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I am interested in plants that may be anti-viral.

We don't seem to have many conventional ant-virals in our medical armory.

With Bird flu on the horizon we might need them one day.

or

If you think you may have Borna or an Obesity Virus (see Depression & Obesity threads) These might be worth trying.

I'll list them as I come across them

http://www.newstarget.com/020091.html

Indian Consumption Plant (Lomatium Dissectum) a powerful antiviral medicine synthesized by nature

Posted Tuesday, August 22, 2006 by NewsTarget, Key concepts: medicinal herbs, antivirals and Lomatium.

Printable article Permalink: http://www.NewsTarget.com/020091.html

 

A powerful antiviral plant used by Native Americans to survive the 1918 influenza epidemic may prove to be a strong modern-day cold and flu remedy, according to a report from the University of California.

 

The root -- called Lomatium Dissectum, Biscuit Root or Indian Consumption Plant -- was eaten by the Washoe Indians to battle viral illnesses such as influenza. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, not a single Washoe tribe member died from influenza or its complications.

However, other tribes living in Nevada in areas where the plant did not grow experienced a number of deaths, according to Dr. Ernst T. Krebs, a Nevada physician writing in the Bulletin of the Nevada State Board of Health.

 

The plant, a member of the parsley family, is wildcrafted, and grows in dry, sandy climates. Krebs says it acts as a bronchial, intestinal and urinary antiseptic, and is also a diaphoretic (causes perspiration) and diuretic.

It is usually prepared by cutting up the root and boiling it in water, then skimming off the top and consuming large doses of the broth to treat cold, flu and even pneumonia.

 

"As the human population faces the near-certain risk of future infectious disease pandemics, plants like Lomatium may prove themselves as lifesavers for those consumers wise enough to acknowledge that nature, not man, creates the best medicine," said Mike Adams, author of How to Beat the Bird Flu.

 

Currently the Lomatium plant is listed as "at risk" by United Plant Savers.

An endangered plant. Bugger. Not a good one to start with.

Does anyone know where to buy seeds or how it grows?

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Syzigium claviflorum

probably realted to cloves.

Does anyone from Taiwan know what it looks like or how it grows?

(has been used in Taiwan to treat diarrhea and halt bleeding)

 

Betulinic acid, a triterpenoid isolated from the methyl alcohol extract of the leaves of Syzigium claviflorum, was found to have a potent inhibitory activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).

http://aac.asm.org/cgi/content/full/45/4/1225

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sometimes the organic processes are so complex and not understood well enough to re-produce in the lab. Theres a challenge for you MB as a chemist, to be able to recreate any chemical in the lab

 

Yes, but it is extremely easy to make something like Betulinic acid (that Michaelangelica mentioned earlier). It can also be found in some birch trees!

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From: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy-scroll3.pl

 

I dont really understand any of the below, but it is probably pretty interesting to people who do...

 

______________________________________________________

Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Syzgium claviflorum ()

 

Chemicals

 

BETULINIC-ACID Leaf: JAD

 

Anthelmintic X11315752 ; Antibacterial X10630117 ; Anticancer JBH ; Anticarcinomic JBH ; Antiedemic X7701004 ; AntiHIV 14.8 uM EC50=2.0 ug/ml JNP61:1090 IC50=6.5 ug/ml; Antiinflammatory PM61:9 ; Antileukemic X9353895 ; Antimalarial IC50=19-26 ug/ml PR13:115 ; Antimelanomic NYT3/28/95 ; Antinociceptive; Antiplasmodial PR13:115 ; Antitumor JBH ; Antiviral 14.8 uM; Apoptotic; Cytotoxic 16.4 uM JNP66:263 50-100 ppm BPCC ; Phospholipase-A2-Inhibitor X11684183 ; Prostaglandin-Synthesis-Inhibitor 200 ug/ml PC48:495 IC50=101 uM YHH30:621

 

_______________________________________________________

 

BETULINIC-ACID

Biological Activities

 

