See COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM).... fringe medicine

Ceratonia siliqua

Description: This large tree has a spreading crown. Its leaves are compound and alternate. Its seedpods, also known as Saint John’s bread, are up to 45 centimeters long and are filled with round, hard seeds and a thick pulp.

Habitat and Distribution: This tree is found throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and parts of North Africa.

Edible Parts: The young tender pods are edible raw or boiled. You can pulverize the seeds in mature pods and cook as porridge.... carob tree

Cavanillesia platanifolia

Description: This is a very dominant and easily detected tree because it extends above the other trees. Its height ranges from 45 to 60 meters. It has leaves only at the top and is bare 11 months out of the year. It has rings on its bark that extend to the top to make is easily recognizable. Its bark is reddish or gray in color. Its roots are light reddish-brown or yellowish-brown.

Habitat and Distribution: The cuipo tree is located primarily in Central American tropical rain forests in mountainous areas.

Edible Parts: To get water from this tree, cut a piece of the root and clean the dirt and bark off one end, keeping the root horizontal. Put the clean end to your mouth or canteen and raise the other. The water from this tree tastes like potato water.

Other Uses: Use young saplings and the branches’ inner bark to make rope.... cuipo tree

Moringa pterygosperma

Description: This tree grows from 4.5 to 14 meters tall. Its leaves have a fernlike appearance. Its flowers and long, pendulous fruits grow on the ends of the branches. Its fruit (pod) looks like a giant bean. Its 25-to 60-centimeter-long pods are triangular in cross section, with strong ribs. Its roots have a pungent odor.

Habitat and Distribution: This tree is found in the rain forests and semievergreen seasonal forests of the tropical regions. It is widespread in India, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America. Look for it in abandoned fields and gardens and at the edges of forests.

Edible Parts: The leaves are edible raw or cooked, depending on their hardness. Cut the young seedpods into short lengths and cook them like string beans or fry them. You can get oil for frying by boiling the young fruits of palms and skimming the oil off the surface of the water. You can eat the flowers as part of a salad. You can chew fresh, young seedpods to eat the pulpy and soft seeds. The roots may be ground as a substitute for seasoning similar to horseradish.... horseradish tree

Purification, Healing, Protection... pepper tree

Tea Tree Essential Oil

Tea tree oil is often referred to as “medicine cabinet in a bottle,” as it’s remedies are seemingly endless. Check out these 79 uses for the ultimate survival remedy:

1. Abrasions and minor cuts
2. Acne
3. Air freshener
4. Allergies
5. Arthritus
6. Asthma
7. Athletes foot
8. Baby care
9. Bacterial infections
10. Bad breath
11. Bladder infection
12. Blisters
13. Boils
14. Bronchial congestion
15. Bronchitus
16. Bruises
17. Bunions
18. Burns
19. Calluses/corns
20. Canker sores
21. Carbuncies
22. Chapped lips
23. Chicken pox
24. Chigger bite
25. Cold sores
26. Coughs
27. Dandruff
28. Dermatitus
29. Dry skin
30. Eczema
31. Emphysema
32. Flea bites
33. Gout
34. Gum disease
35. Head lice
36. Hives
37. Homemade mouthwash
38. Household cleaning
39. Immune system
40. Infected wounds
41. Inflammation
42. Ingrown hair
43. Insect repellant
44. Jock itch
45. Laryngitis
46. Laundry helper
47. Mildew/mold remover
48. Mosquito bites
49. Muscle aches/pains
50. Mumps
51. Nail fungus
52. Pest control
53. Plantar warts
54. Psoriasis
55. Rashes
56. Rheumatism
57. Ringworm
58. Rubella
59. Scabies
60. Sciatica
61. Seborrhea
62. Shingles
63. Shock
64. Sinusitis
65. Sore muscles
66. Sore throat
67. Staph infection
68. Stye
69. Sunburn
70. Tattoos
71. Thrush
72. Ticks
73. Toenail fungus
74. Toothbrush cleaner
75. Tonsillitus
76. Vaginal infection
77. Viral infections
78. Warts
79. Wounds

 ... tea tree essential oil

Various genera

Description: Tree ferns are tall trees with long, slender trunks that often have a very rough, barklike covering. Large, lacy leaves uncoil from the top of the trunk.

Habitat and Distribution: Tree ferns are found in wet, tropical forests.

