Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

The Tasty Natural Preservative

Family: Labiatae; (includes Mints)

Genus and Species: Rosmarinus Officinalis

Also known as: Rosemarine, Incensier (French)

Parts used: Leaves

Thousands of years before refrigeration, ancient peoples noticed that wrapping meats in crushed rosemary leaves preserved them and imparted a fresh fragrance and pleasing flavor. To this day, the herb remains a favorite in meat dishes, and its preservative ability is the basis for its use in herbal Healing.

Rosemary’s ability to preserve meats led to the belief that it helped preserve memory. Greek students wore rosemary garlands to assist their recall. As the centuries passed, the herb was incorporated into wedding ceremonies as a symbol of spousal fidelity and into funerals to help survivors to remember the dead. In Hamlet, Ophelia gives Hamlet a sprig, saying, “There’s rosemary … for remembrance.”

Symbol of love

During the Middle Ages, rosemary’s association with weddings evolved into its use as a love charm. If a young person tapped another with a rosemary twig containing an open blossom, the couple would supposedly fall in love.

Placed under one’s pillow, the aromatic herb was believed to repel bad dreams. Planted around one’s home, it was reputed to ward off witches.

But by the 16th century, planting rosemary around the home became a bone of contention in England, where the belief developed that it signified a household where the woman ruled. Men were known to rip out rosemary plants as evidence that they-not their wives-ruled the roost.

The ancients used rosemary as they used all aromatic, preservative herbs-for head, respiratory, and gastrointestinal problems. Traditional Chinese physicians mixed it with ginger and used it to treat headache, indigestion, insomnia, and malaria.

Hungary Water

In 1235, Queen Elizabeth of Hungary became paralyzed. According to legend, a hermit soaked a pound of rosemary in a gallon of wine for several days, then rubbed it on her limbs, curing her. Rosemary/wine combinations became known as Queen of Hungary’s Water and were used externally for centuries for gout, dandruff, baldness prevention, and skin problems. (As the centuries passed, pennyroyal and marjoram were incorporated into what became known as Hungary Water.)

The French hung rosemary around sickrooms and in hospitals as a kind of Healing incense, calling it incensier. As recently as World War II, French nurses burned a mixture of rosemary leaves and juniper berries in hospital rooms as an antiseptic.

Little Used in America

Colonists brought rosemary to North America, and an early medical guide, The American New Dispensatory, recommended the herb’s leaves, flowers, and Hungary Water for use “in nervous and menstrual affections, for strokes, paralysis, and dizziness.”

Oddly, those great proponents of botanical medicine, the Eclectics, had little use for rosemary. Their text, King’s American Dispensatory, noted its use as a digestive aid and menstruation promoter but declared it “seldom used except as a perfume.”

Central American folk healers use rosemary oil as an insect repellent and menstruation promoter.

Contemporary herbalists say rosemary stimulates the circulatory, digestive, and nervous systems. They recommend it for headache, indigestion, depression, muscle pain, as a gargle to treat bad breath, externally to prevent premature baldness, and in baths for relaxation.

Rosemary may not guarantee A’s on exams, marital fidelity, or vivid memories of the dear departed, but the ancients were right about its ability to preserve meats.

Food Poisoning Preventive - Meats spoil in part because their fats oxidize and turn rancid. Rosemary and its oil contain chemicals that are strongly antioxidant. In fact, rosemary’s preservative power compares favorably with the commercial food preservatives, BHA and BHT.

Rosemary’s preservative action may help prevent food poisoning on your next picnic. Mix the crushed leaves generously into hamburger meat and tuna, pasta, and potato salads.

Digestive Aid - Like most culinary herbs, rosemary may help relax the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract (making it an antispasmodic). The ancients appear to have been on the right track when they used it as a digestive aid.

Decongestant - Like other aromatic herbs, rosemary may help relieve nasal and chest congestion caused by colds, flu, and allergies.

Infection Prevention - Rosemary contains chemicals that may help fight infection-causing and food-spoiling bacteria and fungi. For minor cuts in the garden, press some fresh, crushed leaves into the wound on the way to washing and bandaging it.

Women’s Health - Antispasmodics soothe not only the digestive tract but other smooth muscles, such as the uterus, as well. As an antispasmodic, rosemary should theoretically calm the uterus, but Italian researchers have discovered that it does exactly the opposite.

Pregnant women should steer clear of medicinal preparations of this herb. Other women may try the herb to bring on their periods.

Rx for Rosemary

For a pleasantly aromatic infusion to settle the stomach or clear a stuffed nose, use I teaspoon of crushed herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

In a tincture, use ¼ to ½ teaspoon up to three times a day. Dilute rosemary preparations may be given cautiously to children under age 2.

In culinary amounts, rosemary poses no dangers. But even small amounts of rosemary oil may cause stomach, kidney, and intestinal irritation. Larger doses may cause poisoning.

