things such as Ephedra nevadensis have only the non-psychoactive form of ephedra. If someone were to take a moderate amount of Ma Huang for a few days it is possible that the serum titer could go high enough to be beyond the threshold level of detection used by most labs for gas chromatograph screening. Pseudophedrine found in OTC drugs will not test as a meth metabolite. ---------------------------------------------- 2.20 Skullcap and Teucrium adulteration ---------------------------------------------- The question, on the herbinfo -list in July 1998: >I remember reading somewhere about the possibility of liver toxicity from pyrrolidizine alkaloids or adulteration of skullcap. A web search didn't turn up anything useful. (Would you believe you can type "skullcap" and "liver" into a search engine and bring up x-rated sites?) I found plenty of information about comfrey and PAs but that's not really what I needed. My reply (thanks for all those tidbits, Uncle Mike): Scutellaria, aka Skullcap is not dangerous. However, it has been adulterated with Germander (Teucrium sp.) for decades, if not centuries; though that matters a great deal qualitywise it has no implications on toxicity as long as only the 'mercans did it, as the 'mercan species of Teucrium do not contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Again HOWEVER, then the Europeans thought "Hmmm, that's a great idea, money for nothing, chicks for free", (sorry, got carried away). So they imported Scutellaria from America and added their local -European- Teucrium species to it. Then they re-exported the mix to the folks on the other side of the pond... there is a very big problem with quality here, AND in this case there is a problem with toxicity. The European species of Teucrium do contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. So it's not good for your liver to buy your skullcap from sources you do not trust, like the -really- large herbal houses; THEY ALL DO IT. To get them to stop it you'll have to ask your suppliers where they got their skullcap from. If they bought it, ask them where from; ask them to ask -their- supplier(s) where from... if it's one of the big houses ask them to PROVE that there is no Teucrium in that there Scutellaria. Perhaps, if enough of us do this, we'll have unadulterated Scutellaria in another couple of decades. ---------------------------------------------- 2.21 Mellow mallows ---------------------------------------------- Malva sylvestris By Miriam Kresh, Tsfat, Israel Some weeds grow just anywhere, persvasive green presences of which you don't take much notice as you hike along. The common mallow is one, and I welcome it whenever I see it, for it is a friendly and useful plant. From it's roots to it's edible seed pods, mallow's nutritious and medicinal properties have been known since Pharaonic times, and probably before. Here in Israel, mallow starts putting forth tiny, heart-shaped leaves everywhere at the beginning of the winter rains in October. By December the leaves are shapely and large, looking something like the geranium; in some parts of the country they grow as big as soup plates. Throughout the winter and spring, the stands will grow up to four feet high, given the right conditions of moisture. In the meadows, on the roadsides, in any vacant lot, competing with cultivated vegetables in the fields, invading your garden - there seems to be no end to that green Nosey Parker. And pollution seems to bother it not at all: sometimes the most beautiful stands will be seen flourishing next to a crowded parking lot. The roots of mallow are rich in beneficial mucilage. Boiled, they make a drink which is diuretic and soothing to the urinary tract at the same time. This is good wherever there is painful urination. A painful chest, as in bronchitis or flu, can obtain relief from this drink too. The leaves, dark-green and coarse, are a powerhouse of minerals and vitamins (calcium, iron, vitamin C, copper traces and more) and an abundant, free source of organic nutrition. They also release soothing mucilage. I decoct mallow leaves for my cough or iron tonic syrups, slice it into soup for a cold or flu patient, add them to the infusion for moisturizers. As a poultice, mallow leaves will draw out boils and pus from old infections. Put a few large leaves in your blender with some mineral water, and apply the green, goopy mask to your teenager's acne for cleansing and healing. If he or she objects, add a drop of essential oil of lavender to make it smell good. Allow it to dry, then rinse off. The skin will look brighter and feel silky. Rashes and burns can be successfully treated with mallow leaves, crushed or blended. When gathering nettles, I look for a nice big mallow leaf to wrap around the hairy, stinging stalks so I can cut them easily. If I do get stung, a poultice of crushed mallow will take away the irritation quickly. During the siege of Jerusalem during the War of Independence in 1948, food supplies to the city were cut off and near-famine conditions prevailed in the city. Mallow was an important source of nutrition to the imprisoned population then: the leaves were gathered, chopped fine and fried as patties or eaten raw. The seed pods were collected to eat raw or cooked. (They're not bad