The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (44 page)

There are current reports claiming that Acacia Bark extract appears to block the body's pain trigger mechanisms.

Dosages:
Take two (2) capsules, one (1) to two (2) times each day with water at mealtimes.

Precautions:  None

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Highly nutritious
Acai Fruit
is sometimes called the Amazon's perfect
"super berry"
and is believed to be an
exceptional antioxidant
, which helps to
build the body's natural defenses against infection and disease
and
protect the body from free radicals
that can attack and destroy cells.  Its fatty acids are believed to help
maintain healthy cholesterol levels, improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis, stroke and heart attack
. Often referred to as the "Fountain of Youth," Acai Fruit is reputed to
restore the stamina and vitality of our younger days
.

Plant Description:

Acai Fruit is a small, deep-purple berry that grows on the tall, slender Acai palm tree, which is a very common native of the Brazilian Rainforest.

The Acai palm may reach one hundred feet in height and has adapted to survive in waterlogged soil in the lowland flood areas along the rivers of northern South America, where it forms large groves.

The palm family encompasses over twelve hundred species and is one of the most useful plants for the inhabitants of the rainforest as a vital resource for food, beverages, oils, building materials, tools and weapons.

History:

The Acai has been used for thousands of years by the indigenous tribes of the area for its extraordinary nutritional and healing qualities, and Brazilians call it "Tree of Life." The edible fruit is small, round and blackish purple, resembling a grape, but smaller and darker. The berry contains a single, large seed with very little pulp and is surrounded by stringy fibrous sheaths and a thin, oily coating. Acai berries are harvested in the dry season and favored by birds and rodents that disburse the seeds in their droppings for propagation of the species. Acai Fruit is highly nutritional, serving as a traditional food for the native people living in the Amazon forest, and although consumed for centuries as an essential food in South America, it was only at the turn of the twenty-first century that it was introduced to the outside commercial world as a spectacular natural health supplement. It also shows potential as a natural red coloring matter. Some of the constituents in Acai include anthocyanidins, fiber, sterols, epicatechin, p-hydroxy-benzoic acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, ellagic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, cyanidin, pelaronidin 3-glucoside, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, protein, Omega-6 fatty acid, Omega-9 fatty acid, B-vitamins and vitamins C and E.

Medical Uses:

Acai Fruit is believed to be an amazing antioxidant that prevents destructive, oxidative damage to tissues or cells. Some studies claim that Acai contains up to thirty-three percent more antioxidant properties than even red wine grapes. The berry possesses a high concentration of anthocyanidins (which give many plants their colors) and provides a high degree of antioxidant capacity that fights free radical damage in the body and builds the body's natural defenses. These compounds also allow the body's cells to absorb vitamin C, which is helpful in protecting cells from the free radicals that can bind to and destroy cellular compounds. These qualities are believed to be helpful in building the immune system and fighting serious disease and other infections.

As an energy booster, the pulpy little Acai berry is said to restore the vitality, strength and stamina of youth. It is thought to restore overall health, improve sexual function and has even been called the "Fountain of Youth."
  Often said to be one of the richest foods in iron, the microbiological characteristics of Acai Fruit are highly nutritional. Serving for centuries as a vital traditional food for the native people living in the Amazon forest, it is now widely used in energy drinks, energy bars and natural health supplements.

Acai Fruit is rich in essential fatty acids and is said to be very beneficial for good coronary health. Acai is believed to raise the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs or "good" cholesterol) in the blood, while decreasing the low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, or "bad" cholesterol). The HDL is said to help clear the "bad" cholesterol from the arterial walls, reducing platelet aggregation (clotting) and helping to eliminate it from the body. This action also helps to promote better circulation of blood throughout the body, especially to the heart, thereby reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis, stroke and heart attacks.

Acai Fruit is rich in fiber content, and as such, it is believed to help improve digestion. It is frequently recommended for the elderly and people suffering from digestive complaints. Fibers play a very important role in regulating intestinal transit, promoting "regularity" and may also actively participate in the prevention of serious diseases of the colon.

Dosages:
Take two (2) capsules, two (2) times each day with water at mealtimes.

Precautions: 
None

* * * * *

Did you know…?

The
African Kola Nut
is regarded as a stimulant with more caffeine than coffee.  It has been used for centuries in the tropics to
endure hard work without fatigue
,
increase energy and
even
clear the mind
.African Kola Nut is said to act as a
stimulating tonic
that generally imparts an
overall feeling of well-being
.

Plant Description:

The Kola tree (or Cola tree) is indigenous to West Africa, most notably Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.  It may also be found in Gabon and in the Congo River Basin. 

The vast majority of African Kola Nut production is utilized within the African continent, particularly in sub-Saharan regions, which may explain why the introduction of the crop to the tropical Americas, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and

Malaya has never caused severe competition with African production (McIlroy, 1963).  It is related to the cacao tree, but larger, growing to a height of about forty feet, with a smooth bark and bearing dense foliage with oblong leaves on large petioles.

The leaf axils also produce small, cup-shaped, yellow flowers that grow in clusters on short pedicels and fruits (red nuts or seeds) that grow in star-shaped clusters of pods.
  The trees fruit annually when about twelve to fifteen years of age and may continue until they reach one hundred years, thriving in rich, well-drained soil in sun at a minimum of fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit. 