Rosemary is included in the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, rosemary is safe in amounts typically recommended.

Rosemary should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If rosemary causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Pretty Garden Accent

Rosemary is a woody, pine-scented, evergreen perennial with needlelike leaves. It reaches 3 feet in the United States and produces small, pale blue flowers in summer. Creeping rosemary (R. prostratus) is widely used in the Western United States as a groundcover and cascade over garden walls.

Rosemary can be grown from seeds, but germination can be a problem and seedlings are slow to develop, which is why most herb growers prefer to start with cuttings. If you sow seeds, plant them in spring 6 inches apart. Plant cuttings in sandy soil, leaving only one-third of each twig showing.

Rosemary prefers light, sandy, well-drained soil and full sun. Over-watering may cause root rot. Rosemary usually survives zero-degree winter temperatures without special care. If you live where temperatures dip lower, mulch plants each autumn or grow the herb in pots, bring them indoors each winter, and keep in a south-facing window.

Cut twigs and strip the leaves anytime after plants have become established.

Helpful Hints

Family: Rosaceae; (includes Raspberry, Blackberry, Plum, Peach, Almond)

Genus and Species: Rosa Canina, R. Rugosa, R. Centifolia

Also known as: Hipberry

Parts used: Fruits (”hips”)

Prized since the dawn of history, the rose is queen of the flowers. But in herbal Healing, this plant becomes noteworthy only after the velvety petals have fallen away, revealing the cherry-sized fruits, or hips.

Rose hips contain vitamin C, but authorities disagree on how much. Some herbalists call rose hips “one of the best natural sources” of vitamin C. Scientific sources scoff at this claim, asserting it would take more than a dozen cups of rose hip tea to provide the recommended daily allowance and a lot more to help treat colds and flu.

While herbalists have generally overstated this herb’s vitamin C content, it still may be of some benefit for colds and flu.

Medicine Flowers

Roses were a favorite of the ancient Egyptians, who used the fragrant petals as air fresheners and rose water as perfume.

In Greece, Hippocrates recommended rose flowers mixed with oil for diseases of the uterus. India’s traditional Ayurvedic physicians have long considered rose petals cooling and astringent, leading to their use in poultices to treat skin wounds and inflammations. The Ayurvedics also used rose petals and rose water as a laxative.

Western herbalists echoed Ayurvedic uses of the herb.

Medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen recommended rose hip tea as the initial treatment for just about every illness. Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper called the herb “binding and restringent [astringent]” and wrote it “strengthens the stomach, prevents vomiting, stops tickling coughs, … [is] good against all kinds of fluxes [diarrhea] … [and is] of great service in consumptions [tuberculosis].”

As the centuries passed, European herbalists recommended dried rose petal tea for headache, dizziness, mouth sores, and menstrual cramps.

Vitamin C Revival

Americans have always loved roses. They were among the first flowers planted around the White House. But American herbalists considered the rose only a minor Healing herb. The 19th-century Eclectic physicians did not use rose petals at all. They beat the hips into a pulp and used it as a base for making pills containing other medicines.

Roses almost disappeared from early 20th-century herbals. Then came the discovery of vitamin C in the I930s and the finding that rose hips may contain appreciable amounts.

Contemporary herbalists are unanimous in their praise of rose hips as a source of America’s favorite vitamin. One bestselling herbal claims: “Rose hips are rich in vitamin C, richer by far than oranges ounce for ounce. Some people say we should make rose hip tea a part of our daily diet” Because of its vitamin C content, herbalists tout rose hips for colds and flu. Some also recommend the herb as a mild laxative.

There’s nothing wrong with making rose hips a part of your daily diet, but don’t count on the bright red fruits-or the prepackaged teas containing them-to supply all the vitamin C you need, especially if you use the vitamin to try to treat the common cold and flu.

Rose hips contain a significant amount of vitamin C.

However, the drying process destroys from 45 to 90 percent of it. and infusions extract only about 40 percent of what’s left. That still leaves a fair amount of vitamin C, but considerably less than most herbals promise.

Many companies that manufacture vitamin C claim their products are “made from rose hips.” In fact. none are made exclusively from rose hips. In commercial “rose hip” vitamin C preparations, the hips are combined with ascorbic acid from other sources.

Colds and Flu - Some scientific studies have supported the use of vitamin C to help relieve the symptoms and decrease the duration of the common cold. The studies that show positive benefit-including those published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the New England Journal of Medicine-eall for using 2,000 milligrams a day or more from the moment the first cold symptoms appear until all symptoms disappear.

That’s a lot of vitamin C-considerably more than the current Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA) of 60 milligrams a day. It would be impractical to obtain this much vitamin C from rose hip preparations alone.

But rose hip tea can help boost cold and flu sufferers’ overall vitamin C intake. In addition, hot liquids may help relieve the sore throat. nasal congestion, and cough associated with colds and flu, and they warm the throat. which may help impair viral replication. (Cold viruses reproduce best at around 95°F.)

