Ganoderma or reishi or lingzhi all refer to the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. [red lingzhi] and G. japonicum (Fr.) Lloyd. [purple lingzhi]. Ganoderma is a general tonic which benefits qi (energy), improves memory, benefits complexion, eases joint movement, strengthens tendons and bones, and calms nerves. The most common listed traditional uses are against general weakness, cough, asthma, insomnia, and indigestion. Modern, more recent uses include nightmares, neurasthenia, heart problems (coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, hyperlipemia, hypertension etc.), lack of appetite, chronic hepatitis, mushroom poisoning, chronic bronchitis, leukocytopenia.
Ganoderma is known as lingzhi in Chinese and reishi or mannentake in Japanese. It was the "elixir of life" sought by emperors and sages during most of China's long history, and has been glorified in Chinese literary classics, with a reputation as a tonic to prolong life matching that of ginseng.
Both ganodermas are widely distributed in China, especially along coastal provinces. Ganoderma lucidum is also found growing on hardwoods in North America. Until recent years, ganoderma was rather rare and was primarily reserved for the privileged classes. But since the successful cultivation of G. lucidum, it is now readily available both from the Far East as well as the United States and Canada.
During the past few decades, hundreds of scientific studies (especially chemical and pharmacological) on ganoderma have been published, mostly by Japanese and Chinese researchers. These scientists have found ganoderma to contain many types of biologically active chemical constituents, including sterols, triterpenes, polysaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids, peptides, adenosine, betaine, alkaloids, and trace minerals (high in germanium), among others. Its pharmacological activities are very broad, including sedative, analgesic, anticonvulsive, hypertensive and hypotensive, anti-allergic, liver protectant, hypoglycemic, antitumor, anticoagulant, hypolipemic and hypercholesterolemic, anticholinergic, antioxidant, immunomodulating, smooth muscle relaxant, antitussive, antiasthmatic, vasodilative, diuretic, anabolic, antiinflammatory, anti-fatigue and antibacterial, etc. Even though these are isolated studies, the sheer quantity of bioactivity seems to give some justification of ganoderma's good reputation as a highly valued general tonic. Let's face it, there is no way one can subject a tonic like ganoderma (or ginseng) to so-called clinical trials (double-blind, randomized, etc.) and expect to obtain meaningful results.
As an observant reader, you would have noticed that ganoderma has both hypotensive and hypertensive as well as both hypolipemic and hyperchlolesteremic effects. These are opposite effects and the kind of research that would drive some scientists nuts, especially those looking for one drug / one effect. Some biochemists and pharmacologists may try to explain these findings in fancy technical terms, with elaborate theories and mechanisms of action. But the fact is that they may not have the foggiest idea why ganoderma exhibits opposite effects. Me? I don't know either. But I would simply attribute all these effects to Mother Nature's work being superior to those of human endeavors; you just can't simply break it down to fit our limited scope of understanding.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including ganoderma on pages 33-34. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is the ripe seed of the plant Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Family Leguminosae). Fenugreek has the following properties: digestive, expectorant, fever-reducing, aphrodisiac, male tonic, pain-relieving, demulcent, emollient, promoting milk flow, uterine stimulant, and hypoglycemic. The most common traditional uses include fever, sore throat, bronchitis, mouth ulcers, chapped lips, chronic cough, gout, neuralgia, sciatica, swollen glands, skin sores, furuncle, irritations, impotence, spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, kidney ailments, beriberi, hernia, and abdominal pain.
Fenugreek has been used since ancient times as a medicine and food or spice in Egypt, India and the Middle East, but has been adopted by the Chinese for only about a thousand years. While the Chinese consider fenugreek as a warming herb, other cultures use it to treat fevers and other "hot" conditions (e.g. swollen glands, sore throat, skin sores, furuncle) that are normally treated in Chinese medicine with coooling herbs.
None of the scientific studies on fenugreek published so far appear to have any relevance to its traditional uses except, perhaps, its chemistry. Chemically, it is rich in steroid precursors (from which steroid drugs can be produced), flavonoids (many of which have strong antioxidant properties), mucilage (maybe the demulcent and emollient principle), protein and other nutrients (amino acids, vitamins A, B1 and C, etc.). These compounds may contribute to its traditional properties.
Also, a statement in an early 16th Century Chinese herbal advising pregnant women not to use fenugreek seems to have some rationale, as it has been found to stimulate animal uteruses in the laboratory. But don't be prematurely alarmed! Fenugreek is a major ingredient of currry which has been safely used over centuries by billions of people, many of whom were no doubt pregnant. The key, as always, is the amount ingested. Again, let's not forget the word "moderation".
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including fenugreek on page 26. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Fenugreek has been used since ancient times as a medicine and food or spice in Egypt, India and the Middle East, but has been adopted by the Chinese for only about a thousand years. While the Chinese consider fenugreek as a warming herb, other cultures use it to treat fevers and other "hot" conditions (e.g. swollen glands, sore throat, skin sores, furuncle) that are normally treated in Chinese medicine with coooling herbs.
None of the scientific studies on fenugreek published so far appear to have any relevance to its traditional uses except, perhaps, its chemistry. Chemically, it is rich in steroid precursors (from which steroid drugs can be produced), flavonoids (many of which have strong antioxidant properties), mucilage (maybe the demulcent and emollient principle), protein and other nutrients (amino acids, vitamins A, B1 and C, etc.). These compounds may contribute to its traditional properties.
Also, a statement in an early 16th Century Chinese herbal advising pregnant women not to use fenugreek seems to have some rationale, as it has been found to stimulate animal uteruses in the laboratory. But don't be prematurely alarmed! Fenugreek is a major ingredient of currry which has been safely used over centuries by billions of people, many of whom were no doubt pregnant. The key, as always, is the amount ingested. Again, let's not forget the word "moderation".
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including fenugreek on page 26. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Baizhu
Baizhu is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. Baizhu is a qi tonic and a diuretic, and also has the properties of invigorating the spleen and calming the fetus. Traditional uses include treatment of indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea, fluid retention, spontaneous perspiration, and restless fetus (excessive fetal movement). More modern uses include constipation, leukopenia, toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Baizhu is often simply called "atractylodes" but that term can also apply to cangzhu, a related but distinctly different herb. Hence, baizhu products manufactured in America may in fact contain the wrong atractylodes. This is not surprising, as only in recent years have Chinese herbs become popular here, and many manufactures and herbalists are still not knowledgeable about them. They tend to treat them as Western herbs that are much simpler in their selection, collection, and initial treatment. Thus, like fo-ti, you are at the mercy of the manufacturers, who are often in turn at the mercy of their suppliers.
Like astragalus and ginseng, baizhu is one of the best known Chinese qi tonics. For over two thousand years, it has been safely used in soups and its extracts in cakes and specialty rices, to maintain and improve health. Chemical studies have shown baizhu to contain up to 1.4% of a volatile oil (much less than that in cangzhu - up to 9.0%), sesquiterpene lactones, acetylenes, polysaccharides and others. Scientists have also found various pharmacologic effects in baizhu extracts and in one or more of baizhu's chemical components. These effects include antiinflammatory, immunopotentiating, improving stamina, diuretic, hypoglycemic, liver protectant, anticoagulant and antitumor. Again, as with most modern studies on herbal tonics, none of their biological effects alone can account for baizhu's traditional tonic properties. Nevertheless, when considered together, they do seem to show some scientific justification for baizhu's traditional use to benefit our body when we are not in good health.
In recent years, baizhu has been effectively used in China in cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy along with other tonic herbs (licorice, astragalus, etc.) to counteract the toxic side effects of these harsh treatments.
Baizhu is also used in skin care cosmetics for treating dark spots and wrinkles on the face and hands.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including baizhu on page 7. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Baizhu is often simply called "atractylodes" but that term can also apply to cangzhu, a related but distinctly different herb. Hence, baizhu products manufactured in America may in fact contain the wrong atractylodes. This is not surprising, as only in recent years have Chinese herbs become popular here, and many manufactures and herbalists are still not knowledgeable about them. They tend to treat them as Western herbs that are much simpler in their selection, collection, and initial treatment. Thus, like fo-ti, you are at the mercy of the manufacturers, who are often in turn at the mercy of their suppliers.
Like astragalus and ginseng, baizhu is one of the best known Chinese qi tonics. For over two thousand years, it has been safely used in soups and its extracts in cakes and specialty rices, to maintain and improve health. Chemical studies have shown baizhu to contain up to 1.4% of a volatile oil (much less than that in cangzhu - up to 9.0%), sesquiterpene lactones, acetylenes, polysaccharides and others. Scientists have also found various pharmacologic effects in baizhu extracts and in one or more of baizhu's chemical components. These effects include antiinflammatory, immunopotentiating, improving stamina, diuretic, hypoglycemic, liver protectant, anticoagulant and antitumor. Again, as with most modern studies on herbal tonics, none of their biological effects alone can account for baizhu's traditional tonic properties. Nevertheless, when considered together, they do seem to show some scientific justification for baizhu's traditional use to benefit our body when we are not in good health.
In recent years, baizhu has been effectively used in China in cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy along with other tonic herbs (licorice, astragalus, etc.) to counteract the toxic side effects of these harsh treatments.
Baizhu is also used in skin care cosmetics for treating dark spots and wrinkles on the face and hands.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including baizhu on page 7. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Royal Jelly
This milky white, viscous substance originates with the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). It is secreted by the worker bees and used as food for the queen bee. Royal jelly is used as a nutrient and a general tonic. The most common advocated uses are for malnutrition in children, general weakness in the elderly, chronic hepatitis, diabetes, rheumatism, arthritis, and hypertension.