raw; I often stop to nibble a few. This I learned from the children, who call them "arab bread", and forage for them all the spring.) Folks who lived in Jerusalem then will serve mallow patties, or stuff the leaves like cabbage rolls on Israeli Independence Day, to commemorate that time. The pink or purplish, flowers can (and should) be added to any formula for cystits, coughs, and inflammation in the digestive tract. Again, the abundant mucilage, easily released from the flowers, benefits all irritable, painful conditions in these areas. Mallow has only a neutral, greenish taste, so you can add it to almost any dish at all. Following are some ideas for using mallow to boost the nutritional content of your family fare; you’ll get the idea as you read along. * Wash your mallow carefully, and check for bugs, as you would any other edible leaf. Don’t be put off by a few holes: birds peck at mallow, so the holes don’t mean that the leaf is infested. Little yellow bumps imbedded in the underside do, however. * Add whole small leaves to your salad greens: make sure the dressing is a little stronger-tasting than usual, since the taste of raw mallow is sort of uninteresting. * Almost any soup you cook will accept a handful of chopped leaves, added the last 15 minutes of cooking. Allow the soup to sit a further 10 minutes before serving, to allow the beneficial mucilage (or goop) to be extracted out of the leaves. * Further tip: soup made for invalids, i.e., cold or flu sufferers, or someone needing a Strengthening Tonic as for after surgery, a bout of illness, etc., can be enriched with the scrubbed, chopped roots of mallow, as well as the leaves. The roots are especially rich in minerals and mucilage, and so especially benefit a patient with a cough. * Saute your chopped mallow leaves; add to an omelet. * Stuff and roll the leaves as you would cabbage leaves. * Stir-fry mallow chopped into ribbons as part of your vegetable stir-fry medley. Mallow Soup (serves 6 - 8) 1 large onion 1 large tomato 2 bell peppers, preferable of different colors ½ bunch of celery 4 carrots 3 large potatoes 3 garlic cloves olive oil to cover the bottom of your soup kettle 6 cups of water, enriched with 2 Tblsp. of good-quality soy sauce or the same quantity of chicken broth 2 tsp. salt plus black pepper to taste. 2 large handfuls of clean mallow leaves and/or roots 1. Dice the onion; chop tomato, peppers, celery, carrots and potatoes. 2. Sauté the onions, adding the other vegetables as the onions start to wilt 3. Chop the garlic finely; add to the sautéed vegetables when they are looking golden and start smelling cooked. 4. Add water and seasonings; simmer for 15-20 minutes. A nice touch at this point is to blend the cooked vegetables, with some of the soup, and return the blended mass to the pot. Children especially appreciate blended soups. 5. Chop the Mallow into narrow ribbons: if using roots, slice finely. Add to the pot and cook a further 10 minutes. Serve with croutons, or chopped parsley, or simply on its own. ---------------------------------------------- Henriette's comments: You can use most any Malvaceae in the same way as you can use Malva sylvestris. So you've got Althaea sp., Alcea sp., Malva sp., Lavatera sp., Hibiscus sp., Sphaeralcea sp., Sidalcea sp. etc. etc. growing in your garden or in that nearby wild spot? Pick the leaves and (where applicable) roots, and use them. Some species (for instance, most species in the genus Sphaeralcea) have itchy hairs, so don't use the leaves of these as wild food, and use a coffee filter before you ingest teas made from them. Other species (like Hibiscus sabdariffa) have a very sour tang to the flowers, so don't use them in quite as large quantities. But they all contain loads of mucilage in all parts, and they all help your mucous membranes. ---------------------------------------------- 2.22 Melatonin ---------------------------------------------- from Paul Bergner (bergner.concentric.net), Editor, Medical Herbalism (http://medherb.com): I'm not surprised that melatonin is gone in Canada, and I predict that it will go the way of DHEA here in the U.S. -- meaning that it will be a prescription-only controlled item, treated like opiates. I've just researched and written a lengthy article about melatonin, and frankly I am shocked that natural healers would use this substance casually like a sleeping pill. Melatonin is a powerful hormone that affects the entire metabolic cycle, not just the sleep- wake cycle. We rail against hormone-replacement therapy with estrogen- progresterone, and then casually offer patients enough melatonin to raise blood levels 10-20 times their normal levels. This is bound to be a Devil's bargain, and it is only a matter of time till regulatory agencies throughout the world discover this and rightfully take measures to protect the public. For instance: melatonin production by the pineal gland appears to be an important part of the aging clock. The pineal glands of young mice, transplanted to old mice, make the old mice "younger" and they live about 1/3 longer. On the other hand, the pineal glands of older mice, transplanted into younger mice, immediately makes them "older" and they live about 1/3 shorter lives. So what happens when some guy named Joe in Iowa