Rx for Rose Hips

For a pleasant-tasting, mildly astringent infusion that may help in the treatment of colds and flu, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried, chopped hips per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink as needed.

In a tincture, use ½ to 1 teaspoon as needed.

Dilute rose hip infusions may be given to children under age 2.

High doses of vitamin C cause diarrhea in some people. High doses also strain the kidneys. This is not a problem for people with healthy kidneys, but those with kidney disease should consult their physicians before taking large amounts of rose hips.

Rose hips are included in the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, rose hips are safe in amounts typically recommended.

Consult a physician if cold or flu symptoms do not improve significantly in two weeks, if a fever develops toward the end of a cold or flu, or if a cold- or flu-related cough brings up brown or red phlegm.

Harvest the Hips

Roses have been bred for every cliMaté. “Old roses” are generally more fragrant than newer hybrids, but they have lessshowy, faster-wilting flowers. Consult a nursery for the variety best suited to your conditions and desires. Enjoy the flowers, then harvest and dry the hips.

More than Pie Filling

Family: Polygonaceae; (include Buckwheat)

Genus and Species: Rheum Officinale, R. Palma Tum; garden rhubarb, R. Rhaponticum has similar but less powerful action

Also known as: Rheum, or Chinese, Himalayan, Turkish, or Medicinal Rhubarb

Parts used: Roots

Rhubarb is an odd plant. Its roots are medicinal. Its stems make tasty pies. And its leaves are poisonous.

Powerful Asian Laxative

Chinese physicians have used rhubarb root since ancient times. They prescribed it externally as a treatment for cuts and burns and internally in small amounts for dysentery. They also discovered that large amounts have powerful laxative action and promote menstruation. Over the centuries, the Indians, Russians, and Europeans adopted rhubarb as a Healing herb and discovered their own native species have similar, though less powerful effects.

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper endorsed rhubarb’s laxative action: “This herb purges downward.” He also recommended it externally as “a most effectual remedy to heal scabs and running sores.” In addition,

Culpeper claimed rhubarb “heals jaundice provokes urine … is very effectual for reins [gonorrheal and helps gout sciatica ... toothache ... the stone [kidney stones I ... and dimness of sight."

Later herbalists repudiated most of Culpeper's recommendations and returned to prescribing small doses of rhubarb root for diarrhea and larger doses as a laxative.

Widely Used for Dysentery

America's 19th-century Eclectics used rhubarb primarily to treat diarrhea and dysentery. King's American Dispensatory noted its effectiveness for constipation but said "it sometimes produces griping [cramping].” The Eclectics also considered the herb helpful in treating “hepatic derangement” (liver problems) and delirium tremens.

Bacterial dysentery was a common-and often fatal-disease in British East Africa between the World Wars. In 1921, Nairobi-based physician R. W. Burkitt wrote in Lancet that he’d treated it with rhubarb almost exclusively for three years: “I know of no remedy in medicine which has such a magical effect. No one who has ever used rhubarb would dream of using anything else … in this dreadful tropical scourge.”

Contemporary herbalists are divided on rhubarb. Some recommend low doses for diarrhea and large doses for constipation. Others simply recommend it as a laxative.

The ancient Chinese appear to have been right about rhubarb’s dual effects.

Diarrhea - Studies show small amounts of this herb help treat diarrhea.

Constipation - Large amounts have powerful laxative action. Rhubarb contains similar laxative chemicals (anthraquinones) as those found in buckthorn, cascara sagrada, and senna.

Anthraquinone laxatives should be used only as a last resort to treat constipation. First, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water, and get more exercise. If that doesn’t work, try a bulk-forming laxative such as psyllium. If you still need help, try cascara sagrada, generally regarded as the gentlest anthraquinone. After that. try rhubarb - or buckthorn or senna; in consultation with a physician.

Women’s Health - Some animal studies suggest rhubarb stimulates uterine contractions, lending some credence to its use in China as a menstruation promoter. Thus, pregnant women should try to avoid it. Other women might try it to begin their periods.

Rx for Rhubarb

For diarrhea, make a decoction by gently boiling ½ teaspoon of powdered root per cup of water for 10 minutes. Take I tablespoon at a time periodically, up to 1 cup per day. Rhubarb tastes bitter and unpleasant.

In a tincture, use ¼ teaspoon per day.

For constipation, make a decoction by boiling 1 to 2 teaspoons of powdered root per cup of water for 10 minutes. Take I tablespoon at a time, up to 1 cup per day.

In a tincture, use ½ to 1 teaspoon a day.

Rhubarb should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Alert: Because of rhubarb’s powerful action, laxative amounts should not be used by those with chronic intestinal problems, such as ulcers or colitis.

Pregnant and nursing women should not use anthraquinone laxatives.