The food and medicinal uses of royal jelly appear to be of very recent origin. Hence, unlike ginseng and astragalus, these uses do not have a long historical basis, and only time will tell whether they are indeed valid.
Nevertheless, over the past few decades, there has been considerable chemical and biological work performed on royal jelly. It is very rich in several nutrients, including protein, lipids, vitamins, sterols, amino acids, and trace minerals. In addition, it contains 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (commonly called 10-HDA), which is generally considered its major active constituent and is thus used in the standardization of royal jelly products. Thus, high-quality frozen royal jelly contains about 2% while freeze-dried powdered royal jelly contains about 5% 10-HDA.
In laboratory studies, 10-HDA has been found to exhibit various biological activities, including antitumor, immunopotentiating, antimutagenic, liver-protectant, antibacterial, antiinflammatory and radiation-protectant effects. Unfortunately, none of these activities can be correlated with a long use history.
One of the most popular uses of royal jelly is in combination with Asian ginseng as an "energizer". Whether royal jelly contributes to the energizing effects of this combination remains to be seen. It is also used in various types of skin-care productsfor its claimed antiwrinkle and skin whitening properties.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including royal jelly on page 77. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
The food and medicinal uses of royal jelly appear to be of very recent origin. Hence, unlike ginseng and astragalus, these uses do not have a long historical basis, and only time will tell whether they are indeed valid.
Nevertheless, over the past few decades, there has been considerable chemical and biological work performed on royal jelly. It is very rich in several nutrients, including protein, lipids, vitamins, sterols, amino acids, and trace minerals. In addition, it contains 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (commonly called 10-HDA), which is generally considered its major active constituent and is thus used in the standardization of royal jelly products. Thus, high-quality frozen royal jelly contains about 2% while freeze-dried powdered royal jelly contains about 5% 10-HDA.
In laboratory studies, 10-HDA has been found to exhibit various biological activities, including antitumor, immunopotentiating, antimutagenic, liver-protectant, antibacterial, antiinflammatory and radiation-protectant effects. Unfortunately, none of these activities can be correlated with a long use history.
One of the most popular uses of royal jelly is in combination with Asian ginseng as an "energizer". Whether royal jelly contributes to the energizing effects of this combination remains to be seen. It is also used in various types of skin-care productsfor its claimed antiwrinkle and skin whitening properties.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including royal jelly on page 77. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thyme
Thyme, or garden thyme, consists of the leaves and flowering tops of Thymus vulgaris, an herb with anthelmintic, antispasmodic, bronchiospamolytic, carminative, sedative, diaphoretic and expectorant properties.
The most common traditional internal uses of thyme include treating throat and bronchial problems, diarrhea, cronic gastritis, and lack of apetite. External conditions include neurasthenia, rheumatic problems, paralysis, bruises, swellings, sprains, and shingles.
Thyme contains 0.8 to 2.6% of a volatile oil called "thyme oil' which is generally considered its active component. The oil is composed of various phenols, monoterpene hydrocarbons, alcohol and other volatiles, including thymol and carvacrol. Apart from thyme oil thyme also contains tannin, flavonoids, triterpenes (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid), phenolic acids (caffeic and labiatic) and other biologicallly active nutrients. Ursolic acid and oleanolic acid are known to have various biological activites (see ligustrum and mume).
Thymol has antispasmodic, expectorant, carminative, anthelmintic (esp. hookworm) and antimicrobial (bacteria and fungi) effects and is used in mouthwashes and toothpaste for its antiseptic properties. But it is also very toxic if accidentallly ingested, although not in the amounts usuallly used in the above products. Just don't drink you r wouthwash!
To give thyme a litlle more credit as a good herb, laboratories have shown that thyme oil, thymol, and labiatic acid all to have antioxidant properties.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including thyme on page 87. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
The most common traditional internal uses of thyme include treating throat and bronchial problems, diarrhea, cronic gastritis, and lack of apetite. External conditions include neurasthenia, rheumatic problems, paralysis, bruises, swellings, sprains, and shingles.
Thyme contains 0.8 to 2.6% of a volatile oil called "thyme oil' which is generally considered its active component. The oil is composed of various phenols, monoterpene hydrocarbons, alcohol and other volatiles, including thymol and carvacrol. Apart from thyme oil thyme also contains tannin, flavonoids, triterpenes (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid), phenolic acids (caffeic and labiatic) and other biologicallly active nutrients. Ursolic acid and oleanolic acid are known to have various biological activites (see ligustrum and mume).
Thymol has antispasmodic, expectorant, carminative, anthelmintic (esp. hookworm) and antimicrobial (bacteria and fungi) effects and is used in mouthwashes and toothpaste for its antiseptic properties. But it is also very toxic if accidentallly ingested, although not in the amounts usuallly used in the above products. Just don't drink you r wouthwash!
To give thyme a litlle more credit as a good herb, laboratories have shown that thyme oil, thymol, and labiatic acid all to have antioxidant properties.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including thyme on page 87. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Ligustrum: A Valued Tonic Herb
The dried ripe fruit of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. (Family Oleaceae), known as nuzhenzi in Chinese, is a yin tonic which brightens vision, darkens hair, invigorates the liver and kidney and nourishes blood. It has traditionally been used for premature graying of hair, dizziness, tinnitus, sore back and knees, blurred vision, and habitual constipation in the elderly. A more modern use is in the treatment of chronic benzene poisoning.
Ligustrum is one of the most highly valued Chinese tonics, often used in soup mixes and wines. In an effort to understand how and why it has been so highly valued since around 800 B.C., Chinese scientists have recently found that it exhibits a wide variety of effects both in animals and humans. These effects include immunomodulating, antiinflammatory, hypoglycemic, antimutagenic, anti-allergic, sedative, diuretic, mild cardiotonic, antitumor and the prevention of leukopenia caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, etc. Many of these effects are due to oleanolic acid (also present in common jujube) which is present up to 4.3% in ligustrum, the highest among two hundred fifteen herbs tested by Chinese researchers. But oleanolic acid is probably not the only key to ligustrum's function as a highly valued tonic. Some other compounds and nutrients such as ursolic acid, mannitol, fatty acids, glycosides and other still unknown nutrients must also play a role.
According to the great herbalist, Li Shi-Zhen (1590 A.D.), ligustrum also has beautifying properties. Maybe for this reason, it is used in hair tonic formulas and formulas for removing facial dark spots primarily intended for internal use. Due to its anti-allergic and antiinflammatory activities, it can be a beneficial ingredient in skin care products.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including Ligustrum on page 58. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Ligustrum is one of the most highly valued Chinese tonics, often used in soup mixes and wines. In an effort to understand how and why it has been so highly valued since around 800 B.C., Chinese scientists have recently found that it exhibits a wide variety of effects both in animals and humans. These effects include immunomodulating, antiinflammatory, hypoglycemic, antimutagenic, anti-allergic, sedative, diuretic, mild cardiotonic, antitumor and the prevention of leukopenia caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, etc. Many of these effects are due to oleanolic acid (also present in common jujube) which is present up to 4.3% in ligustrum, the highest among two hundred fifteen herbs tested by Chinese researchers. But oleanolic acid is probably not the only key to ligustrum's function as a highly valued tonic. Some other compounds and nutrients such as ursolic acid, mannitol, fatty acids, glycosides and other still unknown nutrients must also play a role.
According to the great herbalist, Li Shi-Zhen (1590 A.D.), ligustrum also has beautifying properties. Maybe for this reason, it is used in hair tonic formulas and formulas for removing facial dark spots primarily intended for internal use. Due to its anti-allergic and antiinflammatory activities, it can be a beneficial ingredient in skin care products.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including Ligustrum on page 58. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Part 3: Garlic, that Oderiferous Lilly
Happy Friday and now we resume our series on garlic. If you missed part 1 or part 2, you might want to check them out now. They dealt with general information and garlic's effects on the body. Today is our third and final installment on garlic, where we will discuss traditional and modern uses, as well as some simple historical home remedies.
The first recorded use of garlic in Chinese medicine dates back to the early 6th century. It has since been mentioned in most major herbals and is currently one of the official drugs listed in the pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China.
According to Li Shizhen, garlic was introduced into China along with coriander about 2,000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty.
Garlic is considered to taste pungent, to be mildly toxic, and to have warming properties. It is said to act on and benefit the spleen, stomach, and lungs. Its most significant uses in Chinese medicine are as an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agent in treating bacterial dysentery, amebic dysentary, enteritis (inflammation of the intestines), sores, carbuncles, and the common cold. Other conditions for which garlic is used include whopping cough, internal parasites, pulmonary tuberculosis, bellyache, nosebleeds, and snake and insect bites. The usual daily internal dose of garlic is 4.5 to 15 grams (0.16 to 0.5 oz.), taken as a decoction or eaten raw or cooked. Externally, it is usually mashed and applied directly to the affected areas.
During the past few decades, many clinical reports on garlic have appeared in Chinese national and regional medical or pharmaceutical journals. They have described the successful use of garlic and its preparations in treating numerous illnesses, including amebic and bacterial dysentary, pneumococcal pneumonia, whopping cough, diphtheria, icteric (jaunciced) infectious hepatitis, trachoma, suppurative middle-ear infection, hypersensitive teeth, candidiasis (a fungal infection), head ringworms, and acute appendicitis.
Allicin extracted from garlic is now available in China in capsule or injection form for treating bacterial and fungal infections. It is also used for lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
The northern Chinese use garlic quite often, but the southern Chinese seem to stay away from it because they don't like the odors it produces. I remember we used to envy the northerners' exceptional ability to resist colds, yet we used to joke about them, saying one could detect a northerner miles away by his garlic odor.
