Each spring, the honeysuckle flowers gather at the end of their stems to trumpet their sweet, gentle scent of purification and renewal. When I lead an herb walk in my backyard, I always pause with my students in homage at the woodbine (honeysuckle vine). After a discussion of the powerful antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and not least, anticancer properties of this gentle herb, I facetiously tell my students to pick a dry weight pound of honeysuckle blossoms as part of their initiation into the world of herbs.

The painstaking task I suggest to my students is something I’ve never personally undertaken. Generally, I don’t pick honeysuckle flowers myself, with the excuse that it’s too much work. Probably it is for this same reason that despite the herb’s fantastic properties of purification and detoxification, it is seldom used by Western herbalists. (This moment does not pass with a feeling of silent gratitude for some poor Chinese peasant who invested hours of time and patience to pick a pound of jin yin hua for a pittance so that I could in turn purchase the flowers at a cost of just a few U.S. dollars.) It’s impossible to only use herbs I personally grow or harvest in my clinic, but in an attempt to complete the cycle from nature to nurture, I always try to harvest some part of the herbs I use every year. This spring, I could not resist the temptation to pick some fresh honeysuckle flowers for personal use and for some clients in my clinic.

Honeysuckle flowers tend to grow in small clumps of up to eight or more blossoms. At first, they are luminescent white; then, as the heat of the sun bears down on them, they begin to yellow with age. I don’t know it for certain, but I imagine that the white flowers are more potent. I single these out for harvest.

Well, in the space of 30 minutes I probably harvested eight to 10 ounces – that is fresh and wet, not dry! Still, the effort is worth it. I think of ascetic monks who charge themselves to the repetition of a mantra counted on a rosary (mala) of hundreds to thousands a day – how much more transcendent and connecting of heaven and earth would it be, if they were put to the task of picking honeysuckle flowers while quietly repeating their prayer? Imagine the even greater healing spiritual energy prayer-picked honeysuckle blossoms would take on!

Medicinal Applications of Honeysuckle Flowers and Leaves

Jin yin hua, the most common species of honeysuckle used in Asia, is Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). With over a hundred species worldwide, ranging in a wide arrange of sizes and colors (including red!) the plants are all in the Caprifoliacea family along with Sambucus (elder). According to herbalist Christopher Hobbs, elder has chemistry and properties similar enough to be used interchangeably with honeysuckle flowers. Lonicera fruit can be red, blue or black and contain several hard seeds. In most species the berries are regarded as mildly poisonous with the notable exception of L. caerulea whose berries are edible. Nevertheless, it is not the berries, but the flowers and leaves that we are after when we look to honeysuckle as a medicinal.

Jin yin hua, which aptly translates as “golden silver flower,” is one of the first herbs considered for the treatment of infections, inflammation, fevers and toxicity. It is an herbal antibiotic effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria including Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus dysenteeriae, Vibrio cholera, Salmonella typhi, Diplococcus pneumonia, Diplococcus meningitides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid in the herb has the strongest antibiotic effects. According to Chen and Chen (Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology, 2004, Art of Medicine Press Inc.), the fresh herb only soaked in water has a stronger antibiotic than an herbal decoction, with the leaves having an even stronger antibiotic properties than the flowers.

Honeysuckle flowers are classified as sweet and cold and enter the Lung, Stomach and Large Intestine meridians. They are effectively dosed anywhere from 10 to 60 grams and are used for the common cold with symptoms of fever and thirst, upper respiratory tract infections, boils, furuncles, enteritis and dysentery. For diarrhea and dysentery with watery stool, honeysuckle is taken dry fried and carbonized.

One of the most common formulas using honeysuckle is the famous Yin Qiao San, widely used for treating colds and influenza. However, its broader detoxifying and heat-clearing properties makes it useful for inflammatory skin conditions, inflammations of the upper respiratory tract and is taken both internally and externally for mastitis as well as lung and breast cancer. Several studies (1, 2, 3) have shown that extracts of honeysuckle promote apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth. For more on the anticancer uses of Lonicera and other herbs, I recommend my book Treating Cancer with Herbs published by Lotus press.

