Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Decoctions

- medicines made by simmering herbs in water. (Vigorous boiling may destroy the vital properties of the plant.) Decoctions, without an added preservative such as alcohol, should not be kept for long but should be freshly prepared, especially in hot weather. Of course, the decoctions should be strained before being used as medicinal drinks.

Demulcents

- medicines which are soothing to the intestinal tract, usually of an oily or mucilaginous nature. Glycerin and olive oil, though quite different from each other, are well-known examples.

Deobstruents

- medicines which have the power to clear the natural ducts in the body.

Depurant

- an agent used to purify.

Diaphoretics

- synonymous with sudorifics, both words implying the ability to produce sweating. This method of cure, along with sweat baths, has been used for the promotion of specific and general health by many races over many centuries.

Diarrhea

- an unnaturally profuse discharge from the intestines. The causes are so varied that a continuation of the condition indicates the need for medical advice. In cases of simple and sudden diarrhea, a number of plants have properties capable of alleviation, among which a principle found in the blackberry vine has long been used. Radical attempts to stop a sudden onslaught of diarrhea can be dangerous, since diarrhea may well be the body’s safety effort to get rid of acute poisoning.

Discutient

- causing a disappearance.

Diuretics

- medicines tending to increase the secretion and discharge of urine. Some hundreds of years ago it was thought that almost any untoward condition of the body would leave its telltale trace in urine, and early pictures of physicians show them engaged in urinalysis. So, too, we find in all old herbals many drugs mentioned as having diuretic properties. Powders, draughts, mixtures, and beers containing diuretics have all been used, usually to no harm and probably to much good. Among notable herbs with diuretic values are dandelions, juniper berries, and lemon juice. Milk is a desirable diluting agent for diuretic extracts, as milk itself is a mild diuretic.

Doctrine of Signatures

- a fifteenth- and sixteenth-century explanation of why certain plants heal certain ailments. According to the theory, some mysterious spiritual bond associated or “signed” every plant to a particular illness. One could determine the medicinal qualities of a plant by analyzing its shape, color, scent, or even its habitat. For example, common barberry was believed to cure yellow jaundice because the wood of the stems was so vividly yellow. As ridiculous as the theory sounds, there are many instances where it has proven to be true, though from a medical point of view, it makes no sense at all.

Dropsy

- an old-fashioned term, perhaps more properly referred to as edema, indicating the excessive accumulation of fluid in the body tissues. It is known to be commonly associated with disorders of the heart, blood vessels, or the kidneys and was formerly treated with digitalis. Today, however, the recommendation would be to let the condition be treated by a physician, who may well administer the herb digitalis or other proven remedies.

Dysentery

- bowel disorders caused by amoebas, bacteria, worms, or chemical poisons.

Dysmenorrheal

- painful menstruation.

Dyspepsia

- indigestion or nondigestion. Certain herbs, listed in the following chapter, have long been known to relieve this condition.

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