Anthelmintic Reference: X11315752

AntiHIV Dosage: IC50=6.5 ug/ml; Reference: JNP61:1090 JNP57:243 Dosage: EC50=2.0 ug/ml; Reference: JNP61:1090 Dosage: 14.8 uM; Reference: JNP66:263 JNP57:243

Antibacterial Reference: X10630117

Anticancer Reference: JBH

Anticarcinomic Reference: JBH

Antiedemic Reference: X7701004

Antiinflammatory Reference: PM61:9

Antileukemic Reference: X9353895

Antimalarial Dosage: IC50=19-26 ug/ml; Reference: PR13:115

Antimelanomic Reference: NYT3/28/95

Antinociceptive Reference: 1; X103991940

Antiplasmodial Dosage: IC50=19-26 ug/ml; Reference: PR13:115

Antitumor Reference: JBH

Antiviral Dosage: 14.8 uM; Reference: JNP66:263 JNP57:243

Apoptotic Reference: X11107130 X7489361

Cytotoxic Dosage: 50-100 ppm; Reference: BPCC Dosage: 16.4 uM; Reference: JNP66:263

Phospholipase-A2-Inhibitor Reference: X11684183

Prostaglandin-Synthesis-Inhibitor Dosage: 200 ug/ml; Reference: PC48:495 Dosage: IC50=101 uM; Reference: YHH30:621

 

Plant species with highest amount

 

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. -- Asparagus Pea, Goa Bean, Winged Bean; 53,000 ppm in Root JAD;

Diospyros perigrina; 25,000 - 30,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Solanum aviculare; 30,000 ppm in Tissue Culture JAD;

Wormia burbidgei; 24,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Arbutus menziesii PURSH.; 20,000 ppm in Plant JAD; 20,000 ppm in Plant PHYT13:2002;

Cornus florida L. -- American Dogwood; 20,000 ppm in Bark JAD; 20,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002;

Lemaireocereus griseus; 20,000 ppm in Plant PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Ternstromia merriliana JACK.; 20,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Dillenia indica L.; 19,000 ppm in Pericarp JAD;

Eurya acuminata DC; 18,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Platanus accrifolia WILLD.; 18,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002;

Platanus acerifolia; 18,000 ppm in Bark JAD;

Platanus occidentalis L.; 17,500 ppm in Bark JAD;

Platanus orientalis L.; 17,500 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002;

Nuytsia floribunda R.BR.; 17,000 ppm in Shoot PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Dillenia retusa THUNB.; 16,000 ppm in Fruit JAD;

Wormia triquetra ROTTB.; 16,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Diospyros montana; 15,300 ppm in Bark JAD;

Tetracera scandens; 13,500 ppm in Leaf JAD;

Dillenia indica L.; 13,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Tetracera sarmentosa; 12,300 ppm in Leaf JAD;

Spondianthus preussii; 12,000 ppm in Stem Bark JAD;

Syncarpia glomulifera; 12,000 ppm in Bark JAD;

Syncarpia laurifolia TENORE; 12,000 ppm in Bark PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Tetracera akara; 10,500 ppm in Leaf JAD;

Tectona grandis L.F -- Teak; 10,000 ppm in Wood PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Wormia triquetra ROTTB.; 10,000 ppm in Fruit PHYT13:2002 JAD;

Zizyphus jujuba MILL. -- Da-Zao, Jujube, Ta-Tsao; 10,000 ppm in Bark JAD;

Dillenia pentagyna; 9,800 ppm in Leaf JAD;

Alphitonia excelsa; 8,700 ppm in Leaf JAD;

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Chemicals with Antihiv Activity

 

