Republished from
Lesbian Health News
Vol. 8, No. 9, May/June 2001, Page 4-5.

Herbs and Herbal Medicine

by CheryL J. Mason-Middleton

Today, with the growing interest in alternative medical practices, many people are turning to herbs and herbal preparations. Herbs represent a natural approach that seems all to often ignored by allopathic medical practice, and that offers something that's "kinder, and gentler". There are however, a lot of pitfaIls to using herbs. and unless you are well studied and have definitive resources to guide you, using herbs may result in serious injury or illness. This doesn't mean that you should ignore the potential benefits of herbal preparations, this simply means that you need to know what you are doing before you take that first millilitre of herbal tincture.

Medical schools do not train physicians in herbal pharmacology. Nor do they train them in nutrition beyond the very basics, and only then where it relates to pathology. So, your physician may be even more in the dark than you are about the affects, and side affects of even the simplest herbs. Interactions between different herbs, between specific herbs and certain foods, and interactions With both prescription and over the counter drugs can have serious affects, and your doctor will likely not have a clue about these very important details. If you have a physician who is willing to explore herbal alternatives with you, then together you may be able. to develop an effective herbal schedule of medication that will work well with the more traditional approaches, and further you along the pathways of good health.

Word of mouth, and testimonial information isn't the best resource, and is. often erroneous, misleading, and ill informed. Since your doctor probably has far more contact with the drug company sales representative who visited his office last week, than with anyone who can provide information about herbal preparations, you may be the only resource that is available to your physician. You need to be informed, And, you need to do your research and your homework.

To begin, you need to be aware that a lot of what you may read, and hear can be patently false. Just because it's in print, or on the Internet, doesn't make it so. Be sure of your sources, check to see where they got their information, and try to discover if their research is sound. Realize also that what works for one person may not work for another for a variety of reasons related to diet, metabolism, other medications, and general lifestyle. It will also help to understand how and why your herb of choice works so you will be able to use it effectively, and without any dangerous side effects.

So what do you look for in resources? The first thing to look for, when you pick up that book on herbs, is whether the author is trying to provide comprehensive information, or if the book makes panacea like claims about the herbs it covers. Comprehensive information will include.

the Latin scientific name for the herb,
a general history of the herb's use, both tradition and current,
what medical research has determined about the herb,
active chcmical constituents that make the herb do what it's reported to do,
what part of the plant is used, under what conditions, and how the herb is best prepared,

And, of primary importance:

when should you NOT use the herb,
what conditions will be aggravated with the use of this herb,
what foods, drugs, and other herbs interact badly with this herb,
and what side effects will the herb produce.

Check for a bibliography, and look over the authors resources. The absence of a bibliography doesn't necessarily mean that the resource doesn't have good infomation. it simply means that you can't check the author s research. If given a choice between two equally sound resources, one with a bibliography, and one without, it's best to take the one with the bibliography, and to cheek the author's resources.

The Latin names for herbs are important because common names can be confusing. Each plant is assigned one, and only one Latin name where it might have several common names, and may share one or more of these common names with other plants. If someone recommends Angelica to you, do you want the Chinese one or the European one? Do you know that there are several types of cedar, some of which have medicinal qualities, and some of which can be poison. Do you want Cedrus libani or C. doedora or C.atlantica. To be sure which herb you are taking, be sure you have the right plant.

Knowing the history of an herb will give you a greater understanding of its qualities and effectiveness. Even if previous uses were explained from superstitious attributions given to a particular plant, it must be remembered that the ancient people who originally used these herbs were not stupid, and that if a particular plant gave a particular observable effect each time it was employed in a particular way, those people wilt have made note of it so they could use it again when a simiiar situation called for such an effect. If such an effect wasn't forthcoming, they stopped using the herb. This does not mean, however, that all ancient uses of these herbs where rationally derived, nor that they are even valid, It does, however give insight into the herb's background, and understanding of how it has been viewed historically.

A case in point is that of the Mexican Yam, Dioscorea composita, or D. mexicana, Or D. villosa depending upon the "Mexican yam" to which you are referring. Our enlightened American hear-say testimonial herbalism attributes the Mexican yams with panacea like qualities for menstrual and menopausal complaints. This tuber is rich in a saponin called diosgenin, which is used to form (through a series of complicated chemical processes) several steroidal drugs, including cortisone,. hydrocortisone, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. However, saponin (literally "soapy stuff" ~ Navajos extract it from yucca and use it for shampoo) is poisonous, destroying red blood cells when taken internally .

Dr. Russell Marker, the individual who first separated the now familiar chemical pharmaceuticals from these yams, discovered the Mexican Yams that are used to make steroids quite accidentally when, suffering from a painful arthritic finger, He (knowing better) took a tea of Mexican Yam, given to him by a local native herb dealer. He awoke the next day very weak and covered with bruises from saponin poisoning. His discoveries, though painful, and almost fatal revolutionized the steroid industry, and made once impossibly expensive medications available to billions at a very low cost.

Mexican Yams were used historically to treat arthritis, and gave rise to cortisone, But, when your friend expounds the glories of Mexican Yams for your menstrual cramps, you will now know that it comes with the risk of saponin poisoning,

Medical research provides excellent source material for understanding the herb that you are interested in using, But, medical studies must be taken as a body, not study for study. Where one study may reach some conclusions, and another reach the opposite conclusions, the parameters of each study need to be considered: in order to understand the results. If the herb works in one context, and not in another, what are the differcnt environmental factors that effected the divergent outcomes of each study, where there flaws in the researcher's approach or conclusions, what assumptions were made in designing the study . . . Taking all of the research, and revieving the results as a body will give you a balanced understanding of the researchers conclusions.

Understanding what chemical prooesses are at work when herbal medication are employed, gives you the grounding to use when you work with your physician in designing an appropriate herbal regimen. You don't have to be a chemist, or a pharmacognostic specialist. Simply take the time to look-up and read about the words that you don't understand. If you don't know the definition of "diaphoretic", look it up! A simple medical dictionary will help you there, and some of the better herbal references have glossaries for these words.

Learn also each of the different methods of preparing herbs. A decoction will work differently than a simple tea, and an infusion will be different from a tincture. Internal use will require different preparation from external use. One method will be more perishable than another.

Understanding the in's and out's of good herbal practice will aid your better health and will let your physician know that you have taken an active and rational part in your own health care.

So, what are some good resources? Here are some good references to get you started:

Books:

Andrew Chevallier, The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, DK Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-7894-0672

David HOffmann, Thc Complete Illustrated Herbal, Barns & Noble. 1996. ISBN 0-7607-1731-1

Linda B. White, M.D., Steven Foster, The Herbal Drugstore, Rodale, 2000, ISBN 1-57954-134-8

Internet:

PDR Electronid Library - Herbal
http://www.pdrel.com/pdr/static.htm?path=controlled/searchpdrherbal.htm

WebMD Herbal
http://my.webmd.com/medcast_toc/pdr_herbs_and_vitamins

HerbMed
http://www.herbmed.org/

Natural Medical Protocols
http://www.natmedpro.com/

USDA. Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/index.html

Cheryl J, Mason-Middleton holds a BFA from Arizona State University with a minor in Library Science, and works as a Library Associate at Ohio State University. She also served as an Emergency Medical Technician while living in Arizona. Confessing & great respect for the Science of Medicine, she also professes a great dismay with medical arrogance. This dismay led her to a personal study of Herbal Medicine which has been ongoing for some twenty years.

Republished from Lesbian Health News Vol. 8, No. 9, May/June 2001, Page 4-5.