The flowers are not the only part of Lonicera that are useful medicinally. While not specifically designated, the leaves have even stronger antibiotic effects than the flowers. This may inspire herbalists to personally harvest and try using more generous doses of Lonicera aerial parts for all infectious diseases. In this regard, though I’ve not tried it, one might consider the use of strong honeysuckle tea, perhaps with added fresh ginger and a little licorice for recalcitrant infections like Lyme’s disease.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a specific through similar anti-inflammatory use for Lonicera stems which are called jin yin teng or ren dong teng. This part of the plant has milder anti-toxin effects but is specific for arthritic and rheumatic conditions, described in TCM as bi pain or ‘wind-dampness.’

While many contemporary western herbalists regard honeysuckle as exclusive to the domain of Chinese herbal medicine, the Roman naturalist writer Pliny recommended it mixed with wine for the treatment of “disorders of the spleen.” This may suggest yet another possible use for honeysuckle: depression. In ancient Greek humoural medicine, the spleen is associated with the black bile humour which in turn is associated with melancholy, or depression. To my knowledge there is no contemporary use of honeysuckle flowers for the treatment of depression unless one considers its use as a homeopathic Bach flower remedy for a certain kind of depression associated with nostalgia.

I’ve always been eager to incorporate and use any herb or healing principle so long as it is safe and effective. This is why I came up with my own approach to herbalism, Planetary Herbology, embodied in the East West Herb Course. If I were an Ayurvedic herbalist or a curandero living in the Amazon jungle, if I learned about the fantastic uses of an herb like Lonicera, I’d have a hard time not wanting to put it to immediate use. If you’ve got a honeysuckle vine giving its profuse blooms over a fence or trellis in your yard at this time of year, I hope you’re inspired to snip some leaves and flowers for medicine; it’ll come in handy later this year!

Now that I’m on to ginseng-like herbs, here’s another one that can be taken during the summer. Its real name is Panax notoginseng, known in Chinese pinyin as san qi, but is best known by its commercial name, Tien qi ginseng.

It is definitely in the ginseng family, but has quite different properties from the ones we usually associate with other ginsengs.

Rather than tonifying Qi, this herb moves and builds Blood. But even better, while it moves Blood it also stops bleeding. This makes it a perfect application for any trauma from falls, fractures, contusions, wounds, cuts or sprains (for this reason it is used extensively by martial artists) and to stop bleeding in vomit, urine or stool along with nosebleeds and hemorrhaging.  

In fact, it is used for any internal and external bleeding and should be taken frequently for this, both internally and externally placed on the wound in powder or liniment form. It is called Yunan Bai Yao in its patent form, which is widely used to stop bleeding, specifically from gunshot wounds.  

San qi also reduces swelling, alleviates pain and dissolves blood clots. I have seen it dissolve large blood clots and slow excessive menstrual bleeding and hemorrhage (high doses are needed for both).  It is used for chest, abdominal and joint pain and diabetic retinopathy. As well, it lowers blood pressure and increases coronary artery flow. Because of its tonic circulatory properties, it is one of the most popular of all herbs used by the Chinese. 

Image of San qi tubers from: ITM Online.

San Qi

Latin: Panax notoginseng, P. pseudoginseng

Family: Araliaceae

Part Used: root

Energy, taste and Organs affected: warm; sweet, slightly bitter; Liver, Stomach, Large Intestine

Actions: stops bleeding

Properties: hemostatic, cardiac tonic

Biochemical constituents: arasaponin A, arasaponin B, dencichine

Dose: 1-3 g powder; 3-9 g whole root, decoction; apply topically as needed

Precautions: pregnancy; Deficient Blood or Yin

Other: also known as pseudoginseng, notoginseng, tienchi, tien qi and tian qi

Indications: internal and external bleeding, nosebleed, blood in urine, vomit, mucus or stool, traumatic injury due to falls, fractures, contusions and sprains, chest and abdominal pain, angina, coronary heart diseases, joint pain, hemorrhage, injuries, wounds, excessive menstruation, diabetic retinopathy

Although not a ginseng at all, codonopsis has similar tastes, energies and tonifying properties as ginseng. As well, both herbs affect the Lung and Spleen organs and meridians. Yet, because it is milder in action and far less expensive, codonopsis is often called the “poor man’s ginseng.”

