FARULA FOETIDA

Main Constituents Dried asafetida consists mostly of a resin (25 to 60% of the total mass, 60% of which are esters of ferula acid) and a complex carbon hydrate part (25 to 30%). The essential oil (10%) contains a wealth of sulfur compounds, mainly (R)-2-butyl-1-propenyl disulphide (50%), 1-(1-methylthiopropyl) 1-propenyl disulphide and 2-butyl-3-methylthioallyl disulphide. Furthermore, di-2-butyl trisulphide, 2-butyl methyl trisulphide, di-2-butyl disulphide and even di-2-butyl tetrasulphide have been found. (Phytochemistry, 23, 899, 1984) The essential oil contains also some terpenes (α-pinene, phellandrenen) and hendecylsulphonyl acetic acid. Ethers of sesquiterpenes with coumarines have also been identified (farnesiferoles). Young asafetida plant Origin Various species of genus Ferula grow wild from the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia. Most important as spice is F. assa-foetida, although one reads occasionally about other species (F. persica, F. alliacea, F. foetida and F. narthex) as inferior substitutes or adulterations. All these species are native to Central Asia (Iran to Afghanistan) and are, to my knowledge, not cultivated anywhere else.Galbanum is the dried latex from a related species (Ferula galbaniflua) also native to Central Asia (Iran). Galbanum has an aromatic, pleasant odour und is mainly used for incenses. See mahaleb cherry for an explanation of the name galbanum