(+)-CATECHIN EC50=4 ug/ml

AJOENE

ALPHITOLIC-ACID EC50=20 ug/ml IC50=4 ug/ml

AMENTOFLAVONE IC50=119 ug/ml IC97=200 ug/ml

APIGENIN IC50=143 ug/ml IC72=200 ug/ml

ARCTIGENIN IC65=0.27 uM IC85=0.5 uM

BAICALEIN

BAICALIN

BAICALIN-A

BETULIN 6.1 uM

BETULINIC-ACID 14.8 uM EC50=2.0 ug/ml IC50=6.5 ug/ml

CAFFEIC-ACID EC50=200 ug/ml

CARNOSOL

CARNOSOLIC-ACID IC90=0.32 ug/ml

CASTANOSPERMINE

CHICORIC-ACID

CHLOROGENIC-ACID

CHRYSIN

CICHORIC-ACID

COLCHICINE EC50=0.01 uM

CURCUMIN IC50=40 uM

DIALLYL-DISULFIDE

ELLAGIC-ACID IC90=200 ug/ml

ELLAGITANNIN

EPICATECHIN EC50=2 ug/ml

FULVOPLUMIERIN IC50=45 ug/ml

GALLIC-ACID

GERANIIN

GLYCYRRHISOFLAVONE

GLYCYRRHIZIN 0.6 mM

GOSSYPOL 100 uM

HINOKIFLAVONE IC50=62 ug/ml IC90=200 ug/ml

ISOLICOFLAVONOL 20 ug/ml

KAEMPFEROL-3-O-GLUCOSIDE

LICOCHALCONE-A 20 ug/ml

LIGNIN

LUTEOLIN

MASLINIC-ACID IC100=18 ug/ml

METHANOL EC50=<20 ug/ml

MYRICETIN

NARINGENIN IC35=200 ug/ml

OLEANOLIC-ACID EC50=1.7 ug/ml IC50=21.8 ug/ml

PAPAVERINE 10 ug/ml 900 mg/man/day/orl

POLYPHENOLS

POMOLIC-ACID EC50=1.4 ug/ml IC50=23.3 ug/ml

PROCYANIDIN

PROCYANIDINS

PUNICALAGIN

QUERCETAGETIN

QUERCETIN

ROSMARINIC-ACID EC50=40 ug/ml

TANNIC-ACID IC90=200 ug/ml

TANNIN

TILIROSIDE

TRACHELOGENIN IC65=0.52 uM

URSOLIC-ACID 6.7 uM EC50=2.0 ug/ml IC50=6.5 ug/ml IC85=18 ug/ml

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Why don't we just determine what the key chemicals are and produce them artificially...

that sounds more economic than harvesting rare plants. :lol:

]

Good idea. But no chemical company can patent a naturally occuring chemical so the incentive $ for research is not there.

This is the case with most herbal remedies.

 

There is one company on the stockmarket looking into ethnobotanical remedies.

You might like to look them up or buy shares. It is Shaman Pharmaceuticals of the USA

 

They can patent "processes"

That is what, I think, this wordy document is about

http://www.pharmcast.com/Patents100/Yr2006/May2006/051606/7045159_Antiviral051606.htm

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Elderberry has long been used in my family for colds. usually a tea made from the flowers.Quite pleasant

I have made Elderberry Champagne (supposedly non-alcoholic) which is simplicity to make and if you get it right as good as its French namesake ( By the by it is still legal to use the word Champagne in England when referring to Elderberry Champagne. No wonder the French and English hate each other!)

A friend used to make Elderberry Wine from the berries. Very tasty, like a fruity port Very alcoholic. (The only time I have really seen double after drinking. I could't find her doorway, or which doorway, to go home.)

We only seem to see the Canadian Elderberry in this country. It is more like a big bush with -3+M long canes coming from the base.

 

I don't think I have ever seen the real Elderberry tree.

 

This is from a review of Anti Viral Plants.

I did find an interesting List of anti- virals but seem to have lost it.

Probably best to look at one at a time anyway

 

 

From (More plants here too..)

http://www.intmedpress.com/Journal%20Management/display.cfm?viewinfo=3F74516309504A2F1B441B00401A641526542A285845171F074401400D31545E1A0C11464F275232551A155E1602110648545E07104209330C52

Sambucus nigra L

Extracts of various parts of Sambucus spp. have their

place in folk medicine and contain potential antivirals

such as flavonoids, triterpenes, tannins and phenolic

acids [22].

