Subject: Alt.folklore.herbs - medicinal herb FAQ (v.1.19) Part 2/7
Date: 22 Mar 1996 21:17:14 GMT
Summary: Frequently asked questions with answers, a general
 introduction to and a resource list for medicinal herbs.

Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th)
Version: 1.19

==========
2.1.5  Ginseng
-----
Ginseng comes from the Chinese "jen shen," which means "man root", so
named because some roots have limb like branches resembling arms and
legs. Because the root has a humanlike shape, it is considered by the
Orientals to be an overall body tonic.  The root is not harvested
until it is two or more years old; the older the root, the higher its
value.  It is held in high esteem in China where it has been valued
for thousands of years, sometimes commanding a higher price than gold.
An ancient Chinese Herbalist is quoted as saying, "Person would rather
take handful of ginseng then cartload of gold and jewels."  There are
three main herbs that fall under the label ginseng. Although all forms
of ginseng have similar properties, there are some subtle differences.

GINSENG, KOREAN (Panax) is the most widely used and studied ginseng in
the world.  As an adaptogen herb, it is believed to help "balance" the
body.  Ginseng's botanical name, Panax, is derived from the Greek
goddess, Panacea, the one who "heals all.".  Ancient Chinese records
dated from 25 AD mention this plant as a superior herb for increasing
overall strength and endurance, and for promoting health and well-
being throughout the body.  Korean Ginseng is said to be hotter than
either the American or Siberian Ginseng.

There are two types of Panax - red and white - which reflect
differences in the processing of the root. The red ginseng is
considered to be of superior quality. David Mowrey in his book, "next
Generation Herbal Medicine, has compiled a "Top Twenty" listing for
Korean Ginseng based on the "mass of clinical data and 3,000 years of
ancient Chinese medicine":

1.  Tumours                     11.  Stress
2.  Diabetes                    12.  Asthma
3.  Radiation sickness          13.  Headaches
4.  Neurosis                    14.  Anemia
5.  Hypotension                 15.  Indigestion
6.  Hypertension                16.  Impotence
7.  Joint swellings and pain    17.  Depression
8.  Cardiac arrhythmia          18.  Nervous - Anxiety
9.  Atherosclerosis             19.  Mental disorders
10. Fatigue - exhaustion        20.  Heart disease

GINSENG, SIBERIAN (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is a member of the
ginseng family, though it is of a different genus than other popular
ginsengs such as the Panax variety.  Natural resources of Siberian
Ginseng can be found in eastern Russian and northern Japan. What makes
Eleutherococcus particularly interesting is that it is a completely
novel plant, unknown in traditional medicine, and discovered by fairly
recent research when the Russians were hunting for a homegrown
substitute for expensive ginseng they were importing from China and
Korea. Screening other members of the same Araliaceae family, they put
this dark-berried plant through their standard mouse-stamina test and
noted that mice fortified with it swam half as far again as the
control mice. Interest sharpened, more tests were done at the U.S.S.R.
Academy of Science's Institute of Biologically Active Substances, and
the decisive test was personally supervised by the Institute's
Director, Professor I. I. Brekhman. He watched the performance of a
large group of athletes running a 10 mile race, and saw that those who
had taken the plant clocked up an average time of 5 minutes less than
the runners who had swallowed a placebo. By 1962, Eleutherococcus was
officially entered in the Russian pharmacopoeia.

Summary of Benefits of Siberian Ginseng:
- Increases physical indurance under stress
- Prevents reduction of endurance after exposure to heartstressing
  activity
- Protects against reduced cellular oxygen
- Protects against excessive heat and excessive cold conditions
- Protects against radiation exposure
- Protects against viral and microbial infections
- Augments sexual function
- Helps prevent tumor metastasis
- Favors normalization of neurotransmitter metabolism
- Promotes normal endocrine function
- Functions as a detoxifier, reducing the effect of toxic chemical
  compounds
- Improves visual acuity, color perception and hearing acuity
- Increases output per person-hour in work settings requiring
  attention and nervous tension

GINSENG, WILD AMERICAN (Panax quinquefolius) grows in the northeast
U.S. and Canada.  In the U.S. it is found from Michigan and Wisconsin,
south to northern Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Oklahoma. A heavy
concentration lies in the Appalachian Mountains, although wild
American ginseng is considered endangered. Ginseng was valued by the
native American Indians long before the white men began to popularize
it. It gained wide acclaim in the 1700's, when a French Jesuit priest
returned to Paris with a sample he had found in southern Canada.
Sensing the potential profits from the plant, Jesuits sent
missionaries to Canada to find more of it, and for several years the
Jesuits shipped tons of American ginseng to China. In 1784 George
Washington reported meeting pack horses carrying ginseng.  Daniel Boone
and Davy Crockett are said to have made large sums of money in ginseng
trafficking. American ginseng became a lucrative crop, and not unlike
the gold during the gold rush of California, the wild ginseng was
almost wiped out along the Eastern seaboard due to overharvesting.
American ginseng is considered to have more cooling properties than
its Asian counterparts. It is only used after the roots are at least
four years old. Despite its being very difficult to cultivate, some
farmers have succeeded. Eighty percent of U.S. ginseng is grown in
Marathon County, Wisconsin. Most American ginseng is exported to Asian
countries.

Elizabeth Toews

-----
On the herblist Aug. 1994:

>Could someone be kind enough to summarize the possible adverse
effects of ginseng? I've been taking a popular brand for a month now
and am generally happy with the effect on a chronic sinus problem and
energy levels, but beginning to feel kind of strung out ... I am
drinking caffeine and wonder if this could be a problem. Also need to
know about possible adverse interactions with prescription drugs such
as blood pressure medications.

Woah...."Ginseng Abuse Syndrome" is even recognised by the AMA. You do
not mention what kind of Ginseng or how much. I will defer to the TCM
people on this list to give wither you from the Chinese view but ...
surely you're not really doing coffee and ginseng? Oh dear oh dear ...
tut tut.

1. It is nonsensical to take caffeine and ginseng together regularly.
You will stress your adrenals (*get strung out*) and possibly raise
your *stress threshold* to a danger point .