Because the body’s fires are rising up and out during the summertime, it’s important to switch from using ginseng to codonopsis. Its milder energy is more appropriate for hotter weather and so traditionally is substituted for ginseng in the summer. Partly this may be due to codonopsis not having the potential to stagnate energy as easily as does ginseng, but also because it lowers blood pressure while ginseng elevates it.

Excess heat in the body not only can congest energy, but it rises as well, just as steam rises from a fire. The strong tonifying action of ginseng more easily congests already stagnant energy, which is why it is most always given along with a qi-moving herb. And in the summer, higher outside temperatures can combine with our own inner fires rising upward and outward to create more inner heat if it is not naturally dispersed through activity, sweating and a cooler diet. Ingesting strong tonic herbs in the summer can congest that heat and lead to many unpleasant symptoms.

Some also believe that codonopsis tonifies blood as well as qi and promotes the production of body fluids, making it particularly useful for women. It is even beneficial for nursing mothers as it helps produce milk and its nutrients are especially nourishing to babies. Furthermore, it’s useful for teething babies, as its hard, sweet tasting root can be held like a stick.

When combined with astragalus, it builds immunity, helpful during the weather changes in Spring. It may be given along with exterior-releasing herbs (diaphoretics) for colds and flu in those who are weak.

Its mild action makes it acceptable for children to take as well, helping build muscle and strengthen the digestive, immune and respiratory systems.

According to Ron Teeguarden, “Codonopsis has been demonstrated to have radiation protection activity and can be effective in protecting cancer patients receiving radiation therapy from the side effects without diminishing its benefits. Codonopsis also has interferon-inducing activity that may be of importance in many immune deficiency conditions, including HIV infection.”

Include codonopsis in a weekly tonic soup or morning cereal as a general tonic.

Codonopsis pilosulae

Family: Campanulaceae

Pin yin: dang shen

Part Used: root

Energy, taste and Organs affected: neutral; sweet; Lungs, Spleen

Actions: tonifies Qi

Properties: energy tonic, demulcent, expectorant

Biochemical constituents: saponin, starch, sugar, inulin, alkaloids, sucrose, glucose

Dose: 9-30 g, decoct for 20-30 minutes; eat root after cooking

Precautions: do not use with veratri (li lu)

Other: codonopsis is frequently substituted for Chinese ginseng

Indications: lack of appetite, fatigue, tiredness, weakness, poor digestion, gas, weak arms and legs, bloatedness, diarrhea, vomiting, prolapse of uterus, stomach or rectum, chronic cough, shortness of breath, copious white to clear mucus

Uses: Codonopsis is a primary herb used to tonify Qi, particularly of digestion (the Spleen) and immunity (the Lungs). It is similar to Chinese ginseng, but milder in energy and actions (and cheaper, too!) and so is safe for long-term treatment, in all climates (it is typically given in summer rather than ginseng) and by both sexes. Codonopsis increases vital energy, strengthens digestion and assimilation and treats diabetes and hyperacidity. It is given in all diseases associated with weakness, debility after illness, tiredness, lack of strength, poor appetite and anemia. It also alleviates diarrhea, vomiting, gas, bloatedness, chronic cough and shortness of breath. 

The pomegranate (Punica granitum), highly touted these days as an antioxidant-rich superfruit, has an ancient metaphysical and culinary history.

Your cheek is like a half-pomegranate
Behind your veil.
(Song of Songs, 6:8)

The pomegranate has forever been likened to the shape of a woman's breast. An age-old herbal principle called the Doctrine of Signatures suggests that if an herb resembles a part of the body, it is likely a medicine for that part of the body. Perhaps this recent report published in the January 2010 issue of the American Association for Cancer Research journal Cancer Prevention Research lends some credence to this bit of herbal folklore. Researchers at City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, Calif., discovered a suppressive effect of compounds found in pomegranate on the proliferation of estrogen-responsive breast cancer cells. Earlier research showed that ellagic acid in pomegranates inhibits the enzyme known as aromatase that converts androgen to estrogen hormones which fuel a common type of breast cancer.