Certainly there is no lack of remedies using garlic. The following includes just a few of them.
For nosebleed that does not stop, a classical remedy calls for external use of garlic. After removing the membranous skin, one bulb of garlic is mashed to a paste, which is then formed into a patty the size and thickness of a U.S. silver dollar. This is taped on the middle of the right sole if the bleeding is from the right nostril, and on the left sole if from the left nostril. If bleeding is from both nostrils, then two garlic patties are used, one for each sole. It is said to produce fast relief, though there is no modern Chinese clinical report attesting to this claim.
To treat diarrhea, a 7th century herbal recipe calls for simply taping mashed garlic on the middle of both soles or on one's navel.
Some Chinese households prepare a garlic wine and have it handy for the cold season. The wine is prepared by soaking three peeled garlic bulbs about 28 g. (1 oz.) each in 180 ml. (6 fl. oz.) of rice wine for at least one month. Then, when one catches a cold, one takes 15 ml. (about one tablespoonful) of this wine before retiring. To minimize the undesirable flavor, sugar dissolved in boiling water can be mixed in with the garlic wine immediately before taking it. It is said to be an effective remedy.
For treating painful snakebites and insect bites, a clove of crushed garllic is gently rubbed on the bitten area.
When a child has a cough that prevents him from sleeping at night, a clove of garlic is cut in half and the cut ends are rubbed gently on his throat. His cough then subsides and this allows him to sleep. Presumably, this could apply to adults as well.
To treat corns, a modern remedy calls for use of garlic and green onion bulbs. One bulb each of garlic and green onion are mashed together to a mudlike consistency. A small amount, enough to cover the corn, is applied and is secured by taping or wrapping. It is replaced by fresh material every two to three days. Some corns are removed after two applications. This remedy should not be used for more than four applications, and it should be discontinued if irritations develop.
Garlic is readily available in grocery stores and supermarkets.
The first recorded use of garlic in Chinese medicine dates back to the early 6th century. It has since been mentioned in most major herbals and is currently one of the official drugs listed in the pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China.
According to Li Shizhen, garlic was introduced into China along with coriander about 2,000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty.
Garlic is considered to taste pungent, to be mildly toxic, and to have warming properties. It is said to act on and benefit the spleen, stomach, and lungs. Its most significant uses in Chinese medicine are as an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agent in treating bacterial dysentery, amebic dysentary, enteritis (inflammation of the intestines), sores, carbuncles, and the common cold. Other conditions for which garlic is used include whopping cough, internal parasites, pulmonary tuberculosis, bellyache, nosebleeds, and snake and insect bites. The usual daily internal dose of garlic is 4.5 to 15 grams (0.16 to 0.5 oz.), taken as a decoction or eaten raw or cooked. Externally, it is usually mashed and applied directly to the affected areas.
During the past few decades, many clinical reports on garlic have appeared in Chinese national and regional medical or pharmaceutical journals. They have described the successful use of garlic and its preparations in treating numerous illnesses, including amebic and bacterial dysentary, pneumococcal pneumonia, whopping cough, diphtheria, icteric (jaunciced) infectious hepatitis, trachoma, suppurative middle-ear infection, hypersensitive teeth, candidiasis (a fungal infection), head ringworms, and acute appendicitis.
Allicin extracted from garlic is now available in China in capsule or injection form for treating bacterial and fungal infections. It is also used for lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
The northern Chinese use garlic quite often, but the southern Chinese seem to stay away from it because they don't like the odors it produces. I remember we used to envy the northerners' exceptional ability to resist colds, yet we used to joke about them, saying one could detect a northerner miles away by his garlic odor.
Certainly there is no lack of remedies using garlic. The following includes just a few of them.
For nosebleed that does not stop, a classical remedy calls for external use of garlic. After removing the membranous skin, one bulb of garlic is mashed to a paste, which is then formed into a patty the size and thickness of a U.S. silver dollar. This is taped on the middle of the right sole if the bleeding is from the right nostril, and on the left sole if from the left nostril. If bleeding is from both nostrils, then two garlic patties are used, one for each sole. It is said to produce fast relief, though there is no modern Chinese clinical report attesting to this claim.
To treat diarrhea, a 7th century herbal recipe calls for simply taping mashed garlic on the middle of both soles or on one's navel.
Some Chinese households prepare a garlic wine and have it handy for the cold season. The wine is prepared by soaking three peeled garlic bulbs about 28 g. (1 oz.) each in 180 ml. (6 fl. oz.) of rice wine for at least one month. Then, when one catches a cold, one takes 15 ml. (about one tablespoonful) of this wine before retiring. To minimize the undesirable flavor, sugar dissolved in boiling water can be mixed in with the garlic wine immediately before taking it. It is said to be an effective remedy.
For treating painful snakebites and insect bites, a clove of crushed garllic is gently rubbed on the bitten area.
When a child has a cough that prevents him from sleeping at night, a clove of garlic is cut in half and the cut ends are rubbed gently on his throat. His cough then subsides and this allows him to sleep. Presumably, this could apply to adults as well.
To treat corns, a modern remedy calls for use of garlic and green onion bulbs. One bulb each of garlic and green onion are mashed together to a mudlike consistency. A small amount, enough to cover the corn, is applied and is secured by taping or wrapping. It is replaced by fresh material every two to three days. Some corns are removed after two applications. This remedy should not be used for more than four applications, and it should be discontinued if irritations develop.
Garlic is readily available in grocery stores and supermarkets.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Peony (Red and White)
Spring is here and the peony will be making its annual American appearance. We have come to associate the peony flower with decoration for Memorial Day in the United States. But did you know that the peony flower is also a symbol of wealth in China?
The flower of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Family Paeoniaceae) has been a part of her classic literature since ancient times. Medicinally, the part used is the root and it is further distinguished as Red peony root (dried root of the wild plant, synonym: Shaoyao or Chishao) and White peony root (cured root of cultivated plant with bark removed, synonym: baishao). Both share some properties and each have some unique properties. Red peony root is slightly cold, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, activates blood, removes blood stasis, and is a detoxicant. White peony root is slightly cold, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, and is a general tonic.
The most common traditional uses for red peony root are tightness in chest, abdominal pain, "hot" and "toxic" conditions. For white peony root, the most common traditional uses are for tightness in chest, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, stiff and painful joints, irregular menses, pale complexion due to blood deficiency, spontaneous perspiration, night sweat.
There doesn't appear to be too much difference between red peony root and white peony root, except that the latter is more commonly associated with use in tonics. The famous Chinese sage Confucius (who lived around 500 BC) is said to have favored a sauce made with white peony root. The ancient practice of using peony root as an ingredient in foods and in diet therapy has recently been revived in China. Now you can find various types of health foods and drinks, inclulding fruit juices, soft drinks (e.g., Shaolin Cola and West Lake Cola), and wines made with extracts of white peony root.
Extracts of both red and white peony roots are used in skin care cosmetics in China for their antimicrobial, antiinflammatory and astringent properties, especially in acne creams. This use seems to have traditional precedence because its external use to treat carbuncles was recorded in the Wu Shi Er Bing Fang (Prescriptions for Fifty-two Diseases) written around 1066 to 771 B.C. This work (a silk scroll copy) was uncovered in 1973 during the excavation of the Ma Wang Dui tomb (dated 168 B.C.) at Changsha, Hunan. In the same tomb, numerous herbs were found clutched in the hand of a skeleton; they included magnolia flower bud, sour jujube kernel, Chinese cinnamon, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorn.
Since the mid 1970s, Chinese scientists have found red and white peony roots to have various biological activities, including antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, immunomodulating, analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic, antifatigue, antimutagenic, prolonging survival, improving memory, antitumor, etc., in humans and /or experimental animals. They have also discovered that many of these activities are due to the monoterpene glycosides (especially paeoniflorin) present in these herbs. Although these modern findings seem to provide scientific support to some of peony root's traditional properties and uses, they only represent a fraction of the total properties and uses of these two herbs. In addition, all above effects were results of isolated studies as typical of scientific investigations on herbs. They don't prove anything, but one could interpret these results to one's advantage.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including red and white Peony on pages 69-70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
The flower of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Family Paeoniaceae) has been a part of her classic literature since ancient times. Medicinally, the part used is the root and it is further distinguished as Red peony root (dried root of the wild plant, synonym: Shaoyao or Chishao) and White peony root (cured root of cultivated plant with bark removed, synonym: baishao). Both share some properties and each have some unique properties. Red peony root is slightly cold, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, activates blood, removes blood stasis, and is a detoxicant. White peony root is slightly cold, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, and is a general tonic.
The most common traditional uses for red peony root are tightness in chest, abdominal pain, "hot" and "toxic" conditions. For white peony root, the most common traditional uses are for tightness in chest, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, stiff and painful joints, irregular menses, pale complexion due to blood deficiency, spontaneous perspiration, night sweat.
There doesn't appear to be too much difference between red peony root and white peony root, except that the latter is more commonly associated with use in tonics. The famous Chinese sage Confucius (who lived around 500 BC) is said to have favored a sauce made with white peony root. The ancient practice of using peony root as an ingredient in foods and in diet therapy has recently been revived in China. Now you can find various types of health foods and drinks, inclulding fruit juices, soft drinks (e.g., Shaolin Cola and West Lake Cola), and wines made with extracts of white peony root.
Extracts of both red and white peony roots are used in skin care cosmetics in China for their antimicrobial, antiinflammatory and astringent properties, especially in acne creams. This use seems to have traditional precedence because its external use to treat carbuncles was recorded in the Wu Shi Er Bing Fang (Prescriptions for Fifty-two Diseases) written around 1066 to 771 B.C. This work (a silk scroll copy) was uncovered in 1973 during the excavation of the Ma Wang Dui tomb (dated 168 B.C.) at Changsha, Hunan. In the same tomb, numerous herbs were found clutched in the hand of a skeleton; they included magnolia flower bud, sour jujube kernel, Chinese cinnamon, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorn.