2. Ginseng should be used with extreme caution in hypertensive
situations especially if under medication.

3. Sinusitis? Not the *usual* prescription. Pass.

4. Toxic signs - not uniformly predictable but can include
hypertension, euphoria, nervousness, skin eruptions, morning diarrhea.

5. Contraindications - nervous anxiety, nervous tension, hypertension,
disturbed menstruation, stimulant or rec. drug abuse, good vitality in
younger persons.

Most recommend taking as a tonic for a period then alternating without
e.g. 3 weeks on 2 weeks off.

Jonathan Treasure

-----
> the Peterson guide I have on edible wild plants recommends wild
American ginseng as a trail nibble...

If you did happen to find a Wild American ginseng, you should leave it
right where it is! Shame on Peterson. The plant is rare, and probably
endangered throughout its range.

Paul  ||  p_iannone@pop.com

-----
On alt.folklore.herbs June 1995:
> I've heard the ads for ginseng pills - are they worth the money?
> If so, are all brands the same?

You definitely want to buy from a reputable company.  According to
Professor Wang at the University of Alberta, researchers found that
many prepackaged ginseng products had a major shortcoming designed to
fool the consumer. You guessed it ... no ginseng.

Elizabeth Toews

-----
The UP side of poison ivy

Rarely mentioned but soon enough found out, ginseng and poison ivy are
childhood sweethearts: they grow up in the same neck of the woods.  If
you go digging ginseng in the Cumberlands of Tennessee, you will get
poison ivy -- all over your fingers.  With common roots in the forest
loam, the one looks out for the other.

But if that's not sufficient protection, the 'sang has yet another
look-out in the plant kingdom:  Virginia creeper.  A master of disguise,
ginseng sets up housekeeping in the thick of creeper beds.  Takes a
covite to tell them apart; the untutored need not apply.

Cumberland ginseng endangered?  Don't think so.  Most of the knowledgeable
diggers have sense enough to harvest after the seeds have matured, and
don't have to be told to replant from what they've dug.  If there's to be
"more where that came from" (talking car payments), they know they have
to replant.  It's city slickers, out for a test drive of their bean boots,
we got to look out for.  For their advancement, thank we heavens, there
is poison ivy.

Alex Standefer (astandef@seraph1.sewanee.edu)

-----
: I had read somewhere that women should not take ginseng on
: a regular basis (I'm cutting back from six capsules to two
: per day), but was told by a friend that Siberian ginseng is
: suitable for women to take.

Ginseng shouldn't be used as a stimulant, but where needed it can be
taken for comparatively long periods by children, women, old people,
anyone.

I have many female clients who take ginseng on a regular basis, in
formulas appropriate to their health pattern.

As a general rule Chinese herbalists don't use ginseng by itself.

--Paul  ||  p_iannone@pop.com

==========
2.1.6  Stevia Leaf - Too Good To Be Legal?
-----  by Rob McCaleb, Herb Research Foundation

For hundreds of years, people in Paraguay and Brazil have used a sweet
leaf to sweeten bitter herbal teas including mate.  For nearly 20
years, Japanese consumers by the millions have used extracts of the
same plant as a safe, natural, non-caloric sweetener.  The plant is
stevia, formally known as Stevia rebaudiana, and today it is under
wholesale attack by the U.S.  Food and Drug Administration.

Stevia is a fairly unassuming perennial shrub of the aster family
(Asteraceae), native to the northern regions of South America.  It has
now been grown commercially in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Central
America, the United States, Israel, Thailand and China.  The leaves
contain several chemicals called glycosides, which taste sweet, but do
not provide calories.  The major glycoside is called stevioside, and is
one of the major sweeteners in use in Japan and Korea.  Stevia and its
extracts have captured over 40% of the Japanese market.  Major
multinational food companies like Coca Cola and Beatrice foods,
convinced of its safety, use stevia extracts to sweeten foods for sale
in Japan, Brazil, and other countries where it is approved.
Europeans first learned of stevia when the Spanish Conquistadors of
the Sixteenth Century sent word to Spain that the natives of South
America had used the plant to sweeten herbal tea since "ancient
times".

The saga of American interest in stevia began around the turn of the
Twentieth Century when researchers in Brazil started hearing about "a
plant with leaves so sweet that a part of one would sweeten a whole
gourd full of mate." The plant had been described in 1899 by
Dr. M. S. Bertoni.  In 1921 the American Trade Commissioner to
Paraguay commented in a letter "Although known to science for thirty
years and used by the Indians for a much longer period nothing has
been done commercially with the plant.  This has been due to a lack of
interest on the part of capital and to the difficulty of cultivation."

Dr. Bertoni wrote some of the earliest articles on the plant in 1905
and 1918.  In the latter article he notes:

"The principal importance of Ka he'e (stevia) is due to the
possibility of substituting it for saccharine.  It presents these
great advantages over saccharine:

1. It is not toxic but, on the contrary, it is healthful, as shown by
   long experience and according to the studies of Dr. Rebaudi.
2. It is a sweetening agent of great power.
3. It can be employed directly in its natural state, (pulverized
   leaves).
4. It is much cheaper than saccharine."

Unfortunately, this last point may have been the undoing of stevia.
Noncaloric sweeteners are a big business in the U.S., as are caloric
sweeteners like sugar and the sugar-alcohols, sorbitol, mannitol and
xylitol.  It is small wonder that the powerful sweetener interests
here, do not want the natural, inexpensive, and non-patentable stevia
approved in the U.S.
In the 1970s, the Japanese government approved the plant, and food
manufacturers began using stevia extracts to sweeten everything from
sweet soy sauce and pickles to diet Coke.  Researchers found the
extract interesting, resulting in dozens of well-designed studies of
its safety, chemistry and stability for use in different food
products.
Various writers have praised the taste of the extracts, which has much
less of the bitter aftertaste prevalent in most noncaloric sweeteners.
In addition to Japan, other governments have approved stevia and
stevioside, including those of Brazil, China and South Korea, among
others.  Unfortunately, the US was destined to be a different story.
Stevia has been safely used in this country for over ten years, but a
few years ago, the trouble began.