In vitro testing of a standardized preparation based

on the berries of the black elder indicated antiinfluenza

virus properties and led to its use in a double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT during an influenza B epidemic [24].

The study group consisted of 40 individuals and most showed serological

evidence of influenza B infection. Children received two and adults four tablespoons per day of either standardized elderberry syrup (Sambucol) or placebo.

In the treated group, higher mean antibody titres in convalescent-phase sera indicated an enhanced immune response to the virus, though this did not

reach the level of significance. There was, however,

significantly faster recovery in the treated group.

 

Similar positive results have recently been obtained from a further RCT, details of which have been extracted from an abstract [25].

Sixty patients suffering from flu-like symptoms for less than 48 hwere treated with 15 ml elderberry syrup or placebo four times per day for 5 days.

Patients recorded and scored symptoms four times per day during treatment and twice per day for 9 days thereafter. In the elderberry-treated group symptoms disappeared an average of 4 days earlier than in the placebo group (P<0.001).

A therapeutic effect on flu-like symptoms was also

indicated by significantly less use of rescue medication

in the elderberry-treated group.

 

--

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When I was very ill last year with infectious mononucleosis (glandular fever) I was told to have fresh oregano tea, it was very pleasent tasting and soothes a sore throat very well. As for clearing up the virus :lol: I cant say it did it all on its own, because I was on a very wide variety of things that probably all contributed their part to me getting better much faster than anticipated. :D

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When I was very ill last year with infectious mononucleosis (glandular fever) I was told to have fresh oregano tea, it was very pleasent tasting and soothes a sore throat very well. As for clearing up the virus :lol: I cant say it did it all on its own, because I was on a very wide variety of things that probably all contributed their part to me getting better much faster than anticipated. :D

Oregano essential oil like many herb oils is anti-viral if you spray it on the virus. I find atea of Greek Oregano is great for sore throats.

There are dozens of different types of Oregano. The Herb society of America (California SF?) has a huge collection. Some are very pretty. I always wanted to see or buy one rare one called 'DIttany of Crete'(http://www.herbnet.com/DITTANY%20OF%20CRETE.pdf#search=%22DIttany%20of%20Crete%22)

Mostly nurseries here sell crap they get from seed with very little flavour.

I have just discovered the true "Greek Oregano' growing in a Greek lady's garden next to where my daughter lives. She has strict instructions to acquire a plant!

This is a good article on oregano varieties.

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:peNZrelRnKYJ:www.specialtygrowers.org/releases/Oregano%2520ISGA.doc+oregano+anti+viral

(Jim Duke's comments on herbs are always backed up with lots of research, if not experience)

Jim Duke says that oregano leads the way among the mints with an abundance of life-saving antioxidants. In addition, it contains 5 anti-arthritic compounds. Oregano packs a whopping 19 chemicals with antibacterial action, making it a top antiseptic, both internally and externally. In addition to the obvious disease fighting capability of this last group, soaking in oregano baths can help prevent the development of body odor. Although not often used as an expectorant, this herb contains at least 6 compounds which have this effect on humans. There are an additional 7 chemicals that are effective in lowering high blood pressure, which are contained in this surprisingly useful medicinal herb. Finally, it is suggested that high anti-oxidant intake can help maintain the immune function of HIV-positive patients. Dr. Duke says that, among the 60 or more herbs he's studied for anti-oxidant activity, Common Oregano and Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) have the most. (2,6)
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One of the most common we used was echinacea for colds and flu etc.

 

I know its not a plant, but i feel it needs to be mentioned. Ganoderma sp. Especially lucidum. This is one amazing muchroom that has shown GREAT promise. Here are a couple abstracts. i highly suggest signing up on "MushWorld". Free and really good info. http://mushworld.com/sub_en.html

 

there is a lot more, but here is a sample.