Similar anti-cancer ellagic acids are also found in other fruits such as raspberries and besides their use to inhibit breast cancer, it seems that they are also effective for prostate cancer.

It might be a bit too early to say exactly how much pomegranate should be consumed to help fight estrogen-responsive breast cancer, but we may be encouraged to find that more and more research shows that all long-feted pomegranate's recent grocery-store fame is more than just hype.

Horsetail

Equisetum spp.

Energies and flavors: Cool, astringent

Uses: Hemostatic, astringent, vulnerary

With the advent of Spring comes horsetail, a type of shave-grass that grows in watery places. I’ve been studying several stands of these interesting plants for a few weeks now, watching them pop through the earth, shoot upward and sprout into feathery and bottlebrush-like “leaves.” My walks take me past a stream where they love to flourish, offering me some interesting photo ops.

Horsetail’s fresh, barren stems have long been used medicinally. Older herbalists used it for consumption, dropsy and dysentery. Horsetail decoction has also been used as a vulnerary, stopping bleeding, healing wounds and reducing eyelid swelling when applied externally. High in silica, they are often included in mineral-rich formulas or herbal combinations for strengthening bones.

Horsetail’s main use, however, is as a diuretic to increase the flow of urine. Thus, is used for such urinary issues such as bladder, prostate, urethra and kidney infections. As well, it is used for frequent urination, which may seem contradictory. However, by increasing the flow of urine it empties the bladder so one doesn’t need to urinate as much.

Horsetail is also used as a lithotropic, helping to dissolve kidney and bladder stones. As an astringent, it can stop bleeding, internally and externally, and has particularly been used this way for nosebleeds. When calcined to ash, it supposedly helps alleviate acid indigestion.

When taken regularly, however, horsetail may irritate the kidneys and cause some toxic reactions. Thus treatment should last no more than six days. Another precaution to keep in mind is that a strong decoction of horsetail acts as an emmenogogue, which contraindicates it for pregnancy.

Driving on Highway 50, the only highway on the island of Kauai, during morning traffic, a sign advertising fresh Longan berries next to an improvised roadside fruit stand (Euphoria longana) caught my eye. I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to stop and see if these were the very same as the dried long yan rou I stock and use in my clinical prescriptions and formulas for decades. Happily, they were.

Many wonder about the discovery of the medicinal properties of herbs: "How did they figure out that such-and-such herb has medicinal value?" In the case of Longan berries, and many other herbs, their first use was as a food, and the road of discovery began there.

Having only known this as a botanical medicine that I would frequently nibble on in my clinic and offer to patients as a pleasant introduction to Chinese herb tonics, I was excited about the prospect of eating Longan berries in their fresh, unadulterated form.

Eyes of the Dragon

Commonly known in Chinese as long yan rou, literally meaning "dragon eyes," the Longan berry is the fruit of a tropical tree found throughout Southeast Asia, including southern China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. For the first time, I was able see and taste the syrupy sweet opalescent fruit which is like an iris with the hard lacquered black dark pit faintly showing in the center. When fully ripened, the freshly harvested outer shell is rough and bark-like and is easily cracked allowing one to squeeze out the inner fruit. The Chinese woman minding the fruit stand described how if the fruit is too ripe, the shell is soft and dark and the flavor is not so appealing.

The Vietnamese riddle aptly describes the experience of Longan fruit: Da cc m bác bát lác, bát lác m bá»c hn than (literally: Toad's skin covers tapioca flour, tapioca flour covers coal stone). Toad's skin is the skin, tapioca flour is the clear white flesh and coal stone is the black seed.

As a botanical, Longan berries are sold pitted and dried and they have a golden brown iridescent color. In order to more easily extract the seed from the rough outer skin and the pit from the fruit, they are lightly heated and smoked.

