Ginkgo Biloba

Maidenhair Tree: Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo biloba has a long history of cultural importance in Asia. Confucius was said to have given his teaching whilst sitting under a ginkgo tree, which is one of the reasons the species is revered in Chinese tradition.10

Ginkgo biloba has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. Today, it is also cultivated for use in Western medicine. The leaves are used in herbal remedies for cognitive complaints, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and vertigo. The phytochemistry and bioactivity of Ginkgo biloba have been the subject of extensive research.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is one of the oldest living tree species. It is also one of the best-selling herbal supplements in the United States and Europe.11

Ginkgo has a long history of use in treating blood disorders and memory issues. It is best known today as way to potentially keep your memory sharp. Laboratory studies have shown that ginkgo improves blood circulation by opening up blood vessels and making blood less sticky. It is also an antioxidant.

The healing traditions of the ginkgo were recorded from thousands of years ago when the seeds were used in medicinal preparations to strengthen the kidneys, improve digestion, and help strengthen people who were recovering from many kinds of illnesses. The seeds were often added to popular dishes, considered both delicious and healing.

Santolina

The leaves and flowering tops are antispasmodic, disinfectant, emmenagogue, stimulant and vermifuge. Cotton lavender is rarely used medicinally, though it is sometimes used internally as a vermifuge for children and to treat poor digestion and menstrual problems. When finely ground and applied to insect stings or bites, the plant will immediately ease the pain. Applied to surface wounds, it will hasten the healing process by encouraging the formation of scar tissue. The leaves and flowering stems are harvested in the summer and dried for later use.

Ephedra

Ephedra Sinica

Ephedra (Ephedra sinica), also called ma huang, is an herb that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for more than 5,000 years, primarily to treat asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever. Ephedra is also prescribed for symptoms of cold and flu, including nasal congestion, cough, fever, and chills.7

While ephedra is a naturally-occurring herb, its main active ingredient ephedrine can also be synthesized as a medication. Synthetic ephedrine compounds, such as pseudoephedrine, are widely used in over-the-counter cold remedies and are regulated as a drug. This is unlike the regulation of ephedrine alkaloids derived from the herb itself. These are regulated as dietary supplements.7

Until May 2004, ephedra was sold commercially as an energy booster, weight-loss supplement, and athletic performance enhancer. Although some scientific evidence suggests that this herbal supplement may improve weight, the information overall regarding its effectiveness for weight loss, energy, or athletic performance has been inconclusive and controversial. In addition, ephedra-containing products sold for these purposes have been linked to many cases of stroke, heart arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm), and even death. Several of these products also contain caffeine; the combination of ephedra with caffeine dramatically increases the chances of adverse side effects.

In Chinese medicine, Ephedra, called Ma Huang, is used in a variety of situations, most of them acute. The ancient classical texts of Chinese medicine warn physicians not to use Ma Huang over long periods of time or at too high a dose. Ma huang is considered warming in nature. Its flavor is pungent and bitter. It promotes diaphoresis (sweating) and is used to benefit asthma, wheezing and in some cases coughing. It was also known to promote urination. Most frequently the herb is used in cases of what traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) calls: wind-cold. A wind-cold invasion in Chinese Medicine roughly corresponds to a particular constellation of signs and symptoms similar to the common cold: there may be cough, aching and chills, runny nose, and no sweating. In the case of wind-cold, ma huang opens the pores and diffuses the lung qi (the body’s vital energy) allowing sweating. This pushes the pathogen out of the body by releasing the exterior, or skin.

http://zoroastrianheritage.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/zoroastrian-heritage-and-healing.html

It is important to note that ephedrine-containing products are banned from amateur sporting events, and evidence of ephedra on drug testing will likely disqualify athletes from competition.7

The FDA ban on this substance includes any dietary supplements that contain ephedra, ephedrine, norephedrine, ma huang, Sida cordifolia, or pinellia. This does not pertain to teas (which are regulated as a conventional food) or to traditional Chinese herbal remedies prescribed by a traditional Chinese physician.

Herbs contain active substances that can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs only under the supervision of a health care provider knowledgeable in the field of botanical medicine.

Ephedra can produce side effects, such as irritability, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and urinary problems. More serious side effects include high blood pressure, rapid or irregular heartbeat, stroke, seizures, addiction, and even death.7

Lime

Lime: Tilia

Linden is an herb that comes from various species of Tilia, or lime tree. It has been used in European folk medicine for centuries to treat a wide range of health problems. Flowers from 2 linden species (Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos) were historically used to soothe nerves and treat health problems associated with anxiety. These flowers were steeped as a tea to relieve anxiety related to indigestion, irregular heartbeat, and vomiting. Today, linden is used in many cough and cold remedies. Active ingredients in linden help promote sweating, which may help treat people with fevers. However, scientific evidence on linden's effectiveness is lacking.6

Tilia has been studied in only a few test tube and animal trials. It appears to have antispasmodic (reducing muscle contractions), astringent (drying), diuretic, and sedative properties. Note that different parts of Tilia species are used in treating specific conditions and symptoms.6

• Colds and Coughs
• Flowers are sometimes suggested to treat colds, cough, fever, infections, inflammation, high blood pressure, headache (particularly migraine); as a diuretic (increases urine production), antispasmodic (reduces smooth muscle spasm along the digestive tract), and sedative.6

• Other
• Wood is used for liver and gallbladder disorders and cellulitis (inflammation of the skin and surrounding soft tissue).

Charcoal [from the linden’s wood] has been used orally to treat intestinal disorders and used topically to treat swelling (edema) or infection (such as cellulitis or ulcers) of the lower leg.

Sweetgum

Sweetgum tree: Liquidambar

Sweetgum trees are large, deciduous trees found in Asia and North America. Sweetgum trees are important resources for medicinal and other beneficial compounds. Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers. More recently, storax has proven to be a strong antimicrobial agent even against multidrug resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In addition to the sap, the leaves, bark, and seeds of sweetgum also possess beneficial compounds such as shikimic acid, a precursor to the production of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamiflu®–an antiviral drug effective against several influenza viruses. Other extracts derived from sweetgum trees have shown potential as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and chemopreventive agents. The compounds found in the extracts derived from sweetgum sap suppress hypertension in mice. Extracts from sweetgum seeds have anticonvulsant effects, which may make them suitable in the treatment of epilepsy. In addition to the potential medicinal uses of sweetgum extracts, the extracts of the sap possess antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi and have been effective treatments for reducing nematodes and the yellow mosquito, Aedes aegypti, populations thus highlighting the potential of these extracts as environment-friendly pesticides and antifungal agents.5

Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum come from storax as well as essential oils extracted from the leaves. Storax, also referred to as styrax, is produced by damaging the outer bark of sweetgum trees. When the tree is wounded, the inner bark produces a balsam. Boiling the inner bark in water effectively removes the balsam and produces storax. Storax has medicinal uses dating back to the Aztec Empire during the Paleoindian Period (ca. 10,000-7000 BC).

The ancient Aztecs collected the boiled down, grayish-brown, sticky, opaque liquid and used it as a treatment for skin infections and other ailments. Native Americans also used storax for medicinal purposes, including controlling coughs and dysentery and treating sores and wounds.

In addition to storax, the sap of the sweetgum tree was burnt as incense or mixed with tobacco leaves as a sedative as well as used in the making of soaps, cosmetics, fixatives in perfumes, adhesives, and lacquers. Recent references from organic websites have noted that the inner bark of sweetgum, boiled with milk, can relieve diarrhea, and oils from the leaves of sweetgum trees have antimicrobial properties against both bacteria and viruses.