FDA ATTACK ON STEVIA

Around 1987, FDA inspectors began visiting herb companies who were
selling stevia, telling them to stop using it because it is an
"unapproved food additive".  By mid 1990 several companies had been
visited.  In one case FDA's inspector reportedly told a company
president they were trying to get people to stop using stevia "because
Nutra Sweet complained to FDA." The Herb Research Foundation(HRF),
which has extensive scientific files on stevia, became concerned and
filed a Freedom of Information Act request with FDA for information
about contacts between Nutra Sweet and FDA about stevia.  It took over
a year to get any information from the FDA, but the identity of the
company who prompted the FDA action was masked by the agency.

In May, 1991 FDA acted by imposing an import alert on stevia to
prevent it from being imported into the US.  They also began formally
warning companies to stop using the "illegal" herb.
By the beginning of 1991, the American Herbal Products Association
(AHPA) was working to defend stevia.  At their general meeting at
Natural Products Expo West, members of the industry pledged most of
the needed funds to support work to convince FDA of the safety of
stevia.  AHPA contracted HRF to produce a professional review of the
stevia literature.  The review was conducted by Doug Kinghorn, Ph.D.,
one of the world's leading authorities on stevia and other natural
non-nutritive sweeteners.  Dr. Kinghorn's report was peer-reviewed by
several other plant safety experts and concluded that historical and
current common use of stevia, and the scientific evidence all support
the safety of this plant for use in foods.  Based on this report, and
other evidence, AHPA filed a petition with FDA in late October asking
FDA's "acquiescence and concurrence" that stevia leaf is exempt from
food additive regulations and can be used in foods.

FDA, apparently attempting to regulate this herb as they would a new
food additive, contends that there is inadequate evidence to approve
stevia.  However, because of its use in Japan, there is much more
scientific evidence of stevia's safety than for most foods and
additives.  The extent of evidence FDA is demanding for the approval
of stevia, far exceeds that which has been required to approve even
new synthetic food chemicals like aspartame (Nutra Sweet).

AHPA's petition points out that FDA's food additive laws were meant to
protect consumers from synthetic chemicals added to food.  FDA is
trying, in the case of stevia to claim that stevia is the same as a
chemical food additive.  But as the AHPA petition points out,
Congress did not intend food additive legislation to regulate natural
constituents of food itself.  In fact, Congressman Delaney said in
1956, "There is hardly a food sold in the market today which has not
had some chemicals used on or in it at some stage in its production,
processing, packaging, transportation or storage." He stressed that
his proposed bill was to assure the safety of "new chemicals that are
being used in our daily food supply," and when asked if the
regulations would apply to whole foods, he replied "No, to food
chemicals only." AHPA contends that stevia is a food, which is
already recognized as safe because of its long history of food use.
Foods which have a long history of safe use are exempted by law from
the extensive laboratory tests required of new food chemicals.  The
AHPA petition, however, supports the safe use of stevia with both the
historical record, and references to the numerous toxicology studies
conducted during the approval process in Japan, and studies by
interested researchers in other countries.

To date, the FDA still refuses to allow stevia to be sold in the U.S.
but the recently-enacted Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act
of 1994 may prevent the FDA from treating stevia and other natural
herbs as "food additives."

rmccaleb@herbs.org     --  [also herbal@netcom.com]

==========
2.1.6.1  Changed legal status of Stevia Leaf
-----
From: Mark D. Gold <mgold@tiac.net
> Where do you get your stevia? No one here in RI will sell it.

You should suggest to your local natural food stores and herb stores in
RI that the legal status of stevia has changed recently.  While
importation of stevia was banned to protect Monsanto's NutraSweet sales
and the future sales of other artificial sweeteners a few years ago,
stevia can now be sold as a "dietary supplement."  I have a copy of the
FDA's new "Import Alert" on my Web page (or I can email it to you).
Stevia products can and have been sold over the last few years as skin
treatment products. Therefore, your local natural foods store should be
able to get stevia skin treatment products and supplements from their
distributor (or they should find a distributor who does sell it).

Stevia still cannot be legally sold as a "sweetener" by itself or in
another product.  This will help protect companies such as Monsanto
(selling a dangerous artificial sweetener - aspartame) from having to
compete against a safe, natural sweetener on a large-scale basis.  But
at least individuals can now use stevia as a supplement.

I have a list of stevia resources on my web page which you can use and
give to your local natural foods store.  Hope this helps.

mgold@tiac.net
http://www.tiac.net/users/mgold/health.html

==========
2.1.7  Poison Ivy / Oak / Sumac
-----
We're lucky in Finland in that we don't have any of these problem
plants. But since it's asked every week in season it has to be in the
FAQ, so what's in here is mostly pulled from rec.gardens archives 1992
 - 1994, or from alt.folklore.herbs archives 1993 -, or taken off
bionet.plants June 1995. If you wrote some text I've included here
but you aren't mentioned please email - I'll be happy to mention you
in the next posting.

-----
How to recognize PI/PS/PO

courtesy Kay Klier (klier@cobra.uni.edu):
POISON IVY (Toxicodendron radicans = Rhus radicans = Rhus
  toxicodendron) Found in a wide range of habitats, but in the
  midwest often seen in disturbed woods, roadsides, and flood
  plains.  Most widespread of PI, PS, and PO.
Small, slightly woody plant, or shrubby, or vining.   LEAVES
  ALTERNATE (= 1 leaf per node), TRIFOLIATE (= 3 leaflets), with
  pedicel (leafstalk) and the CENTRAL LEAFLET WITH PETIOLULE
  (= leaflet stalk).  The lateral two leaflets are not distinctly
  stalked.  Leaflets are a variety of shapes, but generally ovate or
  obovate (roughly apple-leaf shaped).  Leaflets may be smooth-edged
  (entire), irregularly toothed, or shallowly lobed.  Leaves of one
  variant look like small oak-leaves (but look again!).
  Leaves apple-green and shiny in the spring, deep green and often
  dusty in the summer, turning a glorious reddish orange in the
  fall.  Flowers tiny, whitish, in clusters; fruits white berries in
  late summer or fall.
Closest look-alike:  Box-elder seedlings (Acer negundo), which has
  OPPOSITE, trifoliate leaves; the lateral two leaflets are often
  slightly stalked. Older box-elders generally have 5 leaflets per
  leaf.