GINKGO

The best-selling phytomedicine on the European market is derived from the leaves of an ancient tree, known to survive only in China. Sales are in excess of 280 million dollars per year. The tree is ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba, a living fossil. Ginkgo is considered the oldest tree species to survive on earth, with a history dating back over 200 million years. Ginkgo species were once common in North America and Europe. Ginkgo biloba is the only surviving member of the ginkgo family. While its relatives became extinct in other parts of the world Ginkgo biloba survived in China, where it became known to Europeans in the eighteenth century, and subsequently was introduced as a ornamental tree throughout the Western world. Now ginkgo trees are found in virtually every city in the United States. It was first introduced to the U.S. in 1784. The common name Ginkgo is a phonetic pronunciation of a Japanese name for the tree. The species name "biloba" refers to the two distinct lobes, typical of the tree's leaves. Ginkgos have survived over millions of years because of their genetic tenacity. They are long-lived trees, remarkably resistance to disease, pests, and fires. They also are extremely tolerant of air pollution, and are often planted in harsh city environments where most trees will not survive. The most common tree along Manhattan sidewalks is ginkgo. The trees will get to be over 100 feet tall. In Japan and China trees over a thousand years old are found at ancient temples. Its unique fan-shaped leaves with two lobes make it one of the easiest trees to identify once you become familiar with the unusual leaf shape. Despite the fact that the tree occurs in China, the leaves are not one of the famous classical herbal drugs of ancient China. The first mention in Chinese herbals of use of the leaves comes relatively late. Ginkgo leaf is first mentioned in Lan Mao's Dian Nan Ben Cao (Pharmaceutical Natural History of Southern Yunnan), published in 1436 during the Ming dynasty. Lan Mao notes external use to treat skin and head sores as well as freckles. Internal use of the leaves is first noted in Liu Wen-Tai's Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao (Essentials of the Pharmacopoeia Ranked According to Nature and Efficacy), an imperial commissioned work recorded in 1505. Liu Wen Tai notes use of the leaves in the treatment of diarrhea. The leaves of ginkgo are known in Chinese medicine as bai-guo-ye. Recent clinical reports in modern China suggest that the leaves lower serum cholesterol levels and have some clinical value in angina pectoris. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the seeds (with fleshy rind removed) are considered more important than the leaves. The seeds are used as an astringent for the lung, to stop asthma, enuresis, and excessive leucorrhea. It is thought to benefit ch'i (qi; vital energy), cough, and regulate urinary frequency. Studies have shown that the constituents ginkgoic acid and ginnol inhibit certain bacteria and fungal infections. In large doses the seeds are thought to have some toxic effect, perhaps leading to skin disorders or mucous membrane irritation. Ginkgo leaves are a Chinese herb that has been used much more in the West than in its homeland. Over three hundred scientific studies on the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical effects of gingko leaf have been conducted by European researchers over the last 20 to 30 years. Unlike most herbs, ginkgo leaf extracts, rather than crude leaf material, are used for clinical purposes. The majority of studies on ginkgo leaf extract have involved a product produced by a German/French consortium, referred to in the scientific literature as EGb761. Ginkgo products are standardized to contain 24% of the bioflavonoids which occur in the leaf, as well as ginkgolides and bilobilides, a complex group of compounds found only in the ginkgo tree. Since virtually all research on ginkgo has involved high standardized extracts calibrated to specific quantities of chemical components, it is not possible to apply information from studies on the standardized extracts to ginkgo leaf itself. The complex extract itself, rather than a single isolated component, is believed to be responsible for Ginkgo's biological activity. However, recently various research groups have focused on the effects of the ginkgolides themselves. They have been found to be very selective antagonists of platelet aggregation induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF), an inflammatory autocoid. Autocoids, synthesized in local tissue sites, mediate tissue response, such as pain perception, blood coagulation, and smooth muscle contraction. PAF is involved in various inflammatory, cardiovascular, and respiratory disorders. The ginkgolides have an anti-PAF action, helping to modulate various enzyme systems and ion pumps. The PAF antagonist effect of ginkgolides helps to explain ginkgo's broad-spectrum biological activity. Most of the extracts available on the American market are made in Europe. Supplies are also coming from Japan, China, and elsewhere. Most of the ginkgo leaf used to manufacture European products is produced on a farm owned by a German company in South Carolina. Ginkgo leaf extracts have been shown to have a wide range of biological activities. The most well-known use among American is the perceived ability of the products to improve short term memory. Other important effects include a protective effect on the blood-brain barrier and an anti-radical (antioxidant) effect. The leaf extracts has also been shown to increase vasodilation and peripheral blood flow rate in capillary vessels and end-arteries in various circulatory disorders. Ginkgo leaf helps to maintain integrity and permeability of cell walls by inhibiting lipid peroxidation of membranes. Other studies have shown vascular-tone regulating effects, and help in modulating cerebral energy metabolism. Ginkgo extracts have been widely used in Europe for a wide variety of clinical conditions including vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), treatment of poor circulation, heart disease, eye diseases, chronic cerebral insufficiency, accidents involving brain trauma, dementia, and various conditions associated with senility. The standardized extract of the leaves has been shown to be beneficial in a broad range of conditions, including those involved with circulation, blood conditions, metabolism, immune function, varicose conditions, and post-thrombotic syndrome. It has been shown to help with short-term memory improvement (especially in older populations), and cognitive disorders secondary to depression, among other conditions. New uses for Ginkgo leaf extracts are emerging as more is learned about the extracts usefulness in various clinical situations, especially those involving circulatory problems. For example, a 1991 study published in the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy evaluated the effect of Ginkgo leaf extract in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in fifty patients. The men, diagnosed with arterial erectile impotence, received 240 mg of ginkgo leaf extract daily for a period of nine months. The patients were divided into two groups based on their response to conventional therapies. Twenty of the patients had previously experienced some success with conventional drug therapy, and were placed in the first group. The second group of thirty patients had not experienced erection following conventional therapies. Following treatment with the ginkgo leaf extract, all patients in the first group (20 men) regained sufficient and spontaneous erections following six months of treatment. Rigidity at both the tip and base of the penis were found to significantly improve after six months. The improvement continued through the nine-month treatment period. Nineteen of the thirty patients in the second group responded positively to the treatment, while eleven remained impotent. No side effects were reported in the study. This is only the second study published on the use of ginkgo leaf extracts in the treatment of impotence. A Dutch research group has produced a retrospective analysis of ginkgo clinical studies, assessing their quality and reliability based on a number of objective parameters. They look at 40 clinical trials published since 1975 on the use of Ginkgo extracts in cerebral insufficiency. Clinical trials reporting results in healthy volunteers were excluded. The dosage was 120 mg/day of the ginkgo extract (given for at least 4-6 weeks). Of the 40 studies, eight were considered to be well-performed using rigorous scientific standards. The authors of the retrospective stressed the need for additional trials, in which double-blindness is checked, a larger number patients are involved, with better descriptions of randomization procedures, patient characteristics, and more effective measurement of data. There is no doubt that ginkgo leaf extracts are of clinical benefit for a number of clinical conditions. More research will be published in the next few years that will further confirm ginkgo's utility.

