America Health Dictionary

Podophyllum peltatum. N.O. Berberidaceae.

Synonym: May Apple, Racoonberry, Wild Lemon.

Habitat: A common plant in the United States and Canada, the root is imported into this country in large quantities for medicinal purposes.

Features ? The rhizome (as the part used should more strictly be termed) is reddish- brown in colour, fairly smooth, and has knotty joints at distances of about two inches. The fracture shows whitish and mealy.

American Mandrake is an entirely different plant from White Bryony or English Mandrake, dealt with elsewhere. Preparations of the rhizome of the American Mandrake are found in practice to be much more effective than those of the resin. This is one of the many confirmations of one of the basic postulates of herbal medicine—the nearer we can get to natural conditions the better the results. Therapeutic principles are never the same when taken from their proper environment.

Podophyllum is a very valuable hepatic, and a thorough but slow-acting purgative. Correctly compounded with other herbs it is wonderfully effective in congested conditions of the liver, and has a salutary influence on other parts of the system, the glands in particular being helped to normal functioning. Although apparently unrecognised in Coffin's day, the modern natural healer highly appreciates the virtues of this medicine and has many uses for it.

As American Mandrake is so powerful in certain of its actions, and needs such skillful combination with other herbs, it should not be used by the public without the advice of one experienced in prescribing it to

individual needs.... mandrake, american

Linn.

Family: Agavaceae.

Habitat: Native to America; grown in gardens for ornamentation.

English: Century Plant, American Aloe.

Ayurvedic: Kaantala (related sp.).

Siddha/Tamil: Alagai.

Folk: Ban-Kevaraa.

Action: Leaf juice—used for warts, cancerous ulcers and putrid tumours. Leaves are also used as a resolvant in syphilis and scrofula.

The leaves contain ten steroidal sa- ponins (six of these are spirostanolic and four furostanolic), also hecogenin (0.20%) and piscidic acid. The seeds contain steroid sapogenins including hecogenin. The plant exhibits significant antibacterial activity.... agave americana

Get a taste of South America by drinking pau d’arco tea. It has a pleasant, earthy taste, astringent and just a bit bitter. Find out more about its health benefits and side effects! About Pau D’Arco Tea Pau D’Arco tea uses the inner bark of the Pink Ipê tree, also known as Pink Lapacho. The tree can be found in many South American countries. The Pink Lapacho is a large tree which can grow up to 30m tall. Usually, the trunk represents a third of that height, while the rest is used by the tree’s branches. The bark is dark brown, tough and hard to peel, and its branches spring up with opposite and petiolate leaves, and large, tubular-shaped pink flowers which bloom between July and September. How to make Pau D’Arco Tea To enjoy some pau d’arco tea, add 3 tablespoons to a pot containing 1 liter of water and bring it to boiling point. Once it reaches boiling point, lower the heat to medium-low and leave it like this for about 20 minutes. Once that’s done, strain the tea and pour it into cups. Pau d’arco tea can be served both hot and cold. If you want to, you can sweeten it with honey, stevia or fruit juice. Pau D’Arco Tea Benefits The inner bark of the Pink Lapacho tea has important active constituents, such as lapachol, lapachone and isolapachone, as well as various flavonoids and tannins. They are transferred to the pau d’arco tea; this way, the beverage helps us stay healthy. Pau d’arco tea plays an important role in the help against cancer. Cancer patients who have consumed this tea have shown progress, from alleviation of chemotherapy symptoms to complete remission of the cancerous tumors. Pau d’arco tea is also useful in the treatment of other diseases, such as diabetes, fibromyalgia, and lupus. Drinking pau d’arco tea can help if you’ve got a cold or the flu. It is also useful as a remedy for smoker’s cough, and acts as an expectorant, stimulating coughing in order to get rid of mucus. It was also discovered that pau d’arco tea increases the production of red blood cells. Although researches are still being made in this area, it is recommended in the treatment for leukemia, anemia and other blood disorders. Pau d’arco tea is also useful in fighting fungi. It is used to treat yeast infection and candida, due to its antifungal nature. It can help in the treatment for stomach ulcers, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and dysentery. It also protects you against tropical diseases (malaria, schistosomiasis). Pau D’Arco Tea Side Effects Pau d’arco tea may act like a blood thinner. Don’t drink this tea at least two weeks before a surgery, otherwise it might increase the risk of bleeding both during and after the surgery, and can decrease the blood clotting speed. You also shouldn’t drink pau d’arco tea if you’ve got a bleeding disorder (hemophilia) or if you’re taking anticoagulants. If you’re taking any medication, talk to your doctor first before drinking pau d’arco tea. It may interfere with various medications, for example aspirin, enoxaparin, warfarin, and dalteparin. It is also recommended that you not drink pau d’arco tea if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. During pregnancy, it can lead to child defects or even death of the baby. It can also affect the baby during breastfeeding. Be careful with the amount of pau d’arco tea you drink a day. The maximum amount of tea you can drink a day is 1 liter. If you drink more, it might lead to nausea, vomiting or bleeding (in which case you should consult a doctor). Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness and diarrhea. Pau d’arco tea has lots of important health benefits, but it also has a few side effects which you should remember. If you make sure it’s safe to drink this tea, you can enjoy it with no worries!... drink pau d’arco tea from south america