Laxative amounts of rhubarb should not be used for more than two weeks, because over time, it causes lazy bowel syndrome, an inability to move stool without chemical stimulation.

Rhubarb stems are used in pie fillings, but the plant’s leaf blades contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous, causing burning in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and other symptoms. Fatalities have occurred.

Rhubarb may color the urine bright yellow or red.

Other Cautions

For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who are not taking other laxatives, rhubarb is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended when used for brief periods.

Rhubarb should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If rhubarb causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

It’s Really Big

Medicinal rhubarb is a large, leafy perennial that reaches 10 feet. Its root is thick and branching, brown on the outside and yellow inside. Its stems are round, hollow, and jointed and terminate in branching spikes of numerous small flowers. The medicinal species are not garden herbs.

Garden rhubarb reaches only 3 feet. It has thick roots, reddish outside, yellow inside, and purple stems. Garden rhubarb is considered less potent in herbal Healing. If you use it medicinally, start with the amounts recommended above, but be prepared to adjust them upward.

Garden rhubarb requires a dormant period in winter and does not do well in the South, where winters are warm. Sow seeds or root cuttings 4 feet apart in late spring in deeply dug, well-watered beds under full sun or partial shade. Add compost and mulch in winter.

Harvest stems for pies the second year, roots the fourth.

Medically, It’s HOT!

Family: Solanaceae; (includes Potato, Tomato, Eggplant, Tobacco, Nightshade)

Genus and Species: Capsicum Annuum, C. Frutescens

Also known as: Hot Pepper, Cayenne Chili Pepper, African Pepper, Tabasco Pepper, Louisiana Long (and Short) Pepper, Guinea Pepper, Bird Pepper, Capsicum; Green and Red Bell Pepper, Paprika, and Pimiento are all milder varieties of C. Annuum

Parts used: Fruit

The fiery taste and bright color of red pepper make it one of the world’s most noticeable spices. Recently, this herb has become as hot in Healing as it is on the tongue.

Extracts of red pepper have proved remarkably effective at relieving certain types of severe, chronic pain. It also may aid digestion.

Although it’s been a culinary staple in Asia since ancient times, it was unknown in Europe until Columbus returned with it from his first voyage to the New World.

Don’t Call It Cayenne

The term cayenne comes from the Caribbean Indian word kian. Today Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana. But ironically, only a tiny fraction of the u.s. red pepper supply comes from South America or the Caribbean. Most comes from India and Africa. Tabasco (Louisiana pepper) grows along the Gulf Coast of the United States. Because so little red pepper comes from around Cayenne, the American Spice Trade Association considers cayenne a misnomer and says this herb should be called red pepper.

Too Hot to Handle

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote that immoderate use of red pepper “inflames the mouth and throat so extremely it is hard to endure,” and warned it “might prove dangerous to life.” But when used sparingly, he claimed the herb was of “considerable service” to “help digestion, provoke urine, relieve toothache, preserve the teeth from rottenness, comfort a cold stomach, expel the stone from the kidney, and take away dimness of sight.” Culpeper urged women to mix red pepper, gentian, and bay laurel oil in cotton, and insert it vaginally to “bring down the courses” (menstruation). But he warned that “if [it] be put into the womb after delivery, it will make [the woman] barren forever.”

During the 18th century, red pepper was mixed with snuff to boost the inhaled tobacco’s kick. Herbalist Phillip Miller warned against this, saying the combination caused “such violent fits of sneezing as to break the blood vessels in the head.”

In India, the East Indies, Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean, red pepper enjoys a long history as a digestive aid. But this use never caught on among Europeans, who have traditionally believed that hot spices cause stomach ulcers.

American Foot Warmer

The first North American to advocate red pepper in Healing was Samuel Thomson, creator of Thomsonian herbal medicine, which enjoyed considerable popularity before the Civil War. Thomson believed most disease was caused by cold and cured by heat, so he prescribed “warming” herbs extensively, and red pepper was chief among them.

After the Civil War. America’s Eclectic physicians called red pepper capsicum and recommended it externally for arthritis and muscle soreness and internally as a digestive stimulant and treatment for colds, cough, fever, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and toothache. The Eclectics also advised adding red pepper to socks to treat cold feet, a use echoed in some herbals today.

The Eclectics considered red pepper invaluable in the treatment of delirium tremens, the combination of hallucinations and violent tremors common among advanced alcoholics: “Capsicum is the very best agent that can be used in delirium tremens. It enables the stomach to take and retain food. The best form is in a tea or strong beef soup. There is no danger of overdose as a [large] quantity may be swallowed with evident pleasure and without ill results.”

American folk healers have also recommended dusting children’s hands with powdered red pepper to stop thumb sucking and nail biting.

Contemporary herbalists prescribe capsules of cayenne powder for colds, gastrointestinal and bowel problems, and as a digestive aid. Externally, they recommend cayenne plasters for arthritis and muscle soreness.

