Milk Thistle

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is described as an annual, winter annual, and biennial herb that belongs to the Asteraceae family. The main stem of the milk thistle is stout and ridged. The branches spread out, giving the plant an overall size of two to six feet tall. The most distinguishing characteristic of this plant is the white patches, or marbling found on the veins in sharp contrast the dark green background of the leaf blade.

The milk thistle has deeply lobed, broad leaves about 20 inches long and 10 inches wide. The leaf margins are yellow and tipped with woody spines. Each stem of the plant ends with a solitary flower, about two inches in diameter, with purple petals.

Milk thistle is considered detrimental to rangeland or pastures. This is because the plant is considered toxic to livestock with its high concentrations of accumulated nitrate. However, despite today’s concern for its apparent toxicity, one cannot displace the fact that as early as 23-79 A.D., the milk thistle was considered a medicinal plant.

Health Benefits

For thousands of years, the milk thistle plant has been used in Europe for purifying and protecting the liver. The early Christians dedicated the milk thistle to Mary, calling it Marian thistle. Science later on adopted this concept by bestowing upon it the name, Silybum marianus.

In the 19th century, the milk thistle acquired a reputation for curing varicose veins. Eclectics, physicians who used traditional means to treat diseases, used extracts from the plant to relieve varicose veins, menstrual difficulty, and congestion in the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Herbalists also attributed properties of this plant as a stimulant. They used it to increase breast-milk production and secretion of bile.

One interesting concept in traditional medicine during these times was the association of bile and other bodily fluids with different personality types. Since milk thistle is linked with bile secretion, herbalists believed that the plant could be used to treat depression, which was, according to them, a disorder associated with “black bile.”

Today, the milk thistle is no longer seen as a remedy for depression or melancholy. This is partly because people no longer associate bile with moods and science has established this claim to be hollow. However, hundreds of medical studies have been able to substantiate the fact that the milk thistle indeed has properties that could protect and heal the liver.

As a cure for liver problems, milk thistle is believed to be a “cleanser.” About 95% of substances that we take into our body pass through the liver first before they are excreted through the intestinal passages. For this reason, the liver is the last stop for everything, including nutrients and waste products. By helping the liver get rid of the waste products, milk thistle aids in keeping the organ healthy and protecting it from bodily harm.

Milk thistle helps maintain the levels of glutathione in the liver. Glutathione is an amino acid-like compound that plays a critical role in neutralizing toxins. Scientific studies have consistently shown that milk thistle can help prevent the reduction of glutathione levels and sometimes even increase them by as much as 35%.

Buying Information

When considering milk thistle products, do not go for teas. Milk thistle as a tea is not effective and won’t improve any medical condition. This is because teas made from this herb contain only small amounts of silymarin, which dissolves poorly in water. Likewise, milk thistle leaves have no therapeutic value so avoid products containing this part of the herb.

Myrtle

Myrtle is characterized by evergreen leaves that contain aromatic volatile oils. Many varieties of myrtle produce showy blossoms, gums, and resins. The tree produces black berries which, along with the leaves, are used mostly for aromatherapy.

Health Benefits

The use of myrtle can be traced back to the time of the ancient Greeks. It was said that athletes wore evergreen wreaths of myrtle leaves around their crowns during the Olympics. Believing that it was a symbol of immortality, they also used it in many love potions and treatments for different ailments.

During the time of the Romans, myrtle was used to treat respiratory and urinary problems. The Egyptians used it for nervous afflictions. In France, the women drank tea made from crushed myrtle leaves to preserve the youthfulness of their appearance and their overall vigor. And at one time in history, there were even some talks of the myrtle tree as a cure for cancer, but little evidence was found concerning this.

Traditionally, myrtle was used to treat coughs and various types of respiratory infections, such as bronchitis. Because of its astringent properties, it has also gained a reputation for promoting good digestion, treating urinary tract disorders, and prevention infections in wounds. According to modern laboratory studies, the herb contains substances that are anti-inflammatory, making it a good astringent compound. This likely explains the plant’s enduring use for wounds and coughs.