The Medicinal Properties of Longan

Longan berries are one of the three or more "super fruits" used as tonics in Chinese medicine. Two others would be jujube date (Zizyphus jujube) and goji berries (Lycium chinensis). Sometimes in my clinic I"d make a kind of Chinese herbal trail mix with Longan berries, lycii berries, fennel seeds, almonds and hemp seed. (Scroll down this page for another recipe for Chinese trail mix from Lesley.) Apart from being a tasty snack, this works beautifully for diabetics and individuals suffering from chronic constipation.

The third generation Chinese woman tending the fruit stand was surprised that I apparently knew so much about the fruit she was selling. She confessed how she had even forgotten the Chinese name for Longan berries; I couldn't resist reminding her. I also told her and a woman deliberating whether to buy some or not about their use in traditional Chinese medicine as a blood tonic and as a tonic for Spleen and Heart, for low energy and with special benefit for the mind and improving memory. The Chinese fruit seller, who apparently had suppressed most of this to the general public out of embarrassment because of fear that they would not believe her, simply chimed in at the end something that most Chinese will revert to as a description for non-Chinese customers about a Chinese food herb: that they clean the blood.

While my fellow customer purchased her small bag of longans, I was given several samples to eat on the spot which I consumed with relish. These fruit are closely related to the more common lychee fruit and like that fruit, they are canned in syrup, made into a liqueur, confection, desserts and added as a natural sweetening ingredient in soups. I could easily imagine making a jelly or jam with them.

My personal sense of this herb is that it is indeed a powerful brain-nourishing food. It is high in glucose, and the brain relies on a steady supply of glucose for thought energy. The skull and brain usually contain about a third of the blood of the entire body. So it is easy to understand how glucose-rich Longan berries are used to counteract brain fatigue, anxiety, insomnia and poor memory. It is an essential herb to give to anyone but especially the aged who are prone to memory lapses, dementia and possibly Alzheimer"s as well. In this regard it is useful for anyone who thinks a lot and may experience occasional brain fog. Despite their high sugar content I have prescribed both Longan berries and lycii berries to diabetics who found that they both actually helped regulate blood sugar.

However it is not only the glucose of Longan berries that make them a superior blood tonic. Apparently, they are high in blood-enriching iron content, reportedly 20 times that of grapes and 15 times that of spinach! Iron is an important blood nutrient which carries oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body. This is obviously important for maintaining youthfulness and vitality (both being therapeutic claims for Longan berries). However they have a special benefit for women in that they add luster and beauty to the skin and their iron-rich "red-blooded" properties enhance female attractiveness and serve as a special tonic for sexual vitality. Those individuals who have iron sensitivity need not worry because the iron is organically present and the body will be better able to regulate its usage.

Longan berries have a generally calming effect, which apart from relieving symptoms of anxiety and sleeplessness, contributes to an overall feeling of calm.

Finally, Longan berries are very beneficial for the skin, hair and eyes.

Longan berries are a longevity power food and one needn"t wait until developing symptoms of anemia, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia and memory problems before having them prescribed by a medical herbalist. You can purchase them in bulk (they are reasonably priced) and keep them on hand as occasion demands. You can even look into growing them if you live in an area where the temperature does not drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or purchase them fresh from various online sources or Chinese markets.

Contraindications

It was a good moment encountering a beloved Chinese herb there on the highway in Kauai. I bought a $10 bag of fresh longan berries and managed to experience the one contraindication from eating too many of them, described as a "damp Spleen" which in Chinese diagnostics means a swollen and bloated fruit belly. (I also got to experience how taking a couple tablets of Planetary"s Digestive Comfort, which I always have on hand when I travel, relieved this condition within 15 minutes!)

Bacopa is the true "brahmi" with strong central nervous system properties. Click here to read the results of an Austrialian study describing bacopa's benefits for cognitive function and ADHD in particular. (Scroll down past the section on gingko and ginseng.)

Last year, I purchased a live Bacopa monnieri plant from Horizon Herbs. I kept it in my greenhouse all winter and found that it's a fast-growing creeper, overrunning many of the nearby containers that already had their own plants and soil. I decided to plant some outside in the spring in a semi-shaded part of the garden, watered by a drip irrigation system.

It loved the space; after three or four months, it filled a large area, and I was able to snip a bunch of it to blend with vodka. The bright green 'slurry' that immediately occurred informed me that the plant was already extracted. I took about two teaspoons of this tincture, and after about 30 minutes became extremely tired and could not resist taking a nap, which I did.

