Herbs and Herbal Supplements

[Michaelangelica]

Tulsi,

are people here aware of this herb?

)

What you say is right.

It is called 'Sacred' or 'Holly' Basil.

 

It smells like incense. Very sweet, 'perfumery' fragrance almost overpowering if you rub too much of it.

 

Seeds are available online from Richter's in Canada

 

In India (the source of much Western and Chinese medicine -as it was geographically in the middle!?) it is used to treat cancer.

[Michaelangelica]

In tests on mice lack of selenium increased prostrate risk.

Following is reseach article and the top 10 herbs/plants containg selenium.

 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/uoia-sdr052206.php

Public release date: 23-May-2006

Contact: Paul Francuch

[email protected]

312-996-3457

University of Illinois at Chicago

Selenium-protein deficiency raises prostate cancer risk

Selenium, an essential dietary mineral that can act as an antioxidant when incorporated into proteins, has been shown in many studies to reduce the incidence of cancers -- notably lung, colorectal and prostate.

 

"The problem is, nobody seems to know how the mechanism works, and that's not trivial," said Alan Diamond, professor of human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago and principal investigator in an ongoing multidisciplinary study set up at UIC to help answer that question.

 

"Knowing how it works allows you to maximize-out its benefits," he said.

 

Diamond and his colleagues report in the May 23 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on research findings using specially bred transgenic mice that suggest it is the level of selenium-containing proteins in the body that is instrumental in preventing cancer, and that dietary selenium plays a role in stimulating the body's level of these selenoproteins.

 

Two genetically manipulated mice were mated. One was prone to developing prostate cancer. The other had lower levels of selenoproteins. Approximately 50 offspring that carried both traits were studied to see if the reduced levels of selenoproteins accelerated cancer development. As the researchers suspected, it did.

 

"It's a hardcore link in an animal model system of selenium-containing proteins to prostate cancer and, by extrapolation, the mechanism by which selenium prevents cancer," said Diamond.

 

Further research is underway to corroborate the stimulating effect of dietary selenium in enhancing levels of protective selenoproteins. Diamond added that much work remains to be done to discover exactly how selenoproteins play their protective role, and in whom.

 

At least 25 different selenoproteins have been found in the human body. But what role each plays is not known, nor is it known if certain persons are genetically more -- or less -- receptive to the benefits of these proteins, or to a selenium supplement, Diamond said.

 

The effectiveness of selenium may be due to its effects on a single selenoprotein, or combinations of several members of this class. One selenoprotein in particular, glutathione peroxidase, is of special interest to Diamond and his associates. They plan to run new tests using new mice genetically modified to reduce levels of just this one selenoprotein.

 

"If reductions result in accelerated prostate cancer, then we have our player," he said.

 

Other UIC faculty participating in the study include Veda Diwadkar-Navsariwala, post-doctoral researcher in human nutrition; Gain Prins, professor of urology; Steven Swanson, associate professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy; Lynn Birch, research specialist in urology; Vera Ray, clinical assistant professor of pathology; Sadam Hedayat, distinguished professor of statistics; and Daniel Lantvit, research specialist in pharmaceutical

Dr. Duke's

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

 

Top Ten Plants Containing SELENIUM

Ordered by quantity

 

Species Part Quantity Reference

Bertholletia excelsa BONPL. -- Brazilnut, Brazilnut-Tree, Creamnut, Paranut Seed 497 ppm DUKE1992A

Nepeta cataria L. -- Catnip Plant 123 ppm PED 1

Silybum marianum (L.) GAERTN. -- Lady's Thistle, Milk Thistle Plant 171 ppm DUKE1992A

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. -- Acedera de Guinea (Sp.), Indian Sorrel, Jamaica Sorrel, Kharkadi, Malventee (Ger.), Red Sorrel, Rosa de Jamaica (Sp.), Rosella (Ger.), Roselle, Sereni (Sp.), Sorrel Flower 143 ppm DUKE1992A

Elytrigia repens (L.) DESV. EX NEVSKI -- Couchgrass, Doggrass, Quackgrass, Twitchgrass, Wheatgrass Plant 102 ppm DUKE1992A

Polygonum multiflorum THUNB. -- Chinese Cornbind, Chinese Knotweed, Fleeceflower, Fo Ti, He Shou Wu Root 74 ppm DUKE1992A

