NaturalPedia > Medicinal Herbs

Quotes about Medicinal Herbs from the world's top natural health / natural living authors

 Email this page to a friend   |  Click here for FREE email alerts

page 1 of 4 | Next ->

"In Europe, hawthorn is considered to be one of the most important medicinal herbs, used to treat heart, blood, kidney, and memory disorders. Its universal appeal is evident when you consider that it is also consumed as a food in the form of jams, preserves and syrups.3 Current Medicinal Use Under the supervision of a trained health-care provider, hawthorn products are used for cardiovascular conditions, notably mild congestive heart failure and hypertension." - Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND, The Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs (Get the book.) "The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common medicinal herbs presents the "Traditional Use" for each herb discussed, which in some cases has been verified in controlled clinical trials, as well as the "Current Medicinal Use" of each herb, which is based on existing scientific research and medical evidence." - Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND, The Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs (Get the book.) "Introduction Family þ Asteraceae (also known as Compositae or Sunflower family) Synonyms þ:- Purple co nef lower þ Purple Kansas coneflower þ Black simpson •:• Red sunflower þ Comb flower þ Cock up hat þ Missouri snakeroot þ Kansas snakeroot þ Indian head12 Medicinal Forms root þ Dried Root þ Tincture þ Liquid Extract aerial parts þ Expressed Juice (liquid or semi-solid) Description There are nine Echinacea species indigenous to the North American mid-west from Saskatchewan to Texas,3 but only three species of this perennial are collected or cultivated as medicinal herbs." - Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND, The Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs (Get the book.) "Traditional Use Echinacea species were used extensively as medicinal herbs by native North American tribes,6 reportedly to treat a variety of ailments, including mouth sores, toothaches, colds, sore throats, burns and snake bites.179 Its use for snake bites gave rise to several common names (Missouri and Kansas Snakeroot). H.F.C. Meyer, a German physician working in Nebraska, is credited with introducing echinacea to the medical profession when he began selling a patent formula containing a root extract of E. angustifolia in the 1870s." - Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND, The Natural Medicine Guide to the 50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs (Get the book.)

"Better yet, if you have easy access to an herb store, buy medicinal herbs in amounts that will be consumed within three months. Of course, buying fresh herbs and mixing concoctions at home is trickier and more time-consuming than buying prepackaged varieties of aloe, echinacea, ginkgo biloba and peppermint leaf, for example. But if you have the time and energy, you may find that growing your own fresh herbs will dramatically enhance your health. How Much Better Is a "Master Herbalist"? Not much, if at all, according to the folks at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colorado." - Bottom Line Books, Uncommon Cures For Everyday Ailments (Get the book.)

"Home Remedies Parsley is one of the medicinal herbs used by diabetics in Turkey. It is valued as a breath-freshener, due to its high concentration of chlorophyll, and in tea form, parsley is often used as a diuretic. Throw Me a Lifesaver! DIABETES: The Turks were on to something! In a study testing parsley's benefits with diabetic rats, researchers found that the rat subjects who were given parsley experienced lowered blood glucose while their GSH (a cell protector) levels increased." - David W. Grotto, RD, LDN, 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life! (Get the book.)

"Phytoestrogens are found in many medicinal herbs with a historical use in conditions that are now treated by estrogens. The weak estrogenic effects of phytoestrogen-containing herbs can provide some benefit in relieving menopause symptoms. One advantage of phytoestrogens is that they have not been associated with increasing the risk of breast cancer." - Tori Hudson, N.D., Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Alternative Therapies and Integrative Medicine for Total Health and Wellness (Get the book.)

"The Poten-Zyme fermentation creates a sort of'alchemy,' wherein the phy-tochemicals in these medicinal herbs are unlocked and made more available than ever to be utilized by the body," said Dr. Gordon. "I'm telling you, this is my patients' number-one immune formula." RESEARCH Research on RM-10 and its ingredients has shown the formula to be very effective in strengthening the immune system and helping the body fight cancer." - Freedom Press, Natural Cancer Cures: The Definitive Guide to Using Dietary Supplements to Fight and Prevent Cancer (Get the book.)

"They count their medicinal herbs in the thousands, as compared to the hundreds used therapeutically in Western societies. The therapeutic use of herbal preparations is also an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Indian system of healing that has its roots in Vedic culture. The American Indians also relied heavily on the healing properties of herbs. In fact, many of the over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs in use today in our society are derived from Native American herbs." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps (Get the book.)

"An illustrated guide to 101 medicinal herbs. Interweave Press, Loveland, Colorado: pp. 62-63. 1998. Jin J. Lloydia 29(3):250. 1966. Martinez M. Las plantas medicinales de Mexico. Ediciones Botas, Justo Sierra 52, Mexico: pp. 119-122. 1991. Spencer KC & Seigler DS. Tetraphyllin B from Turnera diffusa. Hippokrates Verlag GmbH; 43:175-178. 1981. Steinegger E, Hansel R, Pharmakognosie, 5. Aufl., Springer Verlag Heidelberg 1992. Tyler V: Damiana - An Herbal Hoax. Pharmacy in History; 25(2):55-60. 1983. Zava DT, Dollbaum CM & Blen M." - Thomson Healthcare, Inc., PDR for Herbal Medicines, Fourth Edition (Get the book.)

"The Importance of Flavonoids in Preventing Diabetic Complications We want to end this chapter by pointing out that one of the most important natural compounds to fight the complications of diabetes are the flavonoids, a group of plant pigments responsible for many of the colors of fruits, flowers, and medicinal herbs. Flavonoids are sometimes called "natures biological response modifiers" because of their anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral, and anticancer properties." - Michael T. Murray, Beat Diabetes Naturally: The Best Foods, Herbs, Supplements, and Lifestyle Strategies to Optimize Your Diabetes Care (Get the book.)

"My favorite way to consume medicinal herbs and whole foods is to blend them into a smoothie using a Vitamix blender. I often blend whole vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and various oils into a delicious smoothie drink. I will be publishing my favorite recipes soon in Superfood Smoothies, a recipe book from Truth Publishing. Acidosis / pH Regulation The health of your body rests on a delicate balance called pH. A healthy body is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, and a healthy blood pH level is just slightly alkaline at a pH between 7.3 and 7.45." - Mike Adams, Natural Health Solutions (Get the book.)

"Its conclusions represent the best expert consensus on medicinal herbs currently to be found. For those herbs not considered by Commission E, Physicians' Desk Reference has augmented this section with the results of an exhaustive literature review conducted by the respected PhytoPharm U.S. Institute of Phytopharmaceuticals under the direction of noted botanist, Dr. Joerg Gruenwald. These monographs, some 300 in number, provide a detailed introduction to an array of exotic botanicals that you'll be hard pressed to find in any other source." - Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D., PDR for Herbal Medicines (Get the book.)

"Even if you take only one prescription medication, you'll probably feel the need to add in one or two over-the-counter (OTC) medicines from time to time. Even medicinal herbs can interact harmfully with prescriptions or OTC drugs. More and more drugs, together with herbal preparations, are available over the counter, with no consultation or prescription required. Let's say you're taking a couple of prescription drugs . . . you add a few herbs and a dose or two of Tylenol here and there . . . and, of course, your nightly beer or glass of red wine (or two)." - Hyla Cass, Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition (Get the book.)

"A comparison of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 inhibition by partially purified aqueous extracts of Chinese medicinal herbs. Life Sci; 60:345-351. 1997 DeSmet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R et al (eds). Legislatory outlook on the safety of herbal remedies. In. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs, vol 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany: 1-90. 1993b Dombradi GA. Tumour-growth inhibiting substances of plant origin. II. The experimental animal tumour-pharmacology of arctigenin-mustard. Chemotherapy; 15:250-265. 1970 Izzo AA, Di Carlo G, Biscari D et al." - Thomson Healthcare, Inc., PDR for Herbal Medicines, Fourth Edition (Get the book.)

"She used medicinal herbs such as milk thistle and antioxidants like n-acetyl cysteine, and they helped, although, after all, none of the pharmaceutical drugs could prevent further liver damage. It is difficult—if not impossible—to recover from such an acute poisoning incident. What happened in Earlimart was different. It was insane because all it was was a giant lawn sprinkler, really. Think of your own lawn sprinkler magnified one million times in a large field with neighbors' homes along the side and your sprinkler spewing not water but a fine mist of cyanide molecules." - David Steinman, Safe Trip to Eden: Ten Steps to Save Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown (Get the book.)

"A review of 12 commonly used medicinal herbs. Arch Fam Med; 7(6):523-536. 1998. O'Neill LAJ, Barrett ML & Lewis GP. Extracts of Feverfew inhibit mitogen-induced human peripheral blood mononumclear cell proliferation and cytokine mediated responses: a cytotoxic effect. Br J Clin Pharmacol; 23(l):81-83. 1987. Pattrick M, Heptinstall S, Doherty M. Feverfew in rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis Jul;48(7):547-9. 1989. Paulsen E. Occupational dermatitis in Danish gardeners and greenhouse workers (II). Etiological factors." - Thomson Healthcare, Inc., PDR for Herbal Medicines, Fourth Edition (Get the book.)

"The public has an ever-increasing appetite for information on diet and nutrition, and sales of natural remedies such as nutritional supplements and medicinal herbs continue to grow. The number of natural health practitioners now exceeds the number of medical doctors, which bears testament to the fact that individuals all over the globe are being drawn to holistic approaches as an adjunct to or even replacement for conventional medicine. Driving this change is growing skepticism about the principles and practice of orthodox medicine." - Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D., The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions (Get the book.)

"Some proponents of medicinal herbs believe that a major benefit of natural herbs over manufactured pharmaceuticals is the collection of ingredients contained in medicinal herbs. Problems caused by one ingredient, they say, can be counterbalanced or neutralized by another. This is correct in some cases but incorrect or unknown in others. Because medicinal herbs do not come with labels indicating which is which, trying an herb without investigating it first is like playing Russian roulette." - Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D., The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies (Get the book.)

"Flavonoids (page 516) are a group of compounds found in some plant foods and medicinal herbs. An antiviral action of some flavonoids has been observed in a number of test tube experiments.41' 42' 43' 44, 43 Quercetin (page 580), one of the flavonoids, has shown particularly strong antiviral properties in the test tube;46'47,48 however, one study did not find quercetin to be of benefit to mice with a viral infection." - Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D., The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions (Get the book.)

"Although the publisher has endeavored to provide the most extensive possible coverage of currently available botanical preparations, not all medicinal herbs can be found herein. As review of the literature continues, additional herbs will be included in future editions. Inclusion of an herb in the current editions does not signify an endorsement by the publisher; absence of an herb does not imply its rejection. It should be understood that by making this material available, the publisher is not advocating the use of any substance described herein." - Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D., PDR for Herbal Medicines (Get the book.)

"Analysis of a number of medicinal herbs revealed that many were unable to exert their therapeutic effect until the "active ingredients" were released by the action of gastric juice. Individuals who responded well to herbal medications had more acid and pepsin in their gastric juice, compared with those who did not respond to the herbs.1 Symptoms of Low Hydrochloric Acid Individuals with hypochlorhydria may show signs of sub-optimal nutrition, such as broken fingernails or thinning hair (more commonly seen in women than in men, who have other major causes for hair loss)." - Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness: The Patient's Guide to Health and Healing (Get the book.)

"Recent advances in clinical studies of Chinese medicinal herbs, 2: Clinical trials of Chinese herbs in a number of chronic conditions. Phytother Res; 2:55-60. 1988. Petkov VD et al., Memory effect of standardized extracts of Panax ginseng (G 115), Ginkgo biloba(GK 501) and their combination Gincosan (PHL-00701). In: PM 59(2).106. 1993. Pfister-Hotz G, Phytotherapie in der Geriatrie. In: ZPT 18(3): 162-165. 1997. Phillipson JD & Anderson LA. Ginseng- quality, safety, and efficacy? Pharm J; 232:161-165. 1984. Porrath SA. Hormonal effects of ginseng tea. Med Aspects Hum Sexuality; 117. 1986." - Thomson Healthcare, Inc., PDR for Herbal Medicines, Fourth Edition (Get the book.)

"Even if you take only one prescription medication, you'll probably feel the need to add in one or two over-the-counter (OTC) medicines from time to time. Even medicinal herbs can interact harmfully with prescriptions or OTC drugs. More and more drugs, together with herbal preparations, are available over the counter, with no consultation or prescription required. Let's say you're taking a couple of prescription drugs . . . you add a few herbs and a dose or two of Tylenol here and there . . . and, of course, your nightly beer or glass of red wine (or two)." - Hyla Cass, M.D., Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition (Get the book.)

"Medicinal herbs that replenish the vital energy are called qi tonics. In Western pharmacologic terms, they might be called bioenergy modulators. In an ideal state, yin and yang in all their forms are perfectly balanced in every part of the body. However, external (cold, heat, dampness, dryness, wind) or internal (emotions, stagnation or deficiency of qi or blood) factors can upset this balance, leading to disease. Chinese medical diagnosis and treatment involves identifying the factors that are out of balance and attempting to bring them back into harmony." - David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief (Get the book.)

"Many species and cultivars are grown as ornamental plants and culinary or medicinal herbs, including lemon thyme (T. x citriodora, a hybrid between T. pulegioides and T. vulgaris), wild thyme (T. serpyllum) and caraway thyme (T. herbabarona). Lemon thyme is a smaller, more spreading plant with rounded leaves (often variegated) and a distinct lemon smell. Origin & history Western Mediterranean to southeastern Italy. Thyme appears to have been burnt like incense by the ancient Greeks. It has a long history of use as medicinal and culinary herb and is cultivated in many parts of the world." - Ben-Erik van Wyk, Food Plants of the World: An illustrated guide (Get the book.)

"The volatile oil gives the plant a delightful flavor and has been combined with other less pleasant tasting medicinal herbs to offset their taste. The oil is also antispasmodic, helping to relieve intestinal gas (page 260) and spasmodic coughs (page 139).3 Anise has been combined with cathartic laxatives to help reduce the spasmodic cramping they can cause.4 It may also have modest antiparasitic actions and has been recommended by some practitioners to treat mild intestinal parasite (page 343) infections." - Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D., The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions (Get the book.)

"Plant an herb garden: If you're in the southern climates, antiviral and other medicinal herbs will grow all year round. If you're in the north, grow herbs in the summer and dry them for use during the winter. If you can't grow your own, order dried herbs or buy them from your local natural foods store. Stock up on homeopathic medicines and Chinese herbs: All dried herbs can be kept indefinitely in the freezer. When unopened and kept away from heat and sunlight, homeopathic remedies store well. Store nutritional supplements in the refrigerator." - J. E. Williams, Beating the Flu: The Natural Prescription for Surviving Pandemic Influenza and Bird Flu (Get the book.)

"In the Orient, medicinal herbs often find their way into foods as seasoning and ingredients. Indeed, according to the late Chinese writer and scholar Lin Yutang, the Chinese view medicine and food as the same thing, believing that what is good for the body is medicine and at the same time is also food. Some of the Chinese herbs most readily found in U.S. herb and natural food stores include astragalus, Chinese ginseng, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, licorice root, dong quai, ginger, and schizandra." - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements (Get the book.)

"Further information in: Duke JA, A Handbook of medicinal herbs, Pub. CRC Press Boca Raton 1985. Frohne D, Pfaiider HJ, Giftpflanzen - Ein Handbuch fur Apotheker, Toxikologen und Biologen, 4. Aufl., Wiss. Verlags-Ges Stuttgart 1997. Kern W, List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 4. Aufl., Bde. 1-8, Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1969. Lewin L, Gifte und Vergiftungen, 6. Aufl., Nachdruck, Haug Verlag, Heidelberg 1992. Madaus G, Lehrbuch der Biologischen Arzneimittel, Bde 1-3, Nachdruck, Georg Olms Verlag Hildesheim 1979." - Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D., PDR for Herbal Medicines (Get the book.)

page 1 of 4 | Next ->

FAIR USE NOTICE: The research quoted here is provided under the protection of Fair Use provisions and published by the 501(c)3 non-profit Consumer Wellness Center for the purposes of public comment and education. Authors / publishers may submit books for consideration of inclusion here.

TERMS OF USE: Read full terms of use. Citations of text from NaturalPedia must include: 1) Full credit to the original author and book title. 2) Secondary credit to the Natural News Naturalpedia as a research resource and a link to www.NaturalPedia.com

This unique compilation of research is copyright (c) 2008, 2009 by the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center.

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of NaturalPedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.