Remedies- Adaptogens and Herbs

 Information on Medicinal herbs, Vitamins, Chinese Herbs, Spices, and Adaptogens

Many botanical supplements, made from the seeds, bark, leaves, flowers and stems of a wide range of plants, have been widely used as folk remedies for centuries. This page gives a list of medicinal herbs. Healing qualities depend on many factors: cultivation, harvesting, storage, selection, discernment of quality, and the different processing methods used. Organic herbs are preferable. 

Extract definition
What does it mean to have a 4:1 extract for herbal products such as acai and ashwagandha?
   A 4 to 1 extract means that 4 kgs of starting material will result in 1 kg of extracted material when the starting material is extracted with a solvent.

Adaptogens

adaptogens are conceptualized as a:

"new class of metabolic regulators (of a natural origin) which increase the ability of an organism to adapt to environmental factors and to avoid damage from such factors."

Ginseng --  Asian: panax ginseng -- North American: panax quinquefolius -- Siberian: eleutherococcus
Maca root
Rhodeola rosea - Active substance salidroside, grown in arctic regions, has adaptogen, anti-fatigue, psychostimulant properties.

Amazon Herbs
Abuta plant
Achiote Amazonian herb
Catuaba is used for sexual vitality
Camu Camu fruit
Cat's Claw has been promoted to reduce inflammtion
Graviola herb
Muira Puama is used for libido improvement
   
Anti-inflammatory herbs
Cat’s claw has anti-TNFalpha properties
Devil's Claw
Frankincense, also known as boswellia serrata
Turmeric has curcumin and other curcuminoids

Anti-tumor herbs
Cat’s claw -- in addition to its antimutagenic activity, Uncaria tomentosa extracts and fractions exert a direct antiproliferative activity on MCF7 breast cancer cells.
Garlic cloves
Mangosteen fruit
Noni fruit

Anxiety and stress relief
Ashwagandha may help in some people
Chamomile herb
Magnolia plant
Kava kava is quite potent as an anti anxiety herb but due to potential liver toxicity with overuse, I suggest you not take kava pills more than twice a week.
Passionflower herb
Jasmine oil is often used in aromatherapy to lift mood and mild relaxation benefit.
I was wondering if you know of, an herb or other supplement that helps one "loosen up" or in other words loose inhibitions similar to drinking alcohol, but without alcohol?
   You could consider kava or passionflower and discuss with your doctor and used them only once in a while.

Asthma herb
Comfrey herb has been suggested for asthma but this herb has toxic effects to the liver and lungs
Lobelia

a few Ayurvedic herbs
Ashwagandha herb is often used for relaxation and rejuvenation. Try different dosages at different times of day to see which amount and time of day works best for you.
Bacopa herb is proposed as a memory herb and is found in many herbal mental enhancement formulas.
Mucuna pruriens herb is used for Parkinson's disease and is an effective sexual enhancer.
 
Bleeding stoppers
Aspilia africana
Botanical names of herbs
You can see a list of botanical names of herbs.

Cancer herbs that may play a role in cancer prevention or treatment
Broccoli sprouts extract
Curcumin herb
Graviola herb
Mangosteen fruit has xanthones

a few Chinese herbs 
Astragalus
Ginkgo biloba
Panax Ginseng herb
Reishi
   
Herbs for Cooking -- Culinary
Caraway
Cardamon
Coriander
Cumin
Garlic clove has various medicinal properties including the ability to kill germs or at least prevent them from further growth
Mint
Mustard
Nutmeg
Oregano
Rosemary herb
Sage herb
Thyme
Cough relief
Licorice herb
Marshmallow herb
Mullein
Medicinal Herbs for Depression treatment and to lift mood
Certain natural substances could reduce the need for prescription antidepressants
St. John's wort plant has several substances including hyperforin and hypericin
Albizzia herb

Diabetes help or blood sugar control
Banaba extract
Cinnamon herb and extract
Coccinia herb extract
Prickly Pear herb

Fertility herbs -- herbs for Infertility
Maca herb
Mucuna pruriens may be of help

Herbs for Hair Loss
Even though saw palmetto - serenoa repens - has been mentioned as an herb for hair loss, I am not yet convinced that it works.
   Another potential supplement for hair health is Beta-Sitosterol in combination with saw palmetto.

Headache relief
Butterbur herbal extract
Feverfew herbal extract

Herbs for High Blood Pressure or to reduce hypertension
Arjuna is an Ayurvedic herb that has promising effects in blood vessel dilation. See also high blood pressure for information on natural herbs that treat hypertension.

