Herbs: Alteratives
see docs called "alteratives" and "materia medica"
alterative = something that alters you (for the better), improve digestion in general, stim bile, emulsify fats, absorb fat sol vits, improve assimilation, promote elimination of wastes, supports liver, tends to improve everybody's health, generally are bitter and cholagogues, stim saliva, bitters tend to be cholagogues, incl in many all purpose formulas,
depurant = to purify
urinary depurant = stim kidneys, urinary sys, helps the kidneys eliminate waste
antiphlogistic = something that burns has phlogistin in it, something that decreases fire and heat in body, infx, splinters imflam, fever, sore throat with red tonsils
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
acute diarrhea
overactive perstalsis
frequent BM's
acute IBS
acute gallbladder pain
bleeding intestinal
ulcerative colitis, crohn's, active
(don't give strong ones to acutes)
INDICATIONS
standard indications:
hypochlorhydria
poor bile fx
gas and bloating
constip
poor elim, slow peristalsis
hormonal imbalaNce
vascular conditions
detox, cleansing
nutrit
poor digestion of fats: clay colored stools or floating feces, pancreatic dz, oily film on water in toilet
gallbladder dz, gallstones, colic acute, biliary dz
systemic dz:
if in doubt treat the liver
vague conditions
skin itchy, gassy
liver assoc w/ eyes so for vague eye complaints
mild jaundice or unclear whites of eyes for any reason
injected eyes all the time
tongue coating: dampness
respond esp well:
hormonal imbalance, high hormonal load, PMS, fluid retention, breasts sore, uterus, prostate
uterine fibroids, breast cysts, premenstrual headache, cancers
hormonal load mbdt exogenous exposures: solvents, plastics, abx (xenoest)
or mbdt liver overworked, can't conjugate est (makes it water sol for elim)
alc, high fat diet, pharma, all challenge liver
poor intestinal health or dysbiosis-->est can be unconjugated and reabsorbed-->hormonal load
vascular congestion
in liver, w/ constip-->hemorrhoids, varicosities
obesity, sedentary
HTN
infections
effette matter contrib to infx, morbid matter
acne (propionebact)
colds, viral, strep, chronic UTI, intestinal infx prone
HEPATITIS
acute or chronic
A or B usu acute, no real pharma help
chelidonium too harsh for acutes
taraxicum, burdock (arctium)
rumex (docks)
best for hep: milk thistle & thistle relatives: cynara, cnesus benedictus, artichoke
thistle good for acute or chronic
Hep C: ggt & alp a little high or progressive: stop cell death with milk thistle
curcuma = tumeric, in curry, yellow dye, classic liver herb, also antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflam, rheumatoid, skin dz, widely available
combine milk thistle and curcuma good base for formula
if nausea add ginger, fennel, mint
if diarrhea add chamomile, mint, dioscorea for crampy pain
tincture not ideal for hep because of the alcohol
LIPOTROPIC
lipotropic on labels for formulas: means move fats, formulas that say this for poor fat digest
high chol mb helped by lipotropic formula
lipotropic usu refers to alteratives
for a lipotropic formula:
taraxicum, burdock, chelidonium, milk thistle, other nutritional incl: choline, inositol (B vit relatives that are cholagogues), ox bile vs vegan, bile salts is allo tx, amylase, lipase, protease enzymes in formulas
GALLBLADDER DZ
acute vs chronic
silent gallstones?
stones form when bile is saturated, crystals precipitate
may form stones very rapidly after beginning oral contraceptives
dx by ultrasound
"sand" in GB is easy to fix
hard to fix: a large stone
tx for sand: alteratives, reduce fat in diet, use cholagogues like curcuma, cynara, cnesis (a thistle, leaves good for tea), milk thistle (seeds, not great for tea), choline, inositol,
tx for stones: longterm herbs or ox bile or bile salts for a matter of years
acute biliary attack: need something for acute pain: dioscorea for antispasm
DON'T overstim gb, complic: rupture
tx: mint, strong tea, sip constantly, or mint enteric coated pills for spasm and may dissolve stones with long use
tx: raffinous (black radish)(spanish black radish) looks like turnip, get from: standard process makes a pill mixed with other liver herbs, tincture from wisewoman, raffinous relaxes biliary spasm without being stimulating
tx for acute: combine milk thistle mint and raffinus
tx longterm: acute tincture or topical: mint and castor oil cover with warm rag
don't remove gb for sand! or "jello"-like bile
IF NO GALLBLADDER
can't hurt it
but still have bad quality bile
post cholecystectomy syndrome: still have pain in RUQ
herbs to improve bile quality
liver support
high fluid intake
dietary advice
ON SPECIFIC HERBS
TARAXICUM
all purpose
root is more alterative
leaf is more diuretic and nutritional
ECHINACEA
bitter
stim bile
BERBERIS
oregon grape
more here
wonderful alterative in tea
also lipotropic
also tincture
antimicrobial
RUMEX
yellow dock
classic alterative
root used
TRIFOLIUM
hormonal and blood mover
STELLARIA
chickweed
tea, tincture
like calendula also in salves
can eat it
ARCTIUM
burdock
sold in Japan as gobo root
often dug in fall
eaten as food thinly sliced and sauteed
grows in pastures and forest edges
tincutre
PETROSELLIUM
parseley
SMILAX
steroidal saponins
eliminate poisons
protect gut from endotoxins
PHYTOLACCA AND IRIS
particularly lymphatic
stim bile flow but also enhance general body circ Y lymph
phytolacca for enlarged lymph nodes, tonsils, sore throat, URI, sore nodes
underarm infx
IRIS
lymphatic
promotes all secretions
saliva
bile
intestinal
perspiration (a little)
mover shaker used in small amounts, synergist
BAPTISIA
like echinacea
clears morbid matter
for infx
cleanses blood
PODOPHYLLUM
extremely irritating
burn off warts
rarely used internally
mabye for stubborn liver as small portion in large formula
STILLINGIA
eclectic use
queens root
stimulating, warming, moves fluid
CHIONANTHUS
fringetree or snowdrop tree
classic liver alterative
not used widely
liver dz gallstones
CALENDULA, PLANTAGO
nourishing
improve assimilation
LIVER MAINLY
taraxicum, berberis, rumex, arctium, circorum, silybum, leptandra, chelidonium
chelidonium mb too stimulating
SPLEEN HERBS
for splenomegaly or congestion
mbdt liver stasis
ceanothus, chelidonium, iris, silybum
LYMPHATIC ALTERATIVES
iris, phytolacca, berberis, baptisia, hydrastis, schrophularia, calendula, ocotilla, aesulus
ENDOCRINE
all of them but esp arctium, smilax, tarax, fucus, serenoa, turnera, rhodiola, withania, eleutheroccus, panax, glycyrrhiza
many with steroidal saponins
ADAPTOGENS
withania, panax, eleutherococcus, glycyrrhiza
ADAPTOGEN = alterative for hormonal system, HPA axis
SOURCES
4/24/09 lecture by Jillian Stansbury