Agathosma betulina (P. J. BERGIUS) PILLANS -- Buchu, Honey Buchu, Mountain Buchu Leaf 70 ppm DUKE1992A

Barosma betulina (P. J. BERGIUS) BARTL. & H. L. WENDL. -- Buchu Leaf 70 ppm DUKE1992A

Cymbopogon citratus (DC. ex NEES) STAPF -- Lemongrass, West Indian Lemongrass Plant 62 ppm PED

[hallenrm]

Another herb I find very interesting goes by the name Pudina, in sanskrit. We use it often in our home to make a green chuteney (sauce). I was facing some difficulty in recalling its english equivalent, hence googled on it, and found it is called mint.

 

It belongs to the same family of herbs to which peppermint belongs.

 

I also discovered a link that gives very useful information about its medicinal properties.:shrug:

[Racoon]

Another herb I find very interesting goes by the name Pudina, in sanskrit. We use it often in our home to make a green chuteney (sauce). I was facing some difficulty in recalling its english equivalent, hence googled on it, and found it is called mint.

 

It belongs to the same family of herbs to which peppermint belongs.

 

I also discovered a link that gives very useful information about its medicinal properties.:hihi:

 

 

Cool! :lol:

Pudina..// possible mint? :confused:

 

Mint is very easy to grow.I have several varieties..

How would you describe the aroma?

How does it grow?

 

whats your opinion Hallen?

[Michaelangelica]

Even presidents have herb gardens !

 

http://presidentofindia.nic.in/herbal.html

[Michaelangelica]

Since I have radishes under cultivation, I thought to have a look at their nutritional/medicinal properties. Seems a lot of discrepency among sources e.g. some say iron is a major mineral & others have it minor. Most agree on the Vitamin C, & one attributes it with antibacterial properties. No one mentions eating the greens that I have found yet.

Here's the links I reviewed:

http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/foodalert.htm#radishes

http://www.vegez.com/shopper/fruits_veg.asp

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/NutritionCenter/Chart/R_NutrChart.jsp

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20g2.html

 

:hihi:

 

 

Dr. Duke's

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

 

Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Raphanus sativus L. (Brassicaceae) -- Radish

 

Chemicals

 

4-METHYLSULFOXIDEBUTEN-(3)-YL-CYANIDE Seed 200 ppm;

 

No activity reported.

 

BETA-HEXYLALDEHYDE Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

CAFFEIC-ACID Root 91 ppm;

 

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor 4 ug/ml (weak activity); Allergenic; Analgesic; Antiadenoviral; Antiaggregant; Antiaging; Antiatherogenic; Antibacterial; Anticancer; Anticarcinogenic; Antidepressant; Antiedemic; Antielastase IC50=86 ug/ml (475 uM) IC50=93 um/l; Antiescherichic; Antiflu; Antigonadotropic; Antihemolytic 25 uM; Antihepatoadenomic 200 ppm diet orl mus; Antihepatotoxic; Antiherpetic 50 ug/ml EC50=>50 ug/ml; Antihistaminic; AntiHIV EC50=200 ug/ml; Antihypercholesterolemic; Antihyperthyroid; Antiinflammatory; AntiLegionella; Antileukemic; Antileukotriene; Antimelanogenic; Antimutagenic; Antinitrosaminic; Antiophidic; Antioxidant 1.3 x Vit. E 1/2 BHA 1/3 quercetin 30 mM 50 uM IC57=30 ppm; Antiperoxidant IC35=200 ug/ml IC50=44 uM IC85=100 ug/ml; Antiproliferant; Antiprostaglandin; Antiradicular 1/3 quercetin 10 uM 30 mM IC50=32-35 uM; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic EC50=3.4-15 uM; Antistaphylococcic; Antistomatitic; Antisunburn; Antithiamin; Antithyroid; Antitumor 200 ppm diet orl mus; Antitumor (Skin); Antitumor-Promoter IC42=10 uM; Antiulcerogenic; Antivaccinia; Antiviral IC50=62.5 ug/ml; Anxiolytic; Calcium-Antagonist IC50=1.2 uM rbt; Cancer-Preventive; Carcinogenic 2% (diet); Chemopreventive; Cholagogue; Choleretic; Clastogenic; CNS-Active; Co-carcinogenic; Collagen-Sparing; COX-2-Inhibitor IC32=100 uM; Cytoprotective; Cytotoxic TC50=200 ug/ml; Diuretic; DNA-Active; DNA-Protective; Fungicide MIC=0.4 mg/ml; Hepatocarcinogenic 400 ppm diet orl mus (in the absence of alcohol); Hepatoprotective; Hepatotropic; Histamine-Inhibitor; Immunostimulant; Insectifuge; Leukotriene-Inhibitor; Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor IC27=5 mM IC50=62-148 uM; Lyase-Inhibitor IC50=94-164 uM; Metal-Chelator; Ornithine-Decarboxylase-Inhibitor; Pesticide; Prooxidant; Prostaglandigenic; Sedative 500 mg; Sunscreen IC50=2.5 mg/l IC91=5 mg/l IC98=25 mg/l; Tumorigenic; Vulnerary; Xanthine-Oxidase-Inhibitor IC50=39.21 uM