Modern science has supported this herb’s traditional uses as a digestive aid and pain reliever. Red pepper owes its heat and its value in herbal Healing to one chemical found in its fruit-capsaicin.

Digestive Aid - Red pepper assists digestion by stimulating the flow of both saliva and stomach secretions. Saliva contains enzymes that begin the breakdown of carbohydrate, while stomach secretions (gastric juices) contain acids and other substances that further digest food.

In cultures with bland cuisine, such as traditional American meat-and-potatoes cooking, people often believe highly spiced foods damage the stomach and contribute to ulcers. This is not the case. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers used a tiny video camera to examine subjects’ stomach linings after both bland meals and meals liberally spiced with jalapeno peppers. They reported no difference in stomach condition and concluded:

“Ingestion of highly spiced meals by normal individuals is not associated with [gastrolntestinal] damage.”

Diarrhea - Like many culinary spices, red pepper has antibacterial properties, possibly explaining traditional claims that it helps relieve infectious diarrhea.

Chronic Pain - For centuries, herbalists have recommended rubbing red pepper into the skin to treat muscle and joint pains. Medically, this is known as using a counterirritant -a treatment that causes minor superficial pain and distracts the person from the more severe, deeper pain. Several capsaicin counterirritants are available over-the-counter, among them Heet, Stimurub, and Omega Oil.

Recently, however, red pepper has been shown to possess real pain-relieving (analgesic) properties for certain kinds of chronic pain. For reasons still not completely understood, capsaicin interferes with the action of “substance P,” the chemical in the peripheral nerves that sends pain messages to the brain. Several recent studies all showed capsaicin so effective at relieving a particular type of chronic pain, two over-the-counter capsaicin creams, Zostrix and Axsain, have won Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

Shingles - Zostrix is the most effective treatment yet for the severe chronic pain following the disease known as shingles, or herpes zoster. Shingles is an adult disease caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox in children. The virus remains dormant in the body until later in life when, for unknown reasons, it reappears in some people as shingles, causing a rash on one side of the body that progresses from red bumps to blisters to crusty pox resembling chicken pox. In otherwise healthy adults, shingles clears up by itself within three weeks. But some people-typically the elderly or those with other illnesses, particularly Hodgkin’s disease-suffer severe, chronic pain, a condition that doctors call postherpetic neuralgia. Now, thanks to capsaicin, they don’t have to suffer as much.

Diabetic Foot Pain - Capsaicin’s pain-relieving ability has also led to its use in treating the severe ankle and foot pain known as burning foot syndrome, which affects approxiMatély half of all diabetics. In one study, 7 I percent of diabetics reported significant relief after four weeks. The FDA recently approved a capsaicin preparation, Axsain, for use in treating this condition.

Cluster Headaches - A report in Environmental Nutrition showed capsaicin also helps relieve the pain of cluster headaches, extremely severe pain on one side of the head. In this study, cluster headache sufferers rubbed a capsaicin preparation inside their nostrils and outside their nose. Within five days, 75 percent reported less pain and fewer headaches. They also reported burning nostrils and a runny nose, but these side effects subsided within a week.

Intriguing Possibility - Red pepper may help cut cholesterol and prevent heart disease, according to two studies done in India and the United States. While it is too early to recommend red pepper as a means of lowering cholesterol and treating heart disease, this common kitchen spice may someday have a role to play in these areas.

Rx for Red Pepper

In food, season to taste, but err on the side of caution. A little too much can set the mouth on fire.

For an infusion to aid digestion and possibly help reduce risk of heart disease, use ¼ to ½ teaspoon per cup of boiling water. Drink it after meals.

For external application to help treat pain, mix ¼ to ½ teaspoon per cup of warm vegetable oil and rub it into the affected area.

Red pepper should not be given to children under age 2. For older children, start with a small amount and use more if necessary. People over 65 often suffer a loss of taste-bud and skin-nerve sensitivity and may require more than younger adults.

Chopping red peppers may burn the fingertips, a condition dubbed Hunan hand because it was first identified in a man who was preparing a Hunan Chinese recipe that called for chopping many of the fiery fruits He wound up in an emergency room with severe hand pain.

Red pepper does not wash off the hands easily. (Washing in vinegar removes it best.) Even with careful washing, the pungent herb may remain on the fingertips for hours and cause severe eye pain if contaminated fingers touch the eyes. Use rubber gloves when chopping red peppers.

One French study shows that red pepper boosts resistance to infection. Some bacteria-fighting spices can be sprinkled on cuts to help prevent infection, but don’t do this with red pepper. It burns terribly.

Red pepper has not been linked to menstruation promotion since the 17th century, but some research suggests the herb’s stems and leaves-not the more typically used powdered fruits-stimulate uterine contractions in animals. Pregnant women and those wishing to conceive should stick to the powdered fruits.