POISON SUMAC (Toxicodendron vernix = Rhus vernix)   Shrub, to perhaps
  15-20 ft tall, often branched from the base.  LEAVES ALTERNATE
  WITH 7-13 LEAFLETS, lateral leaflets without a petiolule (leaflet
  stalk), TERMINAL LEAFLET WITH A STALK.  MIDRIB OF THE LEAF WITHOUT
  A PAIR OF WINGS OF TISSUE THAT RUN BETWEEN LEAFLET PAIRS.  More
  small, whitish berries in a long cluster. Usually in wetlands,
  Maine to Minnesota, south to Texas and Florida.
Closest look-alikes: Staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, which has clusters
  of fuzzy, red fruits and toothed leaflets, and likes dry soils;
  Smooth sumac, Rhus glabra, with bright red fruits and slightly
  toothed leaves; much drier soil than PS.

POISON OAK: (Toxicodendron diversiloba = Rhus diversiloba).
  Reputedly the worst of the bunch.  Erect shrub, usually about
  3-6 ft tall (to 12 ft!), bushy, with ALTERNATE LEAVES OF THREE
  LEAFLETS, the LEAFLETS generally lobed slightly or as much as an
  oak leaf; CENTRAL LEAFLET STALKED.  Leaves generally bright, shiny
  green above, paler below.  Fruits are small whitish berries.
  Common on the west coast, esp. low places, thickets and wooded
  slopes. Occasionally a 5-leafleted form is found.

Steve Hix (fiddler@concertina.Eng.Sun.COM), in response to above:
>POISON OAK description...
If it were only that simple! In addition to that form, you can find
  poison oak growing as a vine (very like wild grape, but with
  smooth bark) up to six inches in diameter disappearing up into the
  tree tops near streams, or in thickets that look a *lot* like
  blackberry without spines, or sometimes as collections of leafless
  single branches (later the leaves appear, shiny and red, changing
  to oily green, and so on).
  Fortunately, it doesn't seem to grow much above 5000' elevation.

-----
How to avoid the rash

Difficult if you live near PO/PI/PS...
... the best way not to get the rash is to learn to recognize the
plant(s) and avoid it (them) after that.

But:
- You can even get a dose if a bunch of the leaves get dumped into a
  stream or pond ... the oil ends up floating on the surface of the
  water.
- Dogs / cats / horses can get it on their coats and you'll get it
  from them when you pet them barehanded.
- If you burn these plants and inhale the smoke you'll get a bad case
  of internal PI.

-----
Why does it give you a rash? / Spreading the oil about

courtesy Ron Rushing (f_rushingrg@ccsvax.sfasu.edu):
The irritant in poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak is urushiol.
  The rash you get is an allergic reaction.  Everything I say below
  about poison ivy should also apply to poison oak and sumac.
If you brush up against a healthy undamaged plant, you won't usually
  get urushiol on you.  You usually have to come in contact with a
  damaged leaf.  Almost all plants have damaged leaves - either from
  insects, weather, or from your stepping on them.
The oil is easily transferred from one place to another.  For example,
  I got some on my shoelaces once, and I kept getting poison ivy on
  my hands for a couple of months. Once it is on your hands, it can,
  and will, end up anywhere on your body.
The rash from poison ivy can take up to 72 hours to appear after
  exposure, and is often spread on the body by taking showers while
  the oils are still on the skin.
Once you get the oil on clothing, it can sit for months and still
  cause a rash upon contact with your skin.  For example, lets say you
  get some poison ivy oil on your boots, then put the boots away for
  the winter. Next spring you get out the boots and go for a walk -
  but not in the woods. A few days later, voila - your hands are
  breaking out from putting on your boots and tying the laces.
As long as you've washed the original oil off your skin, the exudate
  from the blisters should not re-infect your skin.  It's just
  exudate, and does not contain urushiol.

courtesy krrobert@uiuc.edu (K. R. Robertson):
Washing with strong soap merely removes excess poison from the skin,
  but will not remove any which has already reacted, because the
  poison is believed to form a complex with skin proteins and
  therefore is not removable short of removing the skin!  Even so, it
  is difficult to wash off this insoluble poison completely.
Eating a leaf of poison-ivy may have disastrous results.  One may
  surpass the normal level of immunity by the first bite; in this
  case one is in for an internal case of poison-ivy, occasionally
  known to be fatal.
The mechanism of sensitivity is not thoroughly understood.  It does
  not behave like protein sensitivities such as hay fever.  It is a
  hypersensitivity of the delayed type, whose mechanism is related to
  that of organ transplant rejection.
(Originally prepared by William T. Gillis, 1973, Revised by Kenneth R.
Robertson, 1993, Illinois Natural History)

courtesy ab282@detroit.freenet.org (Robert Gault):
The active ingredient in poison ivy and other plants in the same
  family is 3-n-Pentadecylcatechol, common name urushiol, which is a
  chemical in the phenol family.
Dermatitis (skin inflammation and blistering) is spread by the act of
  scratching which redistributes the urushiol over the body. While
  the normal treatment for poison ivy does not include the
  suggestion below, a reasonable approach would be to convert the
  urushiol into a water soluble material. Phenols are acids so
  washing with a weak base like diluted house hold ammonia or a paste
  of baking soda should do the trick.

courtesy Kay Klier (klier@cobra.uni.edu):
People who react to any of the species of PI/PO/PS will undoubtedly
  react to the others; further, they may cross-react with mango
  (Mangifera indica), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), and Chinese or
  Japanese Lacquer (Rhus verniciflua).  (the cellulose-based spray
  paint that is called lacquer is not involved in this... just "real"
  lacquer, like carved lacquer boxes, etc.).
Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to sit under any member of
  the Anacardiaceae in the rain... they all tend to have a leaf toxin
  that falls on innocent bystanders below.
Most people are NOT sensitive to PI/PO/PS at birth, but become
  sensitized through repeated exposures.  Some people are apparently
  immune throughout their lives, but I really don't know how to test
  that claim... ;-)
There is a barrier cream and a cleanup wash called Technu commonly
  used by those who are sensitized to PI/PO/PS.  Works quite well.

-----
What helps

First a word of caution:
The recommendations listed here are without medical foundation and,
if actually used, are at the sole risk of the reader.

