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 (83 page)

Plant Description:

Royal Jelly is a thick, milky material that is secreted from the salivary glands of the young nurse bees between the sixth and twelfth days of life, and when honey and pollen are combined and refined within the nurse bee, Royal Jelly is naturally created. It is the only food that is fed to the Queen Bee.

All female eggs may produce a Queen Bee, but this occurs only when - during the whole development of the larvae - she is cared for and fed by this material. As a result of this special nutrition, the Queen develops reproductive organs (while the worker bee develops traits that relate only to work, i.e., stronger mandibles, brood food, wax glands, and pollen baskets). The Queen develops in about fifteen days, while the workers require twenty-one; and finally, the Queen endures for several years, while workers survive only a few months. Perhaps this is the reason why so many positive qualities have been attributed to Royal Jelly as a truly rare gift of nature, but it should be noted that there is no clinical evidence to support the claims.

There is even great controversy as to the constituents included in the supplement. Some say it includes all the B vitamins, and vitamins A, C, D, and E; some disagree. It does contain proteins, sugars, lipids (fatty acids), and minerals. It is said that Royal Jelly may be most effective when combined with honey. You can decide whether any improvements you derive from Royal Jelly's use are purely coincidental, but
if you feel better when using it, just enjoy the benefits.

Medical Uses:

Royal Jelly is said to be useful as an energy and stamina booster, as well as a way to enhance the immune system and maintain overall health.

Royal Jelly is said to alleviate a variety of problems, such as exhaustion, anxiety, mild depression, insomnia, and lack of energy and stamina.

Some people claim that Royal Jelly has helped to improve skin disorders and has slowed down the ageing process.

Other benefits attributed to the qualities of Royal Jelly include relief of bronchial asthma, liver, pancreatic and kidney ailments, stomach ulcers, and bone fractures.

Treatments:

Many of the benefits of are associated with its high concentration of essential amino acids, and we refer you to our chapter on amino acids for more information and more possible benefits to explore.

Royal Jelly has been noted for its positive benefits on:


     
energy


     
chronic fatigue


     
skin / hair / nails / bones / joints


     
hormonal regulation


     
asthma


     
sexual vitality / impotence


     
weight regulation


     
rejuvenation - recovery from illness


     
immune system stimulant


     
cholesterol levels


     
cardiovascular health


     
anti-depressive / anti-anxiety


     
high blood pressure


     
mental condition / memory


     
depression


     
arthritis


     
liver ailments / conditions


     
eczema / impetigo / skin disorders


     
diabetes

Precautions:

Royal Jelly is a natural bee product and may induce allergic reactions in some people and should, therefore, be tested in very small amounts before continued use

Dosages:

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

* * * * *

Rue helps
relieve nervous spasms, painful cramps, menstrual pain and headache. It is also said to ease the discomforts of indigestion, coli, and flatulence, and because Rue contains powerful rutin (which strengthens capillaries), it is not only used to enhance eyesight, but it is also believed to improve cardiovascular health by stimulating circulation through stronger blood vessels.

Plant Description:

The name
rue is properly restricted to the shrubby herbs of the genus Ruta, ranging from the Mediterranean to E Siberia. The common rue of history and literature is R. graveolans, which has greenish-yellow flowers and blue-green leaves sometimes variegated, with a very strong odor and a bitter taste.

The leaves are now sometimes used in flavorings, beverages, and herb vinegars and in the preparation of cosmetics and perfumes. In medieval times rue was much used as a drug; its use as a condiment was thought to prevent poisons from affecting the system. Rue was strewn about law courts in parts of Great Britain as a preventive against diseases carried by criminals. It was sometimes associated with witches but also symbolized grace, repentance, and memory. Shakespeare in Richard II refers to it as the "sour herb of grace." The family Rutaceae is classified in the division
Magnoliophyta
, class Magnoliopsida.

Rue is a hardy, somewhat shrubby (sub-shrub), evergreen perennial that may grow to three feet in height in full sun (but will tolerate light shade) in well-drained, alkaline soil. The soil may be poor and suitable only for the hardiest plants. Rue bears erect, branching stems and aromatic blue-green leaves, yellow flowers with green centers that emit a powerful, disagreeable odor, and an exceedingly bitter, acrid and nauseous taste.

History:

The plant is native to southern Europe and northern Africa and has been naturalized throughout Europe and North America, where it is cultivated in gardens (it is one of the oldest garden plants grown for medicinal purposes). It has also escaped from gardens and may be found growing wild in pastures, roadsides, waste place, and abandoned lots. The botanical name,
Ruta
, is derived from the Greek word,
reuo
, which means "to set free," because this herb is so effective in treating various diseases.  Hippocrates noted that Rue was the main component in "mithridate," a Greek all-purpose antidote for poisons, and the Greeks also regarded it as a powerful anti-magical herb, because it remedied the nervous indigestion attributed to witchcraft. The Romans introduced Rue throughout Europe, as the plant had already been recognized as medicinally sound for more than eighty complaints by the time of the early Roman Empire. The first-century Roman scholar, Pliny, reported that Rue preserved eyesight and noted that painters and engravers ate it to sharpen their sight. Supposedly, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo both claimed that Rue's metaphysical powers improved their eyesight and creative inner vision.

