Traditional Western Herbalism Flashcards
To Learn the tenents and phillosophy of TWH
Where did TWM originate from?
The ancient Greeks, Galen, Culpepper, Paracelcius
What is TWM best suited for?
Especially suited to the treatment of broad physiological patterns in the body, rather than specific molecular lesions.
How does TWM work?
TWM brings the physiological function back to health by restoring self-maintenance and regulation within the organism, i.e., homeostasis.
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What is the difference between TWM and Biomedicine?
Biomedicine:
-based on the philosophy of Reductionist Materialism
-Does not believe that the organism can heal itself
-Describes disease as Pathophysiological
-focuses on treating biomolecular lesions
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TWM: -based on a philosophy of Holism -Believes that the organism can heal itself through self- regulation and self maintanence -Describes disease as physiofunctional. -Focuses on restoring the organism to balance so it can self-heal, by correcting broad physiofunctional patterns
TWM encourages the organism to self-regulated and self-maintain, whereas biomedicine do not trust the body to heal itself and therefore encourages the organism’s reliance on external cures.
What is TWM view of healing?
Each organism possesses an intelligent lifeforce that governs, regulates and maintains the organisms health in accordance with natural laws. Disease occurs as a result of a disruption to the self-regulating and self-maintaining function or mechanism (commonly refered to as an imbalance). TWM do not treat the disease, but rather uses herbs to evoke the self healing power of nature by restoring balance or restoring the organisms ability to self-regulate and self-maintain.
How is disease described by TWM?
Instead of describing disease in terms of specific molecular lesions, they are described as broad functional patterns of energetic, psychologic and physiological imbalance.
How do we observe the qi or life force within an organism?
Indirectly through the patterns in which it manifests in either health or disease
What is the language of nature and how is it used in TWM?
“Lingua vert” or the “green tongue” is a language that reveals the hidden. It is the language of energy patterns. It is a mytho-poetic language or vocabulary used to describe patterns of functioning in the body and nature and which expresses the configuration of energy or vital force. In TWN it is the use of humors, qualities, elements or tissue states to describe patterns of pathology or imbalance
What is meant by the word “cure” in TWM?
A cure is restoring balance to an imbalanced system, which is done by encouraging the bodies self-healing, self-regulating and self-correcting processes, also known as the “evoking the self-healing power of nature”
What is a good example of the difference of approach between biomedicine and TWM?
Biomedicine treats a stomach ulcer by prescribing an anti-bacterial agent that kills the bacteria, TWM restores the underlying “tissue state” that allowed for the proliferation of the bacteria in the first place.
What are the 5 keys to herbs?
- Tastes
- Primary Actions
- Organ affinity
- Energetics
- Prabhava/special indications
What are the two sub-divisions of herbal actions?
Tissue state (astringent, emollient, stimulant, etc) and organ functions (diuretic(kidneys), diaphoretic(skin) For example, an astringent act upon the laxic tissue state such as tissue that prolapsed or leaking fluids. Astringents contain tannic acid that contract tissue and prevent prolapse and fluid loss. Thus astringent refers to the energetic category “dampness”
What are tissue states?
Refers to the physical tissue of the body which can exist in 6 different states organized along three axis of rate, tension and density
Rate: Excess-Excitation-Hyper/Deficient-Depresion-hypo
Tension: Excess-Constriction-spasm/Deficient-Relaxation-Damp flowing
Density: Excess-Atrophy-hard-solid-Dry/Defiency-Damp stagnation-Torpor/
What are the 5 elements of TWM?
Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether
What are the 3 Energetic Qualities of herbs?
Temperature: Cooling/Warming,
Moisture: Damp/Dry
Tone: Relaxing/Tonifying-Astringent
Cooling herbs reduce irritation and excess heat.
Warming herbs relieve depression and cold.
Neutral herbs are neither warming nor cooling.
Drying herbs treat stagnation and water retension.
Moistening herbs restore flexibility and tissue function in atrophy.
Balancing herbs help to bring tissues back to normal from either stagnation or atrophy.
Constricting herbs stop leakage by toning up tissue relaxation.
Relaxing herbs ease muscle spasms and improve the flow of energy and fluids by easing constriction.
Nourishing herbs provide nutrients that help the body heal itself and restore normal function.
What are the energetic qualities of each element?