Since the mid 1970s, Chinese scientists have found red and white peony roots to have various biological activities, including antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, immunomodulating, analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic, antifatigue, antimutagenic, prolonging survival, improving memory, antitumor, etc., in humans and /or experimental animals. They have also discovered that many of these activities are due to the monoterpene glycosides (especially paeoniflorin) present in these herbs. Although these modern findings seem to provide scientific support to some of peony root's traditional properties and uses, they only represent a fraction of the total properties and uses of these two herbs. In addition, all above effects were results of isolated studies as typical of scientific investigations on herbs. They don't prove anything, but one could interpret these results to one's advantage.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including red and white Peony on pages 69-70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Part 2: Garlic, That Oderiferous Lilly
Our previous installment discussed some general details about garlic, and this post will deal with the effects of garlic on the body.
Garlic has a wide variety of biological effects which have been described in many scientific reports from both the West and the East. Although not all the active chemical constituents of garlic are known, the volatile, sulfur-containing compounds, especially allicin, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide, are generally considered to be responsible for most of the biological effects of garlic. Allicin, at a conccentration of only 1 in 100,000 (or one-thousandth of 1%) inhibits the growth of various bacterial, fungi, and disease causing amoebas.
It is now well known that garlic (oil, juice, or extract) has antibacterial and antifungal qualities, being inhibitory to some microbes and deadly to others. It also kills amoebas that cause amebic dysentery and trichomonads that cause trichomoniasis (a vaginal parasitic infestation).
Both Western and Eastern scientists have found that garlic and its water extract, when given to rats and mice by injection or in their feed, inhibit the growth, or prevent the formation, of experimentally induced tumors in these animals. Researchers have also found that garlic and garlic oil lower the blood-sugar level in rabbits, blood cholesterol in rabbits and humans, and blood pressure in animals and humans as well as preventing the formation of arteriosclerosis.
Despite its many beneficial qualities, garlic also induces blisters, irritation, or dermatitis (especially eczema) in some individuals. Hence, one should keep this in mind when handling or using garlic. These toxic effects of garlic are due, to a large extent, to the sulfur-containing compounds present in garlic oil.
Be sure to come back for our third and final installment on garlic, when we will discuss some of the traditional as well as the modern uses of garlic. We also will be describing traditional home remedies.
This material is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. Here, Dr. Leung presents general information and home remedies using garlic as well as over 45 other herbs. Garlic information can be found on page 67 – 70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Garlic has a wide variety of biological effects which have been described in many scientific reports from both the West and the East. Although not all the active chemical constituents of garlic are known, the volatile, sulfur-containing compounds, especially allicin, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide, are generally considered to be responsible for most of the biological effects of garlic. Allicin, at a conccentration of only 1 in 100,000 (or one-thousandth of 1%) inhibits the growth of various bacterial, fungi, and disease causing amoebas.
It is now well known that garlic (oil, juice, or extract) has antibacterial and antifungal qualities, being inhibitory to some microbes and deadly to others. It also kills amoebas that cause amebic dysentery and trichomonads that cause trichomoniasis (a vaginal parasitic infestation).
Both Western and Eastern scientists have found that garlic and its water extract, when given to rats and mice by injection or in their feed, inhibit the growth, or prevent the formation, of experimentally induced tumors in these animals. Researchers have also found that garlic and garlic oil lower the blood-sugar level in rabbits, blood cholesterol in rabbits and humans, and blood pressure in animals and humans as well as preventing the formation of arteriosclerosis.
Despite its many beneficial qualities, garlic also induces blisters, irritation, or dermatitis (especially eczema) in some individuals. Hence, one should keep this in mind when handling or using garlic. These toxic effects of garlic are due, to a large extent, to the sulfur-containing compounds present in garlic oil.
Be sure to come back for our third and final installment on garlic, when we will discuss some of the traditional as well as the modern uses of garlic. We also will be describing traditional home remedies.
This material is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. Here, Dr. Leung presents general information and home remedies using garlic as well as over 45 other herbs. Garlic information can be found on page 67 – 70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Bee Pollen
Bee pollen consists of the microspores of the male reproductive elements of various plant species, including buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), rape (Brassica campestris L.), pine (Pinus spp.) and Typha spp. Properties associated with bee pollen include nutrient, diuretic, hemostatic, breaks up stasis, and astringent. Bee pollen is most commonly used traditionally for bleeding (nosebleed, vomiting blood, coughing blood, metrorrhagia, bloody diarrhea, traumatic injries, etc.), amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain, painful urination, mouth sores, eczema, alcohol intoxication, and rheumatism. A more modern or recent use is in treating constipation.
Much of the pollen used in the United States comes from China and Spain. Its sources are very different, hence its chemical composition reflects this. But in general it is very rich in nutrients, containing up to about 28% protein, 14.6% to 22.9% amino acids, 1 to 20 % lipids, up to 44% carbohydrates, 2 to 2.5% flavonoids, and 3.6% to 5.9% vitamin C. It also contains sterols, alkanes, triterpenes, etc.
Bee pollen can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. However, no serious toxic side efffects due to its ingestion have been reported; otherwise, the news would have appeared on prime time nelevision or on the front page of newspapers.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including bee pollen on page 9. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Much of the pollen used in the United States comes from China and Spain. Its sources are very different, hence its chemical composition reflects this. But in general it is very rich in nutrients, containing up to about 28% protein, 14.6% to 22.9% amino acids, 1 to 20 % lipids, up to 44% carbohydrates, 2 to 2.5% flavonoids, and 3.6% to 5.9% vitamin C. It also contains sterols, alkanes, triterpenes, etc.
Bee pollen can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. However, no serious toxic side efffects due to its ingestion have been reported; otherwise, the news would have appeared on prime time nelevision or on the front page of newspapers.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including bee pollen on page 9. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Part 1: Garlic, that Odoriferous Lilly
The beneficial qualities of garlic have been described in many Western books and articles. Indeed, if not for the odors it generates, garlic could become as common a household drug item as aspirin.
Garlic is known scientifically as Allium sativum of the lilly family. It is known in Chinese as da suan and has also been called hu suan, with hu noting its Western origin. It is a strong-scented perrenial herb with long, flat, firm leaves that can be as broad as 2.5 cm (1 in.). Its flowering stem can reach 1.2 m. (4 ft.) high. Its bulb has several parts, or cloves, all enclosed in a thin, white or purplish membranelike skin, and measures up to 3 cm. (1.2 in.) or more thick. Garlic is a native of Europe and Central Asia and now also grows in North America and other parts of the world. It is cultivated worldwide primarily for use as a condiment. The bulbs are collected in the summer after the leaves have withered and are dried in the shade, if necessary.
Fresh garlic contains about 0.2% volatile oil (garlic oil), alliin, alliinase (an enzime that breaks down alliin), minerals (e.g. calcium, phosphorous, iron, and potassium), and vitamins (e.g., thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and C), among other constituents. According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chinese garlic contains 70% water, 23% carbohydrates, 4.4% proteins, 1.3% ash, 0.7% fiber, and 0.2% fats. By comparison, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures, American garlic contains 61.3% water, 30.8% carbohydrates, 6.2% proteins, 1.5% ash, 1.5% fiber, and 0.2% fats. The vitamin and mineral contents of American garlic are also generally higher than those of Chinese garlic.
Garlic oil contains allicin and other sulfur-containing compounds such as allylpropyl disulfide, diallyl sisulfide, and diallyl trisulfide. Allicin is responsible for much of the pungent odor and taste of garlic. It is generated by the action of the enzyme alliinase on alliin. Under normal conditions, alliinase and alliin are separated from each other inside the garlic bulb. However, when the bulb is cut or crushed, the two are brought together and alliinase turns alliin (a nonvolatile odorless sulfur amino acid) into allicin (a pungent volatile sulfur compound).
Garlic has long been used in Western folk medicine for treating various ills, including arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, colds, coughs, chronic bronchitis, earache, toothache, hysteria, dandruff, and pinworms.
In addition to their use in cooking, fresh and powdered dried garlic, along with garllic oil, are used extensively in seasoning all sorts of processed food and drink products in the Western world.
Come back next week for our second installment of "Garlic, that Odoriferous Lilly", when we will be discussing garlic's effects on the body.
This material is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. Here, Dr. Leung presents general information and home remedies using garlic as well as over 45 other herbs. Garlic information can be found on page 67 – 70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Garlic is known scientifically as Allium sativum of the lilly family. It is known in Chinese as da suan and has also been called hu suan, with hu noting its Western origin. It is a strong-scented perrenial herb with long, flat, firm leaves that can be as broad as 2.5 cm (1 in.). Its flowering stem can reach 1.2 m. (4 ft.) high. Its bulb has several parts, or cloves, all enclosed in a thin, white or purplish membranelike skin, and measures up to 3 cm. (1.2 in.) or more thick. Garlic is a native of Europe and Central Asia and now also grows in North America and other parts of the world. It is cultivated worldwide primarily for use as a condiment. The bulbs are collected in the summer after the leaves have withered and are dried in the shade, if necessary.
Fresh garlic contains about 0.2% volatile oil (garlic oil), alliin, alliinase (an enzime that breaks down alliin), minerals (e.g. calcium, phosphorous, iron, and potassium), and vitamins (e.g., thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and C), among other constituents. According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chinese garlic contains 70% water, 23% carbohydrates, 4.4% proteins, 1.3% ash, 0.7% fiber, and 0.2% fats. By comparison, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures, American garlic contains 61.3% water, 30.8% carbohydrates, 6.2% proteins, 1.5% ash, 1.5% fiber, and 0.2% fats. The vitamin and mineral contents of American garlic are also generally higher than those of Chinese garlic.