Aside from healing wounds, myrtle is said to be anti-infective and is a good tonic for speeding up the healing process. In the Middle East, it has long been viewed by traditional healers as a useful herb for diabetes. The 1980s saw scientists placing the myrtle herb under the microscope in an attempt to identify the active ingredients that lends it its various medicinal properties.

Results of one study indicated that extract from the herb can lower down blood sugar in mice. This explains the association linking myrtle with diabetes. However, there is still no clear proof that the herb is safe to use and effective for people who have the disease.

Guidelines for Use

Myrtle extract is made from plant’s leaves and seeds. Most tests have shown positive effects if the plant extract is taken orally and in liquid form. A typical dose is usually around 1 to 2 ml of the essential oil daily. Make sure that you ask your doctor first before taking it.

Topical formulations are also in practice although not common. Again, be sure to use this plant only under your doctor’s supervision.

There are two varieties of myrtle. Take care that you do not confuse the two. Myrtus communis, the “true” myrtle, is the plant mentioned here. The other variety, called “Madagascar” myrtle (Eugenia jambolana) is a completely different plant and has entirely different effects on the body.

Myrtle is known to work well with other herbs and nutritional supplements. However, avoid using it if you’re taking insulin or oral sulfonylureas. The herb may boost the blood glucose, lowering the effect of these medications.

Marshmallow

Marshmallow – that white floating thing in a cup of steaming cocoa. Aside from being little more than just glorified fluffy sweets, we only know marshmallows from barbecue nights when we skewer these fluffs with a sharp stick and roast them over a campfire. Knowing this, it is therefore hard to believe that the marshmallow is anything but an ordinary sugary confection.

According to ancient history, the marshmallow actually has created for itself a niche in traditional medicine. This sweet actually got its name from a plant – the marshmallow. The marshmallow plant was used by early 19th century scholars who extracted juice from its roots and used it for sore throats.

The Plant

The marshmallow plant is so named because of its habit of growing in swampy, moist areas, known as marshes. The marshmallow belongs to the genus Hibiscus, the same group of ornamental plants common in Florida.

The marsh mallow produces showy white, pink-and-white, or pink flowers. The sweets we call marshmallows today are actually based on the size of these flowers, hence, the name. The botanical name of the “true” marshmallow plant is Althaea officinalis. It is native to Europe and brought to American as a medicinal plant.

Health Benefits

In Europe, where it is said to originate from, the marshmallow has been used as food and medicine. The practice of using marshmallow as an herbal medicine dates back to the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Traditional herbalists of today still continue to regard marshmallow as a medicine with anti-inflammatory properties. It was also used as treatment for respiratory tract problems, skin problems, and gastrointestinal tract disorders. Sweet confections were made by extracting the juice from the roots and mixing it with egg white and sugar, forming a sort of meringue. When this substance hardens, the physicians during the early times gave it to children as hard candy used to treat sore throats.

Rudolf Weiss, the esteemed German physician and herbal authority recommended the marshmallow to counter irritations in the mouth and throat. The herb was also used to treat dry, irritating coughs. Moreover, Weiss believed that topical application of the herb on the skin can help cure mild cases of eczema.

Like most mallows, the marshmallow has leaves and flowers that are rich in mucilage. This substance is made of complex carbohydrates which lends the herb its soothing properties. The marshmallow is also rich in flavonoids and anthocyanidins. These substances help boost the action of anti-bodies in fighting off disease causing germs.

Classified as a demulcent in herbal medicine, the plant acts as a soothing agent that can reverse the effects of irritation and reduce inflammations. The marshmallow proves such an excellent soothing agent for respiratory ailments that the German Commission E approved the use of its leaves and flowers as relief for sore throats and dry coughs. For these indications, the marshmallow is used as a tea by making the leaves and flowers undergo the process of oxidization. Moreover, extract taken from the plant’s leaves and flowers may also be gargled with almost the same effects.

Product Information

Marshmallow is best known for its beneficial properties in fighting against coughs and sore throats. It may also have other uses but as of this time, little evidence has been found to support the other claims. For best results against dry coughs, boil 2 to 4 teaspoons of the dried leaves or flowers in 150 ml of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink one cup of tea three times per day.