Earth: Cold
Water: Damp
Fire: Hot
Air: Dry
What are the 9 herbal tastes?
sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, spicy, acrid, astringent, and bland
What does a sweet taste indicate?
sugars, polysaccharides
Soothing, moistening (demulcent/emollient), harmonizing (adaptogenic/immunomodulant), nourishing, restoring, building, tonic
affinity for all body tissues and the nervous system
moistening
What does a salty taste indicate?
Minerals
nourishes teeth and bones, softens tissue, stimulates digestion, diuretic (kidney tonic)
affinity for teeth, bones, hair, nails, digestive system
Cooling and drying
What does a sour taste indicate?
plant acids and some minerals
astringent, tonic, supports fluid retention, stimulates digestion, anti-inflammatory, and/or antioxidant
affinity for digestive, cardiovascular and immune system
Tonic/astringent
What does a bitter taste indicate?
alkaloids, volatile oils, sesquiterpenes, possible toxins
stimulates digestion (cholagogue, choleretic, and/or alterative), absorption, calms the nervous system.
Liver, digestive system, nervous system
cooling and drying
What does a pungent taste indicate?
allyl sulfides, volatile oils (strong taste and odor -garlic, onion etc)
stimulates digestion, circulation, antibacterial, diaphoretics
affinity for digestion, cardiovascular and immune systems
warming and drying
What does a spicy taste indicate?
volatile oils, terpenes
stimulates circulation, digestion, and respiration, calms the nervous system, anti-microbial
affinity for cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive system
What does an acrid taste indicate?
volatile oils
antispasmodic, analgesic
affinity for the nervous and musculoskeletal system
What does an astringent taste indicate?
tannins
tonic, styptic, antidiarrheal
affinity for skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract
toning/drying
What does a bland taste indicate?
mucilage
demulcent, soothing, laxitive
affinity for the skin, mucous membranes, digestive system, inflamed tissue
Cooling, moistening
Describe the hot/excited tissue state as well as its signs and symptoms
“Excited” tissues are functioning on high speed.“ it is an exaggeration of the normal function-rate of the tissues. Any imbalance preceded by the word “hyper” likely reflects an excited tissue state (e.g., hyperthyroidism, hypertension, hypersensitivity).
Excitation represents an excess in the innate heat of the tissues. They are red, full, and tender because blood increases cellular activity.
Excitation is associated with heat, and symptoms include allergies, sharp pains, fever, swellings, redness, rapid pulse, and increased blood pressure.
Characteristic symptoms of excitation include:
increase in temperature rise;
nervous excitement; restlessness; wakefulness; excessive movement; susceptibility to stimulation; bright eyes;
increased allergic response; heightened sensitivity to pain; sharp pain; fever;
redness; swelling of the tissues; engorgement of blood; pink-red tissue color;
an elongated, flame-shaped, pink-red or carmine tongue;
excited vascular movements; capillary fragility; bleeding;
tendencies to increased blood pressure; and a superficial, bounding, or rapid pulse. This tissue state especially damages the heart and circulatory system.
Herbs with a cooling or anti-inflammatory effect, such as licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) flower, are indicated.
Describe the depressed tissue state as well as its signs and symptoms
Depression in tissues is a result of under-stimulation and leads to reduced function; depressed tissue states are often preceded by the word “hypo” (e.g., hypotension, hypothyroid, etc.).
Depressed tissues are energetically characterized as being cold, often accompanied by a lack of circulation to the extremities of the body.
cellular activity
Depression of cellular metabolism, respiration and oxidation results in the deterioration of tissues, and accumulation of waste products and unused foodstuff.
Bacteria
This creates an opportune acid biochemical environment for bacteria to feed and thrive
The immune response
The body attempts to deal with the bacteria by increasing white cell production (hence, the high white cell counts). This results in the production of pus (a mixture of dead bacteria and white cells). In a healthier body, these find a vent, a boil or fistula, through which to discharge. In a sicker body, they discharge into the bloodstream, causing systemic poisoning or septicemia.
The symptoms of infection
There are low-grade fevers and infections with putrefaction, venting of pus, fatigue, exhaustion, and easy infection of wounds.
The toll on the immune system
The bone marrow, stem cells, and lymphatic system are eventually worn out trying to keep up with the bacteria and toxins, resulting in low immunity. The defenses against aberrant cell growths are down and cancer is more likely.
increased oxidative stress
Although the oxidation rate in the cells is low, in the spaces between the cells it is higher, because of the scavenging by bacteria. This creates a condition of “heat from cold,” or heat from cellular inactivity. This is the opposite of “heat from heat,” or the heat of cellular over-activity in the irritated tissue state. As a consequence, antioxidants are used
antibiotics
Antibiotics kill one kind of bacteria, but unbalance the microflora of the colon, creating other types of bacterial imbalance and generation of toxins. They also do not remove the toxins that remain behind in the body after the bacteria are killed.
There is a further, very serious side effect of antibiotic treatment. When bacteria are killed they release endotoxins from inside themselves which otherwise would never enter the bloodstream. These cause additional poisoning of the body. In fact, if the bacterial die-off is high enough, there may be a “septic shock” resulting in sudden death.
Removing bacteria
The appropriate way to kill bacteria is to assist the body in removing the toxins that support bacterial or parasitical life. This is generally the way herbs work. The attempt to kill bacteria with “natural antibiotic” herbs is an entirely misguided imitation of a deeply flawed biomedical model.
Poor Circulation
In the depressed tissue state, circulation is usually retarded so that there is a lack of circulation to the extremities, resulting in cold hands and feet.
Congealing of blood
Another result of poor peripheral circulation and low oxygenation of the cells is heavy, thick, coagulated blood. This results in the typical symptoms of “congealed blood” There is often a blue/red, or blue/yellow, or blue/black complexion around the veins, which are more visible. Blood from hemorrhaging or menstruation is thick, clotted, dark, oozing.
poor perfusion
The extremities include the entire capillary bed, where the force of blood pressure pushes the contents of the blood out into the interstitial fluids surrounding the cells. Blood pressure may be low, though often blockages in the portal vein or elsewhere lead to high blood pressure.
Poor nourishment
If circulation is weak, oxygen and blood sugar, and even water, will have a hard time getting to the capillaries, and from there to the cells. This causes the depression of cell life.
Acidity
In the spaces around the cells there is retention of carbon dioxide, since return circulation is also weak. This results in a generally acid condition in the internal tissues.
Retrocession
When there is a lack of strong peripheral circulation—or a lack of the “determining powers,” in the phraseology of the old doctors—rashes recede to the interior, inflicting themselves on the nerves and viscera rather than coming out through the skin. Retrocession of the rash in smallpox was a very serious problem for the old doctors.
Internal cold
Cold from the environment will reduce cellular activity. The hypothalamus reacts with shivering and fever to return the organism to health. If the organism does not adequately respond, there will be “internal cold” or depression.
Characteristics of cold
The characteristic symptoms of depression include a feeling of internal cold, as if one cannot get it out of the body; hands and feet cold; skin cold, dry and inactive, due to poor peripheral circulation; tissue deterioration and bacterial feeding; tendency to secondary, septic or putrefactive heat with discharges that are yellow, green, brown or black; skin color darkish—dusky red, blue, purple, brown, yellow or black; pulse deep, weak, or slow until putrefactive fever sets in, in which case it may become rapid, low, feeble, weak, and nonresistant; tongue usually blue, purple, or darkish in some (not usually all) areas; coating (if any) heavy, congealed, yellow, or yellow/brown.
Organs
The major organs affected by the depressed tissue state are the colon, liver, pancreas, lymphatic/immune system, blood and cardiovascular system. In extreme cases the nervous system is damaged. The large intestine is subject to toxic secretion from unhealthy bacteria. The liver is subject to poisoning from toxins brought to it from the rest of the body. Excess bacteria and toxins weaken the lymphatic/immune system (which has to break down pathological cell growths).
Diseases
The great scourges of health—cancer, heart disease, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes—are more often found in association with this tissue state. Aberrant tissue growth and cancer are more likely when the immune system is depressed. Eventually, there is blood poisoning, with destruction of the blood and nerves.
Other symptoms include low blood pressure, a deep and slow pulse, bluish color to the skin, and poor immune function. Because tissue depression is associated with cold in the body, warming herbs that stimulate circulation, such as cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) bark and ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome, are indicated.
Describe the wind/constricted tissue state as well as its signs and symptoms
This tissue state is the result of “abnormal contraction (clonic spasm) of the neuromuscular system”
When nerves are stimulated they contract. If they remain too long in this condition there will be constriction or tension in the organism.
Constriction may result from psychological stress such as teh inability to relax and switch from sympathetic (awake, alert) to parasympathetic (rest, digest) is a common cause.
or physiological stress such as over exposer to cold to the point where the body sends a signal to the hypothalumus to start the shivering process and makes thehair stand on end
If these mechanisms get stuck (which is often the case after influenza or malaria), the body remains too much on the sympathetic side or alternates back and forth between tension and relaxation. Alternating chills and fever are a characteristic symptom of the tensive tissue state. These were called “intermittent chills” in the old literature.