takes ten mg of melatonin (about twenty times what you need to achieve normal blood level peaks) to sleep most nights for three years (this is actually happening all over the place today) and then can't get the melatonin? Will his pineal have lost its ability to produce the same levels as previously? Most hormones have a negative feedback loop of one sort or another -- would levels that high reduce endogenous production over time? Will poor Joe then age ten years over the next few months? I think melatonin has a proper place in natural medicine, in the treatment or palliation of cancer, used for brief periods for jet lag, and possible for the elderly, and may be a few more uses. But IMO over-the-counter status is inviting health disaster. ---------------------------------------------- 3 Herbs for specific things ---------------------------------------------- 3.1 Herbs for mosquitoes and other bothersome bugs ---------------------------------------------- Actually this isn't medicinal - if you don't count doing something for the bites. But it's asked every year come bug time, so I'm including it anyway. ---------------------------------------------- 3.1.1 Repelling them ---------------------------------------------- >I'd heard rumors of vitamins and herbs that naturally repel insects, though I'm not sure which ones.. any help is greatly appreciated From Aine Maclir (amaclir.unibase.unibase.com): There are a couple of things that I know of. 1. Wear Citronella essential oil (which isn't the greatest smelling stuff around, but I guess it beats Off). 2. Take the equivalent of 1500 mg of fresh garlic clove (a 15 mg capsule of garlic powder or 3 x 5 mg capsules) orally every day. Taking garlic will cause your skin to secrete a natural insect repellent. For best results, do both. Don't wear perfumes or scented deodorants and wear light-coloured clothing as darker colours attract bugs...this is particularly true of blue denim jeans. To make sleeping more comfortable, burn either an insect coil or a couple of sticks of citronella incense in your cabin before going to bed, making sure that all the doors and unscreened windows are closed, so no more of them get in. If you do get bitten, applying a small dab of ammonia to the bite immediately after being bitten can help ease the itching. And there's always the old favorite...calamine lotion...if you're not going to be anywhere that being coated in pink polka dots will be unfashionable (g). Aloe vera and witch hazel will also soothe insect bites. If you are going to be in an area that's also known for tics, just be on the lookout for them whenever you've been in a wooded area and if you find one stuck to you, use rubbing alcohol to make it let go and carefully remove it with a pair of tweezers. Salt applied to a leech will get rid of it (in case you're around water that has any of those "suckers" (g)). I think that should about cover every blood-thirsty creature you're likely to run into at a summer camp, recalling my own experiences. I've been on canoe trips through Algonquin Park, Ontario (known for having some of the biggest and thirstiest mosquitos, blackflies and leeches in Canada) and I live in Saskatchewan, where we could make mosquitos our provincial bird! ---------------------------------------------- From "Peter & Janine" pjerlandsen.cox.net: > 1. Wear Citronella essential oil (which isn't the greatest smelling I would not wear Citronella when out camping where there is bears. They have found that the female black bear love the smell of Citronella. It does not attract the male bear. ---------------------------------------------- From sfrye.interaccess.com (amethyst): I've had good results taking B-complex supplements daily. Seems the bugs like the odor of B-1 about as much as I like the taste of it. ;P From starla lacy (lacys.cadvision.com): Here in Canada, we struggle with flies the size of horses! This essential oil mix has always worked great for me: 3 parts lemongrass (or citronella) 1 part thyme 2 parts lavender 1 part peppermint (or eucalyptus) Mix together in a new plant sprayer (you may dilute with springwater if desired). This mix also has the advantage of smelling pleasant and is safe for use around kids and pets. Shake the mixture well before using if you decide to dilute it with water. ---------------------------------------------- From Henriette to above: Remember to dilute essential oils in carrier oils (like almond, jojoba, olive ...). As a general rule you should not ingest essential oils. ---------------------------------------------- From Mateo Rutherford (mcrutherford.lbl.gov): I have used tobacco tea to kill lice and gnats. It is easy to prepare. Buy a cigar or some rolling tobacco and boil the hell out of it in a liter or so of water. When cool shlop it on your hair and cover your hair with a plastic shower cap or something like that for 20 minutes then shampoo. One application should be enough, but I would often do a follow up about three or four days after the first application. From fukada.uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mach T. Fukada) However, keep in mind that nicotine that is extracted from the tobacco is also toxic to humans (people don't get too much of it when the smoke it because it burns up). It should be used with care if there are cuts on the scalp which may increase the rate that it is absorbed into the bloodstream ---------------------------------------------- > I was wondering if there are any herbals that can be taken to reduce the attack of mosquitos. I happen to live in an area where they are abundant. From amy.winans.psl-online.com (Amy Winans) to above: I do well know what you mean! Here's what I've gathered on that subject, and keep (all) on hand as needed: 1. You can join the rest of America and buy a caseload of Avon's Skin So Soft. I have about a dozen friends who worship it religiously. 