Motherwort

Motherwort is known in scientific circles as Leonurus cardiaca. This herbal plant is native to many parts of Europe, growing on banks and under hedges where the soil is gravelly or calcareous. Formerly, the motherwort herbal plant was grown for its medicinal purposes and it was most often found in country gardens. Today, it is now regarded by some authorities as a mere garden escape.

The Plant

The motherwort herbal plant is classified as perennial, distinguished from all other British labiates by its leaves. Its foliage, which rises from the square, stout stems, is deeply and palmately cut into five lobes, or three-pointed segments. For the most part, motherwort herbal plant resembles Mugwort but for its flowers which are characterized by their prickly calyx-teeth.

Health Benefits

The motherwort herbal plant is known to have many medicinal properties which account for its use in traditional medicine. It is largely diaphoretic and antispasmodic. It has been used as a tonic for women, especially for female weaknesses and disorders. In fact, it was for this association with female disorders that the plant got its name of “motherwort.”

In herbology, the motherwort herbal plant is classified as a nervine. It is also considered as a powerful emmenagogue, useful in allaying nervous irritability and inducing quiet and passivity of the whole nervous system. For this, this herb was used to treat fevers, especially when attended with nervousness and delirium.

From old writers, the motherwort herbal plant is an herb esteemed for its strengthening and gladdening effects on the heart. It is considered good against hysterical complaints and especially for palpitations of the heart during hysteria. When made into syrup, the motherwort herbal plant emits soothing effects, allying inward tremors, fainting, et cetera.

Although it is not entirely clear what the active constituents of the motherwort herbal plant really are, scientists attribute its many benefits to the volatile oils and the alkaloids. In the West, little scientific research has been done on motherwort herbal plant and in Asia, particularly in China, the plant has been used for animal study only.

According to one animal study conducted by Chinese researchers, the alkaloids in motherwort herbal plant are said to calm the central nervous system and stimulate the uterus to contract. Another study reported that the motherwort herbal plant may have a use for stimulating uterine contractions after delivery. This suggestion was based on preliminary human trials. The results led to speculations on the use of motherwort herbal plant to alleviate glomerulonephritis, a disease secondary to infection of the kidney. However, the results were insufficient to warrant serious pursuit of this premise.

Maca

Maca is a plant that is native to the Andes and grown by the indigenous people for centuries as a food crop. But aside from being a source of food, the Andean natives had other uses for it as well. The maca plant, belonging to the mustard family, has a long history of being a medicinal plant that could promote sexual function and fertility. Following the Viagra craze in the late 1990s, several US drug companies began searching for new herbs that exhibit the same effect as Sildenafil citrate, the plant used for Viagra. Researchers found maca.

The Plant

Lepidium peruvianum, the scientific name of the maca plant, belongs to the Brassicaceae family of the genus, Lepidium. It is a hardy perennial plant that is chiefly cultivated high in the mountains of the Andes. The common names for this plant include Peruvian ginseng, maka, mace, maca-maca, maino, ayak chichira, ayuk willku, and pepperweed.

Grown high up to altitudes of 8,000 to 14,500 feet above the ground, the maca plant is highly tolerant to frost. Its mat-like stem system is low-growing, making it perfectly adapted to growing in high places. The leaves of the maca plant are scalloped and lie close to the ground which makes them unnoticeable in farmer’s fields. They produce flowers that are off-white in color and are rather small and self-fertile.

The root of the maca plant is its most valuable parts. It is the part most commonly used for medicinal purposes. Tuberous and dense, the maca roots look like a large radish with a diameter of up to 8 cm.

Health Benefits

Extract taken from pounded or pressed maca roots are said to have a store of health benefits for the body. The Peruvian vegetable is exported today in concentrated forms. It is mainly used as a tonic to provide or enhance energy for the body. The early people used it as an aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancer and subsequent studies show evidences to support this traditional herbal practice.

