Inca Health Dictionary

R. Br.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Native of Europe; grown as ornamental.

English: Stock, Gilli-flower.

Unani: Tudri Safed.

Action: Expectorant, diuretic, stomachic.

The seeds contain mucilage, a fatty oil, two crystalline colouring matters and a volatile oil which yields methyl, isopropyl and 4-methylthiobutyl iso- thiocyanates. Beta-sitosterol is present in fatty oil. Fatty acids include palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and ru- cic.... matthiola incana

Linn.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native of South-east America; grown in Indian gardens.

English: Wild Passion Flower, Maypop.

Action: Flowering and fruiting dried herb—mild sedative, hypnotic, tranquilizer, hypotensive, vasodilator, antispasmodic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory,

Key application: In nervous restlessness, irritability and difficulty in falling asleep. (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Compendium, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, WHO.) The British Herbal Compendium also indicated it in neuralgia, dysmenorrhoea, and nervous tachycardia.

The herb contains flavonoids (up to 2.5%), in particular C-glycosylflavones; cyanogenic glycoside, gynocardine.

The alkaloid harman has been isolated, but the presence of harmine, har- maline, harmol and harmalol has been disputed. The alkaloid and flavonoids are reported to have sedative activity in animals. Apigenin exhibits antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Passion Flower was formerly approved as an OTC sedative in the USA, but it was taken off the market in 1978 because safety and effectiveness had not been proven. An animal study in 1977 suggested that apigenin binds to central benzodi-zepine receptors (possibly causing anxiolytic effects). (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)

The drug is used in homoeopathic medicine for epilepsy.

The herb exhibits a motility-inhi- biting effect in animal experiments.

Passion Flower, used as an adjunct to clonidine, was superior to clonidine for mental symptoms of opiate withdrawal. (Sharon M. Herr.)... passiflora incarnata

Roxb.

Synonym: Q. leucotrichophora A. Camus ex Bhadur.

Family: Fagaceae.

Habitat: Kashmir and Western Himalayas up to Nepal at altitudes of1,000-2,400 m.

English: Grey Oak.

Unani: Baloot.

Folk: Shilaa Supaari (Kashmir), Phanat (Garhwal), Shiddar (Kashmir).

Action: Acrons—diuretic, astringent. Used in indigestion and diarrhoea (after removing tannin and associated substances by the process of germination under earth). Also used in gonorrhoea.

The bark contains 6-23% of tannin. The stem bark contains friedelin, a tri- terpenoid, beta-sitosterol and a mixture of leucoanthocyanidins (including leucopelargonidin). Leaves contain flavonoids— quercetin, quercetin- 3-galacto-arabinoside.

The kernels gave fatty acids, including palmitic, lignoceric and oleic.... quercus incana

Certificates of incapacity for work issued by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists are acceptable by the Department of Social Security. The official form should bear the patient’s name and diagnosis. Wording: I CERTIFY that I have examined you on the undermentioned date and that in my opinion you were incapable of work at the time of that examination by reason of . . . In my opinion you will be fit to resume work today/tomorrow or on . . . day. The date to be indicated must not be more than 3 days after the date of examination This is followed by the practitioner’s signature, address, date of examination, date of signing, and other relevant remarks. ... incapacity certificate

adj. confined or constricted so as to be immovable: applied particularly to a type of *hernia.... incarcerated