CHINESE GINSENG

Health medicine Wild Ginseng powerfully revitalizes the ancestral energy (yuan chi), an inherited energy source within, similar to one's principal in a bank. In the Chinese material medical, Wild Ginseng is one of a handful of herbs that can reawaken one's primal ancestral energy. Wild Ginseng also tonifies the lungs and spleen, promotes the secretion of body fluids and relieves mental stress. It is effective for treating serious exhaustion, anemia, heart weakness, impotence and women's menstrual problems which result from a lack of qi and blood. Wild ginseng also improves digestion, calms the mind, sustains alertness and restores strength and energy levels after illness. People prone to nervous or emotional disorders will benefit from its calming effect. Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng): has a tonic effect, acting on the pituitary and stimulating the adrenals, giving it its adaptogen effect. By hastening the nervous reflexes, this herb increases analytical and overall mental performance, while diminishing fatigue. It is useful for insomnia. An extract, causes the heart to contract more strongly, with a hypertensive action. Lung tonic used for wheezing, shortness of breath and labored breathing. Saponin hormonal like structure has a stimulatory action on sexual function in both males and females. By working synergistically with insulin, ginseng has a blood sugar reducing property. By increasing aldosterone this ginseng has an antidiuretic action, decreasing urine excretion. Protein synthesis is increased as well as appetite, while lowering cholesterol. Ginseng has been known to decrease the shock of allergies. Taken regularly, Chinese Wild Ginseng keeps the body in good health and is believed to promote longevity. Precautions: Ginseng should not be used in conditions of high fever or inflammation. Ginseng should not be used during pregnancy (except perhaps in the last month). Ginseng may cause sores in the mouth and digestive tract, especially if overused. Ginseng should not be used when there is no need for it. Chinese Ginseng Results White Chinese Ginseng's nature is slightly warm, and its flavor is sweet and slightly bitter. It enters the lungs and spleen. Its functions are to supplement the qi by fortifying the spleen and boosting the lungs. It also engenders fluids within the body and quiets the spirit. It should only be used if you know you have a spleen and/or lung qi deficiency as defined by professional Chinese medicine. Panax ginseng a hairy root curiously resembling the human body is so highly regarded in Asia as an energizer and aphrodisiac that it's dubbed the King of Herbs. Not to be confused with Siberian ginseng, Panax ginseng is a potent tonic used to treat people with deficient chi Chinese for vital life energy. But in contrast to the mono therapy common in the U.S., Asian herbalists usually balance the root's stimulating effects by prescribing it together with soothing and restorative herbs. Many (non HIV) studies have found that Panax ginseng can benefit people experiencing consistent weakness and fatigue or recovering from acute illness. Ginseng enhances physical and mental capacity by improving muscular absorption of oxygen and helping boost production of certain adrenal hormones. Dried roots (at least four years old) and extracts are often chosen for their greater potency, but granules can also make an invigorating tea. (In any form, the Korean variety is often recommended as the most uniform in quality.) But herbalists caution that Panax is generally inappropriate as a long-term daily tonic. Especially without diagnosis and monitoring because such use can cause side effects. So, once again, you can have too much of a good thing. Muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides), also called 'potency wood,' is a bush or small tree up to 5 meters in height and is native to the Brazilian Amazon and other parts of northern Brazil. The small white flowers have a pungent fragrance similar to jasmine. Historically, all parts of the plants have been used medicinally, but the bark and roots are the primary parts of the plant utilized. It has long been used in the Amazon by indigenous peoples for a number of purposes and found its way into herbal medicine in South America and Europe in the 1920's. Muira puama has a long history in herbal medicine as an aphrodisiac, a tonic for the nervous system an antirheumatic and for gastrointestinal disorders. In 1925, a pharamacological study was published on muira puama which indicated it effectiveness in treating disorders of the nervous system and sexual impotency which indicated that 'permanent effect is produced in locomotor ataxia, neuralgias of long standing, chronic rheumatism, and partial paralysis.' Consumers must be aware however that to achieve the beneficial effects of the plant, proper preparation methods must be employed. The active constituents found in the natural bark thought to be responsible for Muira Puama's effect are not water soluble nor are they broken down in the digestive process. Therefore taking a ground bark or root powder in a capsule or tablet will not be very effective. High heat for at least 20 minutes or longer in alcohol in necessary to disolve and extract the volatile and essential oils, terpenes, gums and resins found in the bark and root that have been linked to Muira Puama's beneficial effects. Early European explorers noted the indigenous uses and the aphrodisiac qualities of muira puama and brought it back to Europe, where it has become part of the herbal medicine of England. Because of the long history of use of Muira puama in England, it is still listed in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, a noted source on herbal medicine from the British Herbal Medicine Association, where it is recommended for the treatment of dysentery and impotence. It has been in the Brazilian Pharmacopeia since the 1950's. Scientists began searching for the active components in the root and bark of Muira puama to determine the reasons for it efficacy in the 1920's. Early research discovered that the root and bark were rich in free fatty acids, essential oil, plant sterols, and a new alkaloid which they named 'muirapuamine.' Since it continued to be used throughout the world as an aphrodisiac and treatment for impotency as well as for hookworms, dysentery, rheumatism and central nervous system disorders with success, scientists began researching the plant's constituents and pharmacological properties again in the late 1960's, continuing on until the late 1980's. These studies indicated that the active constituents are free long-chain fatty acids, sterols, coumarin, alkaloids and essential oils. Chemically, Muira puama contains .05% muirapuamine, .4% fat, .5% alkaloids, .6% pholbaphene, .6% alpha-resinic acid, .7% beta resinic acid, .5% of a mixture of esters including behenic acid, lupeol and beta-sitosterol, as well as tannin, volatile oils and fatty acids. Muira puama is still employed around the world today in herbal medicine. In Brazil and South American herbal medicine, it is used a neuromuscular tonic, for asthenia, paralysis, chronic rheumatism, sexual impotency, grippe, ataxia, and central nervous system disorders In Europe, it is used to treat impotency, infertility, neurasthenia, menstrual disturbances and dysentery. It has been gaining in popularity in the United States where herbalists and health care practitioners are using muira puama for impotency, menstrual cramps and PMS, neurasthenia and central nervous system disorders. The benefits in treating impotency with muira puama has recently been studied in two human trials which showed that Muira puama was proven to be effective in improving libido and treating erectile dysfunction. In a study conducted in Paris, France, of 262 male patients experiencing lack of sexual desire and the inability to attain or maintain an erection, 62% of the patients with loss of libido reported that the extract of muira puama 'had a dynamic effect' and 51% of patients with erectile dysfunctions felt that muira puama was beneficial. The second study conducted by Waynberg in France evaluated the positive psychological benefits of Muira puama in 100 men with male sexual asthenia.

