Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Plant A Glossary
Abortifacients
- drugs which cause abortion.
Acrid
- harsh, bitterly pungent to the taste, or irritating to the skin or mucous membranes.
Affection
- a disease or malady.
Alteratives
- medicines, often prescribed in the form of a tea, whose effect on the body is gradual, not immediately noticeable.
Amenorrhea
- absence or suppression of the menstrual discharge, from causes other than pregnancy.
Anodynes
- medicines that allay pain. Most herbs which can be classified as anodynes are narcotic and highly dangerous, therefore little mention of them is made in this work.
Anthelmintics
- medicines for expelling intestinal worms. Plants containing substances which are obnoxious to the worms or which act as cathartics have been used for this purpose. Chamomile, tansy, and male fern are examples.
Antilithic
- preventing the formation of stone or calculus.
Antiperiodics
- substances which can allay or prevent the return of periodic paroxysms such as periodic fevers.
Antipyretics
- medicines which tend to prevent or allay fevers.
Antiscorbutics
- preparations used to combat scurvy. In these days of generally well balanced diets, such medicines are not of general interest, as they were a few generations ago. In medicines prescribed for scurvy one would usually find dandelion roots, lemons, and sarsaparilla as ingredients.
Antiseptics
- plants or chemical products which oppose the growth or cause the destruction of microorganisms or (in common parlance) germs.
Antispasmodics
- medicines which reduce the involuntary contractions arising from physical or nervous causes.
Aperients
- herbs which are gently laxative.
Aromatics
- plants, drugs, or medicines with a spicy scent and pungent taste. Among the aromatic plants are ginger, sweetflag, the mints, lavenders, and household herbs such as peppers, cloves, nutmeg, caraway, et cetera. The essential oils in these plants, added to medicines, make them palatable. The fragrances these herbs provide give a definite lift to our consciousness.
Asthma
- a disease characterized by difficulty in breathing. Emotional as well as physical causes are known, so it is reasonable to assume that some of the sedative herbs would have an alleviative, if not a curative effect.
Astringents
- substances that contract the tissues and check discharges of blood, mucus, et cetera. Their use is indicated for hemorrhage, dysentery, and the like. In this class of materials we find plants such as agrimony, oak bark, willow, sage. A sample prescription would include burdock seeds, rose leaves, ginger, raspberry leaves, and willow bark. Blackberry brandy, used to check diarrhea, is well known for its astringent quality.