1.  Jewelweed, Impatiens pallida, I. capensis, I. biflora, or similar
    species. AKA Touch-me-not, silverweed.  The plant produces both
    cleitogamous (self-fertilized), and chasmogamous (cross-
    fertilized) flowers.  Mature seed pods will build tension as they
    dry, and can "shoot" seeds 5 feet away when activated by a slight
    disturbance.
 a. Jewelweed, fresh
    Crush some leaves and a bit of the stem and rub the resulting
    juice on the rashy area.  Repeat frequently.
 b. Jewelweed decoction
    Take one part Jewelweed (or stronger as needed), and twenty parts
    water.  Boil water in non-metallic container, add jewelweed, boil
    for fifteen minutes, strain and store in jar in fridge or freeze
    as ice cubes.  Apply frequently.
 c. Jewelweed juice
    From YE71@MUSIC.FERRIS.EDU (Robert King):
  - Gather the entire plant, leaves, stems, and all; the plant is very
    succulent and juicy... I have never had a need to add extra water,
    but if you do, use distilled. Don't be greedy, either trim tops &
    outer branches, or selectively take entire plants from the center
    of a crowded stand.  One large (4-foot) plant should be adequate
    for the largest rash on one person.  Plants will lose turgor and
    wilt quickly after cutting, this is OK, just makes it easier to
    emulsify.
  - Liquefy the plants in a blender at the highest speed possible.
    Then extract the juice by filtering thru cloth, common strainer,
    or fruit press... a little pulp in the mix won't hurt, this will
    settle out after a couple hours, anyway.  Use immediately, or
    refrigerate... this stuff spoils rapidly at room temperature..!!
  - Apply the juice to the infected area with a common paint brush...
    I've found 1 to 2" size works best. Blow-dry the area as you apply
    it with a hair dryer on low heat... after several coats of
    'paint,' an orange-colored "skin" will develop.  This "skin" will
    protect uninfected areas against the poison ivy allergen.
  - Repeat this procedure as needed, especially first thing in the
    morning, and before bedtime.  Be sure to use common sense in
    keeping any fluid that happens to come from blisters away from
    unprotected areas... yourself AND others.  Keeping the infected
    area as dry as possible will hasten the healing; continue
    application until no more blisters are present... usually about 3
    days.
  - Ironically, jewelweed favors growing in areas of similar habitat
    as poison ivy, therefore it can often be found nearby, preferring
    moist ground, near water, or often, even in shallow water.  It
    grows rapidly in ideal environs, but usually doesn't reach
    significant size until mid-summer; therefore, it might pay to keep
    a bit frozen in the fridge from the previous year for early-season
    use.  The extract tends to spoil rapidly, even at cooler
    temperatures, so I wouldn't recommend keeping it for much more
    than a week without freezing... the fresh solution works best,
    anyway.
2.  Catnip
    Rub fresh catnip leaves on the affected area.
3.  Mugwort (Jilara [jane@swdc.stratus.com])
    Pick two large handfuls of fresh mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and
    let infuse in 1 cup alcohol for overnight.  Apply to affected area
    with a clean sponge/washcloth/q-tips/whatever every four hours.
    Dries it up quickly.
  Robert Gault reminded me that mugwort is a strong allergen (have I
    told you they keep track of mugwort pollen in the air over here?).
    To quote Robert Gault: 'Can you imagine the result if the poison
    ivy sufferer is also allergic to Mugwort?!'  Ouch - yes, I can.
4.  Aloe vera (Jilara [jane@swdc.stratus.com])
    Take a large leaf from the aloe vera plant you keep on your
    windowsill for burns.  (If you don't have one, get one!) (NOTE:
    "aloe vera gel" sold commercially does NOT work!) Slice lengthwise
    to expose the juicy interior of the leaf.  (This will give you an
    upper and lower leaf, with a juicy side to each.)  Trim off leaf
    edges.  Apply directly to affected area, juicy side against the
    sores.  Bandage in place.  Apply a new leaf every day until
    healed.  This works phenomenally well, but you have to put up with
    bulky slabs of aloe vera leaf against the area.  Which would you
    rather have: oozing sores or a succulent slab of leaf?  Thought
    so.  ;-)  I can't laude this one enough!  It works faster than any
    other remedy! And relieves the dreadful *itching*, too!
5.  Goldenseal (please don't do this - see 2.1.19.)
    Liberally dust powdered goldenseal on top of Jewelweed/Aloe juices
    juices before they dry onto the lesions; this will promote rapid
    healing.
6.  Mixed poultice, with (1) (4) and (5):
    (please don't do this - see 2.1.19.)
    Mash leaves and stems of comfrey, plantain leaves, and the remains
    of the jewelweed and aloe leaves/stems you used in (1) and (4).
    Make a poultice or compress and put it on top of the goldenseal
    dusted on the lesions; hold poultice in place with a bandage of
    some sort, if possible.
    After four hours or so remove poultice and clean the lesions with
    water.
    Repeat this entire procedure every four hours as needed until
    itching is reduced and lesions begin to heal.
7.  Gumweed Plant(Grindelia)
    Indians used the resin from the gumweed plant (Grindellia) to
    treat poison ivy.
8.  Baking Soda
    I swear by baking soda paste for poison oak. It not only soaks up
    the oozing mess, it completely stops the itching throughout the
    day.
9.  Mixed alcohol liniment
    Take sweetfern, jewelweed, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol... Zip it
    all up in a blender until it's green and mushed, let it sit for
    two weeks (ouch! I know...not for THIS outbreak, sorry), strain it
    and voila, a marvy liniment.
10. Poison Ivy leaf
  Caution: from krrobert@uiuc.edu (K. R. Robertson):
    Eating a leaf of poison ivy may have disastrous results.  One may
    surpass his normal level of immunity by the first bite; in this
    case he is in for an internal case of poison-ivy, occasionally
    known to be fatal.
  - From: bear@helium.Gas.UUG.Arizona.EDU (Soaring Bear), May 1994:
    Actually, this is just the time of the year to build up your
    immunity by nipping off a very tiny piece of poison ivy leaf (size
    of a head of a pin) and put in a capsule and swallow.  Do 1-2
    times a week.  Stop if you start breaking out.
11. Salt (from bss8n@galen.med.virginia.edu)
    For the little initial blisters, I rub salt and burst them and
    leave the salt on to dry.  They're history. Also salt worked on
    the moist areas of my face and under my nose where lye soap lather
    couldn't stay dried out long enough to dry out the rash.  Works
    well on large surface rashes in case the blister stage grew
    untreated (but it didn't work on the "mini-mountain" reaction to
    p.i. that my mom got).  MOST essential, leave the salt on to dry,
    adding more salt moistened with water to help create a paste that
    will stick as it dries, thus drying out that nasty, annoying p.i.
    The worse the spread, the longer the duration of salt/soap
    treatment alternated 12 hours to 1) dry out the present fresh
    redness, and 2) dry out *new* fresh red.
    Yep, you guessed it... the salt falls off everywhere. That's one
    reason I used the lye soap during bed hours.  The other reason was
    that neither treatment, in a prolonged battle (1 1/2 wks) stayed
    effective by itself, i.e. continuous dry-out, but alternating them
    did it. I've wondered why?
12. Lye soap (bss8n@galen.med.virginia.edu)
    - initially from a pioneer reenactment lady. The older/yellower
    the bar got, the less effective it seemed. Now, I've found it at
    the grungiest grocery store in town, a soap called Oxygon.  Wet
    the bar and lather it up on the rash into a paste and let dry.
    Easier than the salt but since discovering salt, I tend to believe
    salt is more effective for me, at least with my initial tiny
    blisters, which is all I ever have to deal with now.