SAQ PALMETTO (SERENOA SERRULATA)

Description Saw palmetto is a small palm tree native to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of America. Traditionally, this herb is used for male reproductive health. Herbal uses This herb is stated to possess diuretic, urinary antiseptic, endocrinological and anabolic properties. Supplemental uses Saw palmetto has been used for chronic and acute cystitis, Inflammation of the membrane in the genito-urinary tract, diminution in size and function of the testis, for sex hormone disorders and prostate enlargement. Sex hormone problems Saw palmetto extracts can inhibit the production of androgens (male sex hormones) (1). High levels of beta-sitosterol within saw palmetto gives this herb oestrogenic (female hormone) properties (1). This is useful for people with over secretion of male hormones. Prostatic Hypertrophy - Prostate Enlargement This is caused by a build up of the testosterone-derivative "dihydrotestosterone" in the prostate. Saw palmetto extracts can inhibit the formation and build-up of dihydrotestosterone thus helping to maintain normal prostate size and function (2,3). It has also been shown to alleviate BPH symptoms, such as difficult and frequent urination. Usually, signs of improvement take 4 to 6 weeks to appear. Saw palmetto has also been shown to shrink enlarged prostate (4,5). A number of controlled studies have proven saw palmetto to be effective for the treatment of prostate disease (6,7). Frequent and Painful Urination Studies into prostatic hypertrophy have also found that saw palmetto statistically decreases both frequency of urine production and pain during urination (8,9). Fluid Retention Studies have shown that saw palmetto can reduce fluid retention caused by histamine release (allergic-type reactions) (10) and due to hostile chemicals. Anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing properties have also been noted for saw palmetto extracts (11,12).