 

_________________________________________________________

Activation of normal and tumor-bearing mouse macrophages by active polysaccharide GLIS from Ganoderma lucidum

Writer: TANG Qing-jiu / Date :2004-10-14 / hits: 216

 

TANG Qing-jiu 1,2, ZHANG Jing-song1,2, PAN Ying-jie1, Werner Reutter2and FAN Hua2

1Edible Fungi Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China£»

2Institut fur Molekularbiologie und Biochemie, Freie Universita Berlin, Germany

 

To investigate the activation of normal and tumor-bearing mouse macrophages by the active polysaccharides (GLIS) from Ganoderma lucidum. The mouse macrophages cultured in vitro were stimulated in presence of GLIS, contents of cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α and NO production in the culture supernatants were detected. The percentage of phagocytosis of latex beads by mouse macrophages was counted under microscope, the cytotoxicity of macrophages to tumor cells was also studied, and the composition of GLIS to the activity was investigated. The results showed that GLIS-activated mouse macrophages could secrete the cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α and produce a great deal of NO. The percentage of phagocytosis of mouse macrophages was also significantly increased in the presence of GLIS and it triggered macrophage activation for tumor cytotoxicity. The investigation showed that GLIS could activate markedly the normal and tumor mouse macrophages.

 

 

Introduction

Ganoderma lucidum is called "Lingzhi" in China. It is a basidiomycete, lamellaless fungus belonging to the family of polyporaceae. This medicinal mushroom has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases in China for more than thousand years. There are many studies to date on the biological and medicinal functions of the extracts or the components of Ganoderma lucidum. Of particular significance among these functions is its immuno-modulating activities, but the active components and the mechanisms have not been clearly defined.

Our previous studies have reported that GLIS---a bioactive fraction was isolated from the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum using successive chromatographic steps. It is a proteoglycan and has a carbohydrate:protein ratio of 11.5:1. It was found that GLIS stimulated the proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocytes, resulting in a three to four fold increase in the percentage of B cells. The B cells were enlarged, expressed CD71 and CD25 on the cell surface and showed an increase in the secretion of immunoglobulin. Lymphocytes also showed a slightly increased production of IL-2, whereas the secretion of IL-4 was not influenced by GLIS (Zhang et al., 2002) .

The paper is to investigate the immunostimulation capacities of GLIS from on macrophages. The chemical characterization of GLIS will be further analyzed.

___________________________________________________

 

Hepato-Protective Triterpenoids from Ganoderma tsugae Murrill

Writer: C.H.Su / Date :2004-09-13 / hits: 183

All rights of this paper are reserved to the WSMBMP. The official homepage of the WSMBMP also provides this paper in PDF file.

 

1C.H.Su, 2M.N. Lai and 1M.H. Chan

1Institute for Chinese Medicine Medicine Research, Taipei Medical College, Taipei, China.

2National Chiayii Institute of Agriculture, Chiayii, China.

 

1. INTRODICTION

 

The traditional Chinese herb, Lin-Chi, played an important role in folk legends as a cure for many unspecified illnesses. However, there was no direct evidence to support this role until, in the past decade, over a hundred novel, highly oxygenated, lanosta-type triterpenoids were isolated from basidiocarps or mycelial mats of Ganoderma lucidum, and their chemical structure determined. These compounds were mainly ganoderic acids (Hirotani et al., 1988; Kahda et al., 1985), ganodermic acids(Lin & Shiao, 1988; Shiao & Lin, 1989), ganoderenic acids (Nishitoba et al., 1987a; Komoda et al., 1985), lucidenic acids, lucidone (Hirotani et al., 1986), ganoderal (Morigiwa et al., 1986) and ganoderols (Nishitoba et al., 1987a). These findings have led us to consider that the abundant triterpenoids might explain the multiple effects of this fungus. However, the physiological activity of these newly isolated triterpenoids remained unclear and less than 20 of these compounds were reported to be physiologically active (Kohda et al., 1985; Morigiwa et al., 1986).

