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 (87 page)

Medical Uses:

Sarsaparilla is considered to be a fine tonic and blood purifier that is said to attack and neutralize toxins (including environmental poisons) in the blood. In addition, the herb also promotes urination and sweating; and that action is believed to further rid the body of toxins through bodily secretions. It also helps to cool the body and break intermittent fevers.

As an antibacterial, Sarsaparilla has been used internally and externally to counteract infections of all kinds. Internally, the herb is said to attack microbial substances in the blood and also counteract urinary tract infections. It was used for centuries as a treatment for syphilis, gonorrhea, and other sexually transmitted diseases, being officially listed in both the
United States Pharmacopoeia
and the
United States Dispensatory
for those ailments. Externally, it is said to treat psoriasis, leprosy, boils, abscesses, skin diseases, wounds and eczema. Conventional medicine recognized Sarsaparilla's value in treating skin conditions in the 1940s, when
The New England Journal of Medicine
officially praised it for treating psoriasis.

Sarsaparilla is an anti-inflammatory that is believed to ease rheumatism, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Because of its diuretic properties, the stimulation of urine production increases the excretion of uric acid, which also helps to relieve gout; and although it does not relieve acute cases of gout, its use may prevent attacks when taken over a period of weeks or months.

There is much mystique and controversy surrounding Sarsaparilla's hormonal properties in both men and women.  In men, the herb is said to stimulate production of natural hormones (testosterone), which may help to restore both sexual interest and erectile function.  This action is different from many other male aphrodisiacs that act by increasing blood to the penis, which also carries the risk of creating high blood pressure.  In women, hormonal production is also said to be encouraged, which may not only boost diminished sex drive, but may also help to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

Bodybuilders claim that the natural steroidal glycosides in Sarsaparilla help to build muscle mass, while avoiding the harmful side effects of anabolic steroids, although there are no clinical results to prove this.
  Additionally, they maintain that use of the herb boosts energy and stamina, and eases the inflammatory conditions brought about by strenuous exercise.

Sarsaparilla is said to be a fine tonic and "alterative," an agent that may favorably alter an unhealthy condition of the body with the tendency to restore normal bodily function. The herb is also thought to help keep the glandular system in balance.

Precautions:

Pregnant and nursing women should avoid Sarsaparilla. Large amounts of Sarsaparilla (many times the recommended dosage) may cause gastrointestinal irritation, and if that occurs, dosage should be reduced or stopped. People who take blood thinning medications (Coumadin, etc.) should not use Sarsaparilla, and other prescription medication should not be taken at the same time as Sarsaparilla, because the medicine may be absorbed or excreted more rapidly.
  According to the German Commission E monograph, Sarsaparilla may cause stomach irritation and temporary kidney irritation. In general, it is recommended that people who take prescription drugs regularly should avoid its use. Men with prostate disorders should not use it, since it may increase testosterone production.

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Sassafras
has been used for centuries as a tonic to
cleanse the liver and blood
, which thus helps to alleviate internally caused
skin ailments, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis
, as well as relieve
gout, arthritis, rheumatism, and liver ailments
. It is said to help the body rid itself of
toxins and pollutants through efficient removal of wastes
.

Plant Description:

Sassafras is very common in Virginia, and it can be a shrub or a tree. As a tree, it can grow up to 60 feet. Sassafras has three differently shaped leaves: three-lobed (see above), mitten-shaped and simple (no lobes). Leaves are three to five inches long. In fall, they turn red, yellow and orange. Sassafras are most often seen as an under story shrub beneath larger trees, such as Virginia Pine, Eastern White Pine, Sweetgum, Yellow Poplar, or oaks. They often grow alongside Black Cherry, American Beech, American Hornbeam, Eastern Red Cedar, as well as others. Sassafras is allelopathic to some plants, such as American Elm. This means it releases a chemical which keeps these plants from growing well. This allows Sassafras to grow better, without so much competition.

Sassafras is one of three species of laurel and the only one that is native to eastern North America (the other two are found in eastern Asia), and it is considered the most important. It may be a small, aromatic bush or grow as a large, deciduous tree to a height of fifty or sixty feet with a rough, gray bark, bearing many slender branches and hairless leaves, which can be three different types (a smooth oval, a two-lobed, or a three-lobed leaf) - sometimes all three being found on the same tree and even the same branch.

The roots are large and woody, with a spongy bark, and the plant also produces small greenish-yellow flowers followed by small, pea-sized fruit (actually, a blue berry on a red stem).

Sassafras is an attractive ornament that thrives in deep, rich, neutral-to-acid soil in sun or shade, sheltered from late spring frosts. When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early sixteenth century, they discovered the fragrant Sassafras tree but mistook it for a cinnamon tree, which has given it one of its common names, Cinnamon Wood.

History:

Native Americans added many drugs to our modern pharmacopoeia, including Sassafras, and they used the bark as a general tonic and as a diaphoretic and diuretic or "blood purifier," by urinating or sweating out impurities from the system. They also used it to remedy malaria and skin diseases. Word soon spread about the plant's amazing curative powers, reaching Europe, and Sassafras may have been the first American plant drug to reach the Old World, where it was widely used as a medicine, first in Spain in the 1500s, and under cultivation in England before 1633.