Constricted tissues are tense, and related imbalances may result in spasming, twitching, intermittent symptoms (e.g., diarrhea followed by constipation), nervousness, and/or indigestion.
Characteristic symptoms of constriction are neuromuscular tension; spasm; rigidity or convulsion; symptom changes which are sudden, intermittent, irregular, or alternating; chills alternating with fever; diarrhea with constipation; pain with freedom from pain; and a pulse wiry, tense, resistant, hard, blocked, or obstructed.
Usually, there is aggravation from getting chilled, drinking cold water, or a draft of cold air.
Tension especially affects the digestion, gall bladder, and liver.
Because Constricted states are typically caused by tension in the nervous system. Herbs that relax the body (nervines, diaphoretics, sedatives), such as lavender (Lavandula spp.) bud and skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) aerial parts, are indicated.
Describe the relaxed tissue state as well as it’s signs and symptoms
The relaxed tissue state
Relaxed tissues lack tone and are less able to hold in fluids so there is excessive fluid loss. This is called free “secretion”
Secretions
Discharges of saliva, mucus, urine, sweat, and diarrhea are thin, clear, watery, and copious. The mucus tends to be dilute, clear, or white, while that of stagnation is heavy, thick, yellow, green, or catarrhal.
Astringents
Astringents are called for in such conditions because they coat the membranes with proteins that stop free secretion. They also improve the tone and stop the sagging and prolapse.
Bone atrophy
Flaccid tissue not only loses fluids but minerals. When we are at rest, calcium is moved from the bones to the serum, but when we are active it is moved in the other direction—hence the importance of exercise in the prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium helps magnesium sedate the muscles so it is needed in extra dosage when the muscles are in a relaxed state. As a consequence, the relaxed tissue state is associated with a generally alkaline condition of the blood, fluids, and urine, yet with demineralization, bone loss, and weakness of the bones.
bony growths
The alkalis may deposit out of the fluids, into the tissues, forming bony growths, swellings, arthritis, gouty deposits, indurated and nodulated glands, impediments to hearing, and cataracts.
Low immunity
The bone marrow may be weakened, leading to poor production of white cells and red cells, low immunity, poor bone growth, anemia, and developmental problems.
Poor maturation of white blood cells also seems to occur in the bone marrow, so that there are symptoms of what we would today call “low immunity”: recurrent upper respiratory infections, chronic swollen glands, and a tendency to tuberculosis. The “consumptive taint” or tubercular tendency was associated with thin, poorly nourished, pale persons with low calcium levels. Relaxation has low available calcium levels and it is calcium the body uses to wall off the tubercle.
hardening of skin
Keratin may leak out of the skin, causing hardness and roughness of the palms.
high blood pressure
Initially, blood pressure may be low, but the conitnues the loss of potassium and the accumulation of sodium may lead to high blood pressure
Passive congestion
The arteries and veins are relaxed, leading to passive congestion of blood in the more easily dilated veins. There is congestion in the liver, lungs, and right side of the heart. High blood pressure accompanies this condition; there is excess sodium and not enough potassium. The complexion is blue from excess venous blood, or the veins are prominent or swollen. In addition to a tendency to blue complexion, the relaxed tissue state has a tendency to a pale complexion. When kidneys are congested there is poor signaling to the bone marrow to produce replacement red blood cells. This results in “kidney anemia,” or what the old doctors called “poor blood.” The blue veins are usually prominent through the pale skin and the skin and mucosa are moister than in iron deficiency anemia.
Symptoms
Symptoms may include pale, cool, and moist skin, with a tendency toward visible, prominent veins. Cysts, prolapsed organs, Free secretion of clear, thin mucus, sweat, urine, and diarrhea. Glands, tonsils, and adenoids are swollen, what the old authors often refer to as “relaxed tonsils.” Chronic swollen glands eventually become hard, indurated, and calcified. Calcifications cause cataract and hearing problems, but there are weak, decalcified bones, teeth and tendon weaknesses, poor bone formation, and unhealthy bone marrow. The last causes low white and red cell counts and low immunity. Renal anemia from poor kidney signaling to the marrow. Muscles are at first relaxed, but, due to loss of calcium to assist the magnesium, they can become twitchy. The tongue is moist, often clear, with foamy streamers down the sides. Pulse is languid, nonresistant, or tense from venous obstruction.
Indications
Astringent herbs such as lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) aerial parts and raspberry (Rubus spp.) leaf are indicated.
