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 (48 page)

Blue Flag was one of the most widely used medicinal plants used by Native Americans for many ailments, and the Creeks even grew it near their villages to ensure a convenient supply. The tribes used it mainly as a cathartic and emetic, and the root was officially listed for those very same applications in the
United States Pharmacopoeia
from 1820 to 1895. During the nineteenth century, Blue Flag was a very important emmenagogue and remedy for constipation, dermatitis and many other conditions, but today it is not so widely used. Blue Flag is an acrid, slightly aromatic herb, and the dried rhizomes (roots must be thoroughly dried) are used in herbal medicines. Some of the constituents in Blue Flag include beta-sitosterol, furfural, oleoresin, glucose, starch, tannin, gum, iodine, volatile oil (irone), acrid resin (iridin), fixed oil, alkaloid and acids (including traces of salicylic acid).

Medical Uses:

Blue Flag acts as a mild, but effective, purgative that promotes bowel movement. The iridin content is said to increase intestinal peristalsis, and, as such, it has been used for centuries to relieve constipation and clear wastes from the system. Moreover, the herb has been used as a vermifuge, expelling intestinal worms, and this may be the result of its laxative activity.

As an "alterative," Blue Flag helps to gradually and favorably alter the course of an ailment or condition and assists in altering the process of nutrition and excretion, restoring normal bodily function. It also acts to cleanse and stimulate the efficient removal of waste products from the system.

Blue Flag is well known for stimulating liver and gallbladder function. It is believed that the iridin in the oleoresin acts powerfully on the liver as a purgative, clearing congestion and purifying the blood. It also stimulates bile production and helps to process and emulsify fat and to relieve biliousness (including bilious headache), jaundice and chronic hepatitis. By purifying the liver, Blue Flag works to reduce cholesterol, remove toxins, especially when there has been excessive exposure to industrial pollutants and drugs. The herb also works to relieve pain in the liver and gallbladder occurring after excessive ingestion of fatty foods, alcohol or coffee.

The combination of increased bile production and cleansing actions in the liver and blood make Blue Flag useful for chronic skin diseases, including acne, pustular eruptions, syphilitic skin diseases, herpes zoster, herpes praeputialis, psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema, especially when torpor of the liver, gallbladder and intestines (constipation) contribute to the problem. The increased biliary secretion facilitates digestion and relieves gastric irritation, soothing duodenal catarrh in the first portion of the intestine just after the stomach. In smaller doses, Blue Flag alleviates nausea, vomiting and indigestion, but in large doses, it is an emetic that causes vomiting and gastric irritation.

Blue Flag is said to have a positive effect upon the pancreas by stimulating the flow of enzymes and bicarbonate, thus reducing acidity of stomach contents that enter the duodenal portion of the small intestine and also decreasing undigested fat in excreted waste.

As an emmenagogue, Blue Flag stimulates and promotes suppressed menstruation and regulates its flow. Because it stimulates the uterus, it was used in the nineteenth century to induce labor, but it should never be used in this manner today.

Blue Flag has been used to treat enlarged thyroid or other glandular affections, including low-grade scrofula (tuberculosis involving the swelling of the lymph nodes of the neck), goiter, swollen glands and dropsy (accumulation of fluid in tissues that causes swelling).

Used externally Blue Flag has been used to treat skin diseases, running sores, rheumatism and infected wounds.

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

Precautions:
Pregnant and nursing women should not use Blue Flag, nor should those who suffer from hyperthyroid conditions. Overuse (many times the recommended dosage) may cause nausea and vomiting. All parts of the fresh plant are harmful if eaten.

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Blue Vervain
is an old American herbal remedy that is said to
relieve respiratory
and
liver congestion
, lower fevers, ease coughs and colds, cleanse toxins, calm the nerves, and act as a
general tonic
that produces an
overall feeling of well-being
.

Plant Description:

Blue Vervain is an erect, tall, elegant perennial that bears opposite, lance-shaped leaves on top with lobed, hastate leaves below (meaning shaped like an arrowhead and giving credence to the herb's botanical specific,
hastata
).

The stem of the plant also bears dense spikes of small, purplish-blue flowers and is indigenous to North America (as opposed to
Verbena officinalis
, or the Vervain that is native to the Mediterranean region and introduced to the United States). Blue Vervain may be found along roadsides in dry, grassy fields, flowering from June to September, and thrives in well-drained soil in sun, reaching a height of three to four feet. The woody, fibrous, and faintly odorous root is used in herbal medicine. It is bitter, somewhat astringent with an unpleasant taste, but much stronger than the leaves, which are sometimes also used, but are less active.

History:

Both varieties of Vervain have been used in herbal medicine for centuries, and Blue (American) Vervain was very popular with Native Americans as a female tonic. In addition they employed it for colds, fevers, lung, and bowel complaints (the Cherokees utilized it as a remedy for dysentery and diarrhea), and many of these uses have been confirmed by the herb's modern applications.

Medical Uses:

Blue Vervain is said to be excellent in cases of colds and congestion. As an expectorant, it helps to loosen and expel phlegm from the throat and chest. It is considered one of the best herbs to help alleviate the onset of a cold, especially with upper respiratory inflammation of the lungs. Moreover, Blue Vervain also acts as a sudorific, or agent that promotes sweating and thereby cools the body and reduces intermittent fevers, which also helps to relieve symptoms of colds. Sweating not only works to reduce fever, but it also acts to rid the body of toxins through the skin. At one time, the herb was frequently given to children to ease fevers and other minor ailments.