In the Middle Ages, Rue was considered a powerful defense against witches and would bestow a "second sight" or psychic powers in those who used it. Rue was considered an important "strewing herb" and anti-plague plant, and sixteenth- and seventeenth-century "herbals" advocated its use to ward off pestilence and as an antidote for all sorts of poisons, from toadstools to serpent bites. The plant was carried in nosegays to repel the lice of beggars, and was even used well into the eighteenth century in law courts to counteract prisoners' vermin and germs (jail fever).

In 1625, the Neapolitan physician, Piperno, commended Rue as a specific against epilepsy and vertigo, and in 1653, the great English herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, prescribed it for sciatica and joint pain.
  European settlers introduced Rue to North America, where it became a popular folk remedy, and doctors and apothecaries specified it for many medicinal and practical uses. The strong, musky odor has been used to repel noxious insects and fleas, and because it is so pungent and bitter, very small amounts are used for culinary purposes and are added to cream cheese, egg and fish dishes, and meat sauces to provide an interesting musky flavor.

Italians ate it in their salads for good eyesight, and the leaves were used to flavor Italian grape liqueur (
grappa
). It is a bitter, pungent, warming herb, and the entire plant is used in herbal medicine. Some of the constituents included in Rue are essential oil (containing caprinic, plagonic, caprylic, and oenanthylic acids) and flavonoids (most notably rutin).

Medical Uses:

Rue is considered a "calmative" substance that soothes the nerves and reduces tension and anxiety, since it has a direct effect on the nervous system. It is thought to be effective in cases of nervous heart problems (including palpitations), hysterical spasms and nervous headaches. Rue has been used by herbalists for giddiness, hysteria, nightmares, convulsions, confusion, dizziness, vertigo and epilepsy and
is said to be useful for nervous disturbances due to female irregularities.

As an antispasmodic, Rue is believed to help relieve cramps in the bowels, stomach and muscles, as well as menstrual cramps, and generally relax overall spasms.

Rue is considered strongly stimulant that is a tonic for the digestive system. The herb has been used for centuries to relieve stomach cramps due to nervous indigestion, pep up the appetite and alleviate gas and colic. It is also said to induce bile production, which is also important to the digestive process.

Rue is thought to be a circulatory tonic that supports good cardiovascular health. The flavonoid, rutin, is an agent that reduces capillary fragility and is also known to strengthen capillaries, reduce blood pressure and increase circulation and blood flow to the heart.
  Herbalists use Rue to control abnormal blood pressure. That same action also strengthens the capillaries in the eyes, thus improving eyesight and sharpening vision (supporting the historical use of the herb for failing eyesight). This quality is also useful in preventing and easing varicose veins.

Treatment:

The strong, stimulating properties in Rue greatly affect the uterus. It has been used as an emmenagogue, or agent that brings on suppressed menstruation. It is also thought to ease painful menstruation and the cramping associated with it. Because Rue is so stimulating to the uterus, it has been called an abortifacient, or substance that induces the premature expulsion of the fetus. The alkaloid, skimmianine, in Rue has a direct, stimulant effect on the uterine muscles (causing abortion in lab animals) and, thus, should never be used by pregnant women.

Rue is thought to relieve gouty and rheumatic pains, tennis elbow, joint pain, arthritis, neuralgia and sciatica.

As a diaphoretic, Rue is thought to promote perspiration and may help in lowering fevers and clearing toxins from the system through the skin. As an anti-tussive, it loosens phlegm and is said to be good for coughs, croupy affections, and bronchitis.

Rue is considered an anthelmintic, an agent that will destroy and expel intestinal worms.

Used externally, Rue may be included in a bath for sore, strained and tired eyes and in topical washes for skin diseases. It has also been used to ease the pain of earache and in poultices to relieve the pain of sciatica, neuralgia, backache and rheumatic pains.

Precautions:

Great care should be taken with the use of Rue, and it is advisable to consult a health care provider when using this herb for specific conditions. Pregnant women should
never
use this herb, as it may cause abortion and may also have a toxic effect as well.  Nursing women should not use this herb. Rue should never be used in large doses, as it may cause fatal poisoning, nor should it be used for long periods of time. Use of Rue may cause photosensitivity, and when used topically, it may also cause skin irritation (some people have experienced dermatitis and blistering when touching the leaves).

Dosages:

Take one (1) to two (2) capsules, three (3) times each day with water at mealtimes.

* * * * *

Rutin
is one of a class of flavonoids that also includes hesperidin, quercetin, eriodictyl and citron and is
essential for the absorption of vitamin C
. Normally found in highly nutritious foods, such as citrus, red apples, teas, broccoli and onions, etc., you can easily take it in supplement form; and because the human body cannot produce bioflavonoids, they must be supplied through the diet -
and we should supply them to make the most of our health.

They are said to boost vitamin C's efficacy, improve eye health, strengthen fragile capillaries, reduce cholesterol, improve blood circulation and act as antioxidants.
 
Recent studies indicate that bioflavonoids may be a big factor in guarding the body against invasive attack and serious illness.