Edible Parts: The young leaves and the soft inner portion of the trunk are edible. Boil the young leaves and eat as greens. Eat the inner portion of the trunk raw or bake it.... tree fern

Anacardium occidentale L. Active ingredient: anacardic acid – an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthetase. Kills laval mosquitoes and water snails. Dumped by natives into ponds where mosquitoes and snails breed. The apple-like fruit serves as a pesticide to control malaria, schistosomiasis and other parasitic diseases from drinking water. (Dr Isao Kubo, University of California-Berkeley, USA)

Leaves used by natives of West Africa for malaria. ... cashew tree fruit

See: GINKGO TREE. ... maidenhair tree

a branching system of tubes conducting air from the trachea (windpipe) to the lungs: includes the bronchi (see bronchus) and their subdivisions and the *bronchioles.... bronchial tree

Strychnos nux-vomica

Loganiaceae

San: Karaskara;

Hin: Kajra, Kuchila;

Mal: Kanjiram; ;

Tam: Itti, Kagodi, Kanjirai Mar:Jharkhatchura;

Kan: Hemmushti, Ittangi;

Tel: Mushti, Mushidi; Ori: Kora, Kachila

Importance: It is a large deciduous tree, with simple leaves and white fragrant flowers.

Strychnos is highly toxic to man and animals producing stiffness of muscles and convulsions, ultimately leading to death. However, in small doses it can also serve as efficacious cure forms of paralysis and other nervous disorders. The seeds are used as a remedy in intermittent fever, dyspepsia, chronic dysentery, paralytic and neuralgic affections, worms, epilepsy, chronic rheumatism, insomnia and colic. It is also useful in impotence, neuralgia of face, heart disease, spermatorrhoea, skin diseases, toxins, wounds, emaciation, cough and cholera. Leaves are applied as poultice in the treatment of chronic wounds and ulcers and the leaf decoction is useful in paralytic complaints. Root and root bark used in fever and dysentery (Nadkarni, 1982; Kurup et al, 1979).

Distribution: The plant is distributed throughout India in deciduous forests up to 1200m. It is also found in Sri Lanka, Siam, Indochina and Malaysia.

Botany: Strychnos nux-vomica Linn. is a large tree belonging to the family Loganiaceae. Leaves are simple, opposite, orbicular to ovate, 6-11.5x6-9.5cm, coriaceous, glabrous, 5 nerved, apex obtuse, acute or apiculate, transverse nerves irregular and inconspicuous. Inflorescence is many flowered terminal cymes, 2.5-5cm across. Bracts (5mm) and bracteoles (1.5mm) small. Flowers are white or greenish white and fragrant. Calyx 5 lobed, pubescent and small (2mm). Corolla salver shaped, tube cylindrical slightly hairy near the base within and greenish white, tube much elongate than the lobes. Tube 7mm and lobes 2.5mm long. Lobes 5 and valvate. Stamens 5, filaments short, 0.1mm long. Anthers 1.5mm subexerted, linear oblong. Ovary 1.5 mm, pubescent, 2 celled, ovules one to many. Style 9mm, stigma capitate. Fruit is a berry, 5-6cm diameter, globose, indehiscent, thick shelled, orange red when ripe with fleshy pulp enclosing the seeds. Seeds 1-many, discoid, compressed, coin like, concave on one side and convex on the other, covered with fine grey silky hairs.

The leaf fall is during December (do not shed all the leaves at a time) and new foliage appears in February. Flowering is during March - April and fruiting during May - December. Fruits take about 8-9 months to mature.

Properties and activity: Strychnine and brucine are the most important and toxic alkaloids present in the plant. They occur not only in the seeds but also in roots, wood, bark, fruit pulp and hard fruit shells. The minor alkaloids present in the plant are vomicine, -colubrine, -colubrine, pseudostrychnine and N-methyl-sec-pseudobrucine (novacine). Loganin a glycoside is also present (Warnat, 1932; Martin et al, 1953; Guggisberg et al, 1966; Bisset and Chaudhary, 1974). Chatterji and Basa (1967) reported vomicine as the major constituent alkaloid along with unidentified alkaloid in leaves and identified another alkaloid kajine (N-methyl pseudostrychnine) from the leaves of very young plants.