-----
How to get rid of poison ivy in your yard
(suggestions from rec.gardens/alt.folklore.herbs):

1. Planting catnip should get rid of poison ivy.
2. Goats. They are very effective, but in the end will be a bigger
   bother than the poison ivy. (Be suspicious if someone offers you
   free goats!)
3. Poison ivy again: buy the super concentrated form of Round-Up and
   dilute to 3 times the recommended strength. (Well, hot damn!  It
   killed off nearly every piece of PI in one application and only a
   few (about a dozen) plants returned a year later.)
4. Pull it, but protect yourself (big plastic bag, disposable suit...)
   Immediately wash all clothes you used two-three times. Do not touch
   the plastic bag / disposable suit from the outside. Do not touch
   your clothes / boots / whatever from the outside before washing.

=====
2.1.7.1  Impatiens - ADDITION
-----

From Elizabeth Perdomo, ElizPer@aol.com

Jewelweed is a plant I wouldn't be without here in the South, any time
of the year!  It works so remarkably well for Poison Ivy, Oak and
Sumac, and for Fungal Infections, as well (try it on athlete's feet!).
People are always getting inspired to rake up leaves in the middle of
winter, and get into the roots or old leaves, producing the nasty itch.
However, since the plant only grows in mid-late summer, this is what I
do to keep a supply around...

Harvesting:  Jewelweed is an annual, which means it flowers, produces
seeds and then dies all in one year.  Thus, I try to harvest Jewelweed
well before flowering time, so it has a chance to regroup, flower and
seed before frosts.  To do so, I cut off (with knife or pruner) the top
1/3 of some of the plants, leaving many untouched.  I don't pull or
pinch the tops, as this often dislodges or pulls up the plant.  If you
take more than about the top 1/3, the plant may not have enough time to
sprout side shoots and go to seed, thus diminishing future supply for
you, others & the earth...

Preparing:  Jewelweed is one of those plants which just doesn't dry
well. It's too fleshy and juicy, and loses it's good qualities when
dried. I make a strong infusion, by adding LOTS of the plant to a pot
(non-aluminium) of boiling water.  Then, I cover the pot, and allow it
to simmer for at least 30 minutes.  After simmering, covered, I put it
into a blender or food processor and blend.  Then, I cover the mixture
again and allow it to cool to room temp.  After cooling, I strain the
mixture through a stainless steel strainer and/or cheesecloth.  Then,
if needed right away, I label and store part of the mixture in a jar in
the refrigerator.  The remainder, I freeze in ice cube trays.  After
frozen, pop the cubes into a zip lock bag and LABEL WELL with herb
name/date before returning to freezer.  Then, I have a winter's supply.
The cubes also feel really good on especially sensitive areas, like on
the face, between fingers, under arms and in private parts... I also
use the fresh Jewelweed and make it into a tincture by filling a jar
with the plant, and then covering it with 100 proof vodka.  If you are
going to use it exclusively for EXTERNAL use, it could be "tinctured"
in rubbing alcohol.

Administering:  Whether fresh, infused, tinctured or in ice cube form,
apply Frequently!!! Cotton balls work well to apply the infusion or
tincture.  Yes, the tincture burns some, so I dampen the cotton ball
1st with water, then add the tincture.  The alcohol also helps to dry
out the ooze...   If someone has a really bad, "systemic" case (not
just a few bumps on their ankles or hands), I recommend that folks take
the (vodka) tincture INTERNALLY, about 1/2 dropper 2-4 x Daily, in
liquid, But for only 2-3 Days!  (I don't recommend using this orally if
pregnant or nursing.)  It seems that the oral use in conjunction with
frequent, liberal external use, can really turn a bad case of poison
ivy around fast!   Also, for "oozy" spots, cosmetic grade (French) clay
can be sprinkled on as often as desired to help dry the spots out.
Sometimes, I mix the clay with powdered oatmeal, and apply the mixture
to absorb and sooth.

- Elizabeth Perdomo

==========
2.1.8  Echinacea - uses
-----
From tcaldec@Direct.ca (Todd Caldecott)

In my training with NA's I learned that Echinacea (blood purifier and
antibiotic) can be used as long as two weeks.  The German research
branch of their equivalent of FDA (called Komission E) Drs. Wagoner and
Bauer demonstrated this fact.  Their studies also showed that tinctured
extract of this plant could be chemically potent or not depending on
how it was grown, harvested and extracted.  In their studies, the
extracts available on the commercial market were far less potent than
their own prepared version.  So their conclusion was 2 weeks on then
off for a week, then one could use it for another two weeks at
diminished activity.  Also the plant varieties of Echinacea
angustifolia, purpurea and to a lesser extent pallida all had
medicinal chemical activity.  The whole plant is medicinal but needs to
be at least 3 years old before you should harvest.