As an "alterative," Blue Vervain is believed to have a cleansing effect on the system that stimulates the efficient removal of waste products from the body. First, by encouraging sweat, it helps to remove toxins through the skin. Furthermore, as a diuretic, the herb encourages the flow of urine and helps to quell infection and remove toxins and obstructions (including gravel from the bladder) through the increased urine. This is said to be helpful in cases of gout by promoting the flow and expulsion of uric acid.

Blue Vervain is said to have a potent tonic effect on the liver that nourishes and helps to restore healthy function to the organ. It is believed to be an excellent liver cleanser when there is inflammation and is said to be helpful in cases of toxic liver conditions and jaundice; and it also helps to stimulate sluggish digestion.

As a parasiticide, Blue Vervain has been used to destroy and expel parasites and worms from the intestines and is often said to work where other remedies fail.

Blue Vervain is also thought to be an excellent overall tonic that supports the entire body and exerts a gentle strengthening and nourishing effect. The herb is said to be helpful during convalescence from disease and has been used in some cases of debility and anorexia. It is also believed to produce a general feeling of well-being.

As a mild sedative, Blue Vervain is said to be a quieting herb that acts as a natural tranquilizer and has a relaxing effect on the system. This quality has enumerable positive applications, some of which include helping to calm coughs, relieve insomnia, settle an upset stomach, and ease nervous conditions.

Blue Vervain is considered an "emmenagogue," a substance that promotes and regulates menstrual flow when it has been obstructed or delayed.

Used externally, Blue Vervain has been used to heal wounds, bruises, and sores.

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

Precautions:
Blue Vervain should not be used during pregnancy, as it may be a uterine stimulate. Overuse (many times the recommended dosage) may cause vomiting, but small doses are thought to relieve gastric irritation.

* * * * *

Evening Primrose
has a long tradition of relieving coughs, asthma, gastrointestinal difficulties and menstrual complaints, but recent medical research reveals an anti-clotting factor in Evening Primrose that may help in the prevention of heart attacks caused by thrombosis, as well as gamma linolenic acids that will significantly reduce blood pressure and promote overall good health.

Plant Description:

As night falls and the moon raises, the Evening Primrose blooms, and a lemon-scented fragrance radiates from its yellow petals. By daybreak, the flowers fade and await the new blossoms that will bloom the next evening.  Evening Primrose is a hardy, erect biennial herb that thrives in dry soil and may reach a height of six feet.  During its second year, showy yellow flowers appear and bloom in diminished light or in the darkness, and in optimum conditions, this ornamental plant will self-seed.

History:

Evening Primrose is a North American native that grows in dry meadows from Canada to Texas and east of the Rockies to the Atlantic.  It was brought to Europe in the seventeenth century, where it continues to be used in herbal medicine.  The entire plant is edible, and it was once a popular food for North American Indians who also used it as a painkiller and as an asthma treatment.  The oil derived from the seeds contains rare gamma linolenic acid, mucilage, tannin, lignin, amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, essential fatty acids, B-vitamins and vitamin E.

Medical Uses:

Evening Primrose possesses a high content of the rare gamma linolenic acid (GLA) that appears to produce a host of beneficial effects. GLA is an unsaturated fatty acid that assists in the production of prostaglandins, the hormones necessary for many important bodily functions. GLA helps the body produce energy and forms part of the structural fats that comprise the brain, muscle, bone marrow and cell membranes.

For the promotion of cardiovascular health, the prostaglandins formed by GLA in Evening Primrose are said to have anti-coagulating properties that dilate the blood vessels and reduce the blocking of blood vessels by a blood clot, thereby helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
  In addition, GLA is said to lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, further reducing the possibility of heart disease and stroke.  The increased blood circulation properties in Evening Primrose are also thought to be beneficial in cases Raynaud's syndrome.

GLA plays a crucial role in the health of the brain and nervous system, and Evening Primrose has been recommended as a supportive treatment for multiple sclerosis and other degenerative diseases.
  Gamma linolenic acid deficiency is said to be associated with many health problems.

Those with premenstrual syndrome, diabetes, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, eczema and other skin conditions may have a metabolic block that interferes with the body’s ability to make GLA.  In preliminary research, supplementation with Evening Primrose has helped people with these conditions.

Certain disorders or diseases may block the body's ability to make gamma linolenic acid (GLA), and Evening Primrose oil can supplement that deficiency, which in turn should help to ease the conditions that block the conversions in the first place.
  Some of these ailments include blood sugar problems, chronic inflammatory disorders, nutrient deficiencies and the metabolizing of hydrogenated oils and fats, as well as many other problems that may be helped by better balance of fatty acids in the body; therefore, people with deficiencies would presumably benefit from supplemental GLA intake from Evening Primrose.

Evening Primrose has been used as a traditional supplement for its stimulating effects on the liver, spleen and digestive apparatus and is said to help gastric irritation, irritable bladder, chronic diarrhea and fatty acid problems.

In modern herbal medicine the mucilage in Evening Primrose is used in cough remedies to help inhibit coughing, whooping cough and to help relieve cold symptoms.

Evening Primrose is considered an antispasmodic that helps to alleviate spasmodic asthma and menstrual cramps. In treating female problems, Evening Primrose acts as a natural estrogen promoter and therefore can help to relieve heavy bleeding, headache, breast tenderness and bloating. This is also said to have favorable effects when used for menopausal discomforts, such as hot flashes.

In some studies, Evening Primrose was thought to help treat schizophrenia, depression and premenstrual syndrome, especially when related to mood swings.  Research continues into treatments for anorexia nervosa, hyperactivity, alcoholism and chronic anxiety. There is evidence that alcoholics may be deficient in GLA, and a double-blind study suggested that alcohol withdrawal may be facilitated with Evening Primrose supplementation.