Other Cautions

Red pepper is on the FDA’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, red pepper is considered safe in the small amounts typically recommended.

Red pepper should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If red pepper causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset, diarrhea, or burning during bowel movements, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Harvest Some Heat

Red pepper is a shrubby, tropical perennial with shiny, pendulous, leathery fruits. It grows best in tropical or subtropical areas but also prospers in south-facing windows and greenhouses.

In southern states, seeds may be sown after danger of frost has passed. Farther north, sow seeds indoors in flats eight weeks before the final frost date, then transplant. Space seedlings 12 inches apart.

Red pepper prefers rich, well-watered, sandy soil and full sun, but it tolerates some shade. When harvesting ripened fruit, be careful not to break the stems, or they may spoil. To dry red peppers, hang them in a warm, dry place. Drying takes several weeks.

Possible Cancer Herb

Family: Leguminosae (includes Beans, Peas)

Genus and Species: Trifolium Pratense

Also known as: Trifolium, Purple Clover, Sweet clover, Cow Clover

Parts used: Flower tops

Red clover is one of the world’s oldest agricultural crops, cultivated as forage since prehistoric times. The ball-shaped flowers of the three-leafed herb have been used almost as long in herbal Healing. For the last 100 years, red clover has been touted as a cancer treatment. Meanwhile, many contemporary scientists say red clover is useless against cancer. Some studies do show some anti-tumor action, however.

The Suit of Clubs

Because of its importance in early agriculture, red clover has a long history as a religious symbol. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and the Celts of pre-Christian Ireland all revered it. Early Christians linked the plant to the Trinity, and some say red clover is the model for Ireland’s symbol, the shamrock.

Red clover was also the model for the suit of clubs in playing cards.

During the Middle Ages, red clover was considered a charm against witchcraft. In the Far East, herbalists had more down-to-earth uses for red clover.

Traditional Chinese physicians have long used red clover blossoms as an expectorant. Russian folk healers recommend it for asthma. Other cultures have used it externally in salves for skin sores and eye problems and internally as a diuretic to treat water retention and as a sedative, anti-inflammatory, cough medicine, and cancer treatment.

Anti-Cancer Reputation

America’s 19th-century Eclectic physicians were great promoters of red clover. Their text, King’s American Dispensatory, called it “one of the few remedies which favorably influences pertussis [whooping cough] … possess[ing] a peculiar soothing property.” The Eclectics recommended red clover for cough, bronchitis, and tuberculosis but waxed truly enthusiastic about the herb as a cancer treatment: “It unquestionably retards the growth of carcinomata.”

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, red clover was the major ingredient in many patent medicines known as Trifolium Compounds. The most popular, produced by the William S. Merrell Chemical Co. of Cincinnati, was a combination of red clover and several other herbs. Manufacturers claimed Trifolium Compounds were tonics and treatments for skin diseases, syphilis, and scrofula (tuberculosis of the lymph nodes). In 1912, the American Medical Association’s Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry attacked Trifolium Compounds, saying “We have no information to indicate they possess medicinal properties.” Nonetheless, red clover continued to be listed for skin diseases in the National Formulary until 1946. Red clover was also one of the herbs in ex-coal miner Harry Hoxsey’s controversial alternative cancer treatment.

Contemporary herbalists recommend red clover externally as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis and internally as a digestive aid, and expectorant for coughs, bronchitis, and whooping cough, Some continue to recommend it for cancer.

Red clover doesn’t get much respect among many herbal experts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, “There is not sufficient reason to suspect it of any medicinal value.” And in The New Honest Herbal, Varro Tyler. Ph.D., dismisses claims that red clover helps treat cancer as “simply not factual.”

Cancer - On the other hand, researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NC!) have found anti-tumor properties in the herb. NCI researchers felt compelled to investigate the plant after their own Jonathan Hartwell, Ph.D., published a monograph in The Journal of Natural products in which he pointed out that 33 different cultures around the world use red clover to treat cancer. That amounts to a whole lot of people agreeing that the herb has anti-cancer action.

And sure enough, NCI researchers emerged from their laboratories with confirmation that red clover contains four anti-tumor compounds, including daidzein and genistein.

In addition, red clover contains significant amounts of the antioxidant chemical tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that has been shown to help prevent breast tumors in animals, according to James Duke, Ph.D., herbal medicine authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

These findings are still preliminary, and red clover should not be considered a treatment for cancer at this time. But for those with cancers not aggravated by estrogen (non-estrogen dependent tumors), red clover may hold some promise. Ask your physician about using it in addition to your regular treatment.

Women’s Health - Several studies show that in large quantities, red clover acts like the female sex hormone estrogen, As a result, it might help relieve some menopausal symptoms, though women taking postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy should discuss using it with their physicians.