Garlic oil contains allicin and other sulfur-containing compounds such as allylpropyl disulfide, diallyl sisulfide, and diallyl trisulfide. Allicin is responsible for much of the pungent odor and taste of garlic. It is generated by the action of the enzyme alliinase on alliin. Under normal conditions, alliinase and alliin are separated from each other inside the garlic bulb. However, when the bulb is cut or crushed, the two are brought together and alliinase turns alliin (a nonvolatile odorless sulfur amino acid) into allicin (a pungent volatile sulfur compound).
Garlic has long been used in Western folk medicine for treating various ills, including arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, colds, coughs, chronic bronchitis, earache, toothache, hysteria, dandruff, and pinworms.
In addition to their use in cooking, fresh and powdered dried garlic, along with garllic oil, are used extensively in seasoning all sorts of processed food and drink products in the Western world.
Come back next week for our second installment of "Garlic, that Odoriferous Lilly", when we will be discussing garlic's effects on the body.
This material is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. Here, Dr. Leung presents general information and home remedies using garlic as well as over 45 other herbs. Garlic information can be found on page 67 – 70. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Chicory
Chicory is the root of Cichorium intybus L. (Family Asteraceae) and has the following properties: tonic, digestive aid, apetizer, cholagogue, diuretic, cardiotonic, mild laxative, and antibacterial. It is commonly and traditionally used to treat digestive problems, lack of apetite, liver and gallbladder ailments (e.g. gallstone, hepatitis, jaundice), and spleen problems.
Chicory root contains large amounts of inulin (up to 58% in fresh cultivated root), bitter principles (lactucin, intybin), coumarin glycosides, triterpenes, choline, and others. Inulin is made up mostly of fructose; although not digested by humans, it can serve as a potential source of commercial fructose after hydrolysis.
With its rich aroma and bitter taste, roasted chicory root is frequently mixed with coffee to enhance flavor and to reduce caffeine content. This practice is especially common in Europe.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including chicory on page 15. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Chicory root contains large amounts of inulin (up to 58% in fresh cultivated root), bitter principles (lactucin, intybin), coumarin glycosides, triterpenes, choline, and others. Inulin is made up mostly of fructose; although not digested by humans, it can serve as a potential source of commercial fructose after hydrolysis.
With its rich aroma and bitter taste, roasted chicory root is frequently mixed with coffee to enhance flavor and to reduce caffeine content. This practice is especially common in Europe.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including chicory on page 15. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Properties and Uses of Celery Seed
Celery seed is the fruit of the celery plant, Apium graveolens L. (Family Apiaceae). Also referred to simply as celery fruit, celery seed possesses diuretic, digestive stimulant, nervine, muscle relaxant, emmenagogue, and uterine stimulant properties. The most common traditional uses for celery seed are for rheumatism, arthritis, gout, bronchitis, and nervousness.
Celery seed conatains numerous types of chemical components, including coumarin glycosides, flavonoids, phthalides, and plant acids. There is some scientific evidence to support its sedative and muscle-relaxant properties, with the phthalides being the active principles. The seed also has antioxidant effects.
Other parts of the celery plant have been reported to have hypotensive (juice and extract of stem) and antiinflammatory (water extract of stem) activities.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including celery seed on page 13. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Celery seed conatains numerous types of chemical components, including coumarin glycosides, flavonoids, phthalides, and plant acids. There is some scientific evidence to support its sedative and muscle-relaxant properties, with the phthalides being the active principles. The seed also has antioxidant effects.
Other parts of the celery plant have been reported to have hypotensive (juice and extract of stem) and antiinflammatory (water extract of stem) activities.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including celery seed on page 13. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Schisandra is Wuweizi a.k.a. Five Flavored Seed
The dried ripe fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. and other Schisandra spp. (Family Schisandraceae) are prized for their properties including lung astringent, kidney tonic, male tonic, adaptogenic, detoxicant, antimutagenic, antioxidant, liver protectant, central stimulant, and tranquilizing.
Schisandra berries have been traditionally used for cough, asthma, involuntary seminal discharge, impotence, insomnia, neurasthenia, chronic diarrhea, night sweat, spontaneous sweating, physical exhaustion, and excessive urination. More modern and recent uses include use as a treatment for liver diseases.
Schisandra is known as wuweizi (five-flavored seed) in Chinese because it tastes simultaneously sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent when chewed. In addition to its use as a medicine, it is also used as an ingredient in soup mixes.
Schisandra is one of those Chinese herbs without much adequate published English information even though there are many published reports on it in Chinese and Japanese.
It is a well-known tonic, especially for the male. Modern laboratory studies have found some of its constituents (e.g., lignans) to have strong antioxidant and liver-protectant properties. Its extracts and lignans are now being used to effectively treat liver diseases (e.g., viral hepatitis). In the West, silymarin (from milk thistle) is well known for its beneficial effects on the liver. One can soon add schisandra as its equal or superior.
A typical tonic like ginseng, schisandra's actions in the body are subtle. They cannot be readily duplicated in the laboratory. The antioxidant and liver protectant effects of schisandra just mentioned only give you an isolated glimpse of its various pharmacological effects. Believe me, there are too many to list here!
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including schisandra on page 83. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Schisandra berries have been traditionally used for cough, asthma, involuntary seminal discharge, impotence, insomnia, neurasthenia, chronic diarrhea, night sweat, spontaneous sweating, physical exhaustion, and excessive urination. More modern and recent uses include use as a treatment for liver diseases.
Schisandra is known as wuweizi (five-flavored seed) in Chinese because it tastes simultaneously sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent when chewed. In addition to its use as a medicine, it is also used as an ingredient in soup mixes.
Schisandra is one of those Chinese herbs without much adequate published English information even though there are many published reports on it in Chinese and Japanese.
It is a well-known tonic, especially for the male. Modern laboratory studies have found some of its constituents (e.g., lignans) to have strong antioxidant and liver-protectant properties. Its extracts and lignans are now being used to effectively treat liver diseases (e.g., viral hepatitis). In the West, silymarin (from milk thistle) is well known for its beneficial effects on the liver. One can soon add schisandra as its equal or superior.
A typical tonic like ginseng, schisandra's actions in the body are subtle. They cannot be readily duplicated in the laboratory. The antioxidant and liver protectant effects of schisandra just mentioned only give you an isolated glimpse of its various pharmacological effects. Believe me, there are too many to list here!
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including schisandra on page 83. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Gotu-kola
Gotu-kola, or Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (Family Apiadeae) is not to be confused with kola nuts (Cola nitida); the latter contain caffeine while the former doesn't. Gotu-kola is known for its wound-healing, detoxicant, antiinflammatory, diuretic, pain-relieving, and antibacterial properties. Either the leaves or the whole herb is used, with the most common traditional uses being for traumatic injuries, swellings, skin sores and boils, skin eruptions (e.g. measles), sunstroke, fever, and common cold. Other more modern or recent uses include treating wounds, skin ulcers, burns, leprosy, scleroderma, traumatic pain, jaundice, hepatitis, poisoning (arsenic, mushroom, cassava, etc.), syphilis, and mental problems.
Gotu-kola has been used by different cultures worldwide both as a medicine and as a food for centuries. The young plant is cooked or pickled and eaten as a vegetable in Southeasat Asia. It has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in China and India and its use there has been documented for at least two thousand years.
The active principles of gotu-kola are currently attributed to tri-terpenoid glycosides (wound-healing, antimicrobial, sedative, antiinflammatory, etc.) though other components present may also contribute to its total beneficial effects; they include steroids, fatty acids, flavonoids and other polyphenols.
Although gotu-kola is also advocated as an anti-aging herb and an aphrodisiac, so far there has been no credible evidence to correlate such effects.
The raw herb comes in highly variable qualities. Some are extremely dirty, with leaves mostly broken and containing large quantities of mud and dirt. Consequently, one should avoid the powdered herb unles it is from a reliable supplier, because it is a common industrial practice to use inferior quality materials to produce herb powders.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including gotu-kola on page 44.
For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Gotu-kola has been used by different cultures worldwide both as a medicine and as a food for centuries. The young plant is cooked or pickled and eaten as a vegetable in Southeasat Asia. It has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in China and India and its use there has been documented for at least two thousand years.
The active principles of gotu-kola are currently attributed to tri-terpenoid glycosides (wound-healing, antimicrobial, sedative, antiinflammatory, etc.) though other components present may also contribute to its total beneficial effects; they include steroids, fatty acids, flavonoids and other polyphenols.
Although gotu-kola is also advocated as an anti-aging herb and an aphrodisiac, so far there has been no credible evidence to correlate such effects.
The raw herb comes in highly variable qualities. Some are extremely dirty, with leaves mostly broken and containing large quantities of mud and dirt. Consequently, one should avoid the powdered herb unles it is from a reliable supplier, because it is a common industrial practice to use inferior quality materials to produce herb powders.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including gotu-kola on page 44.
For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Luffa for Health
Remove the skin, pulp, and seeds from ripe old fruits of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. and Luffa acutangula Roxb. (Family Cucurbitaceae) and the remains are what we know as the luffa sponge. Among luffa's many properties, it can be used to promote blood circulation, to disperse fever, to break up phlegm, as a detoxicant, as an antiinflammatory, as an analgesic, and as a tranquilizer.