It was only later that I realized that the tiredness I was experiencing was not a case of an afternoon post lunch 'slump' but was in fact, a much more profound phenomenon. I thought it might be the brahmi.

I recently read an Ayurvedic weight loss protocol that included bacopa taken a few times a day to reduce nervous food cravings. The kind of sleepiness that a high dose of bacopa induces is not a heavy, drugged feeling, but a feeling of deep peace and calm in keeping with its respected Ayurvedic mental and soul-calming properties.

I've since made it a habit to take fresh brahmi tincture -- about 1 teaspoon before bed. The result for me has been a full night's deep sleep, with my thoughts turned "off." Bacopa/brahmi is just the herb for insomnia caused by anxiety and worry, and is more powerful than any other I've experienced! Let me reiterate, it does not have a drugging effect like valerian root can.

Bacopa is an ideal herb to give not only to induce sleep, but for staying asleep through the night. To build a good sleep habit, Todd Caldecott combines reishi mushroom, western skullcap and bacopa taken three times a day. This follows the dictum of the late Dr. Christopher that insomnia is a condition that is created during the day and therefore should be treated throughout the day.

In Ayurveda, it is thought to have general restorative effects (rasayana and balya), having bitter, sweet and cold energies. Unfortunately, when you read about the herb in Ayurvedic texts, it's difficult to sort out whether gotu kola or bacopa is being described, because of the similar properties they share, but for its effect on the nervous system, bacopa is by far the superior herb and should be regarded as the 'true' brahmi.

No matter what name you give it (or what animal you name it after), we’re now full swing into the flu season. Michael’s written on the great benefits of onion poultice; how can I pass up touting one of my favorite flu/lung/cough herbs – garlic? So while you’re plastering your chest with an onion poultice, eat or drink some form of garlic as well. 

Garlic is said to be a cure for every ailment but the one it causes: bad breath! Its delightful fragrance comes from the presence of sulfur compounds, nature’s own antibiotic (but if you eat parsley after the garlic, much of its undesirable odor is eliminated). Garlic is a rejuvenating herb because it both stimulates metabolism and detoxifies. In fact, the body absorbs it so quickly that if you were to rub a clove on your feet, you would be able to taste it within seconds! 

Garlic is one of the very best herbs for respiratory conditions, colds, flu, sore throats, infections and earaches. Because it so powerfully heals lung ailments, I recommend it to most all patients with coughs or mucus (especially white or clear mucus).

I have found two methods to be particularly effective for lung ailments: garlic juice or garlic appetizer.  

Once when I visited my parents I developed walking pneumonia (and didn’t know it). I tried a variety of different herbs but had no results. Finally, I purchased a bottle of garlic juice at a chain grocery store and drank one teaspoonful every two to three hours. Within the first day I was well on the road to recovery and by the end of the third day, completely healed. 

Another time I had a terrible debilitating cough on Mother’s Day. My son and husband wanted to take me out to lunch to celebrate and since I didn’t want to disappoint them, I went along thinking I would keep them company but not eat. Luckily we found an Italian restaurant where, as we waited to order, a large appetizer of bread with raw garlic in olive oil sat on our table. Knowing garlic would help me, I coated several pieces of the bread with masses of the raw garlic dipped in olive oil and ate them with relish. By the time our meals had arrived, my cough was nearly gone and the next day I had fully recovered. I have seen had many a patient experience similar results using garlic juice or appetizer. 

Of course, garlic has TONS of other great medicinal uses. It’s a specific for regulating blood pressure, both high and low, and lowers blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and plaque in vessels, thus treating atherosclerosis. The deodorized garlic capsules work well in this case, which is a blessing, for it is quite convenient and of course, odorless (in fact, the aged garlic may be superior for these actions).  

As well, raw garlic effectively improves weak digestion, stimulates circulation and treats arthritis, rheumatism, lower back and joint pains, genito-urinary diseases, nervous disorders, cramps and spasms and heart weakness. For any of these eat the raw cloves, or drink the juice or syrup. It may also be used in food poisoning due to shellfish.  