During the time of the Incas, the warriors also ate the strong-smelling root of the maca plant to boost their energy in preparation for battle. This ancient practice then became the basis of the maca as an energy tonic used by athletes from around the world.

Traditional herbalists use maca for a variety of ailments. It was used as a lubricant for stiff joints affected by arthritis. It was also used to ease respiratory illnesses. In later years however, actual scientific proof of these numerous health claims were rather few. Mostly, maca has been found to be an energizer and stress-adaptor, much like its distant cousin, the Siberian ginseng.

Today, maca is mostly promoted and marketed as an herb to bolster reserves for endurance. It is a popular fatigue-fighter. As a general tonic, it is said to counter lethargy, memory loss, and other illnesses that are caused by low energy levels. Also, recent studies have shown that maca root has high concentrations of calcium, iron, protein, phosphorous, fiber, and mineral salts. All these nutrients have beneficial uses that help maintain health and well-being.

Aside from many nutrients, the root of the maca plant is also said to be rich in sterols, a plant hormone. Scientists say that sterol acts by normalizing steroid hormones, including testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. For this reason, coupled with ancient Peruvian practice, the plant is said to improve the sex drive and treat impotence.

Melissa

Melissa. No, I don’t mean your neighbor. And it’s definitely not your mother’s friend’s cat’s vet either. By Melissa, I mean the plant. Melissa officinalis. Otherwise known as bee balm, common balm, or lemon balm.

Melissa officinalis belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae. And being such, it is known for its refreshing quality like lemon or lemon grass. The name Melissa was actually taken from the Greek “melisso-phyllon” which literally means “bee-leaf.” It was so named because the plant is so rich in nectar, it is commonly planted to feed bees.

Melissa officinalis is a perennial herb that was originally cultivated in Southern Europe. Now, it is common in almost all parts of the world, including Central Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, Panama, and USA. Its leaves have a characteristic lemony scent that’s gentle and soothing. This is perfect since the plant seems to have the propensity of growing in laid-back areas near human habitation.

Nearing the end of summer, the plant produces tiny white flowers that are full of nectar, much to the happiness of bees who feed on it. When in full bloom, the plant becomes even more attractive so that once, because of its beauty, even the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne ordered that Melissa officinalis be planted in every monastery garden. The stems of Melissa officinalis wither and die at the start of the winter season but with the coming of spring, they spring back to life.

Health Benefits

The Melissa officinalis was formerly used for a variety of illnesses and conditions. Traditional medicine has deemed it an all-around plant used to treat anything from gas to sleeping difficulties and even heart problems. Herbalists also applied Melissa balm topically to the temples for insomnia and nerve pain.

Throughout history, Melissa officinalis was used in many cultures for several different reasons. In the 4th century, the plant was introduced to Britain where it has been used chiefly to pacify a disordered nervous system. The London Dispensary (1969) says: “An essence of Balm, given in Canary wine, every morning will renew youth, strengthen the brain, relieve languishing nature and prevent baldness.” Additionally, John Evelyn wrote: “Balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy.”

The English were so convinced of the plant’s rejuvenating qualities that they called it the “elixir of life” and used it as an important ingredient in wine-making. Many cultures, besides the English, were enamored by the plant’s many good qualities. Melissa officinalis was known to help clear the head, increase understanding, and sharpen the memory. In fact, the famed Carmelite water that is used to treat nervous headache and neuralgic affectations is actually a spirit of Melissa, combined with lemon-peel, nutmeg, and angelica root.

History has recorded the many virtues of Melissa officinalis. Both Pliny and Dioscorides who are among the wisest of Greeks, believed that it was useful for counteracting the venom from the bites of snakes and scorpions. Today, modern science is continuing to explore the many of benefits of this plant.

Many clinical trials led to the discovery of active constituents present in the plant that makes it so effective as an all-around cure. Terpenes, part of the pleasant-smelling volatile oil from Melissa, are thought to produce this herb’s relaxing and gas-relieving carminative effects. The plant is also found to be rich in flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other compounds which are responsible for its anti-herpes and thyroid-regulating actions.