The most common traditional uses of the luffa sponge are rheumatism, arthritic pain, muscle pain, chest pain, amenorrhea, swollen and painful testicles, hemorrhoids, and inadequate milk flow in nursing mothers. A more recent use is in the treatment of shingles.
Apart from its usefulness as a bath sponge to remove dead skin tissue and to stimulate the skin, I bet you have never heard of luffa having so many medicinal properties and uses. It doesn't look like it conatins more than fibers to do anything to the body besides physical cleansing and stimulation of one's skin. But it has been used in Chinese medicine for at least a thousand years! And some of its uses have recently been substantiated by laboratory findings showing its decoction to have antiinflammatory, analgesic, and tranquilizing effects in mice.
Even though we normally associate luffa sponges only with physical actions on the skin, it is perhaps not too far-fetched to envision that some transfer of beneficial ingredients can occur during the physical contact to give the skin extra benefits other than just physical cleansing and stimulation. Thus, its detoxicant and antiinflammatory properties seem to offer some justification for the use of its powder and extracts in facial scrubs and skin cleansers.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including Luffa on page 59.
For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
The most common traditional uses of the luffa sponge are rheumatism, arthritic pain, muscle pain, chest pain, amenorrhea, swollen and painful testicles, hemorrhoids, and inadequate milk flow in nursing mothers. A more recent use is in the treatment of shingles.
Apart from its usefulness as a bath sponge to remove dead skin tissue and to stimulate the skin, I bet you have never heard of luffa having so many medicinal properties and uses. It doesn't look like it conatins more than fibers to do anything to the body besides physical cleansing and stimulation of one's skin. But it has been used in Chinese medicine for at least a thousand years! And some of its uses have recently been substantiated by laboratory findings showing its decoction to have antiinflammatory, analgesic, and tranquilizing effects in mice.
Even though we normally associate luffa sponges only with physical actions on the skin, it is perhaps not too far-fetched to envision that some transfer of beneficial ingredients can occur during the physical contact to give the skin extra benefits other than just physical cleansing and stimulation. Thus, its detoxicant and antiinflammatory properties seem to offer some justification for the use of its powder and extracts in facial scrubs and skin cleansers.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including Luffa on page 59.
For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Spice, Medicine, and More: Hot Pepper
It might be called capsicum, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, or tabasco pepper. Regardless of the variety of plant or what it is called, these peppers have one thing in common - their hot, pungent taste. Depending on the variety, the taste varies from mildly pungent to extremely pungent.
Imported within the last few hundred years to China, hot pepper was originally called fan jiao, or "barbarian's spice". (Just as whites used to call all nonwhites savages, the Chinese called all people outside of China barbarians.) Hot pepper was later called la qie, "pungent eggplant", because of its resemblance to the shape of an eggplant, and is now more commonly known as la jiao ("pungent spice").
Botanically, hot pepper is the fruit of Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum annuum or other Capsicum species of the nightshade family. Capsicum annuum is an annual herb up to 1 m (3 ft.) tall, but the other species are usually perennial shrubs. They are all native to tropical America and are now grown all over the world. Some varieties of C. annuum produce hot pepper, while otehr varieties of the same plant yield nonpungent fruits which are known as green pepper, paprika, bell pepper, or sweet pepper.
Hot peppers are widely used in seasoning foods and in folk medicine. The most common forms in which they are used for home seasoning are ground, pickled, and as tabasco sauce. Ground pepper soaked in vegetable oil is also a favorite of many Chinese. In America, extracts of hot pepper known as capsicum extracts, or oleoresin, are widely used in processed foods, including meat products, desserts, baked goods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. They also used to be popoular components of some topical pharmaceutical preparations for treating arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgia, and lumbago but are now seldom used for these purposes in America. However, one can still find them used in certain commercial preparations for stopping thumb sucking or nail biting in children.
The pungent taste is due to its constituent capsaicin and its derivatives. Their concentrations in dried hot pepper range from less than 0.1% (mildly hot) to 1.5% (extremely hot). Dried hot pepper also contains about 13% protein, 9% fat, 60% carbohydrates, minerals and an exceptionally large amount of vitamin A (close to the amount present in dehydrated carrots). Fresh hot pepper also contains a large amount of vitamin C (several times that in oranges) most of which is destroyed during the drying process. In order to benefit from the high nutritive value of hot pepper one has to have numbed tastebuds, since ordinarily one can hardly ingest enough hot pepper for it to be a worthwhile source of nutrients.
In traditional Western folk medicine, hot pepper is used internally to stimulate appetite and aid digestion, and generally as a tonic. Externally, it is used as a counterirritant in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.
Hot pepper is a strong local stimulant or irritant to the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes. The smoke of burning hot pepper is especially irritating to the mucous membranes and was once used for torture in the Malay Peninsula. Prolonged contact with hot pepper or its extracts can result in dermatitis. Hot pepper also caused tumors in the livers of experimental rats when the rats were fed a diet that contained 10% hot pepper. All these undesirable effects of hot pepper are mentioned here to remind you to use it with moderation.
In Chinese medicine, hot pepper is generally used in the dried form; the ripe fruit is collected in late summer or early autumn and is usually sun-dried. It is traditionally used to increase appetite, to aid digestion, and to treat arthritis and rheumatism, as in Western folk medicine. In addition, it is used in treating abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, chilblains, ringworm, malaria, poisonous snakebite, bruises, and hematomas.
The use of hot pepper for treating chilblains has been well documented, first in an 18th -century herbal, then n later herbals, and finally in modern Chinese medical journals. In modern usage, for treating chilblains and frostbite, a weak decoction or water extract of the pepper is used before the blisters break. This can be prepared by boiling 30g. (1 oz.) of hot pepper (cut up) in 2,000 to 3,000 ml. (2-3 qt.) of water for three to five minutes and straining off the residue. The liquid is used while still warm to wash the affected areas. Alternatively, an ointment prepared from 30 g. (about 1 oz.) ground hot pepper with seeds, 15 g. (about 0.5 oz.) camphor, and 250 g. (8.8 oz) Vaseline can be used. The ointment is rubbed on the chilblains or frostbite until a local burning sensation is felt. In one report, in a medical journal from northeastern China, of 200 patients treated with a weak hot-pepper decoction once daily for up to eleven days (but mostly for under five days), 188 were reported cured, eight had some response, while four did not respond. Best results were obtained with chilblains or frostbite of the hands and feet.
To treat traumatic injuries such as bruises and sprains causing hematomas (swellings containing blood) or swollen and painful joints, an ointment made with one part dried pepper and five parts Vaseline is used. Prepared by adding the ground hot pepper to the melted Vaseline, which is then mixed well and cooled until it congeals, this ointment is applied once daily, or once every two days, directly to the injured area. In a 1965 report from a journal of traditional medicine from Zhejiang, seven of 12 patients thus treated were cured and three improved, while two did not respond to this treatment. In the effective cases, four to nine applications were usually used.
In addition to uses above, modern Chinese medicine also uses hot pepper externally to treat parotiditis (mumps) and leg ulcers.
The usual internal daily dose of hot pepper is 1 to 2.5 g (0.04 - 0.09 oz.). It should not be taken by persons with any of the following conditions: sores, boils, toothache, eye diseses, or hemorrhoids.
One of the oldest remedies for treating chilblains calls for simply peeling off the skin of hot pepper and leaving it directly on the chilblain.
The use of hot pepper in the treatment of poisonous snakebite is described in a 19th-century herbal. For this purpose, it recommended that the bitten person simply chew 11 to 12 whole hot peppers and the pain and swelling would subside. Blisters would appear and a yellow liquid would exude from the wounded area while the patient was healing. Alternatively, the hot pepper could be chewed into a mash and then applied directly to the woiund with the same effects. Instead of the usual pungent taste, the patient would gind the hot pepper to taste sweet. I wonder how much truth there is in this century-old record. If it were true, the hot pepper must react with the snake venom to change the physiology of the tastebuds.
Hot pepper is readily available in groceries and super markets.
This information is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. This publication includes further information and home remedies using hot pepper as well as over 45 other herbs.
Learn more about hot pepper and read further about Dr. Leung and his writings! Visit www.earthpower.com.
Imported within the last few hundred years to China, hot pepper was originally called fan jiao, or "barbarian's spice". (Just as whites used to call all nonwhites savages, the Chinese called all people outside of China barbarians.) Hot pepper was later called la qie, "pungent eggplant", because of its resemblance to the shape of an eggplant, and is now more commonly known as la jiao ("pungent spice").
Botanically, hot pepper is the fruit of Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum annuum or other Capsicum species of the nightshade family. Capsicum annuum is an annual herb up to 1 m (3 ft.) tall, but the other species are usually perennial shrubs. They are all native to tropical America and are now grown all over the world. Some varieties of C. annuum produce hot pepper, while otehr varieties of the same plant yield nonpungent fruits which are known as green pepper, paprika, bell pepper, or sweet pepper.
Hot peppers are widely used in seasoning foods and in folk medicine. The most common forms in which they are used for home seasoning are ground, pickled, and as tabasco sauce. Ground pepper soaked in vegetable oil is also a favorite of many Chinese. In America, extracts of hot pepper known as capsicum extracts, or oleoresin, are widely used in processed foods, including meat products, desserts, baked goods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. They also used to be popoular components of some topical pharmaceutical preparations for treating arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgia, and lumbago but are now seldom used for these purposes in America. However, one can still find them used in certain commercial preparations for stopping thumb sucking or nail biting in children.