 

DIALLYL-SULFIDE Root:

 

Antibacterial MIC=>2,500 ug/ml; Anticancer (Colon); Anticancer (Liver); Anticancer (Stomach); Antimutagenic; Antioxidant; Antiseptic; Antistaphylococcic; Antitumor; Antitumor (Colon) >10 uM; Antitumor (Esophagus) 200 mg/kg; Antitumor (Intestine); Antitumor (Liver); Antitumor (Lung); Antitumor (Stomach); Arylamine-N-Acetyltransferase-Inhibitor >10 uM; Cancer-Preventive (Esophagus) 200 mg/kg; Cytochrome-P450-2E1-Inhibitor; FLavor FEMA 1-50; Hypocholesterolemic IC37-72=146 ug/ml; Lipolytic 12 mg/kg; Occuloirritant; Pesticide; Radioprotective; Triglycerolytic

 

FERULIC-ACID Root 16 ppm;

 

Allelopathic; Analgesic; Antiaggregant; Antiallergic; Antiarrhythmic; Antibacterial; Anticancer (Colon); Anticancer (Forestomach); Anticancer (Liver); Anticancer (Skin); Anticarcinogenic; Antidysmenorrheic; Antiestrogenic; Antihepatotoxic; Antiherpetic; Antiinflammatory; Antileukemic IC50=25-56 ug/ml; Antimitotic; Antimutagenic; Antineoplastic (Stomach); Antinitrosaminic; Antioxidant 1/2 BHA 1/3 quercetin 3,000 uM EC50=9-15 ug/ml IC51=200 ppm; Antiradicular EC50=9-15 ug/ml IC50=116-124 uM; Antiserotonin; Antispasmodic; Antithrombic; Antitumor; Antitumor (Colon); Antitumor (Forestomach); Antitumor (Liver); Antitumor (Skin); Antitumor-Promoter IC46=10 uM; Antiviral; Arteriodilator; Cancer-Preventive; Candidicide; Cardiac; Cholagogue; Choleretic; Fungicide; Hepatoprotective; Hepatotropic; Herbicide; Hydrocholerectic; Hypolipidemic; Immunostimulant; Insectifuge; Metal-Chelator; Ornithine-Decarboxylase-Inhibitor; Pesticide; Phagocytotic; Preservative; Prostaglandigenic; Prostaglandin-Synthesis-Inhibitor 0.58-3.2 mM; Sunscreen; Uterosedative 30-100 mg/kg ivn rat

 

GLUCOBRASSICIN Plant:

 

Quinone-Reductase-Inducer 100 uM

 

GLUCOCAPPARIN Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

GLUCOLEPIDIIN Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

GLUCOPUTRANJIVIN Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

GLUCORAPHANIN Root:

 

Quinone-Reductase-Inducer 1 uM

 

GLYCEROL-SINAPATE Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

INDOLEACETONITRILE Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

ISOBUTYRALDEHYDE Leaf:

 

Perfumery

 

L-SULFORAPHENE Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

METHYL-MERCAPTAN Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

N-BUTYRALDEHYDE Leaf:

 

FLavor FEMA <1-5

 

OXALIC-ACID Root 92 ppm;

 

Acaricide; Antiseptic; CNS-Paralytic; Fatal; Hemostatic; Irritant; Pesticide; Renotoxic; Varroacide

 

P-COUMARIC-ACID Root 91 ppm;

 

