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 (88 page)

Saw Palmetto is an overall tonic that builds strength during convalescence from an illness and has been helpful for those who suffer from wasting diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Long ago, an American medicinal botanist, John Lloyd, noted that animals fed Saw Palmetto berries grew sleek and fat. In human diets, Saw Palmetto is said to stimulate the appetite and have a beneficial effect on body weight.

Saw Palmetto is said to regulate hormones and is considered to be beneficial to the reproductive organs of both sexes. It is also considered an aphrodisiac.

Saw Palmetto is recommended as a tonic promoting good general health. As a mild sedative and tranquilizer, it is said to improve the disposition.

Precautions:

Men taking the prescription drugs Propecia and Proscar should inform their doctors if they are also taking Saw Palmetto. Saw Palmetto may counter the efficacy of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and birth control pills. Pregnant women should not use Saw Palmetto.

Dosages:

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

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Women in China rely on
Schisandra
to
preserve their beauty and maintain youth
, and both men and women are said to benefit from its qualities as a
sexual enhancer
. For thousands of years it has been cherished as an
anti-ageing tonic
that is believed to
increase stamina and mental clarity and fight against fatigue and stress
. It was once a favorite of Chinese emperors, Schisandra has enjoyed a reputation as one of the most effective
treatments for liver disorders
.  Because it helps the body to respond to stressful situations and act as a
mild sedative
, Schisandra is even being touted as an
antidepressant
.

Medical Uses:

Its most popular use can be recorded in these same Asian producing countries as a widely used Male tonic and adaptogenic. Its Chinese name is wu-wei-zi, which means five taste fruit. Most research has been conducted in China where double blind studies suggest that Schisandra has the ability to help those that suffer from Hepatitis. The lignans in the berry appear to protect the liver by stimulating cells that produce much needed antioxidants. Because of its adaptogenic properties, it has been applied next to some herbal medicines like Ginseng as a stimulator for the central nervous system, increased brain efficiency, improved reflexes, and an accelerated rate of endurance.

Plant Description:

Schisandra Berries, and the beautiful vines upon which they grow, are native to China, Russia, Korea and, some claim, to the eastern part of the United States. The woody plant is valued for its attractive flowers, foliage, and fruit (the berries), which are used in tasty and nutritious juices, and as an important ingredient in herbal medicine. The plant is fairly compact, adaptable to arbors and walls, and bears oval leaves, pink flowers and spikes of red berries. The vine reaches a length of up to twenty-five feet and thrives in moist, well-drained soil in partial shade, and the aromatic berries are dried and used medicinally.

History:

Schisandra Berry was highly coveted by the wealthy and was a favorite among Chinese emperors. It was also considered one of the most useful herbs from the herbal traditions of Asia for the treatment of liver diseases, a tradition that has been echoed in many modern herbal treatments. In China, it was also used as a health tonic and aphrodisiac that was thought to nourish the genitourinary system and sexual organs, and until recently, Schisandra was a rather rare and expensive herb. Some of the constituents in Schisandra include sesquicarene, lignins (schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, gomisins and pregomisin), citral, phytosterols (stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol), volatile oils, essential fatty acids and Vitamins C and E.

Treatment:
Schisandra Berry is considered an adaptogen, in that it normalizes body functions during stressful situations that might alter those functions, helping the body to adapt and return to an overall sense of well-being and increasing the body's resistance to disease and stress. It is also said the Schisandra helps to energize RNA and DNA molecules to rebuild cells.

Used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to remedy liver ailments, Schisandra has maintained its fine reputation as a support to strengthen the liver. It is considered a cholagogue, or substance that increases the production of bile in the liver and delivers it to the gastrointestinal tract. It is said to protect against the progression of cirrhosis into liver cancer and also protect the liver from chemical damage, particularly damage from chemicals that have to be activated by the liver to become poisonous, such as carbon tetrachloride.

Laboratory studies have demonstrated its ability to make the enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, which deactivates several kinds of toxic free radicals that attack the outer membranes of liver cells. This substance is believed to offset damage done to the liver by chronic viral hepatitis, alcohol and HIV/AIDS. Schisandra contains lignin compounds that are said to lower high levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) in the blood, which is an indication of hepatitis.

Further support for the liver comes in the form of another constituent in Schisandra, gomison-A, which blocks the production of inflammation-inducing leukotrienes. Gomison-A helps to prevent liver inflammation and tissue destruction without compromising the immune system's ability to fight the underlying infection. This substance also helps to stimulate the growth of healthy liver tissue and helps to hasten recovery after liver surgery.

Schisandra is thought to balance the body's functions and improve mental function. Active constituents help to relieve emotional and physical depression and reverse depression of the central nervous system. The herb is said to reduce fatigue and physical exhaustion, as well as improve stamina and physical performance and increase the body's capacity to work. Moreover, it is also said to help sharpen mental ability and concentration and counter forgetfulness.

For thousands of years, Schisandra has been cherished by Chinese women (and men) to combat ageing. Women have utilized it as a tonic to preserve their beauty and maintain youthful skin, and both men and women use it as an aphrodisiac. In men it is also thought to increase sexual stamina.

Schisandra is considered a mild sedative that exerts a soothing and quieting effect on the body, and has been helpful in cases of insomnia, stress, dizziness, motion sickness, excessive sweating, headache, heart palpitations, anxiety and other problems associated with emotional stress. Furthermore, Schisandra increases the efficacy of prescription tranquilizers (Valium, Librium, etc.), allowing patients to take lower doses of these potentially addictive drugs.

Schizandra improves digestion. The increased bile flow from the liver hastens the digestion of fatty foods and improves utilization of the digested foods, which is thought to relieve many digestive-related disorders, including chronic gastritis, heartburn and indigestion, while it provides a healthy atmosphere for clear, problem-free skin.

Precautions:

Pregnant and nursing women should not use Schisandra (it is a uterine stimulant). People who have gallstones or blockages of the bile ducts and those with peptic ulcers, epilepsy and high blood pressure should also avoid Schisandra.

Dosages:

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

* * * * *

For thousands of years,
Sea Cucumber
has been used to ease inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, spondylitis and other musculo-skeletal diseases, as well as fatigue, impotence and urinary problems.  And guess what? Sea Cucumber is not a cumber at all; it is a marine animal that is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and yet another gift to our good health from the sea.

Plant Description:

Sea Cucumber is an oblong-shaped, gelatinous, invertebrate marine animal that is distantly related to starfishes and sea urchins. It is aptly named, because it is shaped like a cucumber, and has also been thought to have a distinctly phallic appearance, which may account for its reputation as an aphrodisiac.
 

The
holothuroideans,
commonly called sea cucumbers, are a very unique group of echinoderms. They are the only class that is soft bodied rather than hard with well-developed circular and longitudinal muscles. Their axis of symmetry is horizontal unlike other echinoderms. The mouth and anus are located at separate ends of the sea cucumber's elongated body. The mouth is surrounded by modified tube feet that form a ring of tentacles. The number of tentacles varies from 8-30 depending on the order. This is one feature that is used to divide this class into smaller groups. Tube feet can be found all over the holothuroideans body that is usually contracted within the external body wall. Sea cucumbers are sessile and very sluggish. They ingest large amounts of sand and filter out what is not used. Both eggs and sperm are ejected into the water where fertilization takes place. The body wall contains reduced spicules found in shapes of rods, crosses or hooks. The respiratory system takes up most of its internal mass and is found in no other echinoderm.


        
Sea cucumbers have the ability to eviscerate parts of, or its entire internal mass to ward off prey. In a least two species, autoeviscerationoccurs on a seasonal basis, but it is not known exactly why.


        
Sea cucumbers lack arms unlike other echinoderms. Tentacles have taken their place.


        
Respiratory trees evolved and are found in no other echinoderm. These trees are outgrowths of the cloaca.


        
Sea cucumbers can live from 5-10 years.


        
They are found in all seas at all depths. Some ocean trenches contain more than 90% of the total biomass.


        
Sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy in many countries around the world.

History:

In China, Sea Cucumber is called Hai Shen, which translates roughly into Sea Ginseng, and it is unclear whether this refers to its aphrodisiacal qualities or healthful properties as a tonic for the kidneys and blood. It has been used in China for thousands of years as a treatment for arthritis, fatigue, impotence, constipation, frequent urination and joint pain, and the herb was listed as a medicinal agent in the
Bencao Congxin of
1757. 

Sea Cucumber is also a great delicacy in Chinese and other Asian cuisines, often eaten at feasts and on holiday celebrations. Cooking it is very complicated and takes place over several days, requiring careful cleaning, gutting, soaking and boiling (several times).
  Like tofu, it is flavorless but will absorb the flavors of its surrounding seasonings and foods and is highly nutritious - an ideal tonic food -providing more protein than most foods and less fat than most foods.  It is frequently included in soups and stir-fries. Sea Cucumber is rich in mucopolysaccharide (mainly chondroitin sulfate) and provides protein, fatty acids, saponins (triterpene glycosides), Vitamins A, C, B-1 (thiamine), B-2 (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin), calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Medical Uses:

Sea Cumber is rich in mucopolysaccharide (mainly chondroitin sulfate), which is a cartilage builder and often lacking in people with arthritis and connective tissue disorders; and, consequently, it has been used to ease joint pains and arthritic conditions.

Modern researchers believe that Sea Cucumbers improve the balance of prostaglandin’s (hormone-like substances that act as chemical messengers in many bodily functions), which regulate the inflammatory process and are beneficial for musculo-skeletal inflammatory diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (a rheumatic disease that affects the spine).

Sea Cucumber is considered a fine health tonic, especially for the kidneys and has been used to nourish the kidneys and treat cases of frequent urination.

Promising new research indicates that the saponin content (triterpene glycosides) and fatty acids in Sea Cucumber may possibly be useful as an agent to treat malignant growths and diseases, as well as an anti-proliferative agent.
  Moreover, those same constituents may also be responsible for antiviral activities in vitro that have shown promise in inhibiting herpes viruses.

Some of the historical benefits attributed to Sea Cucumber are its nutritive tonic qualities that ease fatigue, cleanse the blood, relieve constipation, and act as an aphrodisiac to help impotence.

Precautions:

None

Dosages:

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