Therefore, it is becoming important to elucidate the triterpenoid pattern and content of each species in the genus Ganoderma. G. tsugae was used in the present study because it is one of the most widely cultivated species in Taiwan. Morphologically, it resembles G. lucidum (Adaskaveg & Gilbertson, 1986) and crude extracts exhibited pronounced hepato-protective activity in our preliminary screening (Su, 1991).

In the present report, four major compounds were isolated from basidiocarps of G. tsugae and they were determined as lucidone A(I), lucidenol(II), ganoderic acid B(III) and ganoderic acid C2(IV). Three of the four isolated compounds were previou´Ï reported in G. lucidum and compound II was a newly isolated triterpenoid. An in vivo bioassay was designed to evaluate the hepato-protective activity of each sample.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

Geng-Tao Liu

Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100050, China.

 

1. INTRODICTION

 

Ganoderma is a medicinal fungus and has been treasured for this value in China for more than two thousand years. This fungus was described as a nontoxic medicine which was beneficial to viscera and could improve intelligence by enhancing memory, hearing, vision and smelling. If taken regularly for long periods, its would also retard aging and prolong life span (Li, 1978). In Chinese folk culture, Ganoderma has been regarded as a panacea, curing all kinds of diseases. Regardless of its medicinal value, wild Ganoderma were few and very expensive. We have succeeded in the mass cultivation of Ganoderma using solid-state-fermentation and submerged fermentation technologies. In practice, only the fruitbodies of G. lucidum and G. japonicum are used as a medicine, and the spores are discarded. Therefore, we carried out some pharmacological studies on the effects of the spore extracts of G. lucidum and mycelial extracts of G. capense on various diseases. Some promising results were obtained. This paper mainly reviews the results of our studies on the pharmacology and clinical uses of crude Ganoderma preparations.

 

__________________________________________________

 

ABSTRACT:

 

To examine components of Ganoderma lucidum for anti-HIV activity, the aqueous and methanol extracts of its basidiocarps were respectively separated into the two and eight fractions. These fractions were used in XTT antiviral assay which showed cytophathic effects of HIV-1 on human T lymphoblastiod cells. Virus multiplications were also assayed by measuring its reverse transcriptase (RT) activity cells in the supernatant of Jurkat T lymphocytes that were infected with HIV-1 in the presence of each fractions. The results showed that the low-molecular-weight fraction of the aqueous extract strongly inhibited virus multiplication. The total methanol extract (A) showed a strong antiviral activity. Its hexane (:D, ethyl acetate ©, neutral (E), and basic (G) fractions showed excellent antiviral activities. The results of the RT assay showed that the C and G fractions had significant antiviral activity. These results were in agreement with those of the XTT assay. These data indicate that the basidiocarps of G. lucidum had several components responsible for the inhibition of HIV multiplication.

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There is a lot of hype around the Health -Food stores at the moment about Virgin Coconut Oil being anti-viral.

In particular against the virus that causes obesity.

(see Why are we getting fat Thread).

I havent seen any good clinical studies from people who don't sell it.

Has anyone?

Research shows virgin coconut oil has medicinal properties

By Arman Gunsika

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah is making its name in the cooking oil industry by producing 'virgin coconut oil' which is said to contain properties that can keep diseases at bay.

 

The new discovery was revealed by a joint venture company, KPS Sdn Bhd, which also included the Institute for Development Studies (IDS).

 

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussein said the new finding had exclusively used local expertise and materials found in Sabah. The oil was also produced not through the cooking process like the ones used in chemical mixes.

 

Datuk Yahya, who is also Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs said this when opening a seminar on Community Involvement in Sustainable Bio-resource and Bio-technology Utilisation here.