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor 4 ug/ml (weak activity); Allelopathic; Antibacterial; Anticlastogen; Antifertility; Antihepatotoxic; Antileukemic IC50=25-56 ug/ml; Antinitrosaminic; Antioxidant 1/3 BHA IC24=30 ppm; Antiperoxidant IC50=>100 uM; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Antitumor; Cancer-Preventive; Chemopreventive; Choleretic; Cytotoxic; Diaphoretic?; Fungicide; Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor IC11=5 mM; Pesticide; Prostaglandigenic; Prostaglandin-Synthesis-Inhibitor; Tyrosinase-Inhibitor ID50=3,650 uM

 

PHYTOSTEROLS Root 70 - 1,355 ppm

 

No activity reported.

 

PUTRESCINE Leaf:

 

No activity reported.

 

RAPHANIN Seed:

 

Antibacterial; Fungicide; Pesticide

 

RAPHANUSIN-A Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

RAPHANUSIN-B Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

RAPHANUSIN-C Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

RAPHANUSIN-D Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

S-METHYL-L-CYSTEINSULFOXIDE Root:

 

No activity reported.

 

SINAPIC-ACID Root:

 

Antibacterial; Antihepatotoxic; Antioxidant IC27=30 ppm; Antiperoxynitrite IC39=5 uM IC60=20 uM IC75=100 uM; Cancer-Preventive; Fungicide; Pesticide

 

SINIGRIN Seed:

 

Antifeedant; Cancer-Preventive; Larvicide; Mutagenic; Pesticide; Phagocytotic; Quinone-Reductase-Inducer 15 uM

 

SPERMINE Leaf:

 

Antioxidant

 

SPERMINIDINE Leaf:

 

No activity reported.

 

TRIACONTANE Seed:

 

No activity reported.

 

VIT-B-6 Root 0.7 - 14.5 ppm

 

No activity reported.

 

Ubiquitous chemicals not included in analysis

ppm = parts per million

tr = trace

 

Fri Jun 16 08:11:39 EDT 2006

 

Please send questions and comments to:

 

James A. Duke

Green Farmacy Garden

8210 Murphy Road

Fulton, MD 20759

 

 

or Mary Jo Bogenschutz (E-Mail: [email protected])

 

Dr. Duke does not recommend self diagnosis or self medication. Please see the disclaimer for more information.

[Racoon]

OAT FIBER (Avena sativa)

 

OOh, my ears perk up at "sativa" :)

 

While the grain from the Oat plant is not only nutritious, we also know it is one of the most effective ways to reduce Serum Cholesterol. :)

 

Oat Fiber is also good for gas and upset stomach, is a good source of vitamin B.

Its good for skin and hemorroids.

 

It also has a calming effect on the body.

 

Oat Fiber. eat foods rich in it.

* gradually increase the amount of Oat Bran... too much at once, and you may suffer from cramps and gas.

[CerebralEcstasy]

I've always had a keen interest in growing herbs for both seasoning my food as well as medicinal properties.

 

I found that Earl Mindel's Vitamin Bible and Herbal Bible have been a valuable resource of mine. I started reading it as a kid, when I kept craving dirt, or ice cubes. My mom had it on her shelf, and I believe I still have that copy!

 

I really enjoy herbal teas, chamomile for relaxation, peppermint for the same thing, and green tea.

 

Green Tea being my favorite, for the following reasons.

Rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG a powerful anti-oxidant: inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.

Effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

[Michaelangelica]

OAT FIBER (Avena sativa)

Its good for skin and hemorroids.

.

Very good for skin and skin problems Put a handful in the bath

It is the reason we have so many beautiful Scots:)

Gotto love those kilts

[iris]

Hi Raccoon, it seems you know a lot about herbs. Can you please shed light about the bitter melon regarding its claim on lowering blood sugar level. I am taking bitter melon tea for the moment. It's working for me but I am doing some research and many are against herbs.

 

Any info is much appreciated as i am new to this. Thanks :hyper:

[Racoon]

Hi Raccoon, it seems you know a lot about herbs. Can you please shed light about the bitter melon regarding its claim on lowering blood sugar level. I am taking bitter melon tea for the moment. It's working for me but I am doing some research and many are against herbs.

 

Any info is much appreciated as i am new to this. Thanks :)

 

Thanks for the acknowledgement :) I know only what I know :) and thats from reading good sources and Actual growing and such.. making teas and tinctures..