There is no evidence to suggest that Echinacea cannot be used longer
than 2 weeks.  In the original study (and please be patient I'm doing
this from memory) Echinacea was found to be increasingly effective for
5 days, after which the study ceased.  This paper, originally written
in German, was mistranslated, leading one to believe that Echinacea's
effects plateaued after five days.  Echinacea is being used by several
professionals long term.  Typically though, it is used as a surface
immune tonic, useful in chronically immunodepressed patients who suffer
from chronic colds etc. (although its use in AIDS is still a matter of
some controversy).  For most of us who take it seasonally for colds
etc. it is most effective when taken in combination with other herbs
i.e. garlic, Baptisia, Thymus, Astragalus etc.

=====
2.1.8.1  Echinacea - poaching and extinction
-----

Thread on the phytopharmacognosy list:

> Over 90% of all echinacea material in the U.S. and Europe comes from
> cultivated species. There is very little wild harvested ech. on the market.
> The claim that the use of ech. preparations contributes to the extinction
> of this plant species is nonsense. Such claims may apply to other
> medicinal plants but not to the easy to cultivate Ech. spp..

From P. Mick Richardson <richards@mobot.org>, to above:

Disappearance of the plant in the wild may be nonsense to you but it is
reality to those of us who live in areas where the plant is native. Several
points. The plant is easy to grow in cultivation but if you have no land on
which to grow it you can get ready cash by collecting it in the wild. Even if
90% comes from cultivated sources, the remaining 10% is still a massive amount
in relation to the ever decreasing number of plants in the wild, especially
when consumption rises each year and the 10% translates into an ever
increasing number of plants to be sought.

After receiving your message, I sought out a local person who collects seeds
of Echinacea from wild plants in Missouri for cultivation of the plant. He
confirmed my suspicions that the plant is becoming non-existent in many parts
of Missouri as local populations are exterminated. So the nonsense is in fact
reality to the people who see the plants.  I suggest greater cultivation of
the plant would decrease the demand for wild-harvested material. After all,
no-one would be killing rhinos and elephants for sale if there was not a market
for them. Let's stop before Echinacea becomes a great auk or a passenger
pigeon example for textbooks.
Sorry to ramble on, but extinction is for ever and it would be shameful for
herbalists to contribute to it.

-----
... and more in the same thread:

From: P. Mick Richardson <richards@mobot.org>:

It is illegal to collect Echinacea unless it is on your own property in
Missouri. However, if someone offers cash for echinacea plants, then the
demand will be met by poaching. Although on a lesser scale, it is no
different to the situation with rhino horm and elephant ivory. If there is a
cash market, people will provide the product. I could give descriptions of
the nationalities of the buyers but this is probably unnecessary. The
plants end up in Europe, presumably the site of greatest demand.

Hopefully, there will soon be enough Echinacea in cultivation that the price
will fall and this may remove the demand for wild-collected plants. Until
then, if you encourage the use of Echinacea, you endanger the plants growing
wild in Missouri. Admittedly Echinacea is being poached on a lesser scale
than Panax or Hydrastis, but it is still disappearing. Let's aim for
complete domestication. It works for Ginkgo, which is a cultivated cash crop
in the U.S.A. now.

==========
2.1.9  Feverfew and migraine
-----  by Eugenia Provence, EProvence@aol.com

It's not at all unusual for people interested in using herbs to
replace over the counter medications with simple herbal counterparts.
What has been unusual enough to generate headlines, though, is the
conventional medical community's research and acceptance of a
traditional European folk remedy, Feverfew, in preventing migraine
headaches.

Migraines are believed to be caused by an upset in serotonin
metabolism, causing spasms of intracranial blood vessels, which then
causes dilation of extracranial blood vessels.

In the 1970s an English research group sought volunteers already using
Feverfew before beginning a study of its efficacy.  Their
advertisement in a London newspaper brought more than 20,000
responses.  Since then, several well-documented double-blind, placebo
studies in England confirm its value.

An interesting one reported in The Lancet (July 23, 1988; 2(8604):189-
192) followed 72 volunteers.  After a one-month trial using only a
placebo, half of the group received either one capsule of dried
Feverfew leaves a day (or a matching placebo) for four months.
Neither the group nor the researchers knew which group was receiving
the Feverfew.  The group kept diary cards of their migraine frequency
and severity.  After four months, the groups switched medications, and
the trial continued for an additional four months.  60 patients
completed the study, and full information was available on all but
one.

The study found Feverfew to be associated with reducing the number
and severity of attacks (including vomiting), with the researchers
concluding that there had been a significant improvement when the
patients were taking Feverfew.  There were no serious side effects.

Feverfew is currently classified as Tanacetum parthenium, a member of
the Asteracea (or Compositae) family, and was formerly named
Chrysanthemum parthenium, where you'll still find it listed in some
references.  Feverfew is a corruption of Febrifuge, based on its tonic
and fever-dispelling properties.  It's been called Maid's Weed,
referring to its emmenagogue qualities, which are also reflected in
its Greek name, Parthenion ("girl").

Its primary actions are anti-inflammatory, bitter, emmenagogue and a
vasodilator.  Aside from migraine relief, long-term users report
relief from depression, nausea and inflammatory arthritic pain.  Drunk
in cold infusion, it can relieve the cold, clammy sweats associated
with migraine.

Additionally, it's been used externally as an insect repellant, and
topically for insect bites.  Perhaps the insect-repelling quality
accounts for the tradition of planting it around the house to ward off
illnesses and to purify the air.

The tea, drunk cold, has been used for sensitivity to pain, and for
relief of face-ache or ear ache (all migraine-like symptoms).  The
Eclectic physicians of the 19th century called it one of the
pleasantest of the tonics, influencing the whole intestinal tract,
increasing the appetite, improving digestion, promoting secretion,
with a decided action on kidney and skin.

John Gerard's Herbal in 1663, said it to be "...good against summer
headaches to inhale crushed Feverfew blossoms.  Dried and taken with
honey or sweet wine good for those as be melancholic, sad, pensive or
without speech."  Culpepper used in it poultice form for head ache.

Feverfew in blossom is easily identified by its flat or convex yellow
disk and numerous short, broad 2-ribbed white rays.  The leaves are
alternate, petiolate, flat, bi or tripinnate with ovate, dentate

in many areas of the U.S. and Europe, in some places regarded as a
nuisance weed.

