Herbal Remedies for Sinus Infection

Image via WikipediaWho knew that taking certain herbs can help relieve sinus infection? Believe it or not, many civilizations have been using it for years. We just stuck with the Western philosophy of how we approach medical science. The best thing about using herbs is that there are no side effects compared with conventional medicine and here are a few that you can take.

Herbal Breast Cancer Prevention : Plants to treat breast cancer in women

Image via WikipediaYou are a woman, the doctor had diagnosed breast cancer, do not panic! Here is a list of plants that will help you heal yourself effectively against this disease.

You will be asked to buy all the plants.



- Angelique

- Asparagus

- Heather

- Boxwood

- Celandine / put only 8 grams of celandine in a mixture of other crops, based on the weight of 50 grams of any other crop.

List of Anti Cancer Plant : Healthy and Natural Ways Against Cancer

Image via WikipediaThere are a large number of plants in a therapeutic anti-cancer properties with specific prevention and / or antimitosis properly proved, the other - much more - still in clinical trials and only hope.

      If, indeed, there is huge potential subjects with a large number of plants with proven anti-cancer properties, perfectly codified therapeutic applications that may arise in humans is still very limited due to various reasons perfectly justified (cytotoxicity was too general, too antimitotocité selective, etc.) . but arise for the most part, the fundamental premise that in our view should be questioned as part of research conducted in this area, which wants at all costs to extract the active ingredient for the experiment, not to continue, at least initially, experiments with total extracts will be considered as a true pharmacological entity. In the overall biological action is never appropriate the sum of the conduct of the parties, each component continues interfering with someone else. It is certain that such a research method that is more practical - albeit less satisfactory for scientific Cartesian mind we are still trying to rationalize all the intellectual - definitely cause a pleasant surprise ... Nothing prevents other concurrently to two lines of research.

The history of herbal medicine

While it is impossible to know exactly when we first started using herbs and plants for medicinal purposes, archaeological remains from early civilisations have revealed that plants were used in burials and other rituals. The earliest written account of herbal remedies comes from China and dates back to 2800BC.

Herbal medicines have had a chequered history ever since, in and out of favour with the great and the common man. But throughout the last 5000 or so years, it has continued to develop until today, when in the light of growing concern about the efficacy and side effects of many synthetic drugs, herbal medicines are once again providing a safe and natural alternative treatment for many everyday complaints.

Here is a brief history of key dates in the development of herbal medicines :

• 2800BC : First written record of herbal medicines, the Pen Ts'ao by Shen Nung
• c400BC : First Greek herbal written; Hippocrates develops principles of diet, exercise and happiness as the cornerstones of health
• c100BC : First illustrated herbal produced in Greece
• c50AD : Roman Empire spreads herbal medicine and commerce of plants around the Empire
• c200AD : Herbal practitioner, Galen, creates system for classifying illnesses and remedies
• c500AD : Hippocrates' principles followed in Britain by Myddfai practitioners throughout Saxon times
• c800AD : Monks now pioneer herbal medicine with infirmaries and physic gardens at every monastery
• 1100sAD : Arab world now major influence on medicine and healing practices. Physician Avicenna writes the Canon of Medicine
• 1200sAD : Black Death spreads across Europe; 'qualified' apothecaries try bleeding, purging, mercury and arsenic to stem the epidemic with no more success than traditional herbalists
• 1500sAD : Henry VII promotes herbal medicine in the face of the growing number of untrained apothecaries and other 'medical practitioners' flourishing in London. Various Acts of Parliament passed to introduce some regulation of medical practices including protection for 'simple herbalists' to practice without fear of prosecution.
• 1600sAD : Society sees the first two-tier health system emerge - herbs for the poor and exotics (plant, animal or mineral extracts) or 'drugs' for the rich. Nicholas Culpepper writes his famous herbal: The English Physician, explaining in simple terms the practice of herbal medicine.
• 1700sAD : Preacher Charles Wesley advocates a sensible diet, good hygiene and herbal medicine as the keys to a healthy life.
• 1800sAD : Herbal medicines begin to be eclipsed by mineral-drug based treatments. With powerful drugs such as calomel (mercury) and laudanum available over the counter serious side effects begin to be documented. Albert Coffin pioneers low-cost herbal remedies using plants from his native America as well as European ones helping hundreds of working class people at his north of England practice. Burgeoning pharmaceuticals industry makes herbal medicine seem outdated. National Association of Medical Herbalists founded to defend the practice. Later to become the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
• 1900sAD : Medicinal herbals used extensively during World War I as drugs are in short supply. Post war period sees enormous expansion in the international pharmaceuticals industry and the discovery of penicillin A handful of dedicated herbalists keep the tradition alive. A Modern Herbal by Hilda Leyel is published. Pharmacy & Medicines Act 1941 withdraws herbal practitioners rights to supply patients with medicines. Public outcry ensures the Act is never enforced. After much campaigning by the NIMH, the Medicines Act in 1968 reinstates practitioners' rights and the British Herbal Medicine Association is founded. The BHMA produce the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Revised edition is published in 1990. Public concern starts to grow over the side effects of the 'wonder drugs' of the 1950s and their impact on the environment.
• 2000AD : EU legislation advocates all herbal medicines should be subject to compulsory clinical testing comparable to that undertaken for conventional drugs. Thus all herbal medicines would be licensed. UK government currently considering the possible impact and public perception of this legislation.