Intriguing Possibility - One study showed red clover effective against several bacteria in the test tube, including the one that causes tuberculosis, which lends some credence to the Eclectics’ use of this herb in treating TB.

Rx for Red Clover

For a pleasantly sweet infusion, use 1 to 3 teaspoons of dried flower tops per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

In a tincture, use ½ to 1½ teaspoons up to three times a day. Medicinal red clover preparations should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Women taking birth control pills should consult their physicians before using this herb. Estrogens are used to treat some prostate cancers but also may accelerate the growth of estrogen-dependent breast and gynecological tumors. Estrogen also increases risk of internal blood clots (thromboembolism) and inflammation of blood vessels (thrombophlebitis). Those with a history of these disorders or heart disease or stroke should use red clover cautiously if at all. The medical literature contains no reports of harm from red clover.

Other Cautions

The FDA includes red clover in its list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who do not have estrogen-dependent cancers or a history of heart disease, stroke, thromboembolism, or thrombophlebitis, red clover is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended.

Red clover should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If red clover causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

For the Clover Lover

Red clover is a perennial that grows to 2 feet. Its leaves are arranged in groups of three. Its fragrant, edible, red or purple ball-shaped flowers are composed of many tiny florets.

Because it’s a legume, red clover adds nitrogen to the soil. and its deep roots help break up compacted soil. Plant seeds in spring or fall. In sunny conditions, this herb thrives in a variety of moist, well-drained soils but does not grow well in sand or gravel. Harvest the flowers when the tops are fully in bloom.

Premier Pregnancy Herb

Family: Rosaceae; (includes Rose, Apple, Almond, Strawberry)

Genus and Species: Rubus Idaeus, R. Strigosus

Also known as: Hindberry, Bramble

Parts used: Leaves, fruits

For more than 2,000 years, raspberry was considered a minor healer, a footnote under blackberry. But since the 1940s, it has emerged from blackberry’s shadow and virtually replaced it in herbal healing-all because it has become the herb for pregnant women.

The Also-Ran Herb

The ancient Greeks, Chinese, Ayurvedics, and American Indians used raspberry and blackberry interchangeably, as a treatment for wounds and diarrhea.

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended raspberry as “very binding” (astringent) and good for “fevers, ulcers, putrid sores of the mouth and secret parts [genitals] … spitting blood [tuberculosis] … piles [hemorrhoids], stones of the kidney … and too much flowing of women’s courses [heavy menstrual flow].”

The Eclectic text, King’s American Dispensatory, continued the long tradition of considering raspberry a footnote under blackberry, which it recommended as being “of much service in dysentery … pleasant to the taste, mitigating suffering, and ultimately effecting a cure.”

Contemporary herbalists recommend raspberry for diarrhea and to treat nausea and vomiting, especially the morning sickness of pregnancy. One herbalist goes so far as to call raspberry a “panacea during pregnancy … allaying morning sickness, preventing miscarriage, [and] erasing labor pains.”

Raspberry won’t “erase labor pains,” and it’s no “panacea during pregnancy,” but science has shown it to be of some value for pregnant women.

Pregnancy - In 1941, raspberry emerged from blackberry’s shadow when an animal study published in the British medical journal Lancet showed it contains a “uterine relaxant principle.” Over the next 30 years, several other studies confirmed this finding, and today physicians in England and Europe prescribe a number of raspberry preparations for morning sickness, uterine irritability, and threatened miscarriage. The herb is also included in many herbal pregnancy blends sold in the United States.

Diarrhea - Raspberry leaves contain tannins, which are astringent and help explain its traditional use as a diarrhea treatment.

Intriguing Possibilities - One animal study shows raspberry helps reduce blood sugar (glucose), suggesting possible value in diabetes management.

Another shows raspberry root tannins of value in treating a rare form of cancer.

Rx for Raspberry

For a pleasantly astringent, sweet infusion to treat diarrhea or the discomforts of pregnancy, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Drink as needed.

In a tincture, take ½ to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day. Parents may use dilute raspberry tea cautiously to treat infant diarrhea.

Standard medical advice warns pregnant women against taking any drugs during pregnancy because of the possibility of harming the fetus. Raspberry used medicinally is an exception to this rule, although it should only be used with the consent and supervision of an obstetrician. Raspberry has been widely recommended for decades as a uterine relaxant. and there are no reports in the medical literature of any problems with it. Women with a history of miscarriage may find it especially valuable. On the other hand, prudence dictates using the lowest effective dose. Start with a weak infusion and increase the concentration if necessary.

Tannins have both pro-and anti-cancer action. Pregnant women with a history of cancer should discuss using raspberry with their physicians.

Other Cautions

For otherwise healthy adults, raspberry is safe in amounts typically recommended.