2. You can stock up on anything containing Citronella, although I fear it may still be too new to really know if there is Life for it after the Candles. I'm seeing a lot of oils and lotions saying it's in there, though. 3. Continue to use the old standby's with DEET in them, like Off's Offtastic, or whatever, or Cutter's. Have heard personal testimonials on Cutter's. 4. Investigate local ancient customs; as I discovered when I read the area's native Indians, the Karankawas, employed an effective remedy to a problem which was (unbelievably) much more horrid than it presently is; that is, they killed them an alligator, skinned him, liquified the fat and slathered it on! Kept quite a few things away, one of which WAS mosquitoes! Seriously, though, there is probably something in that we could replicate today with something similar but more sweet-smelling. So, if anyone has any ideas, as well as things to ingest that might make your "scent" less attractive to mosquitoes, please post! ---------------------------------------------- 3.1.2 And now you're bitten... ---------------------------------------------- From EderChiro.aol.com: Use lavender oil (small drop) applied directly on mosquito bites. From Henriette: Lush Stellaria media does the trick, too - just roll into a ball and let the juice drop onto your bite(s). ---------------------------------------------- From Noel Gilmore (ngilmore.gate.net): Allow me to pass on my husband's rather simplistic (and annoying) remedy to keep mosquito bites from itching and swelling...DON'T SCRATCH 'EM. For years I suffered all summer while he did not and he would always tell me it was because he disciplined himself not to scratch. Last year we went to the Yucatan jungle for vacation and I couldn't bear to cover myself from head to toe each day with repellent, so I asked him to help me remember not to scratch, and I have to admit it worked! From Tim Keenan (tkeenan.uoguelph.ca) to above: As someone who has lived and worked on the arctic tundra and in the boreal forest for decades, I have to agree...I never use DEET or any other repellent. If the bugs are so thick I can't breath without inhaling them, I use a "SkeeterGuard" fine-mesh net jacket, with a net hood that zips across the throat. Otherwise, I hit 'em if I feel 'em. If I don't feel 'em, I hardly ever develop any reaction. If I have a reaction, usually if I get bit somewhere where the skin is thin (over a wrist bone, etc.) I generally ignore it and it goes away. I never get a bump _unless_ I scratch. This goes for black flies, too. I think the best answer is to get bit early and often, and you will become acclimatized to it. Rubbing and scratching causes all sorts of local histamine response, which really aggravates the situation. From Lane.monty.rand.org (Janis Lane) to above: I have been getting TERRIBLE spider bites. The doctor told me that I was having a chemical reaction (arm was burning hot and swollen). He told me the SAME thing..."do NOT scratch". I stopped scratching and it seems that the bites are not swelling but are just turning to bruises. Any suggestions for THIS? From Sharon Rust (ntlor.primenet.com) to above: For spider bites I have used fresh papaya and when I haven't had the fresh stuff papaya - pineapple enzymes, these work for bee and wasp and scorpion stings as well. I chew up the enzyme tablet to make a paste and stick it on the bite , the papaya I just stick a chunk on . When I use to live where plantain (Plantago rotundifolia, or lanceolata) grew I used it for bites, it seemed to work on bee, spider and mosquito bites. To use plantain I would get a fresh leaf and chew it up with my front teeth, taking care not to swallow the juices and then stick this wad of chewed up plant on the bite(s). When my daughter and niece stepped into a swarm of yellow jackets luckily it was in a field filled with plantain, I started chewing up and applying the plantain to my daughter and my sister-in-law did the same for her daughter, the bites on my daughter were disappearing but my niece was getting no relief, so when I was finished with my daughter's bites, I started applying plantain to my nieces, the ones that I worked on were also disappearing , the key was that my sister-in-law was swallowing the juices released from the plant and I was not. I suppose you could use a blender or something but most of the time I feel that this is the fastest and simplest way to treat a bite. ---------------------------------------------- End of part 3 of 7. ---------------------------------------------- -- Henriette Kress, AHG Helsinki, Finland Henriette's herbal homepage: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed