Bot Med I- Alteratives Flashcards
what is an alterative? how is it different from an adaptogen?
herb that alters the body in a non-specific but broadly beneficial way
conceived originally as a “blood purifier” or “blood cleanser”
adaptogens have more of an endocrine effect
alterative vs depurative?
alterative: nourishing tonics that have a broadly beneficial effect on the body and that slowly and steadily support a return to a healthy state
depurative: herbs w/a more specific action of cleansing a particular organ or system
8 indications for alteratives
generalize and chronic dysfxn digestive, eliminatory and circulatory hypofxn maldigestion hormonal imbalance "toxemia" acne chronic infxns chronic inflammation
Toxemia
condition produced by accumulation of putrefactive and toxic waste products
7 alterative botanicals
trifolium pratense (red clover) rumex spp. (yellow dock, curly dock) mahonia spp (oregon grape, barberry, mahonia) smilax spp (sarsaparilla) arctium lappa (burdock) curcuma longa (tumeric) urtica diocia (stinging nettles)
red clover latin name:
family:
latin name: trifolium pratense
family: fabaceae
red clover latin name: preparation and doseage of tincture infusion/decoction standardized extraction is how many mg/d? cautions/CIs:
red clover latin name: trifolium pratense
preparation and doseage of
tincture: 2-6 mL/d of a 1:5 tincture of 25% EtOH
infusion/decoction: 1-2 tsp per cup, 2-4 c per day
standardized extraction is how many mg/d? 40-80 mg/d
cautions/CIs: caution w/blood thinners, oral contraceptives and estrogen (+) CAs
what is trifolium pratense especially good for treating?
whooping cough, bronchitis, laryngitis, measles, slowing CA growth
what is in the Trifolium Compound (9 parts)?
trifolium pratense (red clover) arctium lappa (burdock root) mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape root) stillingia sylvatica (queen's root) glycyrrhiza glabra (dried root) rhamnus purshiana (cascara sagrada bark) rhamnus frangula (buckthorn bark) zanthoxylum clava-herculis (southern prickly ash bark) potassium iodide 3%
burdock latin name:
family:
burdock latin name: arctium lappa
family: asteraceae
burdock latin name: preparation and doseage tincture fluid extract decoction seeds infusion harvesting:
burdock latin name: arctium lappa preparation and doseage tincture: root, 2-4 mL, (1:5, 40%) TID fluid extract: 2-6 mL (1:1, 25%) TID decoction: root, 1 tsp/cup, 3 c per day seeds: 3-9 QD infusion: 25-40 ground seeds per cup of water, 1/2 c up to 6x/d harvesting: roots can be dug in spring or early fall in 2nd to 4th year, seeds collected in the fall of the 2nd year
indications of arctium lappa
liver not moving waste products well while KDs and skin are also overburdened or incapable of removing waste products
specific conditions to use arctium lappa for
dermatological conditions (dry and scaly cutaneous eruptions) endocrine conditions (lowering blood sugar) GI conditions (stimulates gustatory n.) inflammatory conditions (rheumatism and gout, RA) hepatobiliary conditions (stimulate secretion of bile) topical (bruises, skin eruptions, burns)
oregon grape latin name:
family:
oregon grape latin name: mahonia spp.
family: berberidaceae
latin name of oregon grape: preparation and dose: tincture decoction dried root bark harvesting:
latin name of oregon grape: mahonia spp preparation and dose: tincture 1-4 mL TID (1:5, 40%) decoction 1-2 tsp/c 1 cup TID dried root bark 1-2 g/d harvesting: root bark can be harvested mid-Summer through Winter, strip bark from step and root w/a knife when the root is fresh
latin name of yellow dock:
family:
latin name of yellow dock: rumex crispus
family: polygonaceae
yellow dock latin name: preparation and dosage tincture decoction fluid extract harvest: don't eat:
yellow dock latin name: rumex crispus
preparation and dosage
tincture: 1-4 mL (1:5, 40%) TID, 2-4.5 mL (1:2) daily
decoction: 1 tsp/c
fluid extract: 2-4 mL daily in divided doses
harvest: in the fall
don’t eat: the leaves b/c they are very high in oxalic acid and can cause poisoning b/c it chelates Ca2+ in the blood
stinging nettle latin name:
family:
stinging nettle latin name: urtica diocia
family: urticaceae
latin name of stinging nettle: preparation and dosage food dried herb tincture long term use can cause? drug interactions?
latin name of stinging nettle: urtica diocia
preparation and dosage
food: cooking or steaming will denature stinging trichomes and safe for eating
dried herb: 8-12 g/d
tincture: 3-6 mL/d (1:2), 7-14 mL (1:5)
long term use can cause? drying of mucous membranes
drug interactions? none
sarsaparilla latin name:
family:
sarsaparilla latin name: smilax spp.
family: liliaceae
latin name for sarsaparilla:
dosage and preparation:
tincture
decoction
latin name for sarsaparilla: smilax spp.
dosage and preparation: classically prepared as a syrup that was often used as a carrier for other ingredients
tincture: 1-2 mL (1:5, 60%) TID
decoction: 2-4 tsp/c of water, simmer for 5-10 min
latin name of turmeric:
family:
latin name of turmeric: curcuma longa
family: zingiberaceae
red clover latin name:
part used:
red clover latin name: trifolium pratense
part used: flower
red clover latin name:
energetics:
red clover latin name: trifolium pratense
energetics: cooling