Herbal medicines are potent healers

Better Nutrition (1989-90), April, 1990 by Stephen Langer

Herbal Medicines Are Potent Healers

Herbs are the venerable ancestors of modern drug therapy. Here's what they can do for you.

A few years ago Hollywood producer Steven Spielberg made a movie called Back to the Future. The title reminds me of the history of herbs for prevention and cure, for we are going back to the future now, "discovering" herbs that have been known and used for a millennia by ancient civilizations.

Feverfew, which even the conservative Harvard Medical School Health Letter acknowledges works wonders in controlling migraine headaches, is just one of the herbs that showcases the possibilities for the present and the future.

Herbs are the venerable ancestors of modern drug therapy. Many of our most commonly used drugs were derived from valuable clinical experience with herbs. Until the turn of this century, herbs were the basic therapy of allopathic medicine.

The Western approach to herbs for healing follows the conventional model of Western medicine -- specific remedies for specific diseases. The Eastern approach to herbs for healing, however, maintains that treating a person based on a disease symptom is treating the disease, not the person. Five different people with headaches must be treated in five different ways based on the uniqueness of the individual.

Whatever the approach, however, the herb industry is growing rapidly. According to some estimates, plant-based pharmaceuticals are a multi-billion dollar business in the United States. Governments in different parts of the world, including India, Japan and China, encourage research and development of herbal products.

Recently a trade publication selected the top ten herbs for the nineties: (1) echinacea, an immune enhancer; (2) ginseng, a natural tonic and energy booster; (3) ginkgo biloba, an herb said to increase blood flow to the brain (This herb is getting much attention from researchers and alternative medical practitioners because of its recently documented effectiveness as a vasodilator and its success in treating peripheral and cardiovascular disease.); (4) garlic, a potent immune system enhancer and natural antibiotic; (5) chamomile, a natural body relaxant; (6) astragalus, another potent strengthener of the immune system; (7) St. John's Wort, a tonic for the nervous system; (8) dandelion, a salad green, diuretic and tonic; (9) Dong Quai, a regulator of female functions and (10) rosemary, said to alleviate nervous headaches.

Echinacea can enhance the formation of immune antibodies. Animal experiments reveal that it possesses significant anti-tumor properties. A root extract of echinacea was reported effective in destroying herpes and influenza viruses. Echinacea also is reputed to have potent wound-healing properties.

Astragalus, a Chinese herb, appears to strengthen the immune system by stimulating natural killer cell activity. It has also been used to treat diabetes and to lower blood pressure. Recently astragalus has been shown to induce interferon production to kill viruses and destroy cancer cells.

St. John's wort (also called hypericum), is an immune system enhancer and can be an extremely effective antiviral agent that helps to prevent virus-induced changes that follow retrovirus infections. It also improves urinary tract infections and contributes externally to the healing of burns. In an exciting recent development, the herb has shown promise in the area of AIDS research.

Feverfew, although quite well publicized in the past few years, has been used for centuries as a remedy for headaches and helps lower fevers and relieve arthritis pain.

Other prominent herbs growing in popularity and use are comfrey, silymarin (milk thistle), and the chaste tree berry. Comfrey wouldn't have lasted for more than 2000 years as an herbal medicine if it weren't effective. Comfrey leaves contain manganese -- one of the all but forgotten minerals essential for managing osteoporosis -- iron, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A, C and some of the B complex. It is also rich in protein and contains lysine, an amino acid lacking in strict vegetarian diets.

The healing properties of comfrey are due not only to its nutritional content, but also to its allantoin, a substance that stimulates healing by encouraging the growth of new capillaries to carry blood in and around the area of wounds.

A poultice of comfrey leaves often is effective in treating slow-healing sprains, cuts and sores. Internally, comfrey is used to treat lung problems and may remedy stomach ulcers by encouraging the generation of new tissue in the stomach lining.

Silymarin helps protect the liver against such toxins as carbon tetrachloride, alcohol, aspirin and toxic mushroom poisoning. A powerful antioxidant, silymarin has been suggested by several researchers for the treatment of psoriasis.

Chaste tree berry, used in folk medicine for many centuries in Europe, is beginning to gain momentum in the United States. Its fruit, like Dong Quai root, is used as a tonic to ease menstrual and menopausal problems.