The Chinese use garlic as a preventative and treatment for parasites and intestinal worms, particularly hookworms, pinworms and ringworm of the scalp. Either insert an oiled garlic clove in the rectum, use garlic enemas (made from garlic tea), eat 3-5 raw cloves of garlic, 3-6 times daily, apply the paste (mashed garlic in sesame or olive oil) topically for ringworm, and in general, use heavy doses for these indications.  

Garlic is also good for amoebic dysentery, and an effective antibiotic for staphylococcus, streptococcus and bacteria resistant to standard antibiotic drugs. It is effective for vaginitis and leukorrhea (coat cloves in oil, wrap in muslin, saturate in olive oil and directly insert into vagina) and anti-fungal for the treatment of Candida albicans and yeast infections. 

Garlic

Allium sativum; Liliaceae;  da suan; Sanskrit: lasunam

Part Used: bulb

Energy, taste: hot; spicy

Organs affected: Lung, Spleen, Large Intestine, Stomach

Actions: expels parasites

Properties: stimulant, diuretic, diaphoretic, hypotensive, alterative, digestant, carminative, expectorant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, parasiticide, antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticoagulant, lowers cholesterol

Biochemical constituents: volatile oil (about 0.2%) including allicin and aliin, B Vitamins, minerals

Dose: 6-15 gm; Since the volatile oils hold its active ingredients, garlic must be taken fresh for acute ailments rather than deodorized in capsules. For acute conditions, take 1 tsp. every hour of syrup, oil or juice; 3-5 cloves, raw, toasted or as paste/day; 30-60 drops tincture, 1-4 times/day

Precautions: avoid in high doses during pregnancy; do not use with Excess Heat or Yin Deficiency with Heat signs, acute inflammations, or take with problems of the mouth, tongue or throat; prolonged direct contact to the skin of fresh garlic can cause irritation; excessive use can irritate the stomach

Other: purple-skinned garlic has a stronger effect against parasites; eat with food as a preventative

Indications: respiratory conditions, colds, flu, sore throats, infections, earaches, cough, high and low blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, atherosclerosis, weak digestion, poor circulation, arthritis, rheumatism, lower back and joint pains, genito-urinary diseases, nervous disorders, cramps, spasms, heart weakness, parasites, intestinal worms (particularly hookworms), pinworms, ringworm of the scalp, amoebic dysentery, staphylococcus, streptococcus, vaginitis, leukorrhea, Candida, yeast infections

This is where my favorite home remedy comes to the rescue. It is the time-honored onion poultice

1. Finely chop two or three onions (you may also add a few cloves of chopped garlic for increased antibiotic effect).
2. Steam these for a short while in a steamer.
3. Remove from steamer, place in a large bowl, and add a half cup of corn flour and a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to help hold the poultice together. Mix well.
4. Place the entire mash in a natural fiber cloth, large enough to wrap and keep the entire mash over an area roughly the size of your patient's chest.
5. Apply the wrapped mash to your supine patient, as hot as can be tolerated without burning, over the chest, from the base of the neck down as far as you wish.  If the cough seems more on the back then apply it over the upper back. (If you are putting the poultice on yourself, you might need assistance from a friend or family member.) 
6. Place a hot water bottle or heating pad over the top of the poultice to maintain heat for greater penetration.
7. Rest with the poultice on for at least 20 or 30 minutes. 

Albizzia is one of my favorite herbs because of its real and unique ability to nourish the spirit in a way no other herb (or chemical substance, for that matter) can. Better known as the eautiful mimosa tree (Albizzia julibrissin), both the bark and the flowers are used to help one cope with feelings of profound loss and grief. Mostly we think of these emotions associated with the death of a loved one, but albizzia has a much wider application such as emotional trauma and stress associated with financial loss, bankruptcy, unemployment, divorce, children moving out to college or on their own, break up of a relationship. All of these are common occurrences that swirl around us and effect all of us in profound ways. Taken properly, albizzia extract works very fast to help dispel the anguish brought about by loss and grief – usually within a day.