 

I didn't have any info on "Bitter Melon", but I looked it up for you. :D

so here is what I can add Iris. :

 

 

Natural Health, June 2006 v36 i6 p94(2)

Herbal insulin: this promising treatment for diabetes might also slow fat gain and help stave off breast cancer. (healing: herbs) Michael Castleman.

 

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications THE TASTE may be bitter, but the benefits are sweet. Bitter melon--also known as bitter cucumber, bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, or Momordica charantia--is an annual vine that grows to 6 feet in Asia, Africa, and South America. It produces an orange-yellow fruit--eaten as a vegetable--that's used in folk medicine to treat a host of conditions, including cough, colds, headache, fever, wounds, hemorrhoids, gastrointestinal disorders, tumors, and diabetes. The effects on diabetes and some cancers have been verified, albeit in preliminary research.

 

Chemical Cousins

 

All parts of bitter melon, but especially the fruit, contain compounds chemically similar to insulin. This is the hormone that allows blood sugar (glucose) to pass from the bloodstream into the cells. In diabetics, the body does not make enough insulin, or the cells become resistant to its action. Either way, sugar remains in the blood, and glucose levels rise. Treatment involves dietary changes, insulin supplementation, and/or medications that reduce blood sugar.

 

Several animal studies have found that the insulin-like compounds in bitter melon reduce blood sugar and help treat diabetes. Writing in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers at India's University of Mumbai gave an extract of bitter melon to diabetic rats. It reduced their blood sugar by 48 percent, an effect comparable to that of the widely prescribed drug glibenclamide (Glyburide, Micronase).

 

Another potential attraction of bitter melon is its impact on cholesterol, a factor in heart disease. (Type 2 diabetics are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease as non-diabetics.) In a study at Japan's University of Miyazaki, researchers fed rats bitter melon extract and documented a "marked reduction" in cholesterol.

 

Obesity raises risk for diabetes, yet bitter melon may have a preemptive use here as well. In a report published in The Journal of Nutrition, University of Hong Kong researchers placed rats on a high-fat diet with or without supplemental bitter melon extract. The animals in the plant group gained less weight and accumulated less body fat. The researchers concluded that bitter melon "strongly counteracts the [harmful] effects of a high-fat diet."

 

It also seems to increase levels of immune-boosting interferon and antioxidants like glutathione and superoxide dismutase, which may explain Japanese and Indian animal studies that have linked bitter melon to declines in cancers of the breast and stomach.

[iris]

Thanks for researching Raccoon :) . I remember reading a study just like that i just forgot where. Sometimes when I surf I just read and jump to other link forgetting to bookmark an interesting site. :) Anyway, I feel more confident with this bitter melon tea. Thanks again!

 

God bless!

[Ganoderma]

Anyone happen to have any info on the reasons behind "Withania somnifera" helping with "depresiion/anxiety" type things. i have heard mixed reports but never any reasons as to why it works. i used to grow it and found it kind of a smelly plant, never did try it though (disadvantages of having to grow indoors in pots).

[Racoon]

Anyone happen to have any info on the reasons behind "Withania somnifera" helping with "depresiion/anxiety" type things. i have heard mixed reports but never any reasons as to why it works. i used to grow it and found it kind of a smelly plant, never did try it though (disadvantages of having to grow indoors in pots).

 

Apparently, Withania somnifera, or Ashwagandha works by increasing anti-bodies and stimulating the immune system. This could translate into a sense of better well being and reduced stress.

 

With regards to your depression inquiry, it appears that Ashwaganda is an "anti-stress" adaptogen. :D towards the bottom of this post I copied info from the research article, but its a little dry.

 

HallenRM probably has more experience with this, as he's more familiar with Ayurvedic herbs. :)

 

 

Alternative Medicine Review, June 2004 v9 i2 p211(4)

 

Withania somnifera, also known as ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, and winter cherry, has been an important herb in the Ayurvedic and indigenous medical systems for over 3000 years. Historically, the plant has been used as an aphrodisiac, liver tonic, anti-inflammatory agent, astringent, and more recently to treat bronchitis, asthma, ulcers, emaciation, insomnia, and senile dementia. Clinical trials and animal research support the use of ashwaganda for anxiety, cognitive and neurological disorders, inflammation, and Parkinson's disease. Ashwaganda's chemopreventive properties make it a potentially useful adjunct for patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. Ashwaganda is also used therapeutically as an adaptogen for patients with nervous exhaustion, insomnia, and debility due to stress, and as an immune stimulant in patients with low white blood cell counts.