For a time it became a major colonial export, second only to tobacco. Europeans also created Sassafras tea, which soon became highly fashionable but lost its luster when Sassafras also gained the reputation as a cure for syphilis (unjustified). Early settlers considered the root bark as a virtual cure-all and also fermented the roots with molasses to make beer, and during the Civil War Sassafras tea became a popular beverage. Oil extracted from the bark of the roots (eighty percent of which is safrole) remained in use as an antiseptic for dentistry and as a flavoring for toothpastes, root beer, and chewing gum until the early 1960s, when the FDA banned its use as an additive, as safrole was found to be a carcinogen.

The root bark extract and leaves are now treated commercially to produce a safrole-free product, and today, the safrole-free root extract is used in herbal medicines, perfumery, and as a flavoring agent for candy, beverages, and aromatic teas, and the leaves are used for file powder (an important thickening ingredient in the Creole dish, file gumbo). It is not possible to make safrole-free Sassafras at home. Sassafras is a sweet, aromatic, warming herb (with a fennel-like fragrance) and contains lignins, tannin, resin, alkaloids and volatile oil.

Medical Uses:

Sassafras has been used as a general tonic that restores and nourishes the body's overall good health. More importantly, it has also been used as an alterative, or agent that cleanses and stimulates the efficient removal of waste products from the system and purifies the blood, frequently favorably altering overall health.

As a diuretic, Sassafras promotes increased urine flow and helps to rid the kidneys and bladder of impurities, and this action also facilitates the flushing of uric acid and other toxins from the system, which makes it most useful in the treatment of gout, arthritis and rheumatic conditions. Moreover, these blood-cleansing qualities are also believed to make it an excellent treatment for all internally caused skin disorders such as acne, eczema and psoriasis.

The diuretic action of increased urine flow, in addition to Sassafras's antiseptic properties, help to clear the urinary tract of various infections, such as cystitis, etc.

Sassafras is a diaphoretic that stimulates perspiration and sweating, which not only cools the body and lowers fever, but also helps to expel toxic wastes through the skin. It should be pointed that all the above cleansing actions work to purify the blood and rid the body of pollutants.

Sassafras has been known to help gastrointestinal complaints, particularly as a carminative, or substance that relieves intestinal gas pain and distension.

Sassafras is considered an antiseptic or substance that combats and neutralizes pathogenic bacteria and prevents infection. It has been used to treat syphilis, gonorrhea, and dysentery.

Regarding women's health, Sassafras has been used to correct dysmenorrhea, a condition marked by painful and difficult menstruation, usually by promoting and regulating menstrual flow.

There are some claims that Sassafras may have antiviral properties, helping to relieve herpes, measles and shingles.

Precautions:

Pregnant and nursing women should avoid Sassafras, and excessive use (many times the recommended dosage) may produce a narcotic effect. Sassafras should not be used for a prolonged period of time.

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

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

* * * * *

For a healthy prostate
, many men have been enjoying the benefits of
Saw Palmetto.
It is said to be helpful in treating many prostate disorders, including prostate enlargement and the discomforts of frequent urination. As an overall tonic for good health, Saw Palmetto is helpful for those who are convalescing or who suffer from wasting diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. It is an expectorant and an old-time remedy for bronchitis and asthma. Many herbalists consider Saw Palmetto to be an aphrodisiac in both men and women.

Plant Description:

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is the most commonly used herb in USA and Europe by men to maintain prostate health. Research has shown that standardized Saw Palmetto extract helps reduce symptoms related to prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH) such as the frequency and urgency of urination. It may be as effective as proscar yet has fewer side effects.

Saw Palmetto is a low-growing palm tree native to the West Indies and the southern Atlantic coast of the United States. The plant grows from six to ten feet with a high crown of leaves forming a circular fan-shaped outline, and the berries are used for medicinal purposes. Its botanical designation,
Serenoa,
is named after the nineteenth-century botanist, Serano Watson.

History:

American Indians used Saw Palmetto as a treatment for genitourinary tract disturbances, a tonic to support the body nutritionally and as a love potion. Components in Saw Palmetto include essential oils, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, sterols (including beta sitosterol and glucoside), tannins, carotenes, polysaccharides and sugars. The lipid soluble compounds are thought to be its major pharmacological components.

Medical Uses:

Benign Prostate Enlargement is also called Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and is caused by the accumulation of testosterone in the prostate where it is converted into a compound (DHT) that stimulates cells to multiply excessively, thus causing the prostate to enlarge. Saw Palmetto appears to inhibit the intraprostatic conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Although it is a condition that does not decrease sexual function, it does cause swelling, pain and excessive urination in men.  In Germany, Saw Palmetto is sold as an over-the-counter treatment for benign prostate enlargement, and modern researchers are now rethinking about Saw Palmetto's age-old treatment for prostate disorders. Many studies, although inconclusive, are shedding new light on the subject of Saw Palmetto's efficacy as a viable treatment.

Saw Palmetto has been used to treat impotence and other diseases of the prostate gland. It is administered to men to increase the function of the testicles and relieve irritation in mucous membranes, particularly in the urinary tract and prostate.

Administered to women, Saw Palmetto is said to support mammary gland health. It may also help women with polycystic ovarian disease, cystitis and help to decrease androgen (a hormone that stimulates male characteristics in women).

Saw Palmetto is a diuretic and a urinary antiseptic.

Treatment:

As a good expectorant, Saw Palmetto clears the chest of congestion. It has been useful in treating bronchial complaints (coughs due to colds, asthma and bronchitis), and it is especially beneficial when there is an excessive discharge of mucus from the sinuses and nose.