Just yesterday, a woman in my employ showed up in an obvious state of extreme emotional sensitivity. She was distracted, teary, feeling vulnerable and it was obvious that something was getting her down. Finally I asked her about it and she said that she and the man she had been living with for some time had broken up the night before. I suggested she start chugging down teaspoonful doses of albizzia extract, hourly or as necessary in the beginning.

This morning she awoke after a sound night’s sleep and commented how the sadness that she was experiencing yesterday was still in the background but was not interfering with her life in the same way. I have heard this sort of report from so many patients that I was hardly surprised. If someone takes enough albizzia it is really difficult to get buried in negative feelings of grief and sadness. These feelings are there appropriately, but with the help of albizzia, they do not impinge so heavily on all the other important aspects of our lives.

So we might legitimately ask how ingesting an extract of the bark or flower of the albizzia tree works. Could a hormone be responsible for sadness, grief and tears? Lo and behold, there is! I’ve said many times before, there’s a hormone or neutro-transmitter for every human feeling and emotion. The hormone for sadness and tears happens to be the same associated with the production of breast milk: prolactin.
 

Prolactin

Prolactin is a major stress hormone released from the body via tears. It is found in much higher concentration in women's bodies than in men's, because it is employed in the synthesis of breast milk. One other secretion that prolactin is responsible for creating are human tears. At least one study found that women have a tendency to cry on average four times more frequently than men, due in part because women have at least 60% more prolactin than men.  Older men have noticed how when their hormones shift it is easier to come to tears. Apparently there is a direct correlation between emotional crying and prolactin.

Tears tend to help us release our feelings and inner tension. As many women will attest when under high stress, "there’s nothing like a good cry!" Female weepiness is assumed in all parts of the world and plays a role in all our social interactions.

Men are particularly distressed by the tears and outpouring of women. I remember once being stranded in an airport in Japan. The shuttle from the hotel where I was staying had been a tad late getting myself and a fellow traveler, a woman, on time to catch the only connecting flight leaving to the US that day. The plane was still on the ground but the airline staff told us that it was too late to board. Finally it took off without us, and after pleading for another flight, we were told that because we missed that one we’d have to wait and buy another return ticket. Neither of us had money for that. With a wink, my female companion went into a very convincing crying fit that caused all the male attendants to rush from behind the counter and usher us into a private room and set up special return travel arrangements for us in a few hours. Ah, the power of tears!

I think men, who serve as aggressive defenders in battle, are not only taught but are physiologically less inclined to show vulnerability under stress. Thus they lack this vital means that women have to achieve stress relief through tears and thus restore homeostasis. Some may argue that women take in more stress, dealing with childbirth, children, and so on so that they have a need to pour out more. Structurally, men’s tear glands are, as a whole, smaller than women's, which supports the notion that they are used less.

There is a difference in the chemical makeup of tears used for lubrication as opposed to those used by the emotions. Emotional tears contain more of the protein-based hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (a natural painkiller) than basal or reflex tears. Basic emotional drives such as anger, fear, and so forth are governed by the limbic system which includes the hypothalamus which also has some influence over the autonomic system. The yin aspect of the body which refers to the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic system also controls the lacrimal glands via the neurotransmitter acetylcholine through both the nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. When these receptors are activated, the lacrimal glands are stimulated to produce tears.

Considering the ages-old Chinese appellation of albizzia as the “tree of happiness” referring to its traditional use of easing feelings of grief as a result of the loss of anything near and dear, and the fact that prolactin is responsible for the expression of this, it could very well be that this hormone is in some way regulated by the complex chemistry of albizzia. Because human hormones interact with each other in complex ways much like the instruments in an orchestra, it would be very difficult to prove that prolactin alone is the only hormone affected by albizzia; certainly a case could be made for a possible relationship between albizzia and serotonin, a neurotransmitter sometimes dubbed ‘the happiness hormone.’ But my own clinical experience with patients taking albizzia shows that some have specifically remarked how they were less inclined to ‘tear up’ as easily over some sad occasion. As prolactin has a specific relationship to tears, it just may be that somewhere between the serotonin-prolactin cascade, there is a valid biochemical relationship with the herb albizzia.