 

Ashwagandha is a small, woody shrub in the Solanaceae family that grows about two feet in height. It can be found growing in Africa, the Mediterranean, and India. As a result of this wide growing range, there are considerable morphological and chemotypical variations in terms of local species. However, the primary alkaloids of both the wild and the cultivated species appear to be the same. The roots are the main portion of the plant used therapeutically.

 

The major biochemical constituents of ashwaganda root are steroidal alkaloids and steroidal lactones in a class of constituents called withanolides. (1) At present, 12 alkaloids, 35 withanolides, and several sitoindosides from this plant have been isolated and studied. A sitoindoside is a withanolide containing a glucose molecule at carbon 27. Much of ashwaganda's pharmacological activity has been attributed to two main withanolides, withaferin A and withanolide D.

 

The withanolides serve as important hormone precursors that can convert into human physiologic hormones as needed. Ashwagandha is thought to be amphoteric; i.e., it can help regulate important physiologic processes. The theory is that when there is an excess of a certain hormone, the plant-based hormone precursor occupies cell membrane receptor sites so the actual hormone cannot attach and exert its effect. If the hormone level is low, the plant-based hormone exerts a small effect. Ashwagandha is also considered to be an adaptogen, facilitating the ability to withstand stressors, and has antioxidant properties as well. Other studies have shown ashwaganda to have an immunostimulatory effect.

 

Anxiety and Depression

 

In an animal study assessing the anxiolytic and antidepressive actions of ashwagandha compared to commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals, an extract of the root was administered orally to rats once daily for five days. The results were compared to a group administered the benzodiazepine lorazepam for anxiolytic activity, and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine for antidepressant investigation. Both the ashwagandha group and the lorazepam group demonstrated reduced brain levels of a marker of clinical anxiety. Ashwagandha also exhibited an antidepressant effect comparable to that induced by imipramine in the forced swim-induced "behavioral despair" and "learned helplessness" tests. (11) Other similar studies confirm these results, lending support to the use of ashwagandha as an antistress adaptogen.

[Queso]

Raccoon, do you know anything about Dagaa?

 

Is it an herb?

 

I tried http://www.erowid.org but nothing came up . .

[Racoon]

Raccoon, do you know anything about Dagaa?

 

Is it an herb?

 

I tried http://www.erowid.org but nothing came up . .

 

Thats because it might not have been spelled right ;) (... poked around some)

could you mean Dagga, and its another word for Hashish. :D

I can imagine that is what you heard or meant...:lol:

 

Here is some of this very recent article:

 

 

The Economist (US), July 15, 2006 v380 i8486 p46US

Making a hash of it; Morocco. (Morocco's drug policy)

 

Why it is hard to stop Moroccans growing a lucrative crop

 

ONCE you leave the tarmac road, the hillside hamlet of Mechkralla can be reached only after an arduous three-hour trek up a mule track, itself partly paid for by the European Union to encourage tourism in Morocco's northern mountain range, the Rif. Almost as soon as the main roads and towns are out of sight, the wild, rocky landscape turns into a patchwork of verdant cannabis fields interspersed with golden wheat and hot-pink oleander bushes. Along the way, women with bright striped sashes and straw hats are harvesting the tall seven-leafed plants.

 

The Rif has hundreds of villages like Mechkralla, virtually all surviving on the growth of this illegal crop whose resin, extracted from cannabis pollen, is turned into hashish. According to the United Nations, the region exports 1,000 tonnes a year, providing 80% of European hash-smokers' needs, and nearly one-third of the world's.

 

Hamed, a blissful-looking farmer who smokes the dried buds in the traditional way, mixing them with coarse tobacco in a long reed pipe, sells a kilo of hash for 3,000 dirhams ($348). By the time it reaches Paris or London, its value may multiply by ten. If Hamed grew wheat instead, his modest income would fall several times over.

[Ganoderma]

are you sure he does not mean Leonotis leonurus? also refered to as Dagga. a very pretty flower...and apperantly somwhat marijuana like, although i did not find that so.