Among its constituents are a volatile oil, containing pinene and
several pinene derivatives, bornyl acetate and angelate, costic acid,
B-farnesine and spiroketal enol ethers; Sesquiterpene lactones, the
major one being parthenolide); and Acetylene derivatives.

Pharmacologists say it is likely that the sesquiterpene lactones in
Feverfew inhibit prostaglandin and histimine released during the
inflammatory process, preventing the vascular spasms that cause
migraines.  It appears to regulate the serotonin mechanism.

To attain the maximum benefit from Feverfew, it should be taken daily
as a preventive.  For migraine prevention, parthenolide plays an
important role.  The parthenolide content in Feverfew is highly
variable in different populations grown in different locations or
harvested at different times of the year.

Recent Canadian tests of U.S. Feverfew products found all of them to
be low in parthenolide. Canada, which has recently recognized Feverfew
products as official, over the counter drugs for migraine prevention
and relief, will require that they contain a minimum of 0.2%
parthenolide.

So, this is one of the few cases where a standardized extract may be
more desirable than the whole plant, with a lot to be said for fresh
or freeze-dried preparations.  If you want to use the fresh plant, the
flowers have a higher parthenolide content than do the leaves.  If you
are picking the leaves, they are best just before flowering.

In one of those magical bits of synergy that herbalists love, the
isolated parthenolides used alone don't work on migraines, nor does
the whole plant with the parthenolides removed.  The parthenolide is
bioavailable only in the whole plant.

PRECAUTIONS:  I know of nothing, whether allopathic or herbal
medicine, that I would feel free in saying to have absolutely no
unpleasant side effects.  We're all unique individuals when it comes
to body chemistry.  Some unfortunate people are allergic to chamomile.
They may also be allergic to Feverfew.

A few recent studies of parthenolide in vitro point to toxicity
involving smooth muscle tissue.  However, no side effect resembling
this has ever been reported in human use.  Feverfew's safety and
usefulness are historic.

Pregnant women should never take Feverfew.  Its traditional use as an
emmenogogue underlines the risk here.

The bitter tonic qualities, so useful for indigestion, can cause
gastric pain in people with gall stones or gall-bladder problems, by
making the gall bladder try to empty.   Likewise, the increased
production of stomach acid would make it highly aggravating to anyone
with a gastric ulcer or esophogeal reflux.

Some people have developed mouth ulcers from eating the fresh leaves.

DOSAGE:  Feverfew is most effective fresh or freeze dried.  Take the
equivalent of 1 fresh leaf or 125 mg. freeze-dried herb once a day
(0.2% parthenolides) 1-3 times daily (don't chew the leaf).

In addition to Feverfew on its own as preventive herbal therapy, one
would want to look at one's individual migraine triggers or pattern
and add herbs whose actions complement Feverfew's anti-inflammatory,
bitter and vasodilator actions to support the affected body systems.

-----
Please also check the 'Herbs for migraine' entry (2.2.2) below.

-----
From Rene Burrough <100735.543@compuserve.com>:

Eating feverfew leaves
I learned this from a nursery woman here who grows herbs commercially
& was a nurse during WW2, and has suffered from migraines from years,
and it extremely sympathetic to herbal medicine.
She swears that the GREEN leaf is far more efficacious than the yellow or
golden version. And she takes one leaf a day for months at a time to keep
the migraine at bay.  What she does is to make a <bread pill> with the
feverfew leaf inside and squished into a tiny ball with a doughy bit of
bread around it as a casing.  Then the pill can be swallowed without the
leaf coming into contact with the lining of the digestive tract.

-----
From: MORAVCSIK@CLIPR.COLORADO.EDU (Julia Moravcsik)

I looked up feverfew in Medline and would like to report what I found
there. If you aren't interested in medical experimentation as it
applies to herbs, you will probably not be interested in what follows.

The good news (for migraine sufferers):  I found two double blind
experiments looking at the effectiveness of feverfew on migraines:
The first one used 72 migraine sufferers.  Half got a capsule per day
of feverfew, the other half got a placebo.  There was a significant
reduction in the mean number and severity of migraine attacks.
The other experiment looked at 17 migraine sufferers who normally ate
feverfew to control headaches.  They gave placebos to some and
continued the feverfew with others.  The placebos increased frequency
and severity of migraines.

The bad news:  Feverfew affects the smooth muscles of the body.  These
are muscles that control much of your involuntary muscular processes,
such as the vascular system (blood vessels), digestive system,
internal organs, aorta, etc. From what I can gather from some of the
abstracts in Medline, feverfew PERMANENTLY affects the ability of
these smooth muscles to contract and relax.
Here are some snippets from the abstracts which looked at this:

"(Feverfew)...inhibits smooth muscle contractability in a time-
dependent, non-specific, and irreversible manner."

"(Feverfew)...affects smooth muscles...may represent a toxic
modification of post-receptor contractile function in the smooth
muscle...effects are potentially toxic"

"...inhibition of eicosanoid generation is irreversible"

"...irreversible loss of tone of precontracted aortic rings...
inhibited ability of acetylcholine to induce endothelium dependent
relaxation of tissue."

What does this all mean for the long term health of those who take
feverfew? That does not seem to have been looked at yet; these
articles were very recent. However, I think that people who take
feverfew should know that they may be permanently affecting the smooth
muscles in their bodies and may want to take this into account when
deciding whether or not to continue taking it.

----- And, in reply to above:
From: Jim Heath (heath@iinet.net.au)

I sent a copy of Julia Moravcsik's Medline findings about feverfew to
Reader's Digest (who published an article in their Feb 1995 issue
advising that feverfew can help prevent migraines.)

I've had a letter back from Elizabeth Craig, a RD researcher. She
confirms that none of their sources when they researched the article
(late 1994) showed any side-effects from feverfew. She also said that
after she got my letter (dated 21 June 95) she contacted a migraine
research scientist who is studying the effects of feverfew.  The
researcher is familiar with Medline and says that "research has shown
the dosage taken by migraine sufferers has no side effects at all."

Whew -- that's good.  (Or maybe, feverwhew.)

Jim Heath

==========
End of part 2 of 7
==========