The pungent taste is due to its constituent capsaicin and its derivatives. Their concentrations in dried hot pepper range from less than 0.1% (mildly hot) to 1.5% (extremely hot). Dried hot pepper also contains about 13% protein, 9% fat, 60% carbohydrates, minerals and an exceptionally large amount of vitamin A (close to the amount present in dehydrated carrots). Fresh hot pepper also contains a large amount of vitamin C (several times that in oranges) most of which is destroyed during the drying process. In order to benefit from the high nutritive value of hot pepper one has to have numbed tastebuds, since ordinarily one can hardly ingest enough hot pepper for it to be a worthwhile source of nutrients.
In traditional Western folk medicine, hot pepper is used internally to stimulate appetite and aid digestion, and generally as a tonic. Externally, it is used as a counterirritant in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.
Hot pepper is a strong local stimulant or irritant to the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes. The smoke of burning hot pepper is especially irritating to the mucous membranes and was once used for torture in the Malay Peninsula. Prolonged contact with hot pepper or its extracts can result in dermatitis. Hot pepper also caused tumors in the livers of experimental rats when the rats were fed a diet that contained 10% hot pepper. All these undesirable effects of hot pepper are mentioned here to remind you to use it with moderation.
In Chinese medicine, hot pepper is generally used in the dried form; the ripe fruit is collected in late summer or early autumn and is usually sun-dried. It is traditionally used to increase appetite, to aid digestion, and to treat arthritis and rheumatism, as in Western folk medicine. In addition, it is used in treating abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, chilblains, ringworm, malaria, poisonous snakebite, bruises, and hematomas.
The use of hot pepper for treating chilblains has been well documented, first in an 18th -century herbal, then n later herbals, and finally in modern Chinese medical journals. In modern usage, for treating chilblains and frostbite, a weak decoction or water extract of the pepper is used before the blisters break. This can be prepared by boiling 30g. (1 oz.) of hot pepper (cut up) in 2,000 to 3,000 ml. (2-3 qt.) of water for three to five minutes and straining off the residue. The liquid is used while still warm to wash the affected areas. Alternatively, an ointment prepared from 30 g. (about 1 oz.) ground hot pepper with seeds, 15 g. (about 0.5 oz.) camphor, and 250 g. (8.8 oz) Vaseline can be used. The ointment is rubbed on the chilblains or frostbite until a local burning sensation is felt. In one report, in a medical journal from northeastern China, of 200 patients treated with a weak hot-pepper decoction once daily for up to eleven days (but mostly for under five days), 188 were reported cured, eight had some response, while four did not respond. Best results were obtained with chilblains or frostbite of the hands and feet.
To treat traumatic injuries such as bruises and sprains causing hematomas (swellings containing blood) or swollen and painful joints, an ointment made with one part dried pepper and five parts Vaseline is used. Prepared by adding the ground hot pepper to the melted Vaseline, which is then mixed well and cooled until it congeals, this ointment is applied once daily, or once every two days, directly to the injured area. In a 1965 report from a journal of traditional medicine from Zhejiang, seven of 12 patients thus treated were cured and three improved, while two did not respond to this treatment. In the effective cases, four to nine applications were usually used.
In addition to uses above, modern Chinese medicine also uses hot pepper externally to treat parotiditis (mumps) and leg ulcers.
The usual internal daily dose of hot pepper is 1 to 2.5 g (0.04 - 0.09 oz.). It should not be taken by persons with any of the following conditions: sores, boils, toothache, eye diseses, or hemorrhoids.
One of the oldest remedies for treating chilblains calls for simply peeling off the skin of hot pepper and leaving it directly on the chilblain.
The use of hot pepper in the treatment of poisonous snakebite is described in a 19th-century herbal. For this purpose, it recommended that the bitten person simply chew 11 to 12 whole hot peppers and the pain and swelling would subside. Blisters would appear and a yellow liquid would exude from the wounded area while the patient was healing. Alternatively, the hot pepper could be chewed into a mash and then applied directly to the woiund with the same effects. Instead of the usual pungent taste, the patient would gind the hot pepper to taste sweet. I wonder how much truth there is in this century-old record. If it were true, the hot pepper must react with the snake venom to change the physiology of the tastebuds.
Hot pepper is readily available in groceries and super markets.
This information is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. This publication includes further information and home remedies using hot pepper as well as over 45 other herbs.
Learn more about hot pepper and read further about Dr. Leung and his writings! Visit www.earthpower.com.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Common Purslane, Uncommon Benefits
Common purslane, or Portulaca oleracea L. (Family Portulacaceae), grows around the world. The aboveground parts are used. In addition to being used as a medicine, it is eaten as a vegetable or salad in many countries, especially in France and the Mediterranean. It is rich in nutrients (although amounts are highly variable depending on the report), including vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, niacinamide, nicotinic acid, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, etc.), fatty acids (especially omega-3 acids, the highest among leafy vegetables), glutathione, flavonoids, coumarins, dopa, dopamine, and high concentrations of l-noradrenaline (0.25% of fresh herb).
Purslane has several known properties. It is heat disspiating and a detoxicant; it cools blood and stops bleeding. Several traditional uses are known, including headache, stomachache, painful urination, dysentery, enteritis, mastitis, lack of milk flow in nursing mothers, postpartum bleeding, bloody stool, bleeding hemorrhoids, and metrorrhagia. External uses include burns, earache, insect stings, inflammations, skin sores, ulcers, pruritus, eczema, and abscesses. Other, more modern uses include colitis, acute appendicitis, diabetes, dermatitis, and shingles.
By far the most common medicinal use of purslane in China is for the treatment of dysentery and bleeding. Although modern laboratory studies have shown it to have numerous biological effects, such as muscle relaxant (both smooth and skeletal muscles), hypertensive, antibacterial and antifungal, wound healing, antiinflammatory, uterine stimulant and diuretic, they don't explain why purslane is used for its various properties.
Nevertheless, since purslane is rich in conventional antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene, gutathione, etc.) and omega-3 fatty acids, and because it has so many traditionally known benefits, it should be utilized more often.
Purslane has several known properties. It is heat disspiating and a detoxicant; it cools blood and stops bleeding. Several traditional uses are known, including headache, stomachache, painful urination, dysentery, enteritis, mastitis, lack of milk flow in nursing mothers, postpartum bleeding, bloody stool, bleeding hemorrhoids, and metrorrhagia. External uses include burns, earache, insect stings, inflammations, skin sores, ulcers, pruritus, eczema, and abscesses. Other, more modern uses include colitis, acute appendicitis, diabetes, dermatitis, and shingles.
By far the most common medicinal use of purslane in China is for the treatment of dysentery and bleeding. Although modern laboratory studies have shown it to have numerous biological effects, such as muscle relaxant (both smooth and skeletal muscles), hypertensive, antibacterial and antifungal, wound healing, antiinflammatory, uterine stimulant and diuretic, they don't explain why purslane is used for its various properties.
Nevertheless, since purslane is rich in conventional antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene, gutathione, etc.) and omega-3 fatty acids, and because it has so many traditionally known benefits, it should be utilized more often.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Kudzu
Kudzu (synonym: Gegen) is another name for Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi. and P. thompsonii Benth. (Family Leguminosae). The part used is the root tuber. This is traditionally used for colds and flu and associated fever or headache, stiff and sore neck, diarrhea, measles, thirst, and drunkenness. More recently it has been used to treat hypertension, angina, pectoris, migraine, diabetes, nasal sinusitus, urticaria, psoriasis, and itching. It is also used externally for traumatic injuries.
The first written record of kudzu in China dates back to the fifth century B.C. and its first recorded medical applications date back about two thousand years. The kudzu plant is truly versatile and economic. Its root produces a starch similar to arrowroot starch, which is widely used by Asians (especially Chinese and Japanese) as a food and medicine; the root itself is also eaten in soups or is cooked alone or with other herbs for treating various conditions. Being rich in protein and other nutrients, the whole aboveground portion can be used in making animal feed. The fiber from the vine can be used in making textile.
After being introduced into the United States from Asia a little over a hundred years ago, one of the kudzu vines (Pueraria labata) has now run wild, especially in the Southeast. There, it overruns telephone poles, abandoned houses and cars, and is considered a pest. Instead of viewing it as a natural resource for use as human and animal food, as medicine and as industrial fiber, our government has been spending money to support program after program trying to eradicate it. What else is new?
I remember when I was growing up, kudzu often showed up on our dinner table in the form of a soup, for what my grandma used to call too much "hot air" among us. In Cantonese folk medicine, "hot or feverish air" or simply "hot" conditions are characterized by one or more of the following: headache with a feeling of heaviness in the head, dryness of mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, bad breath, canker sores, blisters in the mouth, swollen gums, dry and uncomfortable feeling in the throat, bloodshot eyes, pain during urination, etc. Many of these "hot"conditions can now be correlated to viral or bacterial infections. Other foods good for these indications include mung bean, chrysanthemum, and watercress. Kudzu root and flower are also used to treat hangovers. Maybe my grandma served kudzu root soup serreptitiously for one of my uncles who was known to hit the bottle once in a while.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including kudzu on pages 54-55. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
The first written record of kudzu in China dates back to the fifth century B.C. and its first recorded medical applications date back about two thousand years. The kudzu plant is truly versatile and economic. Its root produces a starch similar to arrowroot starch, which is widely used by Asians (especially Chinese and Japanese) as a food and medicine; the root itself is also eaten in soups or is cooked alone or with other herbs for treating various conditions. Being rich in protein and other nutrients, the whole aboveground portion can be used in making animal feed. The fiber from the vine can be used in making textile.
After being introduced into the United States from Asia a little over a hundred years ago, one of the kudzu vines (Pueraria labata) has now run wild, especially in the Southeast. There, it overruns telephone poles, abandoned houses and cars, and is considered a pest. Instead of viewing it as a natural resource for use as human and animal food, as medicine and as industrial fiber, our government has been spending money to support program after program trying to eradicate it. What else is new?