Raspberry should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If raspberry causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Berry Good Fruit

Raspberry’s perennial invasive roots produce a dense spreading mass of thorny biennial stems, which can grow to 10 feet, with serrated, lance-shaped leaves, small white summer blooming flowers, and hanging clusters of tart red berries, which become very sweet as they ripen.

Raspberry bushes grow so vigorously and invasively, they quickly become impenetrable pests. Rooting them out is quite difficult. Even when cleared, stray root fragments send up new shoots. Make sure your raspberries are well contained.

Plant ½-inch root cuttings in a few inches of soil.

Raspberry grows best under full sun in loose, rich, well-drained soil amended with manure or compost.

Harvest leaves any time. Mature fruits appear in summer.

For ease of harvesting the berries, train branches along supports. Prune mercilessly.

Laxative Cholesterol Cutter

Family: Plantaginaceae; (includes about 250 Plantago species, including Rib Grass)

Genus and Species: Plantago Psyllium .

Also known as: Fleaseed, Plantago, Plantain

Parts used: Seeds

Mention psyllium, and most people say, “Huh?” But mention the brand-name laxative Metamucil, and everyone says, “Oh, yes.” The fact is, except for a little sweetening, coloring, and flavoring, Metamucil is psyllium-the seeds of a hardy plant distributed around the world. Psyllium is among the safest, gentlest laxatives, which earned it a place in herbal Healing centuries ago. But recently scientists discovered psyllium also has the remarkable ability to reduce cholesterol.

Psyllium is often called plantain. However, it should not be confused with the other plantain (Muca paradisiacaL a palm-like tree that produces a fruit similar to bananas.

Nature’s Cure to Nature’s Call

For centuries, traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic physicians have used the seeds and leaves of several Asian Plantago species to treat diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation, urinary problems, and more recently, high blood pressure.

Psyllium entered European folk medicine in the 16th century as a remedy for diarrhea and constipation. Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended the seeds for inflammations, gout, hemorrhoids, and sore nipples (mastitis) in nursing mothers.

European physicians eventually adopted psyllium, but it was not widely used on this side of the Atlantic until after World War I. Today, psyllium is one of North America’s most popular bulk-forming laxatives-e-the active ingredient in Metamucil, Fiberall, Hydrocil, Naturacil, Effersyllium, ProLax, and V-Lax.

Up to 30 percent of psyllium’s seed coat is a water-absorbing substance called mucilage. When exposed to water, psyllium seeds swell to more than ten times their original size and become gelatinous. The herb’s mucilage accounts for its use in treating both diarrhea and constipation.

Diarrhea - Psyllium absorbs excess fluid in the intestinal tract and restores normal bulk to stool.

Constipation - Psyllium’s bulk-forming action increases stool volume. Larger stools press on the colon wall, triggering the wavelike contractions (peristalsis) we recognize as “the urge.” Some cases of constipation also involve hard, dense stools, which are painful to pass. Psyllium’s water-absorbing action decreases stool density and helps lubricate its passage. Studies show a teaspoon of psyllium seeds three times a day usually produces significant relief.

Hemorrhoids - Psyllium also provides some relief from the pain, bleeding, and itching of hemorrhoids, according to a report in Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, thus supporting Culpeper’s recommendation.

Cholesterol Cutter - But the big news these days is the discovery that psyllium may reduce cholesterol. People taking a teaspoon three times a day for eight weeks experience significant decreases in blood cholesterol levels, according to a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers concluded that many people with elevated cholesterol may be able to benefit from the cholesterol-lowering action of psyllium and avoid taking prescription cholesterol-lowering medications.

A similar 12-week study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows psyllium reduces cholesterol by 5 percent. Heart disease authorities say that for every 1 percent decrease in cholesterol, heart attack risk drops 2 percent. So this 5 percent cholesterol reduction means a 10 percent decrease in heart attack risk.

Psyllium is also safer than the prescription drugs typically prescribed to reduce cholesterol. If you are taking such medication, ask your physician about using the seeds as a substitute for or in conjunction with your current treatment.

Intriguing Possibilities - One study showed psyllium protects experimental animals from intestinal damage from toxic food additives. The psyllium increases the bulk of the animals’ stools, so the toxic chemicals have less direct contact with sensitive intestinal tissues and less opportunity to cause harm. Researchers believe this same mechanism explains why a high-fiber diet is associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer. No studies show that psyllium helps prevent this cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths among nonsmokers, but the American Cancer Society recommends a diet high in fibers such as psyllium to possibly help prevent this cancer.

Psyllium reduces blood sugar (glucose) levels in experimental animals, suggesting a possible role in human diabetes management.

Rx for Psyllium

For a laxative or cholesterol control. take I teaspoon of seeds three times a day with meals and with plenty of water. Psyllium is odorless and almost tasteless, but it has a gritty texture some people find unpleasant. If you take a commercial preparation, follow label directions.

Psyllium should not be given to children under age 2.

If your infant or child appears constipated, consult a physician.