CHAPTER 11: Botanicals - biologically based therapy Flashcards
what are biologically based therapies
use a variety of natural techniques to maintain health or to treat diseases
- make use of minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, proteins and probiotics
orthomolecular medicine
supplementing diet with mega doses of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids
chelation therapy
using drugs to bind with and remove excess amounts of metals or minerals from blood
botanicals
use of plants or plant materials to create scents or develop therapeutic medicinal treatments
- mixture of diff or single
uses:
- herbal remedies
- nutritional supplements
- aromatherapy
- spices
- cosmetics
- prescription drugs
phytotherapy
the practice of using medicines derived from plants or herbs to treat or prevent health conditions
what are herbal remedies used for
to restore and maintain health by relying on the curative properties of certain herbs to stimulate our bodys healing system
alleviate disease, prevent it from recurring, detoxify body and support immune system
cosmetic industry
uses over 360 botanical additives to add fragrance and enhance the looks of the products
how herbs have been used historically
- used in ayurvedic medicine as long as 1900 BCE and in traditional chinese medicine
- indians used it to treat malaria and lime, vit c defficiency
- early 1800s: beginning of scientific pharmacy
herbalist
practitionor and contributor to the field of herbal medicine
- Native healers, shamans, scientists, holistic medical doctors, nutritionists, pharmacists, naturopaths, TCM doctors, and traditional Ayurvedic medicine doctors may use and promote herbal medicines within their practice
crude herbs
herbs that are collected and dried, cut, and sifted. stored in dark glass or closed containers made of plastic
- stored for 6 months
- may be cooked in teas
powders
ground crude herbs
- may be ingested in natural form or cooked to make teas
tinctures
herbal concentrates or extracts made by soaking herbs in solutions, usually alcohol
- designed to bring out herbal properties
capsules and tablets
powdered herbs, dried decoctions or concentrated extracts placed into tablets
dried decoctions
Decoctions are concentrated brews
made by simmering tougher forms or parts of herbs such as roots, barks, and woody stems
- 4 times as potenent as original herbs
poultice
preparation of a fresh, dry, ground or powdered herb or herbal mixture wrapped in thin cotton or wool cloth and applied to the skin
shopping for herbs
- may be bought in bulk from herb garden
- standardized herbs
- cannot be sure of level of constitutes in the bulk herbs
care and storage of herbs
- check to make sure from reliable place and free of insects
- kept in a tightly closed container
- herbal brews can be kept in fridge for a couple days
germany regulation of herbs
- checks herbal data indepednely of other drugs
- assess data from clinical trials, case studies
- panel determines safety and efficacy of herbs
US regulation of herbs
- FDA evaluates safety of
new drugs based on
data supplied by
manufacturer - DSHEA allowed herbal
products to be labelled
with certain information
in 1994 - DSHEA defines herbals
as dietary supplements
canada regulation of herbs
- health canada regulates natural health products
- assess all natural health products before allowing their sale
utensils for making herbal preperations
- pans that are aluminum and cast iron should NOT be used
- use stainless steel, glass or cermaic pots and bowls
how the FDA approves new drugs and medical devices
- investigational new drug application
- fda has 30 days to submit questions - clinical studies
- 3 phases - new drug application
- how drug is processed, made of, package, samples, labelling
- approval takes about 2 and a half years
safety depends on factors such as:
- chemical makeup
- how the herb works in the body
- how it is prepared
- dosages
- interaction with other products
the FDA has issues a public health advisory concerning many of these interactions:
- kava kava (antianxiety herb)
- valerian (sleep aid)
- garlic, ginkgo, feverfew, ginger (increases bleeding)
- evening primrose
- st. johns wort (aid mild depression)
- red yeast rice products
- from asian countries
study from health care providers
- 62% do not recommend herbal supplements
- 66% reported they did not know enough about herbal supplements
- 50% had not received any education on it
how much money is spent on herbal supplements each year
33.9 billion
nonvitamin, nonmineral products: 14.8 billion
homeopathic medicine: 2.9 billion
precautions that should be taken before buying an herb for medicinal use
- discuss with physician
- research the company that is producing the herbal
herbal supplements commonly used:
- hawthrone
- st johns wort
- milk thistle seed
- kava kava
- cats slaw
- echinacea
- arnica
- creatine
- ginger
- cranberry
- calendula
- garlic
alkaloids
group of chemicals made by plants that are alkaloid in nature
- cocaine, nicotine, caffeine