Root bark of S. nux-vomica yeilded 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy strychnine, 4 hydroxy strychine, nor-macusine, a new alkaloid 12 , 13 dihydro-12 -hydroxy isostrychnine named protostrychnine (Baser et al, 1979) methoxy strychnine, and mavacurine (Guggisberg et al, 1966). Leaves and root bark also yeilded 11 new alkaloids. 10-hydroxy strychnine, 3-12-dihydroxystrychnine, 12-hydroxy–11- methoxy strychnine, 3-12-dihydroxy- 11-methoxy strychnine,12-hydroxy strychnine-N- oxide 12-hydroxy-11-methoxy strychnine- N-oxide-19,20–dihydro isostrychnine, 16 , 17 dihydro-17 -hydroxy isostrychnine, O- methyl-macusine B, 16-epi-o-methyl–macusine B and normelinone B (Baser and Bisset, 1982).

De and Datta (1988) isolated 5 tertiary indole alkaloids viz. strychnine, brucine, vomicine, icajine and novacine from S.nux-vomica flowers. Bisset et al (1989) isolated and identified two phenolic glycosides salidroside and cuchiloside – a compound consisting of salidroside and an attached xylose unit, from the fruit of S.nux-vomica.

Rodriguez et al (1979) isolated an indole alkaloid from the seeds of S. nux- vomica and identified as a 3-methoxy icajine. A new alkaloid 15-hydroxy strychnine has been isolated from the seeds and the structure of the alkaloid established by spectroscopic data (Galeffi et al, 1979). Cai et al (1990a) isolated 4 new alkaloids isobrucine, isobrucine N-oxide, isostrychnine N-oxide and 2 hydroxy–3-methoxy strychnine from the heat treated seeds of S. nuxvomica and the structure of the alkaloids were determined by 13 CNMR (Cai et al, 1994). Cai et al (1990 b) studied the changes in the alkaloid composition of the seeds during drug processing. Saily et al (1994) determined the mineral elements in Strychnos nux-vomica. Corsaro et al (1995) reported polysaccharides from the seeds of Strychnos species.

Seeger and Neumann (1986) reviewed the physico-chemical characteristics, occurrence, identification, utilisation, poisoning, toxicity, kinetics, differential diagnosis and therapeutic uses of strychnine and brucine. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Pencillium citrinum showed regular association with Strychnos seeds and effectively deteriorated the alkaloid content of the seeds (Dutta, 1988; Dutta and Roy, 1992). Nicholson (1993) described the history, structure and synthesis of strychnine which occur in the seeds of S. nux-vomica. Rawal and Michoud (1991) developed a general solution for the synthesis of 2- azabicyclo (3.3.1) nonane substructure of Strychnos alkaloids.

Villar et al (1984) and Hayakawa et al (1984) developed HPLC method for the analysis of strychnine and brucine. Graf and Wittliner (1985), Kostennikova (1986) and Gaitonde and Joshi (1986) suggested different methods for the assay of strychnine and brucine. Biala et al, (1996) developed new method for the assay of alkaloids in S. nux- vomica.

The seeds are bitter, acrid, alexeteric, aphrodisiac, appetiser, antiperiodic, anthelmintic, digestive, febrifuge, emmenagogue, purgative, spinal, respiratory and cardiac stimulant and stomachic. The bark is bitter, and tonic and febrifuge (Nadkarni, 1954; Kurup et al, 1979; Warrier et al, 1996).

The quarternery alkaloid from the root bark of the Sri Lankan plant exhibited muscle-relaxant activity (Baser and Bisset, 1982). Antimicrobial activity of indole alkaloid isolated from the Strychnos nux-vomica was studied by Verpoorte et al, 1983. Shukla et al (1985) evaluated the efficacy of Rasnadigugglu compound consisting of S. nux-vomica, on rheumatoid arthritis and found to be effective in reducing inflammatory oedoma and rheumatoid arthritis. It also exhibited analgesic activity. A compound Unani formulation containing S. nux-vomica significantly attenuated withdrawal intensity in morphine dependent rats (Zatar et al, 1991). Shahana et al (1994) studied the effect of Unani drug combination (UDC) having Strychnos nux-vomica on the abstinence syndrome in moderately and severely morphine dependent rats. The UDC strikingly suppressed the abstinence syndrome was seen to possess central depressant and analgesic action.