Traditionally, the African Kola Nut is used as a stimulant and a "masticator," with a small piece chewed before each meal to promote digestion, and it is also thought to improve the flavor of anything eaten after it.
  Its popularity is due to the large amounts of caffeine and other substances that act as stimulants, which may also be, like coffee, mildly addictive. In many areas where other stimulants are not available, such as in regions influenced by Islam with its prohibition on alcohol, the African Kola Nut may substitute for them, and they are frequently included in many ritual and social ceremonies to mark marriages and funerals.

History:

The use of African Kola Nut goes back many centuries.  Vast trading networks existed in Africa, perhaps even before the thirteenth century, to supply the great demand for this product, and indications of the domestication of the trees in plantations are found in written records that date from the sixteenth century.  Among the vegetable products from the African soil, there is, perhaps, none more interesting and valuable than the African Kola Nut, and it is consumed throughout tropical and equatorial Africa as an equivalent to tea, coffee, maté and cacao.  On the international commercial market,

African Kola Nut is highly valued as a flavoring for Cola drinks and for use in the important manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and it is exported to Europe, the United Kingdom and North America for these purposes.
  Some of the constituents in African Kola Nut include caffeine, theobromine, kolatin, kolanin, glucose, starch, fatty matter, tannins, catechins, betaine and protein.

Medical Uses:

African Kola Nut is a stimulant. It contains more caffeine than a coffee bean and is taken in the same way, as a stimulant, to prevent fatigue. In the past it was used by armies on the march, because the stimulating effects allowed for long distances to be traveled while carrying a minimum of food.  It has been said that the African Kola Nut possesses a physiological property of enabling persons ingesting it to undergo prolonged exertion without fatigue, undoubtedly due to its high caffeine content.

The caffeine content in African Kola Nut may also be helpful in easing migraine headaches. Conventional wisdom has always said that all caffeine will cause headaches, but some modern research claims that judicious use of caffeine may actually help migraines, and it is even included in several over-the-counter migraine preparations.
  African Kola Nut is also thought to relieve the pain of neuralgia (the severe, throbbing or stabbing pain along the course of a nerve).

African Kola Nut is also believed to be a fine "nervine" or nerve tonic that has a soothing and quieting influence on the nerves without numbing them.
  In addition, the tonic effect stimulates and tones up the nervous system and imparts an overall feeling of healthy well-being.  It has been used to alleviate nervous debility, depression, despondency, weakness, nervous diarrhea, anxiety and lack of emotion.

African Kola Nut is said to be a cardiotonic that stimulates and strengthens a weak heart.

In traditional herbal medicine and lore, African Kola Nut was taken before a meal to improve digestion, and it has been reported that in Africa, its use exercised a favorable influence upon the digestive organs - particularly the liver - and most notably in the non-native populations who appeared to escape the constitutional changes due to affections of that organ; however, there are no clinical trials to prove this claim. Further tradition stated that African Kola Nut rendered the most foul and putrid waters clean, made tainted meat edible; and when taken internally, helped prevent dysentery.  Again, there is no scientific evidence to prove any of these claims.

Dosages:
Take one (1) capsule, one (1) time each day with water at mealtimes.

Precautions
:
Pregnant and nursing women should not use African Kola Nut, and excessive use (many times the recommended dosage) may cause nervousness and/or insomnia.  If symptoms of dizziness, anxiety or nervousness occur, discontinue using African Kola Nut.

* * * * *

Agrimony
was revered by the Anglo Saxons as a "heal all" with almost magical powers that corrected eye disorders, healed wounds, and snakebites. Today it is recommended for healing skin disorders and is often prescribed for gastro-intestinal complaints, diarrhea, coughs, and cystitis and as a gargle for sore throats. The herb is still highly praised as an eyebath to add sparkle to tired eyes.

Plant Description:

Agrimony grows throughout England and in the United States and southern Canada. It is a perennial plant with graceful yellow flowers on slender stalks that may grow up to three feet.

Agrimony has a delicate flavor and the scent of apricot and was often brewed as a spring tonic and table drink.
  All the aboveground parts of the plant are used in herbal medicine.

History:

Its botanical name,
Agrimonia eupatoria
, is derived both from the Persian King, Mithridates Eupator, who was known to be a "concoctor" of herbal medicine and the Greek word,
argemone
, meaning healing to the eyes. Early references as early as the Roman, Pliny, and later, Dr. Hill in the mid-1700s, praise the use of Agrimony for liver disorders, serpent bites and skin eruptions. Because of its tannin content, it was employed in the tanning of leather and also used as a yellow dye.

Medical Uses:

Agrimony is fully appreciated in herbal practice as a mild astringent and a tonic that is useful for coughs, asthma, diarrhea, bronchitis, sore throat and an aid to digestion.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine Agrimony is used to stop excessive menstrual bleeding. It has also been used for thousands of years to stop bleeding and bruising by "tanning" skin cells, making them impermeable to bleeding. This action also prevents bacteria from entering the wound.

Agrimony stops irritation of the urinary tract that may increase a child's urge to urinate and therefore may be useful in the treatment of bed-wetting and adult incontinence.

Agrimony is effective against diarrhea, especially in small children, and because of its low toxicity, the herb is particularly suitable for children's illnesses.