I remember when I was growing up, kudzu often showed up on our dinner table in the form of a soup, for what my grandma used to call too much "hot air" among us. In Cantonese folk medicine, "hot or feverish air" or simply "hot" conditions are characterized by one or more of the following: headache with a feeling of heaviness in the head, dryness of mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, bad breath, canker sores, blisters in the mouth, swollen gums, dry and uncomfortable feeling in the throat, bloodshot eyes, pain during urination, etc. Many of these "hot"conditions can now be correlated to viral or bacterial infections. Other foods good for these indications include mung bean, chrysanthemum, and watercress. Kudzu root and flower are also used to treat hangovers. Maybe my grandma served kudzu root soup serreptitiously for one of my uncles who was known to hit the bottle once in a while.
Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including kudzu on pages 54-55. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Cucumber: Medicine from the Garden
Common throughout the world, cucumbers are consumed raw, cooked, and pickled, or in other ways. Westerners like them raw in salads and rarely eat them cooked, but peoples in the Far East, especially the Chinese, usually eat them cooked. When I was a child my family only occasionally ate cucumber raw, and always after it had been meticulously washed, because of an age-old Chinese tradition of avoiding raw foods for hygienic reasons.
Known scientifically as Cucumis sativus of the gourd family, the cucmber plant is an annual herb that grows by trailing along the ground or by climbing a support. It is believed to be native to Asia, probably the Middle East. According to Chinese records, cucumber was introduced to China around 100 B.C. (during the Han Dynasty) from countries to the west by way of what later became known as the Silk Route, later taken by Marco Polo. For six to seven hundred years, cucumber bore the name hu gua, meaning "foreign melon", but a later name, huang gua, meaning "yellow melon" is now more commonly used.
Numerous varieties of the plant produce fruits (cucumbers) of different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors. They are easy to grow and, depending on the variety, range in shape from nearly round (rare) to elongate (common), and in taste from nonbitter to quite bitter, especially at the stem tips. Some cucumbers of the elongate type can reach 1 m. (3 ft) in length, but most are between 10 cm (4 in.) and 30 cm (1 ft.) long.
Like most vegetables and fruits, raw cucumbers contain large amounts of water (95%). The rest is made up of about 1% protein, 3% carbohydrates, minor amounts of fats (0.1%), minerals and vitamins (e.g., A, Bs, and C), none in unusually high concentration. Cucumbers also contain minor amounts of numerous other biologically active constituents. Their bitter taste is due to compounds known as cucurbitacins, one of which has been found to have antitumor effects on experimental animals.
In Western folk medicine, cucumber is considered a diuretic and a laxative. Externally the juice is said to be good for soothing skin inflamations, burns, and irritations, and for treating freckles and wrinkles.
The first recorded medicinal use of the cucumber was in the 7th century. In Chinese medicine, cucumber is considered to have heat-dissipating, diuretic, laxative, and detoxifying effects. Its major uses include the treatment of excessive thirst, sore throat, laryngitis, acute conjuctivitis, and burns. In most Chinese homes, however, whether eaten raw or cooked as a soup, cucumber is used only for keeping cool in summer, when it is in season, or in early autumn to soothe dry lips and throat.
The leaves, roots and stems are also used in Chinese medicine: the leaves and roots for diarrhea and dysentery; the stems for dysentery, urinary disorders and sores. Both fresh and dried forms are used. The leaves and roots are collected in the summer or fall and are sun-dried. The stems are collected in early summer before or at the time of flowering and are dried in the shade.
While the medicinal uses of cucumber stems are of relatively recent origin (18th century), the first recorded uses of cucumber leaves and cucumber roots date back to the 8th and 16th centuries, respectively. They are used both internally (as a decoction) and externally (as a mash), with internal doses for roots and stems of 28 to 56 g. (1-2 oz.) daily. The traditional dose for the leaves is one leaf for a one-year-old child. (Presumably more for older children or adults - but this is not stated.)
Cucumber stems have recently been used clinically in China for treating high blood pressure. Their effectiveness is described in a report of 1973 in which 53 of 64 patients with hypertension responded when treated with tablets of dried cucumber stems. The treatment consisted of taking 12.5 g. (0.04 oz.) of tablets three times daily for one to two months. Side effects were minimal. Only five of the patients experienced a burning sensation in the stomach after taking the tablets; this was reduced or disappeared when the patients took the tablets after meals.
In a report of 1972, decoctions or extracts of cucumber seedlings (with roots and leaves removed) were also effective in treating high blood pressure. Of 62 patients thus treated, 54 responded, half with their blood pressure down in the normal range.
One of the more popular home remedies for treating dryness of lips and throat and preventing laryngitis or sore throat in late summer and early fall is to use a soup prepared from old, well-ripened cucumbers. The soup is prepared just like a regular vegetable soup and drunk often during this period.
In a traditional remedy for treating painful acute conjunctivitis, a well-ripened cucumber is used. A hole is made at one end and the seeds and pulp are removed. It is then filled with Glauber's salt (sodium sulfate). After the hole is sealed, the filled cucumber is hung in the shade for some weeks until white crystals accumulate on the surface. The crystals are then scraped off and used to prepare a solution for eye drops.
Cucumbers are sold at groceries and in supermarkets. The leaves, roots, and stems of the cucumber plant can be obtained from home gardens.
This information is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. This publication includes further information and home remedies using cucumber as well as over 45 other herbs.
Learn more about cucumber and read further about Dr. Leung and his writings! Visit www.earthpower.com.
Known scientifically as Cucumis sativus of the gourd family, the cucmber plant is an annual herb that grows by trailing along the ground or by climbing a support. It is believed to be native to Asia, probably the Middle East. According to Chinese records, cucumber was introduced to China around 100 B.C. (during the Han Dynasty) from countries to the west by way of what later became known as the Silk Route, later taken by Marco Polo. For six to seven hundred years, cucumber bore the name hu gua, meaning "foreign melon", but a later name, huang gua, meaning "yellow melon" is now more commonly used.
Numerous varieties of the plant produce fruits (cucumbers) of different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors. They are easy to grow and, depending on the variety, range in shape from nearly round (rare) to elongate (common), and in taste from nonbitter to quite bitter, especially at the stem tips. Some cucumbers of the elongate type can reach 1 m. (3 ft) in length, but most are between 10 cm (4 in.) and 30 cm (1 ft.) long.
Like most vegetables and fruits, raw cucumbers contain large amounts of water (95%). The rest is made up of about 1% protein, 3% carbohydrates, minor amounts of fats (0.1%), minerals and vitamins (e.g., A, Bs, and C), none in unusually high concentration. Cucumbers also contain minor amounts of numerous other biologically active constituents. Their bitter taste is due to compounds known as cucurbitacins, one of which has been found to have antitumor effects on experimental animals.
In Western folk medicine, cucumber is considered a diuretic and a laxative. Externally the juice is said to be good for soothing skin inflamations, burns, and irritations, and for treating freckles and wrinkles.
The first recorded medicinal use of the cucumber was in the 7th century. In Chinese medicine, cucumber is considered to have heat-dissipating, diuretic, laxative, and detoxifying effects. Its major uses include the treatment of excessive thirst, sore throat, laryngitis, acute conjuctivitis, and burns. In most Chinese homes, however, whether eaten raw or cooked as a soup, cucumber is used only for keeping cool in summer, when it is in season, or in early autumn to soothe dry lips and throat.
The leaves, roots and stems are also used in Chinese medicine: the leaves and roots for diarrhea and dysentery; the stems for dysentery, urinary disorders and sores. Both fresh and dried forms are used. The leaves and roots are collected in the summer or fall and are sun-dried. The stems are collected in early summer before or at the time of flowering and are dried in the shade.
While the medicinal uses of cucumber stems are of relatively recent origin (18th century), the first recorded uses of cucumber leaves and cucumber roots date back to the 8th and 16th centuries, respectively. They are used both internally (as a decoction) and externally (as a mash), with internal doses for roots and stems of 28 to 56 g. (1-2 oz.) daily. The traditional dose for the leaves is one leaf for a one-year-old child. (Presumably more for older children or adults - but this is not stated.)
Cucumber stems have recently been used clinically in China for treating high blood pressure. Their effectiveness is described in a report of 1973 in which 53 of 64 patients with hypertension responded when treated with tablets of dried cucumber stems. The treatment consisted of taking 12.5 g. (0.04 oz.) of tablets three times daily for one to two months. Side effects were minimal. Only five of the patients experienced a burning sensation in the stomach after taking the tablets; this was reduced or disappeared when the patients took the tablets after meals.
In a report of 1972, decoctions or extracts of cucumber seedlings (with roots and leaves removed) were also effective in treating high blood pressure. Of 62 patients thus treated, 54 responded, half with their blood pressure down in the normal range.
One of the more popular home remedies for treating dryness of lips and throat and preventing laryngitis or sore throat in late summer and early fall is to use a soup prepared from old, well-ripened cucumbers. The soup is prepared just like a regular vegetable soup and drunk often during this period.
In a traditional remedy for treating painful acute conjunctivitis, a well-ripened cucumber is used. A hole is made at one end and the seeds and pulp are removed. It is then filled with Glauber's salt (sodium sulfate). After the hole is sealed, the filled cucumber is hung in the shade for some weeks until white crystals accumulate on the surface. The crystals are then scraped off and used to prepare a solution for eye drops.
Cucumbers are sold at groceries and in supermarkets. The leaves, roots, and stems of the cucumber plant can be obtained from home gardens.
This information is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. This publication includes further information and home remedies using cucumber as well as over 45 other herbs.
Learn more about cucumber and read further about Dr. Leung and his writings! Visit www.earthpower.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