Melone et al (1992) reported brucine-lethality in mice. Panda and Panda (1993) and Satyanarayanan et al (1994) reported antigastric ulcer activity of nux vomica in Shay rats. Banerjee and Pal (1994) reported the medicinal plants used by the tribals of plain land in India for hair and scalp preparation and S. nux-vomica being used to cure alopecia (baldness) by the tribals. Tripathi and Chaurasia (1996) studied the effect of S. nux-vomica alcohol extract on lipid peroxidation in rat liver.... strychnine tree

Tabebuia avellanedae. Ipe Roxo, Pau d’arco. LaPacho herb tea. Taheebo. 1,000 year-old Inca cancer-cure. Used for centuries by the Callawaya Tribe. Still used in Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and the Argentine. Laprachol occurs in heartwood of some trees of the genera Tecoma and Tabebuia (N.O. Bignonaiceae). Aids immune system health. Anti-tumour. Anti-microbial. Analgesic. Anodyne. Diuretic. Antidotal. Fungicidal. Anti-fever. Anti-Candida. Anti-cancer. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-haemorrhagic. Anti-leukaemic. Indian plant C.D. shows reducible activity in Walker 256 Carcinosarcoma system in rats. Exhibits significant antitumour activity with relatively little effect on body weight. Anti-cancer experiments in human patients confirm experiments made in animals bearing malignant neoplasies. Low toxicity. Adenocarcinoma (liver, breast and prostate) and epidermoid carcinoma of womb and floor of the mouth: temporary reductions of lesions and decrease of pain. (Manoel Antonio Schmidt)

Folk history: cancer remedy (anti-mitotic action), diarrhoea, boils, leprosy, chlorosis, dysentery, eneuresis, fever, pharyngitis, snakebite, syphilis, wounds. (J.A. Duke) Large doses produce nausea and anti-coagulant tendency. Strongly commended by Professor Emeritus, Walter Accorsi, University of Sao Paulo (USP) for its therapeutic value.

Oral candidiasis: good results reported.

Decoction. 15-20g bark to 500ml (1 pint) water, gently simmered 20 minutes. 1 cup thrice daily.

Tincture. 1 part to 5 parts 60 per cent alcohol; macerate 8 days; filter. Dose: 30-60 drops thrice daily. For acute cases, dose may be doubled.

Lapacho works best taken orally.

Teabags, capsules: Rio Trading Company, Brighton, England. ... lapacho tree

Melaleuca alternifolia

FAMILY: Myrtaceae

SYNONYMS: Narrow-leaved paperbark tea tree, ti-tree, ti-trol, melasol.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A small tree or shrub (smallest of the tea tree family), with needle-like leaves similar to cypress, with heads of sessile yellow or purplish flowers.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to Australia. Other varieties have been cultivated elsewhere, but M. alternifolia is not produced outside Australia, mainly in New South Wales.

OTHER SPECIES: Tea tree is a general name for members of the Melaleuca family which exists in many physiological forms including cajeput (M. cajeputi) and niaouli (M. viridiflora), and many others such as M. bracteata and M. linariifolia – see Botanical Classification section.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: The name derives from its local usage as a type of herbal tea, prepared from the leaves. Our present knowledge of the properties and uses of tea tree is based on a very long history of use by the aboriginal people of Australia. It has been extensively researched recently by scientific methods with the following results: ‘1. This oil is unusual in that it is active against all three varieties of infectious organisms: bacteria, fungi and viruses. 2. It is a very powerful immuno-stimulant, so when the body is threatened by any of these organisms ti-tree increases its ability to respond.’ .

ACTIONS: Anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal, balsamic, cicatrisant, diaphoretic, expectorant, fungicidal, immuno-stimulant, parasiticide, vulnerary.

EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam or water distillation from the leaves and twigs.

CHARACTERISTICS: A pale yellowy-green or water-white mobile liquid with a warm, fresh, spicy-camphoraceous odour. It blends well with lavandin, lavender, clary sage, rosemary, oakmoss, pine, cananga, geranium, marjoram, and spice oils, especially clove and nutmeg.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Terpinene-4-ol (up to 30 per cent), cineol, pinene, terpinenes, cymene, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene alcohols, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Non-toxic, non-irritant, possible sensitization in some individuals.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE

Skin care: Abscess, acne, athlete’s foot, blisters, burns, cold sores, dandruff, herpes, insect bites, oily skin, rashes (nappy rash), spots, verrucae, warts, wounds (infected).

Respiratory system: Asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, coughs, sinusitis, tuberculosis, whooping cough.

Genito-urinary system: Thrush, vaginitis, cystitis, pruritis.

Immune system: Colds, fever, ’flu, infectious illnesses such as chickenpox.

OTHER USES: Employed in soaps, toothpastes, deodorants, disinfectants, gargles, germicides and, increasingly, in aftershaves and spicy colognes.... tea tree