Source : http://www.herbal-concepts.co.uk/history.html

Herbal Medicines Can Be Lethal, Pathologist Warns

ScienceDaily Report (Feb. 12, 2010) — A University of Adelaide forensic pathologist has sounded a worldwide warning of the potential lethal dangers of herbal medicines if taken in large quantities, injected, or combined with prescription drugs.

A paper by Professor Roger Byard published in the US-based Journal of Forensic Sciences outlines the highly toxic nature of many herbal substances, which a large percentage of users around the world mistakenly believe are safe.

"There's a false perception that herbal remedies are safer than manufactured medicines, when in fact many contain potentially lethal concentrations of arsenic, mercury and lead," Professor Byard says.

"These substances may cause serious illnesses, exacerbate pre-existing health problems or result in death, particularly if taken in excess or injected rather than ingested."

Professor Byard says there can also be fatal consequences when some herbal medicines interact with prescription drugs.

"As access to such products is largely unrestricted and many people do not tell their doctor they are taking herbal medicines for fear of ridicule, their contribution to death may not be fully appreciated during a standard autopsy."

An analysis of 251 Asian herbal products found in United States stores identified arsenic in 36 of them, mercury in 35 and lead in 24 of the products.

In one documented case a 5-year-old boy who had ingested 63 grams of "Tibetan herbal vitamins" over a period of four years was diagnosed with lead poisoning. Another case involved a young boy with cancer of the retina whose parents resorted to a traditional Indian remedy that caused arsenic poisoning.

A herbal medicine known as Chan su, used to treat sore throats, boils and heart palpitations, contains the venomous secretions of Chinese toads, which can cause cardiac arrests or even comas, according to Professor Byard.

Other side effects of herbal medicines can include liver, renal and cardiac failure, strokes, movement disorders, muscle weakness and seizures.

"Herbal medicines are frequently mixed with standard drugs, presumably to make them more effective. This can also have devastating results," Professor Byard says.

In his paper he cites the case of an epileptic patient on prescription medicine who had also ingested a Chinese herbal preparation and lapsed into a coma. Cushing's syndrome, a hormonal disorder, has also been linked to the ingestion of steroids and herbal cures mixed together.

Some herbal medicines may also have a variety of effects on standard drugs, according to Professor Byard. St John's Wort can reduce the effects of warfarin and cause intermenstrual bleeding in women taking the oral contraceptive pill.

Gingko and garlic also increase the risk of bleeding with anticoagulants and certain herbal remedies such as Borage Oil and Evening Primrose Oil lower the seizure threshold in epileptics.

Professor Byard says the American Society of Anesthesiologists has recommended its patients discontinue using herbal medicines at least two weeks before surgery because of the risks of herbal and drug interaction, including an increased chance of hemorrhaging.

Herbal medicines have become increasingly popular in western countries in recent years, with an estimated 30% of United States citizens using them, often without their doctor's knowledge.

"Forensic pathologists the world over need to become more aware of the contribution that herbal medicines are playing in a range of deaths, that is not currently recognised," Professor Byard says.

Source : ScienceDaily.Com