A hookworm, closely resembling but smaller than the Ancylostoma duodenale. (See ANCYLOSTOMIASIS.)... necator americanus

 Polymnia uvedalia L. Root

Action: Stimulant alterative, spleen tonic. Lymphatic. Anti-malarial. Analgesic (mild). Laxative.

Uses: Swollen glands. Liver congestion. Splenetic enlargement. Mastitis, to reduce benign swelling. Preparations. Thrice daily.

Decoction: 1 teaspoon shredded root to large cup water simmered gently 5 minutes. Dose: One-third of a cup.

Liquid Extract: 30-60 drops.

Externally as a hair tonic. ... bearsfoot, american

Five-fingers. Panax quinquefolium L. Dried root. Keynote: stress with stomach symptoms.

Action: adaptogen, digestive relaxant, hypoglycaemic, aphrodisiac, old-age re-vitaliser.

Uses: Irritable or nervous stomach caused by pressure of work and other stresses. Lack of appetite. Low blood pressure. Sustains nerves and immune system in physical exhaustion and infection.

Preparations: Average dose: half-4 grams dried root. Thrice daily. Powder: made palatable in honey. ... ginseng - american

(AMA) a professional organization for US physicians. Its purposes include dissemination of scientific information through journals, a weekly newspaper, and a website; representation of the profession to Congress and state legislatures; keeping members informed of pending health and medical legislation; evaluating prescription and non-prescription drugs; and cooperating with other organizations in setting standards for hospitals and medical schools. The AMA maintains a comprehensive directory of licensed physicians in the US.... american medical association

Mill.

Synonym: P. gratissima Gaertn. f.

Family: Lauraceae.

Habitat: Native to Central America; introduced into India and grown for its fruit in Bangalore, Nandi Hills, Courtallam, Nagarcoil, Shevaroys, lower Palnis and the foothills of the Nilgiris; also in Pune.

English: Avocado, Alligator Pear, Butter Fruit.

Action: Fruit—hypocholestero- laemic. Leaf—bacteriostatic; potentially toxic to goats and sheep.

The fruit is highly nutritious. The fruit from Nilgiris contains 22.8% fat, 1.7% protein; also manganese, phosphorus, iron, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, thiamine, ri- boflavin, nicotinic acid and foliate. It is relatively low in sodium and simple sugars.

American Avocado is rich in oil (1530 g/100 g fresh fruit) that is mainly monounsaturated and a good source of linoleic acid. Its high fiber content might be responsible for its cholesterol lowering effects.

Preliminary evidence suggests that unsaponifiable fractions of Avocado and soybean oils (combination) can inhibit cartilage degradation and promote cartilage repair in osteoarthritic chondrocytes. (Properties of Avocado cited in Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.) Avocado oil is used in cosmetic preparations, soaps and pharmaceuticals. The peel of immature fruit contains antifungal compounds. The fruit pulp is used topically to promote hair growth.... persea americana

Linn.

Synonym: X. spinosa Salisb.

Family: Olacaceae.

Habitat: Both the Peninsulas and the Andaman Islands.

English: Tallow-Wood, False Sandal-Wood.

Siddha/Tamil: Chiru-illantai, Kadaranji, Siruyilandai.

Action: Fruits—known as Wild Plum or Wild Olive, are used as a substitute for lemon. Fruits and seeds—laxative. Root and leaves— decoction given in jaundice, diarrhoea and during fevers. Root—used for venereal diseases. Bark—astringent, applied to sores. Wood—used as a substitute for sandalwood.

The root contains fat, rich in acety- lenic acids, including ximenynic acid. The bark contains 17% tannin. An extract of leaves gave positive test for presence of free triterpenoids.

Alcoholic extract of the plant showed antiviral and hypotensive activity in primary tests on animals.

A cyanogenic and antimicrobial constituent, sambunigrin, is present in the plant. Natural lignified products from the plant significantly stimulate iodination of human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells.

The fruit contains 60.3 mg/100 g ascorbic acid.... ximenia americana

Mill.

Family: Rutaceae.

Habitat: Canada and North America.

English: Toothache tree, Prickly Ash.

Action: Bark, berries—used internally and externaly to treat rheumatism and toothache; also for circulatory insufficiency and fevers.

The bark contains alkaloids gamma- fagarine, beta-fagarine, magnoflorine, laurifoline, nitidine, chelerythrine, tembetarine, candicine; coumarins include xanthyletine, xanthoxyletin and alloxanthyletin.

Related species, found in India, give more or less similar pattern of chemical constituents and therapeutic activities. The bark of Z. armatum is used for cleaning teeth. The seeds of Z. acanthopodium are extensively used in the preparation of tooth-powders. The fruits of Z. budrunga and the root of Z. nitidum are prescribed for toothache.... zanthoxylum americanum

 Storksbill. Wild Geranium. Geranium maculatum L. Herb. Dried Root. Constituents: Tannic and gallic acid.

Action: Haemostatic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, styptic tonic, antiseptic. A vaso- compressor to increase the vital potency of living matter of the ganglionic neurones. Anti-diarrhoea. For over-relaxed conditions.

Uses: Urinary system: frequency, incontinence in the young and aged, bed-wetting, blood in the urine. An ingredient of Captain Frank Roberts’ prescription for ulceration of stomach, duodenum and intestines. Ulceration of mouth and throat (tea used as a mouth wash and gargle). Irritable bowel. Summer diarrhoea of children.

Combines with Beth root (equal parts) as a vaginal douche for leucorrhoea or flooding of the menopause; with tincture Myrrh for cholera and infective enteritis.

Dr Wm Winder reported in the 1840s how the Indians of Great Manitoulin Island held it in high favour as a healing styptic antiseptic, “the powdered root being placed on the mouth of the bleeding vessel . . . Internally, they considered it efficacious for bleeding from the lungs”. (Virgil J. Vogel, University of Oklahoma Press, USA)

Preparations: Thrice daily.

Tea. Half-2 teaspoons dried herb to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes. Half-1 cup.

Decoction. Half-1 teaspoon dried root to each cup water simmered gently 20 minutes. Half a cup.

Tablets BHP 270mg. (Gerard House)

Liquid extract: 15-30 drops.

Tincture BHP (1983). 1 part root to 5 parts 45 per cent alcohol. Dose: 2-4ml (30-60 drops).

Powdered root, as a snuff for excessive catarrh and to arrest bleeding from the nose.

Vaginal douche. 1oz root to 2 pints water simmered 20 minutes. Strain and inject. ... cranesbill, american