 

He said virgin coconut oil contains ingredients that can destroy several types of diseases caused by virus and bacteria. At the same time, the oil extract from the tropical fruit could also help reduce weight, lower high blood pressure and is also useful in producing cosmetics.

http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/thu/sep7b3.htm

Borneo Bulletin - borneo,Brunei Darussalam

. ...

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Well... I just found an article that I posted in the Medical Science News forum.

Apparently cranberries contain antibiotic tannins...

I know that this is not really an "anti-viral" plant, but you could call it an "antibiotic" plant. Interesting all the same, in my opinion.

 

>>>HERE<<<

A doctor friend always prescribes cranberry juice for urinary tract and kidney infections.

 

Re Ecinacea

There is some argument about this among herbalists ( I am sure you can pick it up with google or google scholar). It certainaly helps the body fight off infection so you could call it anti- viral. It is the way it does this that is the bone of contention.

It is said that it stimulates the body's own immune system to fight of infection. Some threfore say that it should not be used where the body's immune system is already attacking itself such as in auto-immune diseases such as arthritis and SLE. Some even say it should not be given to AIDs patients.

Most herbalists say to take it only for a few months in winter to ward off colds and flu. (ie Don't take it all the time)

It is easy to grow and tincture (It is a garden ornamental- a USA native wildflower called Black Eyed Susan the one used herbally is mainly Ecinacea purperea although others (maybe all?) work too). The leaves of the good medicinal plants are supossed to 'tingle' on your tounge when eaten.

I grow it in a largish pot; when it dies down in winter, I wash the potting mix off the roots, chop them up and infuse them in a bottle or two of brandy (depending on how much root I have). I then take a little shot of this every day though winter.

I was the only one in my family not to have flu this winter. I recon the amount of tincture I made would cost about $400.00 if I bought it. It cost me about$30 to make my own that includes buying a plant.

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http://www.mountainpridemedia.org/oitm/issues/2006/09sep2006/fea04_astragalus.htm

Astragalus from Ancient China

Or In Your Backyard

Monogram of a Helpful Herb

 

by Renee Lang, ND

 

A note to readers: Astragalus has reportedly been used for 4,000 years in China, where by at least one account, people keep the herb in water containers for the continual tonic effect. Dr. Lang offers the following monograph or description of this herb, also used in North America, where related varieties are known as milk vetch.

 

Astragalus, Huang chi root (Astragalus membranaceous)

 

Family: Pea Family

 

Part used medicinally: Root

 

Taste: Very bitter

 

General Info: Astragalus, native to China, can now be found in multiple countries around the globe. While over 2000 species of Astragalus exist, only 16 can be grown in the United States. Astragalus, used medicinally in China for thousands of years, strengthens weakened individuals on multiple levels.

 

Therapeutic Actions: Astragalus enhances immune system function by increasing white blood cells. It nourishes the adrenals, and balances digestive and heart functions. Astragalus also protects the liver from the damaging effects of toxic agents. In short, Astragalus plays a vital role in establishing health in debilitated and weakened individuals.

 

Immune system effects: enhancer, restorative, stimulator, and modulator. Anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Adaptogensystem rebalancer and adrenal supportive. Heart protective and hypotensive (decreases blood pressure). Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant.

 

Research Supporting the Use of Astragalus: Multiple research studies on the benefits and uses of Astragalus exist. Conditions studied range from hepatitis, cancer, heart disease, fatigue, and immune function.

PHOTO

http://www.ajc.com/health/altmed/shared/health/alt_medicine/ConsHerbs/Astragalusch.html

 

http://www.rmrp.com/Photo%20Pages/AA/Astragalus%20spathulatus%20100DPI.htm

 

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2006/07/astragalus_racemosus.php

With respect to number of species, the genus Astragalus is huge. In fact, it is the largest genus of vascular plants, with over two thousand five hundred species.

Even though North America contains over five hundred species, it is not the centre of diversity for the genus – that title belongs to southern Asia.

This cream milkvetch is representative of many of the plants in the genus: adapted to live in an arid or semi-arid climate.

Anyone know which one is the most medicinal?

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