Immune herbs
Cordyceps mushroom extract
Echinacea herbs -- Echinacea purpurea -- E. angustifolia -- E. pallida
Goldenseal herb is available as a supplement.
Maitake
Reishi

Liver health
Horsetail used in hepatitis support.
Milk Thistle herb has silymarin used for liver health

Herbs for impotence, erection problems and sexual enhancement
Butea superba herb for sexual benefit
Hormy goat weed with icariin, a flavonol
Maca herb
Muira Puama plant
Passiflora incarnata also known as passion flower
Tongkat ali certainly can be considered an impotency herb
Tribulus
Yohimbe is an impotency herb that works in an hour or two but has unpleasant side effects if the right dose is not taken.
Is coleus forskohlii an effective herb for impotence or erection problems?
    It may have a mild effect, but the plant extracts listed above are more potent.

Malaria
Artemisia annua
Tongkat ali from Malaysia or Indonesia is sometimes used for malaria treatment

Mind and Memory Herbs
Bacopa monnieri
Ginkgo biloba
Sage plant

Medicinal herbs -- Healing and for health
Flaxseed Is a rich source of lignans and omega-3s and may thwart prostate cancer, lowers cholesterol.
Hyssop is commonly combined with horehound to ease sore throats, and to treat asthma and bronchitis. Early studies showed that crude extracts of hyssop produced antiviral activity against herpes simplex and HIV-1.

Medicinal Herbs for Menopause
Many herbs have been touted for menopause, but the research regarding the benefits of herbs for menopausal symptoms has not been consistent.
Black Cohosh - cimicifuga racemosa herb - for menopause symptoms. May reduce levels of LH, lack of estrogenic effect.
Red Clover

Prostate Herbs
Saw palmetto also known as serenoa repens
Pygeum africanum herb


Herbs for skin
Aloe vera

Teas
Chamomile
Green tea
Mint
Hyssop
Licorice herb tea - take breaks from drinking licorice tea since daily use can lead to excess loss of potassium by the kidneys.
Milk thistle
Peppermint
Rooibos from South Africa

Herbs for Urinary Tract Infections
Uva ursi herb
Cranberry juice or extract pills
Herbs for urinary tract obstruction, stones
Butcher's broom has been used historically

Weight loss herbs, thermogenic and appetite suppressors
Citrus Aurantium or bitter orange
Garcinia cambogia, brand name CitriMax, has hydroxycitric acid
Green tea extract
Hoodia gordonii

Drug herb interaction
It is highly likely that herbs interact with drugs. Some herbs interact more than others. For instance, ginkgo is a blood thinner and needs to be taken cautiously.

A few thoughts
Pharmaceutical companies have provided us with some wonderful medicines. So has nature. Pharmaceutical companies have, at times, also marketed dangerous drugs. Nature has also created herbs and plants dangerous for human consumption. I often hear people emphatically claiming that herbal therapies are safe and are preferable to drugs. Although this is generally true, it would be simplistic to unequivocally assert that substances found in nature are inherently safer and superior to those synthesized in laboratories. Each chemical, whether natural or man-made, has to be evaluated on its own merits. Let's keep in mind that during millions of years of evolution, plants created chemicals to help them not only extract and use nutrients found in soil, water, and air, but created chemicals to make themselves unpalatable and toxic to insects and animals bent on consuming them. Poisonous Amanita mushrooms are a case in point. We know that many chemicals found in plants and herbs are not fit for human consumption.
        It just happens that certain herbs and plants have produced chemicals that are beneficial for human consumption. Examples are fruits and vegetables. Not only do they contain carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, but they also have thousands of nutrients including bioflavonoids and carotenoids that have enormous health-promoting properties. Additionally, many herbs and plants have been found to have chemicals that have potential in the therapy of a variety of human ailments.

Additional Medicine herbs 
Adenophora herb
Asparagus root extract
Bamboo used in Chinese Medicine
Betel nut plant
Black galingale from Thailand also known as black thai ginger or Krachaidam
Bladderwrack is a form of seaweed
Bluish dogbane herb medical uses
Boldo herb
Boneset herb
Bugleweed herb
Chickweed herb
Chicory herb
Cotlsfoot herb
Helicid herb
Oak bark herb
Pelargonium herb
Polygonum cuspidatum is an herb that has become popular since it is a rich source of resveratrol.
Sceletium herb
Yellow Dock herb
Yucca herb

Mushrooms
Reishi
Shiitake mushroom

World Health Organization is developing new monographs on plants commonly used in Eastern European countries. These include:
     Celandine - chelidonium majus
     Knotweed - polygonum aviculare
     Plantain - plantago major
     Tickseed - bidens tripartita
     Sea buckthorn - hippophae rhamnoides
     Syrian rue - reganum harmala
     Yarrow - achillea millefolium
     Yellow chaste weed - helichrysum arenarium


 for a list of Medicinal remedies see Ray Sahelian, M.D.  

adapted from:  www.raysahelian.com/herb.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen