At an international symposium held at New Delhi in January 1994, the author was the chairman of a session, in which a German Scientist from the Max-Plank Institute at Martinsried described the powerful effects of neem in preventing the growth of insects. Today, Azadirachta indica, a compound obtained from the seeds of neem tree is the most powerful anti insect substance yet to be discovered. It has been shown by scientists to be effective against at least 150 species of insects. The compound has been patented by W.R. Grace Company of USA which has produced the material known as Margosan O and a multi dollar global market is building up around neem.
Neem plantations are being developed in different parts of the world. Azadirachta indiaca acts as an insect antifeedent. When sprayed on crops, insects do not come and destroy these plants. It also prevents growth of parasites inside insect vectors if the insect takes a bite of a plant protected by neem. The development of this unique substance, from a tree grown indigenously in India for generations, for the world market by a foreign firm had caused considerable controversy. Several Indian scientists and politicians feel that this country has been deprived of the world market of an Indian plant product.
while listening to Professor Rembold giving his presentation, the author remembered his childhood annual ritual where winter clothes were packed into trunks with neem leaves for storage during the long summer months.
Many readers would also remember these leaves being used for storage of grain in large metal containers. It is a pity that this folklore wisdom was not explored further by Indian scientists and that the work needed to develop this information known to us through centuries into a marketable commodity was carried outside India. While we may have lost neem as an insect repellent yet, we still have much more information about other attributes of neem which should now be explored. Neem has long been considered as a powerful antiseptic and may turn out to have compounds which may be of use in viral diseases.
Traditionally, the first time a person took a bath after an attack of chicken pox was with water in which neem leaves had been immersed. Water in which neem leaves have been placed also relieves the itching and scratching caused by skin diseases.
People should continue to use the neem leaf for different purposes while Indian scientists attempts to identify and patent compounds which are responsible for these beneficial effects. The twig of the neem tree has been used in many parts of India as a combined tooth brush and tooth paste to keep one’s teeth healthy and spotless. This property of neem also needs to be studied. The oil from the seed of the neem tree has also demonstrated anti fertility activity when delivered into the uterus and Indian scientist at the National Institute of Immunology led by Professor Talwar were carrying out their first trials on human subjects. It is very much possible that an anti fertility drug could emerge from this pioneering work.
Ayurvedic medicine and folklore medicine give us insight into other possible therapeutic uses of neem. The use of neem for skin infections comes out loud and clear, not only soothing itching but also for curing boils and eruptions and for use in leprosy and leucoderma. An ayurvedic medicine a preparation made of five parts of the neem tree has been used for leprosy – the bark, leaf, root, flower and seed. The bark of the neem tree has also been used for treatment of fevers caused by malaria, which again is becoming a threat in India. Supporting the belief is the observation made by a friend of the author, who has spent many years in the malaria prone areas in Assam.
That an extract of the bark of the neem tree taken daily with two other plants prevented malaria in all who took this concoction even when people all around were coming down with it. The oil of the seed has been found to be active against worms and fungi and is commonly used for this purpose. Water in which neem leaves have been placed is reported to be effective in causing hair to grow. Finally, neem leaves are very rich in vitamin. A and have been found to be a cheap way of counteracting night blindness caused by the deficiency of vitamin A. It appears, therefore, that this tree has much more to offer to us and to the world than what has already been discovered.
Fortunately India abounds with neem trees, which were carefully planted by the British in long avenues throughout the country, thus enabling Indian Scientists to take up this challenge of developing other medicine from neem.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Male Oral Contraceptive
Chinese scientists came very close to discovering and giving to the world an oral contraceptive for men from the cotton seed plant. Over 75,000 Chinese men were given this substance, known as gossypol and it was found to be effective. However the study showed that there were two effects associated with this substance which prevented it from becoming the world’s first mal oral contraceptive. In a certain number of men there was a decrease in the potassium content in the blood, while in 25 per cent of men it induced an irreversible effect. The men could not father a child even though there was no decrease in libido.
Researches are continuing both in China and USA to study other substances from the cotton seed plant similar to gossypol which may not cause the undesirable side effects. But the excitement and hopes raised by the discovery of gossypol have abated. The story of the facts that led to the discovery of gossypol needs to be told.
No children were born in the village of Wang in the province of Nanching in China in the 1940s causing panic in village. The village elders blamed the young women of Wang for this and sent their young men to neighbouring village to bring wives. There was still no joyous sound of crying babies. The men were then sent to village further off and brought back as wives young widows with children. They faithfully did this but still, for full ten years no babies were born.
A visiting government chronicler passing through Wang noted this fact and also in his notes, mentioned that the villagers were so poor that they could not even refine the cotton seed oil they were using for cooking. In the 1950s babies started appearing in Wang and the villagers thought that the curse on the villages has passed away. Another chronicler passing through at this time noted that the standard of life in Wang had improved and that the villagers were now using soyabean oil for cocking instead of cotton seed oil.
A research worker noticed this apparent relationship between the use of unrefined cotton oil and the absence of babies and concluded in a paper published in 1957 that “the fact that when they stopped eating cotton seed oil the birth control effect automatically disappears shows that it is the most economical, convenient and natural method for controlling births. “ Nothing much happened and this remarkable observation went unnoticed.
In 1970, Professor Qian, the Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Nanching, administered cotton seed oil to patients of bronchitis. Perhaps he had remembered the earlier observation about Wang. In addition to asking for different tests to be carried out before and after giving cotton seed oil, he also asked for the sperm count. The cotton seed oil was given to five men and its was found that four of these men had very low counts of sperms while the fifth had no living sperms at all. None of these five men would have been able to father a child. Gossypol acts by reducing the number of sperms. The first oral male contraceptive had been discovered.
Chinese scientists have not given up and are now working on the male contraceptive effect of a plant called Tripteryium wilfordii. Interestingly this work also began because patients with bronchitis were given this plant and the men come back with low sperm counts. The World Health Organization is participating in the studies of this plant and it is hoped that this may be more successful than gossypol.
In India investigators observed that the stalks of Piper betle induce an anti fertility effect in male rats.
Researches are continuing both in China and USA to study other substances from the cotton seed plant similar to gossypol which may not cause the undesirable side effects. But the excitement and hopes raised by the discovery of gossypol have abated. The story of the facts that led to the discovery of gossypol needs to be told.
No children were born in the village of Wang in the province of Nanching in China in the 1940s causing panic in village. The village elders blamed the young women of Wang for this and sent their young men to neighbouring village to bring wives. There was still no joyous sound of crying babies. The men were then sent to village further off and brought back as wives young widows with children. They faithfully did this but still, for full ten years no babies were born.
A visiting government chronicler passing through Wang noted this fact and also in his notes, mentioned that the villagers were so poor that they could not even refine the cotton seed oil they were using for cooking. In the 1950s babies started appearing in Wang and the villagers thought that the curse on the villages has passed away. Another chronicler passing through at this time noted that the standard of life in Wang had improved and that the villagers were now using soyabean oil for cocking instead of cotton seed oil.
A research worker noticed this apparent relationship between the use of unrefined cotton oil and the absence of babies and concluded in a paper published in 1957 that “the fact that when they stopped eating cotton seed oil the birth control effect automatically disappears shows that it is the most economical, convenient and natural method for controlling births. “ Nothing much happened and this remarkable observation went unnoticed.
In 1970, Professor Qian, the Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Nanching, administered cotton seed oil to patients of bronchitis. Perhaps he had remembered the earlier observation about Wang. In addition to asking for different tests to be carried out before and after giving cotton seed oil, he also asked for the sperm count. The cotton seed oil was given to five men and its was found that four of these men had very low counts of sperms while the fifth had no living sperms at all. None of these five men would have been able to father a child. Gossypol acts by reducing the number of sperms. The first oral male contraceptive had been discovered.
Chinese scientists have not given up and are now working on the male contraceptive effect of a plant called Tripteryium wilfordii. Interestingly this work also began because patients with bronchitis were given this plant and the men come back with low sperm counts. The World Health Organization is participating in the studies of this plant and it is hoped that this may be more successful than gossypol.
In India investigators observed that the stalks of Piper betle induce an anti fertility effect in male rats.
Cure For Fatigue - Fatigue Treatment
Fatigue, tiredness without cause, unwillingness to do things are some of the conditions seen in the populace, particularly in the affluent urban sector. The doctor, not finding any reason for it, feel it is psychological, while the affected persons themselves strongly resent the suggestion. Tonics are no help to overcome the complain.
A chance observation made by researchers in Agasthya hills of Kerala may provide us with a simple remedy from plants to prevent or treat fatigue. The Kani tribes in these hills walk long distances every day and are able to do this without getting unduly tired because they take the unripe fruit known locally as Arogyappacha. The fruit is acrid in taste but gives instant stamina when taken.
Some of the ethnobotanical research workers collecting plants in Agasthya hills themselves took the fruit when they got tired of climbing the hills. It has been reported that they felt much more energetic after consuming it. The credit for reporting this goes to the trekking team of the scientists of the All India Coordinated Researched Project on Ethnobiology of the Post Graduate Research Centre in Ayurveda at Thiruvananthapuram.
The tree has been identified as Trichphus zeylanicus. A thorough search of the available literature on medicinal plants of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines and Burma has been carried out. This plant is not mentioned in any of the books. We are therefore at the beginning of a long road to determine whether the unripe fruit of Trichphus zeylanicus possesses an anti-fatigue effect or not.
It is not necessary to go back to the laboratory and test this fruit on experimental animals. A controlled trial can be carried out on normal people who could, for example, be asked to climb a hill. After a certain time, as they start becoming tired, they would themselves be asked to indicate on a measured scale how tired they feel at that moment. Half the people could be given Trichphus zeylanicus while the other half would be give unripe fruit of another plant. The walkers should not know what they are taking.
The measurement of tiredness in both groups after some more climbing should indicate whether the fruit of Trichphus zeylanicus had a beneficial effect or not. If indeed, the fruit does demonstrate an anti-fatigue effect it could be then worth following up in detail and isolating the active substance. It is hoped that some of our younger scientist would take up a problem of this type which is interesting, innovative and relevant.
It has also been claimed that the fruit also counteracts the feeling of hunger. This also remains to be investigated further. Those who carry out research on medicines regularly receive claims for plants and alternative medicines from plants supposed to cure different disease. All such claims cannot be followed up.
A chance observation made by researchers in Agasthya hills of Kerala may provide us with a simple remedy from plants to prevent or treat fatigue. The Kani tribes in these hills walk long distances every day and are able to do this without getting unduly tired because they take the unripe fruit known locally as Arogyappacha. The fruit is acrid in taste but gives instant stamina when taken.
Some of the ethnobotanical research workers collecting plants in Agasthya hills themselves took the fruit when they got tired of climbing the hills. It has been reported that they felt much more energetic after consuming it. The credit for reporting this goes to the trekking team of the scientists of the All India Coordinated Researched Project on Ethnobiology of the Post Graduate Research Centre in Ayurveda at Thiruvananthapuram.
The tree has been identified as Trichphus zeylanicus. A thorough search of the available literature on medicinal plants of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines and Burma has been carried out. This plant is not mentioned in any of the books. We are therefore at the beginning of a long road to determine whether the unripe fruit of Trichphus zeylanicus possesses an anti-fatigue effect or not.
It is not necessary to go back to the laboratory and test this fruit on experimental animals. A controlled trial can be carried out on normal people who could, for example, be asked to climb a hill. After a certain time, as they start becoming tired, they would themselves be asked to indicate on a measured scale how tired they feel at that moment. Half the people could be given Trichphus zeylanicus while the other half would be give unripe fruit of another plant. The walkers should not know what they are taking.
The measurement of tiredness in both groups after some more climbing should indicate whether the fruit of Trichphus zeylanicus had a beneficial effect or not. If indeed, the fruit does demonstrate an anti-fatigue effect it could be then worth following up in detail and isolating the active substance. It is hoped that some of our younger scientist would take up a problem of this type which is interesting, innovative and relevant.
It has also been claimed that the fruit also counteracts the feeling of hunger. This also remains to be investigated further. Those who carry out research on medicines regularly receive claims for plants and alternative medicines from plants supposed to cure different disease. All such claims cannot be followed up.
Traditional Plants for Lactating Mothers
One of the problems faced by some mothers while nursing their babies is the lack of enough milk. There is no reason why a healthy mother who eats nutritional food and is not under stress of tension should have this problem. However it does happen and there are no allopathic medicines which can be administered to increase milk secretion. In alternative medicine, however, there are several plant substances which are reportedly being used to increase production of milk. In folklore as well as grandmother’s medicines many plants are being used to solve this problem. Several of this have, in fact been used in veterinary medicine.
It would be interesting to hav a look at these plants. Some enterprising researcher may, after carrying our toxicity tests in animals, conduct clinical trials to see if any of these increase milk secretion in mother with lactating problem. Many of the plants described below have been mentioned in the Atharva Veda written thousands of years ago. Asparagus racemosus or satavari is one of these plants. The roots of this plant increased milk Secretion when administered to rats. Following these studies published in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology in 1968, another study was carried out in buffaloes. Again it was seen that feeding fresh roots of satavari significantly increased the milk yield in these animals.
Laptadenia reticulate or Dodi and Breynia ortens are tow plants administered together to increase mil secretion in women. The results of the preliminary study were published in the Indian Practitioner in 1979, The result indicated that this is preparation caused a significant increase in the weight of children whose mothers were given this preparation – particularly while the children were 6 to 9 months old.
In a review on this subject published in 1983, the author stated that the findings were interesting but needed to be confirmed in a comparatively controlled clinical trial. This has not yet been done. There are however several papers which have demonstrated the effect of Laptadenia reticulate alone on milk secretion in experimental animals. It has been suggested that the plants contain stignasterol which is responsible for this effect. Three others plants have been investigated for this activity by feeding animals with these and studying the milk secretion. These plants are abroma augusta or olat kombal, Cominum cyminum and Nigella sativa known as kaloji. All these induced, to some degree, an increase in milk output.
Finally there is a preparation in the Indian market which is a mixture of several plants and which is used by practitioners of the traditional systems of medicine to increase milk secretion. Some of these plants are Abrus precatorius, Asparagus racemosus, Laptadenia reticulate, Tinospora cordifolia and Zingiber officinale. Several studies carried out on experimental animals – rats, goats, buffeloes and cows – suggest an increase milk production. Studies have not yet been carried out in humans. It appears therefore that there is a wealth of traditional, folklore and experimental evidence which needs to be investigated further if our modern system of medicine would like to include one or more of these plants in our armamentarium.
It would be interesting to hav a look at these plants. Some enterprising researcher may, after carrying our toxicity tests in animals, conduct clinical trials to see if any of these increase milk secretion in mother with lactating problem. Many of the plants described below have been mentioned in the Atharva Veda written thousands of years ago. Asparagus racemosus or satavari is one of these plants. The roots of this plant increased milk Secretion when administered to rats. Following these studies published in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology in 1968, another study was carried out in buffaloes. Again it was seen that feeding fresh roots of satavari significantly increased the milk yield in these animals.
Laptadenia reticulate or Dodi and Breynia ortens are tow plants administered together to increase mil secretion in women. The results of the preliminary study were published in the Indian Practitioner in 1979, The result indicated that this is preparation caused a significant increase in the weight of children whose mothers were given this preparation – particularly while the children were 6 to 9 months old.
In a review on this subject published in 1983, the author stated that the findings were interesting but needed to be confirmed in a comparatively controlled clinical trial. This has not yet been done. There are however several papers which have demonstrated the effect of Laptadenia reticulate alone on milk secretion in experimental animals. It has been suggested that the plants contain stignasterol which is responsible for this effect. Three others plants have been investigated for this activity by feeding animals with these and studying the milk secretion. These plants are abroma augusta or olat kombal, Cominum cyminum and Nigella sativa known as kaloji. All these induced, to some degree, an increase in milk output.
Finally there is a preparation in the Indian market which is a mixture of several plants and which is used by practitioners of the traditional systems of medicine to increase milk secretion. Some of these plants are Abrus precatorius, Asparagus racemosus, Laptadenia reticulate, Tinospora cordifolia and Zingiber officinale. Several studies carried out on experimental animals – rats, goats, buffeloes and cows – suggest an increase milk production. Studies have not yet been carried out in humans. It appears therefore that there is a wealth of traditional, folklore and experimental evidence which needs to be investigated further if our modern system of medicine would like to include one or more of these plants in our armamentarium.
Plants Extracts as Aphrodisiacs
The exotic red petals of Hibiscus rosasinensis, commonly known as shoeflower or Jaba, could provide the first herbal contraceptive to be developed in India.
A 2000 year old text Yogaratnakar mentions the plant with supporting evidence of its ethnobotanical use as a contraceptive. Report of laboratory experiments have been found. Yoggaratnakar states that, “The lady who takes the paste of the Jabakusum in rice water mixed with molasses for three days, does not beome pregnant.”
Ethnobotanical evidence come from recorded observations, testifying that the petals of this plant are used as contraceptive in at least seven countries – India, Indonesia, Papua new guinea, Fiji Samoa, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Ethnopharmacological evidence regarding the use of this plant has also emerged.
Since 1960, a series of papers on the anti fertility effect of Hibiscus rosasinensis in animals have been published from laboratories at Varanasi, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Chandigarh and other centres. Research on the plant was carried out between 1977 and 1981 as part of a Task Force Activity of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Uncontrolled clinical trials at Varanasi by Professor Tiwari and her Colleagues have demonstrated that the plant induced an antifertility effect. Jaba need to be investigated thoroughly and speedily. What is needed is concerted efforts rather than scientists pursuing the research individually.
Also, to develop Hibiscus rosasinensis into a drug, a multi-disciplinary effort is needed along with pooling of scientific resources, adequate financial and moral support. The late professor, K.N. Udupa of the Varanasi Institute of Medical Sciences, should be given credit for insisting on carrying out research on the plant. He believed that the red petals picked between October and December were the most effective.
Indian scientists have also demonstrated that the seeds of the plant Butea monosperma also exerts an antiovulatory effect in experimental animals.
A 2000 year old text Yogaratnakar mentions the plant with supporting evidence of its ethnobotanical use as a contraceptive. Report of laboratory experiments have been found. Yoggaratnakar states that, “The lady who takes the paste of the Jabakusum in rice water mixed with molasses for three days, does not beome pregnant.”
Ethnobotanical evidence come from recorded observations, testifying that the petals of this plant are used as contraceptive in at least seven countries – India, Indonesia, Papua new guinea, Fiji Samoa, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Ethnopharmacological evidence regarding the use of this plant has also emerged.
Since 1960, a series of papers on the anti fertility effect of Hibiscus rosasinensis in animals have been published from laboratories at Varanasi, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Chandigarh and other centres. Research on the plant was carried out between 1977 and 1981 as part of a Task Force Activity of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Uncontrolled clinical trials at Varanasi by Professor Tiwari and her Colleagues have demonstrated that the plant induced an antifertility effect. Jaba need to be investigated thoroughly and speedily. What is needed is concerted efforts rather than scientists pursuing the research individually.
Also, to develop Hibiscus rosasinensis into a drug, a multi-disciplinary effort is needed along with pooling of scientific resources, adequate financial and moral support. The late professor, K.N. Udupa of the Varanasi Institute of Medical Sciences, should be given credit for insisting on carrying out research on the plant. He believed that the red petals picked between October and December were the most effective.
Indian scientists have also demonstrated that the seeds of the plant Butea monosperma also exerts an antiovulatory effect in experimental animals.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Herbs That Boost Your Performance
The possible use of our old wisdom about maintaining good health as described in the Ayurveda and taking herbs not as medicines but as Rasayana tonics to improve one’s physical capacities was discussed at the Indian Sports Congress, Organised efficiently by prayaas, at the India International Centre in November, 1994. The theme of the congress was “Sports in India – strategies for the 21st Century.” The subject The subject first come up in the session on “ Promotion of sports in Tribal Area’ which stated that our athletes could certainly, benefits from a;; the knowledge and information we have, based on our ancient systems of medicine.It is not that we should use plants to improve performance but they should be used to promote health and thus enable our athletes to function in the best possible health. As we all know there are plants like Ocimum sanctum (tulsi), Asparagus recemousus (satavari) and Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) which are know to improve health. It our athletes could be given some of these non-addicting simple herbal remedies, it is possible that our results at international athletes meets would improve.
The subject come up again in the session on the final day where the theme was “Sports Sciences”. Specialists in Sports Medicine identified some of the physiological functions which are involved when our sportsmen participate in competitive games. A person who has an efficient oxygen transport system will be able to supply more oxygen to the muscles than one whose mechanisms are not so efficient.
Scientists are aware that this system can be improved but surprisingly no effort has been made to see whether tulsi or satavari could improve these systems. Recently a nut has been discovered in Kerala which is used by the Kani tribes to help in walking and climbing long distances without getting tired. The effect of this nut could be scientifically studied.
There are other types of physiological activities which could be improved by plants, yoga and medication. This sort of improvement would not be against the rules as these are only improving one’s physiological functions. The cardiac output could be improved. It is also possible that some or our plants could effect the enzymes involved in transportation of oxygen in the blood. What is clear is that a whole area of alternative medicine and sports remains unexplored. It is very interesting that this subject has been brought to our attention – not by physiologists or medical persons but by sports specialists. This investigation should be carried out keeping in mind the rules governing the use of medicines for sports person.
Increasing physiological performances by yoga or meditation or by use of our Rasayana herbs can in no way be considered as drug abuse or as cheating. The International Olympic Commission rightly states that drugs or medicines taken to gain an unfair advantage in sports are subject to doping control regulations. Time and again we read about participants being disqualified as a result of urine tests. There are five categories of substances which are banned. These are 1) Stimulants; 2) Narcotic analgesis; 3) Anabolic steroids; 4) Diuretics and 5) Peptide hormones and their analogues. There are sensitive test to pick up these substance from the urine.
The use of good wholesome food, the practice of meditation to improve concentration, the practice to yoga to condition one’s mind and body and the use of herbs to promotes one’s health are not considered as doping.
As a first step, specialists and Ayurvedic and Unani and other systems of medicine need to list those plants which are reported, in these systems, to have an effect on oxygen transport mechanisms, pulmonary capacity, heart pumping capacity, cardiac output, total blood volume and other functions relating to sports activities.
The work reported on these plants should be critically looked at to determine which substances could be crucial in improving some of these functions. In addition to the three plants mentioned earlier in this article, awareness must be spread of other plants such as Boerhaavia diffusa (punarnava), Curcuma longa (haldi), Azadirachta indica (neem) and ginger. It is possible that the use of some of these herbs, commonly found throughout India, could improve the physical conditioning of our athletes thus, enabling them to perform better.
Several other extremely interesting sessions were held during the congress. One must appreciate the initiative taken in bringing together people from different spheres of life, who are all interested in sports and who were willing to give up their time on Saturday and Sunday, to participate in these very important discussions relevant to our country’s performance at international sporting meets.
Fruits That Treat Your Stomach
There are several fruits, many of them easily available, which have healing properties. These could be used more often for treatment of common conditions. Banana has a beneficial effect on constipation. The pectin in the fruit enables it to absorb water and increase the intestinal bulk which then acts as a laxative at the level of the colon. Two ripe bananas taken in the morning should be enough for mild constipation. The fruit also has been shown to have an anti-acidity effect-perhaps by preventing the effect of a substance called 5-hydroxytryptamine.
So if somebody gets heartburn after a hearty but, perhaps, unwise meal and there is no medicine available at home, then bananas could decrease these symptoms. Another fruit which has an effect on constipation is the papaya. The ripe papaya, if taken regularly, not only cures but also prevents constipation. This is particularly beneficial for people with piles or with hernia as the straining associated with constipation would be avoided.
Lime commonly known as nimbu, is very rich source of vitamin C. It was by giving two lemons a day to sailors in British naval vessel that John Lind discovered that the deficiency disease of scurvy could be completely cured by
vitamin C. Lemon juice can be taken by those suffering from a common cold for which physicians often prescribe vitamin C. The usual way to get the maximum effect of the fruit is to take a little juice mixed with honey in a glass of warm water. This is also useful when one has, associated with the cold, a bad throat.
The use of the Argle marmelos (bael) fruit, both as a laxative and for treating dysentery, has already been mentioned. A drink prepared from the pulp of the ripe fruit is an excellent laxative. The unripe fruit is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery. The fruit commonly known as jamun – Eugenia jambolana is although more studies need to be carried out to scientifically demonstrate this effect. People with a tendency towards diabetes could take this fruit whenever available. The powder is also available for use throughtout the year.
A drink prepared from the unripe mango is used for prevention of heat exhaustion in several parts of India. Known as ‘panha’ in Maharastra this drink prepared by cooking the unripe mango and then mixing is with sugar and water with dash of caramon and saffron. A variation of this is also taken in Bengal, Bihar and UP.
In general, fruit contains large quantities of vitamins and should be taken as much as possible. Some fruit like guava contain large amounts of vitamins C while other like orange contain vitamin A,B and C. Apple contain vitamins A while the Indian gooseberry, grapes, etc contain vitamin C the richest source being the Indian gooseberry known as amla.
Other fruits which are reputed to be useful for treating diseases include the pomegranate (anar), grape fruit (chakotra), grapes and the apricot (khubani). Besides their use in specific conditions, a daily intake of some fruit is recommended.
So if somebody gets heartburn after a hearty but, perhaps, unwise meal and there is no medicine available at home, then bananas could decrease these symptoms. Another fruit which has an effect on constipation is the papaya. The ripe papaya, if taken regularly, not only cures but also prevents constipation. This is particularly beneficial for people with piles or with hernia as the straining associated with constipation would be avoided.
Lime commonly known as nimbu, is very rich source of vitamin C. It was by giving two lemons a day to sailors in British naval vessel that John Lind discovered that the deficiency disease of scurvy could be completely cured by
vitamin C. Lemon juice can be taken by those suffering from a common cold for which physicians often prescribe vitamin C. The usual way to get the maximum effect of the fruit is to take a little juice mixed with honey in a glass of warm water. This is also useful when one has, associated with the cold, a bad throat.
The use of the Argle marmelos (bael) fruit, both as a laxative and for treating dysentery, has already been mentioned. A drink prepared from the pulp of the ripe fruit is an excellent laxative. The unripe fruit is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery. The fruit commonly known as jamun – Eugenia jambolana is although more studies need to be carried out to scientifically demonstrate this effect. People with a tendency towards diabetes could take this fruit whenever available. The powder is also available for use throughtout the year.
A drink prepared from the unripe mango is used for prevention of heat exhaustion in several parts of India. Known as ‘panha’ in Maharastra this drink prepared by cooking the unripe mango and then mixing is with sugar and water with dash of caramon and saffron. A variation of this is also taken in Bengal, Bihar and UP.
In general, fruit contains large quantities of vitamins and should be taken as much as possible. Some fruit like guava contain large amounts of vitamins C while other like orange contain vitamin A,B and C. Apple contain vitamins A while the Indian gooseberry, grapes, etc contain vitamin C the richest source being the Indian gooseberry known as amla.
Other fruits which are reputed to be useful for treating diseases include the pomegranate (anar), grape fruit (chakotra), grapes and the apricot (khubani). Besides their use in specific conditions, a daily intake of some fruit is recommended.
Medicines from the Plants - Need of the Hour!
Medicines from plants, for specific disease that have a beneficial effect, will only be discovered if attempts are made to look for such specific property. For example, while several laboratories are testing plants for their effect on diabetes very few laboratories, if any, are actively looking for an effective medicine from plants for diarrhoea. It is therefore much more likely that a discovery will be made of an anti-diabetic plant medicine rather than one for diarrhoea. Readers would be interested, therefore, to know in which diseases a breakthrough could be expected.
The work being carried out on plants at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and under the auspices of the Indian Council of Medical Research has recently been described in the annual reports of these organisations and gave us an insight as to what work is being carried out. Liver disease is one area where much work has been carried out and the beneficial effect of the plant Picrorhazia kurroa has been clearly demonstrated.
This plant protects injury to the liver from harmful substances. A substance which will probably be effective in treating acute and sub acute hepatitis has been isolated and patented under the name of Picroliv. The drugs Controller of India has looked at the results and has approved clinical evaluation of this substance for phase II trails in patients with liver disease. This plant is commonly known as kutki.
The search for plants which could lower the lipid and cholesterol level in blood is still on, although one preparation – guggulipid – has already been put in the market from the plant Commifera wightii known as guggal.
One plant has shown, at the Lucknow laboratories, interesting activity against Brugia malayi which is the causative agent responsible for the disease known as filarial. Filaria is widely present in some parts of India and a cheap effective antifilaria plant – based drug would be highly welcome. One of the consequences of filarial is the condition known as elephantiasis where the limbs become grossly swollen.
Some early activity has been found in a plant which, in experimental animals, could dissolve bladder stones. Recently the Central Drug Research Institute announced the early discovery of a very interesting activity of the plant Centella asiatica known as brahmi which could be used for treating disorders of the central nervous system and more specifically for enhancing memory in the ageing population. The drug consists of bacosides A and B isolated from this plant. The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical evaluation of traditional medicines.
One finding, described earlier, is the beneficial effect of a medicated thread for treatment of fistula-in-ano. This is an alternative to surgery which is the standard treatment today in allopathic hospitals. The work on picrorhazia kurroa was the result of the collaborative effort between the two organizations.
The report of the Indian Council of Medical Research mentions that work is being carried out with the plant Pterocarpus marsupium, commonly known as Vijayasar, on patients with diabetes. There is also activity in the specific areas of bronchial asthma, kidney stones and, of course, viral hepatitis.
The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical trials of traditional medicines mentioned in ancient books and those plants being widely used today. It is supported by all the different activities which are necessary for carrying out clinical trials.
The Central Drug Research Institute concentrates on laboratory screening of plants, followed up by toxicological studies of interesting plants which are further clinically evaluated, if necessary. Together they represent a considerable force for drug development from medicinal plan. These activities are still further complemented by the activities of the Central Council of Research in Ayurveda and Siddha and the Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine. Perhaps the time may not be far off, when all these activities could be brought together in National Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine.
The work being carried out on plants at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and under the auspices of the Indian Council of Medical Research has recently been described in the annual reports of these organisations and gave us an insight as to what work is being carried out. Liver disease is one area where much work has been carried out and the beneficial effect of the plant Picrorhazia kurroa has been clearly demonstrated.
This plant protects injury to the liver from harmful substances. A substance which will probably be effective in treating acute and sub acute hepatitis has been isolated and patented under the name of Picroliv. The drugs Controller of India has looked at the results and has approved clinical evaluation of this substance for phase II trails in patients with liver disease. This plant is commonly known as kutki.
The search for plants which could lower the lipid and cholesterol level in blood is still on, although one preparation – guggulipid – has already been put in the market from the plant Commifera wightii known as guggal.
One plant has shown, at the Lucknow laboratories, interesting activity against Brugia malayi which is the causative agent responsible for the disease known as filarial. Filaria is widely present in some parts of India and a cheap effective antifilaria plant – based drug would be highly welcome. One of the consequences of filarial is the condition known as elephantiasis where the limbs become grossly swollen.
Some early activity has been found in a plant which, in experimental animals, could dissolve bladder stones. Recently the Central Drug Research Institute announced the early discovery of a very interesting activity of the plant Centella asiatica known as brahmi which could be used for treating disorders of the central nervous system and more specifically for enhancing memory in the ageing population. The drug consists of bacosides A and B isolated from this plant. The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical evaluation of traditional medicines.
One finding, described earlier, is the beneficial effect of a medicated thread for treatment of fistula-in-ano. This is an alternative to surgery which is the standard treatment today in allopathic hospitals. The work on picrorhazia kurroa was the result of the collaborative effort between the two organizations.
The report of the Indian Council of Medical Research mentions that work is being carried out with the plant Pterocarpus marsupium, commonly known as Vijayasar, on patients with diabetes. There is also activity in the specific areas of bronchial asthma, kidney stones and, of course, viral hepatitis.
The Indian Council of Medical Research concentrates on clinical trials of traditional medicines mentioned in ancient books and those plants being widely used today. It is supported by all the different activities which are necessary for carrying out clinical trials.
The Central Drug Research Institute concentrates on laboratory screening of plants, followed up by toxicological studies of interesting plants which are further clinically evaluated, if necessary. Together they represent a considerable force for drug development from medicinal plan. These activities are still further complemented by the activities of the Central Council of Research in Ayurveda and Siddha and the Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine. Perhaps the time may not be far off, when all these activities could be brought together in National Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine.
Popularity of Herbal Medicines - Alternative Medicines
The year 1994 has been a good year of progress and more informed use of alternative medicine. Several new products from plants have been put in the marketer for use by doctors- taxol for ovarian cancer, ginger for nausea after chemotherapy are two examples. The anti-malaria drug artemesenin from the Chinese plant quing hao tsu has reached India and is being tested in Assam and Orissa. It has been found effective without any side effects, and is available throughout the country. World over there is an increasing use of herbal medicines.
In China alone the sale of herbal products amounted to 1.7 billion dollars out of which medicines worth 400 million dollars was exported only to the United States. In the United States the sales of herbal medicines increased by about 15 per cent while the increase in the sales of pharmaceutical preparations is around 4 per cent. Pharmaceutical houses are now actively carrying out research on medicinal plants. Glaxo, SmithKline and Beecham, and Merck, are back in this field. New pharmaceutical houses have been set up to work mainly on plants.
The changes envisaged in the international proprietary rights after adopting the Dunkel proposals will make it inevitable for Indian pharmaceutical houses to support research in a truly big way. While it may not be possible for them to compete internationally in developing synthetic drugs it is possible, if they support research in the way needed, for them to discover medicines from the medicinal plants available and used in India. It would enable this country to benefit from the new patent rights situation which will come into force in a few years. Several interesting developments have taken place outside India. A Chair in Complementary Medicine has been set up in Europe.
More and more articles have been published in medical and anthropological journals suggesting that work is needed in the field of traditional medicines. It appears that the developed countries have realised the potential value of systems such as Ayurveda, Unani. Siddha, Homeopathy, the Chinese system of traditional medicine and Japanese Kampo medicines.
The Indian Council of Medical Research is going ahead with its disease oriented programme in clinical evaluation of ancient remedies. Already, it has been clearly demonstrated that a medicated thread coated with three plant substances is an alternative to surgery in case of anal fistula. Together with the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, it has been demonstrated that Picrorhazia kurroa is effective in hepatitis clinically.
A methodology still has to be set up to record and then investigate selectively, cures that have been reported all over the country with herbal medicines. An aggressive programme needs to be intiated to see that we preserve the bio-diversity. We also have to look into the legal position regarding use of traditional medicines by allopathic practitioners and the use of allopathic medicines by traditional practitioners. The first such case has already been taken to the consumer’s forum. It is a case of a homepath using allopathic medicines.
This issue needs careful thinking, especially since in many of our national programme, we are encouraging use of selected allopathic drugs by people who are not doctors. Is there a distinction between an Ayurvedic practitioner practicing allopathy, which is illegal, and using medicines developed for use in allopathy after learning about these drugs and vice versa. Wider implications of health care and the potential of alternative systems of medicine need to be discussed.
In China alone the sale of herbal products amounted to 1.7 billion dollars out of which medicines worth 400 million dollars was exported only to the United States. In the United States the sales of herbal medicines increased by about 15 per cent while the increase in the sales of pharmaceutical preparations is around 4 per cent. Pharmaceutical houses are now actively carrying out research on medicinal plants. Glaxo, SmithKline and Beecham, and Merck, are back in this field. New pharmaceutical houses have been set up to work mainly on plants.
The changes envisaged in the international proprietary rights after adopting the Dunkel proposals will make it inevitable for Indian pharmaceutical houses to support research in a truly big way. While it may not be possible for them to compete internationally in developing synthetic drugs it is possible, if they support research in the way needed, for them to discover medicines from the medicinal plants available and used in India. It would enable this country to benefit from the new patent rights situation which will come into force in a few years. Several interesting developments have taken place outside India. A Chair in Complementary Medicine has been set up in Europe.
More and more articles have been published in medical and anthropological journals suggesting that work is needed in the field of traditional medicines. It appears that the developed countries have realised the potential value of systems such as Ayurveda, Unani. Siddha, Homeopathy, the Chinese system of traditional medicine and Japanese Kampo medicines.
The Indian Council of Medical Research is going ahead with its disease oriented programme in clinical evaluation of ancient remedies. Already, it has been clearly demonstrated that a medicated thread coated with three plant substances is an alternative to surgery in case of anal fistula. Together with the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, it has been demonstrated that Picrorhazia kurroa is effective in hepatitis clinically.
A methodology still has to be set up to record and then investigate selectively, cures that have been reported all over the country with herbal medicines. An aggressive programme needs to be intiated to see that we preserve the bio-diversity. We also have to look into the legal position regarding use of traditional medicines by allopathic practitioners and the use of allopathic medicines by traditional practitioners. The first such case has already been taken to the consumer’s forum. It is a case of a homepath using allopathic medicines.
This issue needs careful thinking, especially since in many of our national programme, we are encouraging use of selected allopathic drugs by people who are not doctors. Is there a distinction between an Ayurvedic practitioner practicing allopathy, which is illegal, and using medicines developed for use in allopathy after learning about these drugs and vice versa. Wider implications of health care and the potential of alternative systems of medicine need to be discussed.
Ayurvedic Unani Medicine becoming Popular in England
During a visit to England, the use of alternative medicines, particularly ayurvedic, unani and home remedies, by the ethnic. Asian population in England was discussed by the author on several occasions. A leading consultant in general practice in London, Dr James Bevan, who has in his practice treated many people of different nationalites and background, said that it is very difficult to know from the patients or form the tablets and capsules what plants and herbs constituted the medicines they had been taking.
This made it difficult to treat such patients if they came in with some complaints or if allopathic medicines had to be given as there may be reaction between the two. It is important that people going for a visit to western countries keep a note of what medicines they had been taking and also practitioner in the United Kingdom would have no idea how to deal with a patient who comes in with complaints possibly caused by a medicine about which he knows nothing.
Dr Bevan further stressed the point that medicinal plants are the source of several medicines widely used today in allopathic medicine system, for example, digitalis for heart disease. These medicines induce side effects if not used properly, therefore he felt that the herbal medicines used by his patients could also perhaps cause side effects if not used in the right way It would therefore be of advantage to the patient and his general practitioner in UK if he knew exactly what herbal medicines he had been taking.
Sir Colin Dollery, Dean of the prestigious Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital and one of the world’s leading clinical pharmacologists brought up the issue of the standardization for herbal remedies. According to him, it was very important that quality control of the herbal preparations being used anywhere should be rigidly carried out. Both the author and Sir Colin Dollery felt that thousands of the emigrant population living in the United Kingdom probably still continue to use the traditional remedies they had been using in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Interestingly the same point about quality control was forcefully made in The Lancet of 9 July 1994 by J Bjorkhem and his colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
These scientists collected fifty commercial samples of ginseng sold in eleven countries and tested these for the presence of ginsenosides which are the compounds present in ginseng and thought to be responsible for its beneficial therapeutic effect. Suprisingly six of the commercial preparations sold in Sweden, USA and UK did not contain any specific ginesenosides at all. In the remaining fourty-four samples, the concentration of ginesonosides varied from 1.9 per cent to 9.0 per cent. The authors conclude that quality control is urgently needed for commercial ginseng preparations and other natural remedies. Both the issue of possible side effects of herbal preparations and the need for standardization of such preparations were also discussed at a
seminar given by the author at the Department of Pharmacology, Oxford on 12 september, 1994. That there is considerable interest in traditional medicine even in centres of excellence of western science and medicine could be seen by the interesting discussion which followed this seminar on “Research on medicinal plants in the twenty first century”. Prof. A David Smith, a leading international research worker in the field of neuropharmacology, now working actively to find a cure for Alzheimers disease, is Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford, conducted the seminar.
Questions from the scientists included the potential cost of herbal preparations after standardization, whether urban migration in India would lead to a decrease in the use of herbal preparations, whether research being conducted to discover new medicines from age appropriately, whether combination of herbs actually used were also being tested out scientifically and finally what were the chances of new drugs being discovered from medicinal plants in the coming years.
This made it difficult to treat such patients if they came in with some complaints or if allopathic medicines had to be given as there may be reaction between the two. It is important that people going for a visit to western countries keep a note of what medicines they had been taking and also practitioner in the United Kingdom would have no idea how to deal with a patient who comes in with complaints possibly caused by a medicine about which he knows nothing.
Dr Bevan further stressed the point that medicinal plants are the source of several medicines widely used today in allopathic medicine system, for example, digitalis for heart disease. These medicines induce side effects if not used properly, therefore he felt that the herbal medicines used by his patients could also perhaps cause side effects if not used in the right way It would therefore be of advantage to the patient and his general practitioner in UK if he knew exactly what herbal medicines he had been taking.
Sir Colin Dollery, Dean of the prestigious Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital and one of the world’s leading clinical pharmacologists brought up the issue of the standardization for herbal remedies. According to him, it was very important that quality control of the herbal preparations being used anywhere should be rigidly carried out. Both the author and Sir Colin Dollery felt that thousands of the emigrant population living in the United Kingdom probably still continue to use the traditional remedies they had been using in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Interestingly the same point about quality control was forcefully made in The Lancet of 9 July 1994 by J Bjorkhem and his colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
These scientists collected fifty commercial samples of ginseng sold in eleven countries and tested these for the presence of ginsenosides which are the compounds present in ginseng and thought to be responsible for its beneficial therapeutic effect. Suprisingly six of the commercial preparations sold in Sweden, USA and UK did not contain any specific ginesenosides at all. In the remaining fourty-four samples, the concentration of ginesonosides varied from 1.9 per cent to 9.0 per cent. The authors conclude that quality control is urgently needed for commercial ginseng preparations and other natural remedies. Both the issue of possible side effects of herbal preparations and the need for standardization of such preparations were also discussed at a
seminar given by the author at the Department of Pharmacology, Oxford on 12 september, 1994. That there is considerable interest in traditional medicine even in centres of excellence of western science and medicine could be seen by the interesting discussion which followed this seminar on “Research on medicinal plants in the twenty first century”. Prof. A David Smith, a leading international research worker in the field of neuropharmacology, now working actively to find a cure for Alzheimers disease, is Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford, conducted the seminar.
Questions from the scientists included the potential cost of herbal preparations after standardization, whether urban migration in India would lead to a decrease in the use of herbal preparations, whether research being conducted to discover new medicines from age appropriately, whether combination of herbs actually used were also being tested out scientifically and finally what were the chances of new drugs being discovered from medicinal plants in the coming years.
Neem as a Disinfectant and an Analgesic
The newspapers reported recently that Dr T.R.Govindachari and his colleagues at the SPIC Science Foundation had, for the first time, by use of different solvents and X-ray crystallography, have been able to obtain crystals of Azadirchtin A- the active substance from Azadirachta indica (neem) being used worldwide as a insect repellent. The patenting of Azadirachtin A by E. Larsen of Grace Company, USA has raised considerable protest in India. The author took the opportunity during a visit to Madras to discuss some of these issues with Dr M.D. Nair, senior executive director of SPIC and Dr Govindachari. In the early sixties, a group of scientists were brought together by a pharmaceutical house to establish a centre of excellence at Bombay.
These included Dr Govindachar, Dr Nair, the author and several others who are now scattered all over the world. One of the areas the interest, even in those early days, was the possible discovery of new drugs from Indian medicinal plants. Sometime ago, there were statements on ‘neem’ by the then Indian Commerece Minister, the Director General of Health Services, the Magsaysay awardee, Dr Mira Shiva and many others at New Delhi since the GATT agreement was to be signed at that time. In reply to the author’s request for comments. Dr Nair said, “Neem is a national asset for countries in this region and for time immemorial, neem has been known to have multifarious pharmacological properties.”
It has been traditionally used in a variety of ways especially as a disinfectant. Neem oil as also been known to have therapeutic properties as an anti-inflammatory analgesic, antipyretic and is used for other conditions. Under the patent regime operating in any county of the world, including the countries with the strongest patents, a naturally occurring plant is per se not patentable. What would be patentable is a derivative product, which is isolated from ‘neem’ which is new and which has much improved properties over the natural ‘neem’.
As far as the protection of the germ plasm of the neem tree is concerned, there has to be a different approach for protection. It can be through legislation of through commercial agreement with interested parties – whatsoever the approach, it must ensure that the benefits are passed on to the country if the germ plasm is available only in that country. There are very strong moves being initiated by developing countries in this direction and this issue was debated and discussed at Rio. Dr Nair’s reactions will give readers a clearer picture of this confusing situation. Dr Govindachari pleaded for more work to be carried out on different aspects of neem in the country as there are still many avenues of research to be carried out. More support was necessary for such work. He provided the fascinating information that the very first scientific papers on the anti-feedant activity of neem was published around 1968 by scientists at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu.
These observations which came out in Report of the Regional Research Laboratory and in Farm Sciences were not noticed. It was only a few years ago that Dr Morgan rediscovered this property of neem at the laboratories in Germany and revolutionized the scientific use of neem. One wonders whether there are any other search papers from Indian scientists tucked away in our journals which also remain to be rediscovered.
It may well be worth for our scientists and science administrators to look again at what has been published in the last forty years and pick out likely leads for follow-up. As regards his own discovery of the crystals, Dr Govindachari was characteristically modest, saying that it was partly the fact that he actually worked at the laboratory bench every-day which made it possible for him to make this finding. It was refreshing to meet such an infectiously enthusiastic scientist who at the age of seventy plus still works at the laboratory bench everyday.
These included Dr Govindachar, Dr Nair, the author and several others who are now scattered all over the world. One of the areas the interest, even in those early days, was the possible discovery of new drugs from Indian medicinal plants. Sometime ago, there were statements on ‘neem’ by the then Indian Commerece Minister, the Director General of Health Services, the Magsaysay awardee, Dr Mira Shiva and many others at New Delhi since the GATT agreement was to be signed at that time. In reply to the author’s request for comments. Dr Nair said, “Neem is a national asset for countries in this region and for time immemorial, neem has been known to have multifarious pharmacological properties.”
It has been traditionally used in a variety of ways especially as a disinfectant. Neem oil as also been known to have therapeutic properties as an anti-inflammatory analgesic, antipyretic and is used for other conditions. Under the patent regime operating in any county of the world, including the countries with the strongest patents, a naturally occurring plant is per se not patentable. What would be patentable is a derivative product, which is isolated from ‘neem’ which is new and which has much improved properties over the natural ‘neem’.
As far as the protection of the germ plasm of the neem tree is concerned, there has to be a different approach for protection. It can be through legislation of through commercial agreement with interested parties – whatsoever the approach, it must ensure that the benefits are passed on to the country if the germ plasm is available only in that country. There are very strong moves being initiated by developing countries in this direction and this issue was debated and discussed at Rio. Dr Nair’s reactions will give readers a clearer picture of this confusing situation. Dr Govindachari pleaded for more work to be carried out on different aspects of neem in the country as there are still many avenues of research to be carried out. More support was necessary for such work. He provided the fascinating information that the very first scientific papers on the anti-feedant activity of neem was published around 1968 by scientists at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu.
These observations which came out in Report of the Regional Research Laboratory and in Farm Sciences were not noticed. It was only a few years ago that Dr Morgan rediscovered this property of neem at the laboratories in Germany and revolutionized the scientific use of neem. One wonders whether there are any other search papers from Indian scientists tucked away in our journals which also remain to be rediscovered.
It may well be worth for our scientists and science administrators to look again at what has been published in the last forty years and pick out likely leads for follow-up. As regards his own discovery of the crystals, Dr Govindachari was characteristically modest, saying that it was partly the fact that he actually worked at the laboratory bench every-day which made it possible for him to make this finding. It was refreshing to meet such an infectiously enthusiastic scientist who at the age of seventy plus still works at the laboratory bench everyday.
Rising Popularity of Tibetan Medicine
The centre of Tibetan medicine in India is Dharamsala where the chief physician to His Highness the Dalai Lama and several specialists in Tibetan medicine not only practice but also teach Tibetan medicine to students who are beings trained as doctors. The students, besides learning the science of medicine also learn how to recognise medicinal plants which are used in their practice and to prepare such medicines. Tibetan medicine is becoming more and more popular in this country and there are several clinics catering to the people in many cities. A patient at these clinics is diagnosed and receives the medicine, all in the course of a few hours. Diagnosis is made in two ways – by studying the pulse and looking at the morning urine sample.
The author had the privilege of arranging a visit of Amachis Tenzin Choedrag, the chief physician to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama to the National Institute of Immunology and of watching him make his examination. Without taking a history of the ailments-which he did later – he would, on the basis of the pulse and urine examination, make a remarkable diagnosis about the troubles of the patients.
The fundamental concepts of Tibetan medicine are described in Sman Rtzis the journal published by the Tibetan Medical and Astra Institute, Dharamsala. Tibetan medicine starts with the basic premise that the human organism is a composite whole of both mind and matter. The three poisons of the mind explain the origin of the disorders of the mind. The three poisons of the mind are known as Dug-g-Sum while the Byung-ba-Inga theory explains the disorders affecting the physical body.
In Tibetan Buddhist cosmology five cosmic energies are responsible for bringing about changes. These are the energies of space, air, fire, water and earth. The pathogenesis of all physical afflictions are traced to these five energies which are responsible for the material causes of diseases such as bacteria and virus or an unhealthy style of living. In Tibetan medicine much emphasis is placed on the mind. Stability of the mind brings about a well being of the body while an unhappy mental condition or mental stress brings about imbalance in the body systems which results in diseases. This concept is being more and more accepted in western or allopathic medicine.
Recently Dean Ornish has demonstrated that physical exercise, meditation and a vegetarian diet can even reverse the changes in the arteries which lead to coronary attacks. It has also been demonstrated that there are several diseases which arise because of mental stress and anxiety. These include coronary artery disease, bronchial asthma, diabetes and surprisingly, some forms and cancer.
During the time when Lhasa used to be the world’s centre of Tibetan medicine, there used to be 400 medicines made from plants. These medicines were prepared mainly from plants collected in Tibet at Drag Yerpa and in Dohthey. For two months the doctors and their students would collect the herbs and bring them to the monasteries to prepare the
medicines. Today, about 130 different kinds of medicines are prepared in India and supplied to the different clinics throughout the country. Collection of plants is done in India in the summer months from the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Tibetan medicine has attracted worldwide attention and Dharamsala is constantly visited by international experts in allopathic and alternative medicine. Several research workers from different parts of the world come here to carry out collaborative research or to learn about the treatments offered by Tibetan medicine. Several international conferences have been held on this subject and several books published.
Doctors from Dharamsala travel all over the world to give lectures on Tibetan medicine. We are very fortunate and privileged to have different science of alternative medicine come to us in India. It is important that we also learn more about this ancient system of medicine and try to benefit form it to provide better service to the humanity at large.
The author had the privilege of arranging a visit of Amachis Tenzin Choedrag, the chief physician to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama to the National Institute of Immunology and of watching him make his examination. Without taking a history of the ailments-which he did later – he would, on the basis of the pulse and urine examination, make a remarkable diagnosis about the troubles of the patients.
The fundamental concepts of Tibetan medicine are described in Sman Rtzis the journal published by the Tibetan Medical and Astra Institute, Dharamsala. Tibetan medicine starts with the basic premise that the human organism is a composite whole of both mind and matter. The three poisons of the mind explain the origin of the disorders of the mind. The three poisons of the mind are known as Dug-g-Sum while the Byung-ba-Inga theory explains the disorders affecting the physical body.
In Tibetan Buddhist cosmology five cosmic energies are responsible for bringing about changes. These are the energies of space, air, fire, water and earth. The pathogenesis of all physical afflictions are traced to these five energies which are responsible for the material causes of diseases such as bacteria and virus or an unhealthy style of living. In Tibetan medicine much emphasis is placed on the mind. Stability of the mind brings about a well being of the body while an unhappy mental condition or mental stress brings about imbalance in the body systems which results in diseases. This concept is being more and more accepted in western or allopathic medicine.
Recently Dean Ornish has demonstrated that physical exercise, meditation and a vegetarian diet can even reverse the changes in the arteries which lead to coronary attacks. It has also been demonstrated that there are several diseases which arise because of mental stress and anxiety. These include coronary artery disease, bronchial asthma, diabetes and surprisingly, some forms and cancer.
During the time when Lhasa used to be the world’s centre of Tibetan medicine, there used to be 400 medicines made from plants. These medicines were prepared mainly from plants collected in Tibet at Drag Yerpa and in Dohthey. For two months the doctors and their students would collect the herbs and bring them to the monasteries to prepare the
medicines. Today, about 130 different kinds of medicines are prepared in India and supplied to the different clinics throughout the country. Collection of plants is done in India in the summer months from the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Tibetan medicine has attracted worldwide attention and Dharamsala is constantly visited by international experts in allopathic and alternative medicine. Several research workers from different parts of the world come here to carry out collaborative research or to learn about the treatments offered by Tibetan medicine. Several international conferences have been held on this subject and several books published.
Doctors from Dharamsala travel all over the world to give lectures on Tibetan medicine. We are very fortunate and privileged to have different science of alternative medicine come to us in India. It is important that we also learn more about this ancient system of medicine and try to benefit form it to provide better service to the humanity at large.
Treatment with Haldi - Turmeric : Effective Natural Treatments
Curcuma longa, commonly known as haldi in India , a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, ranks as an equal to the potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents now in the market.
Anti-inflammatory agents, as the name implies, are treatment used for all types inflammation. This could be inflammation caused by a sprained ankle on the football field or inflammation causing acute back pain or an inflammation of a bad tooth. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are one of the most used and most prescribed type of drugs. The expenditure on these drugs in all hospitals is escalating and together with its widespread use there is considerable misuse and abuse. These drugs all cause gastric irritation, should never be taken by patients who have peptic ulcer and should be used with great caution by patients who have tendency towards acidity.
At a meeting held at Bandung, Indonesia, from 24-26 January 1994 the very first paper was on the anti-inflammatory property of curcuma. A drug was prepared by taking active part of two curcuma species and this was administered to sixty osteoarthritic patients who had inflammation of the joints. The trial was a double blind one in that neither the doctor not the patient knew which patient was receiving the drug and which patent was receiving the placebo, which was the “dummy” drug.
The investigators observed that the anti-inflammatory effect of the haldi preparation was as good as one of the modern synthetic drug – Piroxicam. The active substance in haldo or Curcuma longa is curcumin. Several research workers in India have already demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin in experimental animals, carried out in the early seventies. However, after these initially interesting results there has been a comparative lull in research on Curcuma longa and its is only recently that clinical trials have been started on the effect of Curcuma longa in patients with inflammation.
There is no reason why a simple preparation of Curcuma longa cannot be used even now at the primary health centres for the treatment of local inflammatory conditions where a paste of Curcuma longa could be applied externally. In fact, this was the standard treatment given to injuries sustained on the playing fields in my school days – and this was nearly fifty years ago.
Meanwhile, acute and subacute toxicology studies should be carried out with parts of the curcuma plant which are found to be the most active. If these studies indicate that the substances are non toxic then these should be administered to patients under controlled conditions.
Earlier one would not have thought of patents and international proprietary rights on plants and herbs used for therapeutic purpose for centuries in India. The recent experience of neem has however aroused awareness both among our scientists and in our public. Efforts should therefore be made to obtain the appropriate patents by the scientists and institutions who are working on Curcuma longa and are publishing results in scientific journals. Some help from the government at this juncture would be welcome and could yield rich dividends for the country.
Anti-inflammatory agents, as the name implies, are treatment used for all types inflammation. This could be inflammation caused by a sprained ankle on the football field or inflammation causing acute back pain or an inflammation of a bad tooth. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are one of the most used and most prescribed type of drugs. The expenditure on these drugs in all hospitals is escalating and together with its widespread use there is considerable misuse and abuse. These drugs all cause gastric irritation, should never be taken by patients who have peptic ulcer and should be used with great caution by patients who have tendency towards acidity.
At a meeting held at Bandung, Indonesia, from 24-26 January 1994 the very first paper was on the anti-inflammatory property of curcuma. A drug was prepared by taking active part of two curcuma species and this was administered to sixty osteoarthritic patients who had inflammation of the joints. The trial was a double blind one in that neither the doctor not the patient knew which patient was receiving the drug and which patent was receiving the placebo, which was the “dummy” drug.
The investigators observed that the anti-inflammatory effect of the haldi preparation was as good as one of the modern synthetic drug – Piroxicam. The active substance in haldo or Curcuma longa is curcumin. Several research workers in India have already demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin in experimental animals, carried out in the early seventies. However, after these initially interesting results there has been a comparative lull in research on Curcuma longa and its is only recently that clinical trials have been started on the effect of Curcuma longa in patients with inflammation.
There is no reason why a simple preparation of Curcuma longa cannot be used even now at the primary health centres for the treatment of local inflammatory conditions where a paste of Curcuma longa could be applied externally. In fact, this was the standard treatment given to injuries sustained on the playing fields in my school days – and this was nearly fifty years ago.
Meanwhile, acute and subacute toxicology studies should be carried out with parts of the curcuma plant which are found to be the most active. If these studies indicate that the substances are non toxic then these should be administered to patients under controlled conditions.
Earlier one would not have thought of patents and international proprietary rights on plants and herbs used for therapeutic purpose for centuries in India. The recent experience of neem has however aroused awareness both among our scientists and in our public. Efforts should therefore be made to obtain the appropriate patents by the scientists and institutions who are working on Curcuma longa and are publishing results in scientific journals. Some help from the government at this juncture would be welcome and could yield rich dividends for the country.
Heal Wounds - The Vedic Way
Wound healing is an area where traditional medicine could have much to offer. On 28 and 29 August 1994 a satellite meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society was held at the Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in England. The rationale of the meeting was well expressed in the title of the first paper – “Why should wound healers of the western world be interested in traditional medicine of the developing world” – presented by Professor Terence Ryan of the Department of Dermatology. While the United Kingdom, USA CHINA, Syria Vietnam and Zimbabwe participated in the meeting, there was no representative from India.
The invitation by a specialised group in western medicine to experts in traditional medicine research is a step in the right direction. Similar meetings have been held in India where experts made presentation on what traditional medicine had to offer in the areas of diabetes, gastroenterology and obstetrics and gynaecology. Such meetings may not have immediate visible effects but we now have evidence that these interactions certainly have a long term effect by increasing awareness and by inspiring a few clinical investigators to work in traditional medicine- particularly in the evaluation of herbal remedies.
There are several plants in India which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda as having a beneficial effect on wound healing. Much research has been carried out on this subject on experimental animals although good clinical trials have not yet been published. A centre where much work has been carried out in the past is the research was published in 1970 in review entitled “Wound healing under the influence of certain indigenous drugs in the book advances in Research in Indian Medicine.
The sunflower plant, Helianthus annus, has been mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts by Sushruta as having a beneficial effect on wounds. This was confirmed in experimental studies. An extract of the plant was prepared after which a 5 per cent ointment was prepared with Vaseline. This ointment certainly demonstrated wound healing properties as there was a significant reduction in the total healing period after the application of the ointment. Another plant substance used for treating wounds in South India is Morellin from a plant called Garcinia morella. Morellin was effective in inducing wound healing in animals when applied to the experimental excised wound.
Another plant which is reputed for its wound healing is Jasmina auriculatum. Sushruta has specifically mentioned its beneficial effect in eye ulcers. Fresh juice of the plant was applied to the experimental wound and a therapeutic effect was seen. Professor Deshpande and his colleagues concluded that the juice contained some substance which enhanced wound healing. A fourth plant which again demonstrated wound healing activity was Vernonia cineria given in a juice from.
The invitation by a specialised group in western medicine to experts in traditional medicine research is a step in the right direction. Similar meetings have been held in India where experts made presentation on what traditional medicine had to offer in the areas of diabetes, gastroenterology and obstetrics and gynaecology. Such meetings may not have immediate visible effects but we now have evidence that these interactions certainly have a long term effect by increasing awareness and by inspiring a few clinical investigators to work in traditional medicine- particularly in the evaluation of herbal remedies.
There are several plants in India which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda as having a beneficial effect on wound healing. Much research has been carried out on this subject on experimental animals although good clinical trials have not yet been published. A centre where much work has been carried out in the past is the research was published in 1970 in review entitled “Wound healing under the influence of certain indigenous drugs in the book advances in Research in Indian Medicine.
The sunflower plant, Helianthus annus, has been mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts by Sushruta as having a beneficial effect on wounds. This was confirmed in experimental studies. An extract of the plant was prepared after which a 5 per cent ointment was prepared with Vaseline. This ointment certainly demonstrated wound healing properties as there was a significant reduction in the total healing period after the application of the ointment. Another plant substance used for treating wounds in South India is Morellin from a plant called Garcinia morella. Morellin was effective in inducing wound healing in animals when applied to the experimental excised wound.
Another plant which is reputed for its wound healing is Jasmina auriculatum. Sushruta has specifically mentioned its beneficial effect in eye ulcers. Fresh juice of the plant was applied to the experimental wound and a therapeutic effect was seen. Professor Deshpande and his colleagues concluded that the juice contained some substance which enhanced wound healing. A fourth plant which again demonstrated wound healing activity was Vernonia cineria given in a juice from.
Fight Cancer With Herbs - Natural Treatment for Herbs
The most recent gift to modern medicine from the world of plants and tress is a new treatment for ovarian cancer which occurs in women. Figures are not readily available from India but at least fine thousand new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed every year in the United Kingdom. There are four thousand deaths every year from this disease in the UK.
The substance taxol from the tree Taxus baccata has been shown to be effective in treating ovarian cancer. The tree is commonly known as the Pacific Yew Tree. It is not common in India but other varieties of the tree do grow in the Nilgiris in India. This could become a source for production of this medicine.
Interestingly, the path to this discovery was not through mention of the plant as medicinal plant in ancient literature nor was it used in folklore or traditional medicine for this purpose. The National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health, Washington initiated a programme around 1995 to try and find anti-cancer drugs from plants. Plants from all over the world were collected and tested for anti-cancer properties. These plants could be those reputed to have an anti-cancer effect or could be plants picked up at random. One of the plants which demonstrated interesting anti-cancer activity in the laboratory was the Pacific Yew.
The National Cancer Institute itself did not carry out further work on this plant but passed on the information to research scientist at the Research Triangle Institute at North Caroline, USA.
Eventually two scientist at this centre, Dr M.C. Wani and Dr Munore E. Wall characterised taxol in 1971. An additional twenty one years work and after spending approximately $ 180 million, the pharmaceutical house Bristol-Myers Squibb was given approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 1992 to market the drug for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Clinical trails of this substance were carried out in USA and the beneficial effect on ovarian cancer was unequivocally shown. Cancer specialists have hailed the use of taxol as a major advance in cancer treatment. Taxol acts in those cases of ovarian cancer where other anti-cancer drugs fail to induce any effect. One consultant who is cancer treatment specialist at Guy’s Hospital London described this as “the largest step forward we have had for ten years.” It was released in the United Kingdom in January 1994. It is now available in India. The development of this anti-cancer drug, taxol, from a plant has several pointers for countries now beginning such research.
It is possible to find a drug by testing plants randomly-including plants which are not known to have any medicinal properties. The procedure for developing a drug is so complicated and expensive that the National Cancer Institute did not even try to develop the drug. It is the pharmaceutical houses which have the expertise and the huge resources needed. Finally the chances of obtaining a ‘winner’ such as taxol are very low.
The National Cancer Institute tested about 4,00,000 plant extracts and synthetic drugs for activity against cancer from 1955 till 1990 taxol is the only drug developed from the
Many plant extracts tested. It is interesting, however, that the two other drugs for the treatment of leukaemia – vinbastine and vincristine –were also developed from the periwinkle plant, Vinca rosea, by the pharmaceutical house of Eli Lilly. Considering that there are so many untested plants available, it is possible that a few other anti-cancer drugs may be developed from plants.
The substance taxol from the tree Taxus baccata has been shown to be effective in treating ovarian cancer. The tree is commonly known as the Pacific Yew Tree. It is not common in India but other varieties of the tree do grow in the Nilgiris in India. This could become a source for production of this medicine.
Interestingly, the path to this discovery was not through mention of the plant as medicinal plant in ancient literature nor was it used in folklore or traditional medicine for this purpose. The National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health, Washington initiated a programme around 1995 to try and find anti-cancer drugs from plants. Plants from all over the world were collected and tested for anti-cancer properties. These plants could be those reputed to have an anti-cancer effect or could be plants picked up at random. One of the plants which demonstrated interesting anti-cancer activity in the laboratory was the Pacific Yew.
The National Cancer Institute itself did not carry out further work on this plant but passed on the information to research scientist at the Research Triangle Institute at North Caroline, USA.
Eventually two scientist at this centre, Dr M.C. Wani and Dr Munore E. Wall characterised taxol in 1971. An additional twenty one years work and after spending approximately $ 180 million, the pharmaceutical house Bristol-Myers Squibb was given approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 1992 to market the drug for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Clinical trails of this substance were carried out in USA and the beneficial effect on ovarian cancer was unequivocally shown. Cancer specialists have hailed the use of taxol as a major advance in cancer treatment. Taxol acts in those cases of ovarian cancer where other anti-cancer drugs fail to induce any effect. One consultant who is cancer treatment specialist at Guy’s Hospital London described this as “the largest step forward we have had for ten years.” It was released in the United Kingdom in January 1994. It is now available in India. The development of this anti-cancer drug, taxol, from a plant has several pointers for countries now beginning such research.
It is possible to find a drug by testing plants randomly-including plants which are not known to have any medicinal properties. The procedure for developing a drug is so complicated and expensive that the National Cancer Institute did not even try to develop the drug. It is the pharmaceutical houses which have the expertise and the huge resources needed. Finally the chances of obtaining a ‘winner’ such as taxol are very low.
The National Cancer Institute tested about 4,00,000 plant extracts and synthetic drugs for activity against cancer from 1955 till 1990 taxol is the only drug developed from the
Many plant extracts tested. It is interesting, however, that the two other drugs for the treatment of leukaemia – vinbastine and vincristine –were also developed from the periwinkle plant, Vinca rosea, by the pharmaceutical house of Eli Lilly. Considering that there are so many untested plants available, it is possible that a few other anti-cancer drugs may be developed from plants.
Treatment for Diarrhoes - Natural Treatment for Diarrhoea
The Leaves of plant which grows in the jungles of Myanmar (Burma) are used for the treatment of diarrhoea by the people of the villages and those who live in the hilly areas with no access to medicines. The plant, commonly known as Mashaw has been botanically identified as Euonymous Kachinensis – presumably because it is found in the Kitchen area of the country. If an infant has diarrhoea than smaller leaves are given to the child. If an adult gets diarrhoea, a larger number of bigger leaves are given. This property of the plant has never been mentioned in any book read by the author.
This plant may not be available in India but there are many plants growing in India which are widely used to treat diarrhoea. In addition old text books on traditional medicine and Ayurvedic and Unani list several such plants. The fruit known as it has a high mucilage and pectin content which will counteract diarrhoea. A drink is made from the pulp of the unripe fruit. It should be freshly prepared and given to the patient. This is a simple and easy remedy but can only be used when the fruit is in season.
If a child has diarrhoea, then the roots of the plant Cyperus rotundus should be given. The recommended dosage is 1-2 gm along with honey, three times a day. These simple remedies have stood the test of time. If they were not effective probably they would not be in use today. The World Health Organisation in a recent publication has stated unequivocally that no allopathic drugs should be used for the treatment of diarrhoea as all the available drugs induce serious side effects.
Both WHO and UNICF recommend that the treatment of a person or child with diarrhoea should be by administering Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) which replaces the fluids and electrolytes, that is the sodium and potassium lost in diarrhoea. Coconut water in several countries is used as an excellent alternative. Diarrhoea is a self-limiting condition and passes off soon.
However, there is still need of a simple non-toxic herbal preparation in certain types of diarrhoea. None of the plant substances have really been scientifically tested to find out how they act. It is hoped that national and international authorities will take a fresh look at some of the plants mentioned here. If such an investigation is launched, there are a few other plants which should also be looked at.
The dried resin of the plant Acacia catechu is used traditionally for the treatment of diarrhoea in Thailand. Several Plants are commonly used in Indonesia. These include the roots of the Japanese cucumber, the roots of the pomegranate fruit plant, the soft leaf of cone flower and the betel nut. The powdered drug is boiled in water and used for this purpose. Acacia catechu is known here as kikar and is commonly used as a thony hedge.
Both Indian and Thai publications also mention that the bark of the plant is used in diarrhoea. The WHO publication on Medicinal Plants in China lists twenty plants which are used in the country for treating diarrhoea. Among these several are available in India, also such as Terminalia chebula (Harra) Piper nigrum (Papali or long peper) and Eclipta prostrata. The time is right to assess these herbal remedies for this common condition.
This plant may not be available in India but there are many plants growing in India which are widely used to treat diarrhoea. In addition old text books on traditional medicine and Ayurvedic and Unani list several such plants. The fruit known as it has a high mucilage and pectin content which will counteract diarrhoea. A drink is made from the pulp of the unripe fruit. It should be freshly prepared and given to the patient. This is a simple and easy remedy but can only be used when the fruit is in season.
If a child has diarrhoea, then the roots of the plant Cyperus rotundus should be given. The recommended dosage is 1-2 gm along with honey, three times a day. These simple remedies have stood the test of time. If they were not effective probably they would not be in use today. The World Health Organisation in a recent publication has stated unequivocally that no allopathic drugs should be used for the treatment of diarrhoea as all the available drugs induce serious side effects.
Both WHO and UNICF recommend that the treatment of a person or child with diarrhoea should be by administering Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) which replaces the fluids and electrolytes, that is the sodium and potassium lost in diarrhoea. Coconut water in several countries is used as an excellent alternative. Diarrhoea is a self-limiting condition and passes off soon.
However, there is still need of a simple non-toxic herbal preparation in certain types of diarrhoea. None of the plant substances have really been scientifically tested to find out how they act. It is hoped that national and international authorities will take a fresh look at some of the plants mentioned here. If such an investigation is launched, there are a few other plants which should also be looked at.
The dried resin of the plant Acacia catechu is used traditionally for the treatment of diarrhoea in Thailand. Several Plants are commonly used in Indonesia. These include the roots of the Japanese cucumber, the roots of the pomegranate fruit plant, the soft leaf of cone flower and the betel nut. The powdered drug is boiled in water and used for this purpose. Acacia catechu is known here as kikar and is commonly used as a thony hedge.
Both Indian and Thai publications also mention that the bark of the plant is used in diarrhoea. The WHO publication on Medicinal Plants in China lists twenty plants which are used in the country for treating diarrhoea. Among these several are available in India, also such as Terminalia chebula (Harra) Piper nigrum (Papali or long peper) and Eclipta prostrata. The time is right to assess these herbal remedies for this common condition.
Herbs to Protect Liver - Natural Treatment for Liver
There is a great need to discover medicines which protect the liver against damaging diseases such as hepatitis and also rapidly restore full functioning of a damaged liver. Hepatitis in many cases, if not treated, could later on in life lead to the cancer of the liver. Alcohol also damages the liver and western world is looking for herbal preparations to protect the liver from alcohol. Many of the powerful drugs used these day sometimes indiscriminately damage the liver.
There are hardly any medicines in allopathic medicine which are known to protect the liver or to treat a damaged liver. Research on some of these plants could yield one or more medicines for liver disease which could be widely used. Fortunately research is being carried out in this field both in India and in Japan. Some of this work has been described.
Out of the many Indian plants used for protecting the liver, three have been selected as being the ones which are the most promising at this time to become drugs for liver disease. These are Andrographis paniculata known as Chirata, Picrorhiza kurroa known as kutki and Phyllanthus niruri known as bhoomyamalkai.
Andrographis paniculata is also known as Kalmegh. Work carried out in several Indian laboratories and particularly at the Department of Pharmacy, Punjab University, Chandigarh by Professor Handa and his group has clearly demonstrated the liver protective property of this plant on experimental animals. The whole plant is used as a juice or as a powder in Ayurvedic medicine system. In earlier years in Bihar, the twigs of Chirata were left in a tumbler of water overnight and the water was drunk in the morning to treat what was then described as a sluggish liver.
Unfortunately it is getting increasingly difficult to obtain these plants and large scale cultivation needs to be carried out. Picrorhiza kurroa or Kutki, again is used throughout northern India as a liver protective substance. It is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine system. Experimental work was carried out jointly by the Indians Council of Medical Research and the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow led by Professor Dhawan of a substance called Picroliv which is responsible for this beneficial effect. Picroliv is already being clinically evaluated in patients of helatitis.
Phyllanthus niruri or bhoomyamalkai is used South India as a Potent liver protecting substance. A clinical trial of this plant was carried out in 1983 by Dr Dixit and Dr Achar in 160 children out of the 160 improved. This study needs to be repeated on a larger number of children in a well controlled trial. It is understood that such “ double blind” trials are being thought of.
In addition to these plants used largely in India in the Ayurvedic system of medicine and folklore medicine, there are other plants used in the Unani system of medicine being used in India and in Kampo system of medicine used in Japan.
There are hardly any medicines in allopathic medicine which are known to protect the liver or to treat a damaged liver. Research on some of these plants could yield one or more medicines for liver disease which could be widely used. Fortunately research is being carried out in this field both in India and in Japan. Some of this work has been described.
Out of the many Indian plants used for protecting the liver, three have been selected as being the ones which are the most promising at this time to become drugs for liver disease. These are Andrographis paniculata known as Chirata, Picrorhiza kurroa known as kutki and Phyllanthus niruri known as bhoomyamalkai.
Andrographis paniculata is also known as Kalmegh. Work carried out in several Indian laboratories and particularly at the Department of Pharmacy, Punjab University, Chandigarh by Professor Handa and his group has clearly demonstrated the liver protective property of this plant on experimental animals. The whole plant is used as a juice or as a powder in Ayurvedic medicine system. In earlier years in Bihar, the twigs of Chirata were left in a tumbler of water overnight and the water was drunk in the morning to treat what was then described as a sluggish liver.
Unfortunately it is getting increasingly difficult to obtain these plants and large scale cultivation needs to be carried out. Picrorhiza kurroa or Kutki, again is used throughout northern India as a liver protective substance. It is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine system. Experimental work was carried out jointly by the Indians Council of Medical Research and the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow led by Professor Dhawan of a substance called Picroliv which is responsible for this beneficial effect. Picroliv is already being clinically evaluated in patients of helatitis.
Phyllanthus niruri or bhoomyamalkai is used South India as a Potent liver protecting substance. A clinical trial of this plant was carried out in 1983 by Dr Dixit and Dr Achar in 160 children out of the 160 improved. This study needs to be repeated on a larger number of children in a well controlled trial. It is understood that such “ double blind” trials are being thought of.
In addition to these plants used largely in India in the Ayurvedic system of medicine and folklore medicine, there are other plants used in the Unani system of medicine being used in India and in Kampo system of medicine used in Japan.
Increase Your Resistance to AIDs - Medicines for Immunity
There is no medicine today that can cure a person who has contracted AIDS- an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A person may be infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and yet may not become patient of AIDS for some time. There is also no medicine available to delay the onset of AIDS in persons who have been infected with the HIV. This has changed since this article was written.
Plants have come into this field of work because some plants have been associated with the property of inducing immunostimulation. These plants reportedly increase resistance to disease, have an anti-stress effect and generally are thought to improve the quality of life. It is possible that some plants could delay the onset of AIDS in people who are virus. This line of thinking has prompted an international effort in the search for plants which may be useful in the treatment of HIV positive people. In spite of claims being regularly made, there is no plant which has clearly been shows to have this effect till date.
Hopes should not be raised as indication of activity will need many years before it can be used as a medicine. However it would be interesting to know something of what is happening in this field. The world Health organization has listed several plants which are being clinically evaluated for this type of activity. The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA is willing to test in the laboratory but not on humans, any plants from anywhere in the world if there is some evidence that it may be useful. Unfortunately effectiveness in the test tube or what is known as “in vitro” activity is no certainty that it will have the same activity outside the test tube or in humans.
The National AIDS Control Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research have also set up a system for assessing claims mode about plants being able to counteract AIDS.
At a meeting held at the India International Centre in April 1993, seven Indian plants were identified which needed to be tested for anti-AIDS activity. These plants are well known – i) Ocimum Sanctum (tulsi), ii) Withania Somnifera (ashwagandha), iii) Boerhaavia diffusa (punarnava), iv) Tinospora cordifolia (giloya), v) Asparagus racemosus (satavari), vi) Bacopa monniera (nirbrahmi) and vii) Centella asiatica (brahmi). In fact these were dubbed by the press as the Big Seven.
These were selected because of different reasons but one reason was that all these plants were supposed to stimulate the immune system. The results of several studies with these plants have recently been published in the book HIV/AIDS and Traditional Medicine.
Several plants are being clinically evaluated for anti HIV activity outside India and five of these will be mentioned. Two plants are being tested in Japan. One is Glycyrrhiza uralensis known as sho-saiko-to. It has been used to treat viral hepatitis in that country. The second plant is Lentirus edobes. It has been used earlier for the treatment of cancers.
A compound tricosanthin, known as Compound Q has been isolated from the plant Trocosanthes kirilowii – the Chinese cucumber. This substance, Compound Q, is being clinically evaluated both in China and, interestingly enough, in USA which has to some extent, waived the usual preclinical toxicological studies needed before a plant substance can be tried on patients in that country.
The plant Diospyros usambarensis is being used if East Africa for the treatment of AIDS. It is usually present in any combination of plants given for this purpose.
The other plant which is used is Glycyrrhiza uralensis. It is widely used in Tanzania. All of us hope that one of these plants or more than one, administered alone or in combination, will be able to delay the onset of AIDS in HIV positive people.
Plants have come into this field of work because some plants have been associated with the property of inducing immunostimulation. These plants reportedly increase resistance to disease, have an anti-stress effect and generally are thought to improve the quality of life. It is possible that some plants could delay the onset of AIDS in people who are virus. This line of thinking has prompted an international effort in the search for plants which may be useful in the treatment of HIV positive people. In spite of claims being regularly made, there is no plant which has clearly been shows to have this effect till date.
Hopes should not be raised as indication of activity will need many years before it can be used as a medicine. However it would be interesting to know something of what is happening in this field. The world Health organization has listed several plants which are being clinically evaluated for this type of activity. The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA is willing to test in the laboratory but not on humans, any plants from anywhere in the world if there is some evidence that it may be useful. Unfortunately effectiveness in the test tube or what is known as “in vitro” activity is no certainty that it will have the same activity outside the test tube or in humans.
The National AIDS Control Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research have also set up a system for assessing claims mode about plants being able to counteract AIDS.
At a meeting held at the India International Centre in April 1993, seven Indian plants were identified which needed to be tested for anti-AIDS activity. These plants are well known – i) Ocimum Sanctum (tulsi), ii) Withania Somnifera (ashwagandha), iii) Boerhaavia diffusa (punarnava), iv) Tinospora cordifolia (giloya), v) Asparagus racemosus (satavari), vi) Bacopa monniera (nirbrahmi) and vii) Centella asiatica (brahmi). In fact these were dubbed by the press as the Big Seven.
These were selected because of different reasons but one reason was that all these plants were supposed to stimulate the immune system. The results of several studies with these plants have recently been published in the book HIV/AIDS and Traditional Medicine.
Several plants are being clinically evaluated for anti HIV activity outside India and five of these will be mentioned. Two plants are being tested in Japan. One is Glycyrrhiza uralensis known as sho-saiko-to. It has been used to treat viral hepatitis in that country. The second plant is Lentirus edobes. It has been used earlier for the treatment of cancers.
A compound tricosanthin, known as Compound Q has been isolated from the plant Trocosanthes kirilowii – the Chinese cucumber. This substance, Compound Q, is being clinically evaluated both in China and, interestingly enough, in USA which has to some extent, waived the usual preclinical toxicological studies needed before a plant substance can be tried on patients in that country.
The plant Diospyros usambarensis is being used if East Africa for the treatment of AIDS. It is usually present in any combination of plants given for this purpose.
The other plant which is used is Glycyrrhiza uralensis. It is widely used in Tanzania. All of us hope that one of these plants or more than one, administered alone or in combination, will be able to delay the onset of AIDS in HIV positive people.
Gum Guggal - Prevent Coronary Disorders
Coronary heart disease is becoming more and more common in India and every year there is an increase in the number of people who die from myocardial infraction which is caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries. A recent study from England has shown that Indians living in that country are more prone to attacks of coronary disease than others living there. Interestingly the incidence of coronary disease in the west has come down considerably and is on the decreasing trend. This has been brought about largely by a change in diet and by decreasing the cholesterol level in the blood.
There are certain factors known as risk factors which make it more likely for a person to get coronary attack. High blood pressure and diabetes are tow of the risk factors. Smoking, a diet high in fats, a sedentary life with lack of exercise and a high level of cholesterol in the blood are other risk factors. There are two types of lipoproteins circulating in the blood: the high density lipoproteins (HDL) which protect a person from coronary disease and the low density lipoproteins (LDL) which could cause the disease. What are the ways in which western countries have reduced this disease? Giving up smoking
And regular exercises are two of the things which have definitely helped. Changing one’s diet-giving up mutton and red meat, doing without cakes, pastries, puddings and eggs and taking instead largely vegetarian diet with some fish and chicken has also helped. Meditation and yoga, along with the other measures outlined above, have been shown to reduce cholesterol and increase the high density lipoproteins.
There are very few drugs which can reduce the cholesterol level of the blood and these are associated with side effects. However a plant, Commifera mukul (gum guggal) was mentioned in the well known Sushruta Samhita treatise as a plant which could cure disorders related to obesity and lipid metabolism. It is amazing to realise that in the year 600 BC, when this ancient text was written, this relationship between the beneficial effects of the gum of this plant, largely growing in Rajasthan, had been described. Till 1964 no notice was taken of this shloka.
Work carried out by Indian scientists from 1964 onwards resulted in guggulipid becoming available in the Indian market as a drug which reduces the cholesterol level of the blood and which therefore can be used to prevent coronary heart disease in people who have high level of cholesterol.
The saga of the development of modern drug from a shloka written 2,594 years ago need to be briefly recounted. The first experimental work on Commifera mukul was carried out at the Banaras Hindu University College of Medical Sciences in 1964 by Dr. G.Satyavati who wrote a doctoral thesis on the effects of the plant substance on disorders of lipid metabolism. She was guided in this by the ayurvedic scholar and teacher Pandit Dwarkanath.
The work was later taken up in bigger way, following the results obtained by her, by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow. Chemical work was carried out at the National Chemical Laboratory at Pune. It was due to this effort of scientists working at different centres like Banaras, New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune and Bombay that eventually a drug, which reduces cholesterol and is reported to increase the high density lipoproteins, has now been made available to the world, based on an ancient ayurvedic text.
There are certain factors known as risk factors which make it more likely for a person to get coronary attack. High blood pressure and diabetes are tow of the risk factors. Smoking, a diet high in fats, a sedentary life with lack of exercise and a high level of cholesterol in the blood are other risk factors. There are two types of lipoproteins circulating in the blood: the high density lipoproteins (HDL) which protect a person from coronary disease and the low density lipoproteins (LDL) which could cause the disease. What are the ways in which western countries have reduced this disease? Giving up smoking
And regular exercises are two of the things which have definitely helped. Changing one’s diet-giving up mutton and red meat, doing without cakes, pastries, puddings and eggs and taking instead largely vegetarian diet with some fish and chicken has also helped. Meditation and yoga, along with the other measures outlined above, have been shown to reduce cholesterol and increase the high density lipoproteins.
There are very few drugs which can reduce the cholesterol level of the blood and these are associated with side effects. However a plant, Commifera mukul (gum guggal) was mentioned in the well known Sushruta Samhita treatise as a plant which could cure disorders related to obesity and lipid metabolism. It is amazing to realise that in the year 600 BC, when this ancient text was written, this relationship between the beneficial effects of the gum of this plant, largely growing in Rajasthan, had been described. Till 1964 no notice was taken of this shloka.
Work carried out by Indian scientists from 1964 onwards resulted in guggulipid becoming available in the Indian market as a drug which reduces the cholesterol level of the blood and which therefore can be used to prevent coronary heart disease in people who have high level of cholesterol.
The saga of the development of modern drug from a shloka written 2,594 years ago need to be briefly recounted. The first experimental work on Commifera mukul was carried out at the Banaras Hindu University College of Medical Sciences in 1964 by Dr. G.Satyavati who wrote a doctoral thesis on the effects of the plant substance on disorders of lipid metabolism. She was guided in this by the ayurvedic scholar and teacher Pandit Dwarkanath.
The work was later taken up in bigger way, following the results obtained by her, by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow. Chemical work was carried out at the National Chemical Laboratory at Pune. It was due to this effort of scientists working at different centres like Banaras, New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune and Bombay that eventually a drug, which reduces cholesterol and is reported to increase the high density lipoproteins, has now been made available to the world, based on an ancient ayurvedic text.
Western Medicinal Plants - Cranberry Juice Herbal Medicine
The use of medicinal plants and the discovery of new medicines form herbs has largely been associated with China, India and other countries in the third world. In recent years, however, the West has also contributed handsomely towards the development of new drugs from plants, some of which do not even grow in Asia, Latin America or Africa.
One such plant is Hypericum perforatum known in Europe as St John’s Wort. This plant has been shown to have a beneficial effect on patients who are suffering from mental depression, a very difficult condition to treat. Nearly 1,600 patients of clinical depression have now been treated in Austria and Germany with St John’s Wort and the results indicate that the plant is as effective as synthetic drugs and perhaps induces fewer side effects than the more powerful synthetic drugs. Recently a whole issue of a psychiatric journal was devoted only to the effects of St John’s Wort. The leaves and flowers are used for their beneficial effect. Interestingly, the plant is also used for treating cuts and bruises. The plant may also have good effect on the pain of rheumatism, neuralgia and sciatica. The plants is taken in the form of an infusion.
This plant grows in India also, and is known in Hindi by the local name of Bassant, Balsasnta and Dendhu. In the Traditional medicine system in India it is used for several conditions but an effect on mental depression is not one of those. It is however suggested in Indian traditional medicine system that this plant reduces the quantity of milk in lactating cattle. This effect could be via the hypothalamus, the area where depression may also be related to. The discovery of taxol from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree for treatment of ovarian cancer by an American scientist has also been described. This is another discovery in the western world of a new plant medicine.
There are several other leads which have recently been published. The use of cranberry juice, made from cranberries has been a folklore remedy for bladder infection for generation in England. It was, however, only recently that scientific evidence of this has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
All men would like to avoid surgery for the treatment of benign hypertrophy of the prostate. The most recent advancement in non-surgical treatment of prostate hypertrophy is the use of a new drug, called finasteride. However, it has been known in England for a long time that an extract of Saw palmetto leaves also is effective in the treatment of hypertrophy of the prostate. It costs one third of the price of the synthetic drug.
Another plant which has recently come in to some prominence in the United Kingdom is the fever-few plant. The botanical name is the Tanacetum parthenium. This plant apparently is not found in India. This plant is used for the treatment of migraine. According to Nicola Peterson who has included a description of fever-few in her book Herbs and Health, about 70 per cent of the migraine patients benefit from fever-few. There could be total remission of the problem or partial improvement.
It is believed that the plant acts by dilating the constricted cerebral vessels and thus opening up the flow of blood to the brain. It also being used for the treatment of arthritis. It is the leaves of the plant which are effective. It can be seen from these few examples that new drugs from medicinal plants are also being discovered, not only in the third world but in highly developed countries of the West.
One such plant is Hypericum perforatum known in Europe as St John’s Wort. This plant has been shown to have a beneficial effect on patients who are suffering from mental depression, a very difficult condition to treat. Nearly 1,600 patients of clinical depression have now been treated in Austria and Germany with St John’s Wort and the results indicate that the plant is as effective as synthetic drugs and perhaps induces fewer side effects than the more powerful synthetic drugs. Recently a whole issue of a psychiatric journal was devoted only to the effects of St John’s Wort. The leaves and flowers are used for their beneficial effect. Interestingly, the plant is also used for treating cuts and bruises. The plant may also have good effect on the pain of rheumatism, neuralgia and sciatica. The plants is taken in the form of an infusion.
This plant grows in India also, and is known in Hindi by the local name of Bassant, Balsasnta and Dendhu. In the Traditional medicine system in India it is used for several conditions but an effect on mental depression is not one of those. It is however suggested in Indian traditional medicine system that this plant reduces the quantity of milk in lactating cattle. This effect could be via the hypothalamus, the area where depression may also be related to. The discovery of taxol from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree for treatment of ovarian cancer by an American scientist has also been described. This is another discovery in the western world of a new plant medicine.
There are several other leads which have recently been published. The use of cranberry juice, made from cranberries has been a folklore remedy for bladder infection for generation in England. It was, however, only recently that scientific evidence of this has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
All men would like to avoid surgery for the treatment of benign hypertrophy of the prostate. The most recent advancement in non-surgical treatment of prostate hypertrophy is the use of a new drug, called finasteride. However, it has been known in England for a long time that an extract of Saw palmetto leaves also is effective in the treatment of hypertrophy of the prostate. It costs one third of the price of the synthetic drug.
Another plant which has recently come in to some prominence in the United Kingdom is the fever-few plant. The botanical name is the Tanacetum parthenium. This plant apparently is not found in India. This plant is used for the treatment of migraine. According to Nicola Peterson who has included a description of fever-few in her book Herbs and Health, about 70 per cent of the migraine patients benefit from fever-few. There could be total remission of the problem or partial improvement.
It is believed that the plant acts by dilating the constricted cerebral vessels and thus opening up the flow of blood to the brain. It also being used for the treatment of arthritis. It is the leaves of the plant which are effective. It can be seen from these few examples that new drugs from medicinal plants are also being discovered, not only in the third world but in highly developed countries of the West.
Healing Practices of Amazonian Indians
Scientists and pharmaceutical houses today are all looking for interesting leads about plants which have the potential to be developed into drugs. Recent success in the discovery of an anti-malarial drug, artemesenin from the plant quing hao tsu in China and anti-cancer drug from the Pacific yew tree bark in the US has spurred this research.
Sometimes these leads are obtained from old books and writings of explorers, missionaries and anthropologists. Artemesenin was first described in an ancient Chinese book by Ye Hong. One book which contains fascinating information about plants used for healing by the Amazonian Indians called Witch Doctor’s Apprentice, was written by a Harvard anthropologist, Nicole Maxwell. She spent months travelling through and living in the Amazon jungles. Unfortunately, this book is not generally available. Some of the cures seen by this trained anthropologist are described below.
To extract teeth painlessly, the Indians would collect the sticky resin from a tree which is known as incira and put this into the cavity of a decaying tooth. The tooth would than fall off. The tree has been identified as the Chlorophora tinctoreal gaud. Our researchers in dentistry would be interested in this plant.
Burns were treated by the bark found just under the brown outer skin of the manioc tuber plant. The name of the plant is yucca – the sweet manioc – known as Manihot dulcis. It is the sweet manioc which should be used, not the bitter manioc, which is toxic. Maxwell reported that no Indian she saw, had suffered from acne. If a pimple appeared on the face, a poultice of the vine known as plukentia was immediately applied on the pimple, which then disappeared. Father Laurencio Quintana, a Franciscan father attached to the church in Conanmana, a small town on the Ucayali river which flows into the Amazon from the south, described to the writer the medicine used for treating arthritis. The roots of a large shrub known locally as hiporuru were used for this. To the shavings of the roots was added the crude rum used throughout Peru called aguadienta. The mixture was left for one month after which, wild honey was added to it. Once ready, this combination was used to treat even the most severe cases of arthritis. The plant has been identified as alchornia which is one of the euphorbia family.
A plant commonly known in Peru as chanca piedra is used for expelling stones from the kidney. The preparation is taken like tea. The plant is phyllanthus. The name of the plant describes its action – chanca means break, while piedra means stone. To stop bleeding from any part of the body, the sap of the plant croton salutaris is used. An ounce of the sap of this plant is drunk to stop haemorrhage.
There is a wealth of valuable information in the book put together after careful observation by Nicole Maxwell. Unfortunately, it was published in the 1960s, a time when interest in medicinal plants was at its lowest. Today it has been realised that the study of plants would probably provide us some medicines for the future. One hopes that the plants used by the Amazonian Indian for healing illness will not be forgotten in this resurgence of interest in plants which heal.
Sometimes these leads are obtained from old books and writings of explorers, missionaries and anthropologists. Artemesenin was first described in an ancient Chinese book by Ye Hong. One book which contains fascinating information about plants used for healing by the Amazonian Indians called Witch Doctor’s Apprentice, was written by a Harvard anthropologist, Nicole Maxwell. She spent months travelling through and living in the Amazon jungles. Unfortunately, this book is not generally available. Some of the cures seen by this trained anthropologist are described below.
To extract teeth painlessly, the Indians would collect the sticky resin from a tree which is known as incira and put this into the cavity of a decaying tooth. The tooth would than fall off. The tree has been identified as the Chlorophora tinctoreal gaud. Our researchers in dentistry would be interested in this plant.
Burns were treated by the bark found just under the brown outer skin of the manioc tuber plant. The name of the plant is yucca – the sweet manioc – known as Manihot dulcis. It is the sweet manioc which should be used, not the bitter manioc, which is toxic. Maxwell reported that no Indian she saw, had suffered from acne. If a pimple appeared on the face, a poultice of the vine known as plukentia was immediately applied on the pimple, which then disappeared. Father Laurencio Quintana, a Franciscan father attached to the church in Conanmana, a small town on the Ucayali river which flows into the Amazon from the south, described to the writer the medicine used for treating arthritis. The roots of a large shrub known locally as hiporuru were used for this. To the shavings of the roots was added the crude rum used throughout Peru called aguadienta. The mixture was left for one month after which, wild honey was added to it. Once ready, this combination was used to treat even the most severe cases of arthritis. The plant has been identified as alchornia which is one of the euphorbia family.
A plant commonly known in Peru as chanca piedra is used for expelling stones from the kidney. The preparation is taken like tea. The plant is phyllanthus. The name of the plant describes its action – chanca means break, while piedra means stone. To stop bleeding from any part of the body, the sap of the plant croton salutaris is used. An ounce of the sap of this plant is drunk to stop haemorrhage.
There is a wealth of valuable information in the book put together after careful observation by Nicole Maxwell. Unfortunately, it was published in the 1960s, a time when interest in medicinal plants was at its lowest. Today it has been realised that the study of plants would probably provide us some medicines for the future. One hopes that the plants used by the Amazonian Indian for healing illness will not be forgotten in this resurgence of interest in plants which heal.
Prevent Memory Loss - Treatments with Brahmi
Ayurvedic physicians have tremendous faith in the beneficial effect of the plant brahmi on person of old age. It is being used widely throughout India.
There are, in fact, two plants which are being used ad brahmi, the benefits of which have been listed by the great Ayurvedic physician Charak, who clearly stated in the first century that brahmi is very effective in preventing the decreased mental performance seen is many people of advanced age, in preventing loss of memory and in enabling old people to organize their thoughts and express these clearly. These plants are Bacopa moniera which goes under the names of brahmi and nirbrahmi and Centella asiatica commonly known as the Indian pennywort.
It may seem a long time from the time of Charak to the present day but it is only a few years ago that the Central Drugs Research Institute, Lucknow, after extensive experimental research on animals conducted the first clinical trials on the effect of Bacopa on memory. More clinical trials are needed to confirm the experimental findings that the plant extract from the stem and leaves improves one’s memory.
Readers may find the type of experiments carried out on rats to demonstrate this activity interesting. One of the experiments is to put a rat or group of rats in a large cage with a small opening in one corner which would enable the rat to leave the cage. Rats are put into the caf̩ and they are subjected to uncomfortable electric shocks. When they find the exit-perhaps accidentally Рthey get into another adjacent cage and the shocks cease. It has been clearly seen that rats to whom brahmi had been administered found the exit sooner than the control rats. They appear to remember better after their early experience that they can avoid the uncomfortable electric shocks by leaving cage.
Besides the use of this plant for memory it is used in patients of other disease of the central nervous system and as a tonic. It is very difficult to assess these effects but some clinical trials have been carried out. Dr Appa Rao and his colleagues published three papers on Mandookaparni, the Sanskrit name of Centella asiatica.
The most interesting of these papers, published in volume eight of the Journal for Research on Indian Medicine in 1973, showed that the plant drug, when administered for a period of twelve weeks to a group of thirty mentally retarded children, improved the mental ability and the behavioural patterns of these children. The design of the trial was double blind controlled trial which has also been referred in the book Medicinal Plants of India, volume one published by the Indian Council or Medical Research.
Brahmi is also used to enhance the general well being and the quality of life. It has been used for this purpose for generations. However, research methodology has made great advances in the last two decades. Modern techniques of biotechnology and immunological protective systems decrease in old age and whether plants such as brahmi could prevent such degeneration. In one article mention was made of some Korean plants which could perhaps prevent ageing. The western world, particularly USA, are using another plant gilboa for improving the capacity of old people to face old age and its problems. Brahmi could be India’s contribution to the world in this endeavour.
However, to be able to do so certain immediate steps need to be taken particularly in view of the impending changes which will take place in patent regulation in the coming years. A national task force on brahmi comprising investigators and scientists from the different systems of medicine should be carefully and critically assessed. Future work to be carried out should be clearly described and such work, should be generously funded. Efforts should be made to bring in one or two pharmaceutical concerns interested in drugs for the central nervous system. This kind of dynamic approach could yield rich intellectual and financial dividends and provide to the population a new drug from our old medicines used in Ayurveda.
There are, in fact, two plants which are being used ad brahmi, the benefits of which have been listed by the great Ayurvedic physician Charak, who clearly stated in the first century that brahmi is very effective in preventing the decreased mental performance seen is many people of advanced age, in preventing loss of memory and in enabling old people to organize their thoughts and express these clearly. These plants are Bacopa moniera which goes under the names of brahmi and nirbrahmi and Centella asiatica commonly known as the Indian pennywort.
It may seem a long time from the time of Charak to the present day but it is only a few years ago that the Central Drugs Research Institute, Lucknow, after extensive experimental research on animals conducted the first clinical trials on the effect of Bacopa on memory. More clinical trials are needed to confirm the experimental findings that the plant extract from the stem and leaves improves one’s memory.
Readers may find the type of experiments carried out on rats to demonstrate this activity interesting. One of the experiments is to put a rat or group of rats in a large cage with a small opening in one corner which would enable the rat to leave the cage. Rats are put into the caf̩ and they are subjected to uncomfortable electric shocks. When they find the exit-perhaps accidentally Рthey get into another adjacent cage and the shocks cease. It has been clearly seen that rats to whom brahmi had been administered found the exit sooner than the control rats. They appear to remember better after their early experience that they can avoid the uncomfortable electric shocks by leaving cage.
Besides the use of this plant for memory it is used in patients of other disease of the central nervous system and as a tonic. It is very difficult to assess these effects but some clinical trials have been carried out. Dr Appa Rao and his colleagues published three papers on Mandookaparni, the Sanskrit name of Centella asiatica.
The most interesting of these papers, published in volume eight of the Journal for Research on Indian Medicine in 1973, showed that the plant drug, when administered for a period of twelve weeks to a group of thirty mentally retarded children, improved the mental ability and the behavioural patterns of these children. The design of the trial was double blind controlled trial which has also been referred in the book Medicinal Plants of India, volume one published by the Indian Council or Medical Research.
Brahmi is also used to enhance the general well being and the quality of life. It has been used for this purpose for generations. However, research methodology has made great advances in the last two decades. Modern techniques of biotechnology and immunological protective systems decrease in old age and whether plants such as brahmi could prevent such degeneration. In one article mention was made of some Korean plants which could perhaps prevent ageing. The western world, particularly USA, are using another plant gilboa for improving the capacity of old people to face old age and its problems. Brahmi could be India’s contribution to the world in this endeavour.
However, to be able to do so certain immediate steps need to be taken particularly in view of the impending changes which will take place in patent regulation in the coming years. A national task force on brahmi comprising investigators and scientists from the different systems of medicine should be carefully and critically assessed. Future work to be carried out should be clearly described and such work, should be generously funded. Efforts should be made to bring in one or two pharmaceutical concerns interested in drugs for the central nervous system. This kind of dynamic approach could yield rich intellectual and financial dividends and provide to the population a new drug from our old medicines used in Ayurveda.
Chronic Asthma Treatment - Treating Respiratory Infection
Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system. It is not easy to treat asthma by allopathic drugs, although drugs are the available for treatment of an acute asthmatic attack. It is the long term treatment of chronic asthma which leave much to be desired.
It is now well accepted that exercise, yoga and appropriate diet and fresh air all help in the treatment of asthma. Unfortunately due to pollution of the environment the number of cases of asthma in our cities and urban slums is increasing. What can alternative medicine offer in this area of concern other than yoga and an altered life style? During a national seminar on medicinal plants, field workers from all over India identified four plants, which are being used to treat asthma. These plants are Albizzia lebeck, Solanum canthcarpum, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Adhatoda vasica. The common names of this four plants are Shirish, Kantakari, Mulethi and Vasica respectively. The bark of the Shirish is used for treatment of asthma.
Several ancient texts of Ayurvedic have mentioned this plant for treatment of respiratory infections. Now, however, for the first time a double blind controlled clinical trial of Albizzzia lebeck is being conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research at different centres in India. If the Plant is shown to be effective and its anti-asthma proven, then there is no reason why this alternative medicine cannot be used in our allopathic hospitals for treatment of asthma.
Kantakari is used for the treatment of cough, asthma and other respiratory diseases. It is available and used throughout the country. The dried roots of the plant are used to prepare the medicine. More work, both experimental and clinical needs to be carried out with Kantakari. Kantakari is present in many Ayurvedic medicines available in the Indian market. Mulethi or Glycyrrhiza glabra – the liquorice root has been mentioned in several books of alternative medicine as a plant which is useful for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract. These include the treatment of asthma.
The roots of the plant are used for this purpose. In addition to its effect in respiratory diseases, mulethi is also mentioned as a drug which increases the level of blood sodium and decreases the level of potassium. This property of the plant made it useful for treating patient with reduced adrenocortical function. However this same sodium retaining effect proved a drawback when glycyrrhiza was used in the treatment of peptic ulcer-where the sodium retaining effect was not needed.
Vasica, again has been widely used traditionally for the treatment of bronchial asthma. The leaves of the plant are used for this purpose. Work carried out at different laboratories has shown that the leaves of Adhatoda vasica dilate the bronchioles. This bronchodilatory action is probably a mechanism of how the plant acts. The plant contains as alkaloid vasicinone which also possesses such an effect on the bronchi. In addition to these four plants, tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) also has a beneficial effect in respiratory diseases and can also be used in the prevention of attack of asthma.
These five plants provide powerful tools for the prevention and treatment of asthma and it is hoped that these will be used to maximum effects to counteract and treat this conditions.
It is now well accepted that exercise, yoga and appropriate diet and fresh air all help in the treatment of asthma. Unfortunately due to pollution of the environment the number of cases of asthma in our cities and urban slums is increasing. What can alternative medicine offer in this area of concern other than yoga and an altered life style? During a national seminar on medicinal plants, field workers from all over India identified four plants, which are being used to treat asthma. These plants are Albizzia lebeck, Solanum canthcarpum, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Adhatoda vasica. The common names of this four plants are Shirish, Kantakari, Mulethi and Vasica respectively. The bark of the Shirish is used for treatment of asthma.
Several ancient texts of Ayurvedic have mentioned this plant for treatment of respiratory infections. Now, however, for the first time a double blind controlled clinical trial of Albizzzia lebeck is being conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research at different centres in India. If the Plant is shown to be effective and its anti-asthma proven, then there is no reason why this alternative medicine cannot be used in our allopathic hospitals for treatment of asthma.
Kantakari is used for the treatment of cough, asthma and other respiratory diseases. It is available and used throughout the country. The dried roots of the plant are used to prepare the medicine. More work, both experimental and clinical needs to be carried out with Kantakari. Kantakari is present in many Ayurvedic medicines available in the Indian market. Mulethi or Glycyrrhiza glabra – the liquorice root has been mentioned in several books of alternative medicine as a plant which is useful for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract. These include the treatment of asthma.
The roots of the plant are used for this purpose. In addition to its effect in respiratory diseases, mulethi is also mentioned as a drug which increases the level of blood sodium and decreases the level of potassium. This property of the plant made it useful for treating patient with reduced adrenocortical function. However this same sodium retaining effect proved a drawback when glycyrrhiza was used in the treatment of peptic ulcer-where the sodium retaining effect was not needed.
Vasica, again has been widely used traditionally for the treatment of bronchial asthma. The leaves of the plant are used for this purpose. Work carried out at different laboratories has shown that the leaves of Adhatoda vasica dilate the bronchioles. This bronchodilatory action is probably a mechanism of how the plant acts. The plant contains as alkaloid vasicinone which also possesses such an effect on the bronchi. In addition to these four plants, tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) also has a beneficial effect in respiratory diseases and can also be used in the prevention of attack of asthma.
These five plants provide powerful tools for the prevention and treatment of asthma and it is hoped that these will be used to maximum effects to counteract and treat this conditions.
Power of Ginger | Medicinal Properties of Ginger
Ginger, which is found in the kitchen of nearly all Indian homes made news in the leading medical weekly of the world – The Lancet – published from England. It was stated in its August 14, 1993 issue that Zingiber officinale or ginger has a strong beneficial effect in treating nausea. One of the most powerful medicines used today for treating nausea is a drug called metoclopramide. Scientific studies carried out have now shown that 1 gram of ginger powder has the same beneficial effect as 10gram metaclopramide.
One of the uses of ginger could be in treating the mausea caused by drugs used for treating cancer. Ginger is also used in the post surgery treatment and in treating the sickness caused while travelling long distances. In fact ginger has been used for centuries as a simple and effective medicine against nausea and for treating other disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract in several countries of the world. Commonly the rhizomes of the plant are used. These are scraped, and dried in the sun and used. It has been used as a carminative in India to counteract nausea, indigestion and flatulence.
In China, according to the World Health Organisation publication Medicinal Plants in China, ginger is used for treating common cold, (vomiting and cough). It is also used to treat vomiting and diarrhoea. The standard book on Thai medicinal plants published in 1992 by Farnsworth and Nuntavan mentions several uses of the roots of the ginger. Ancient books dealing with Thai traditional medicine state that the roots of ginger are used to treat abdominal discomfort and dyspepsia caused by flatulence. After extensive experimental studies, scientists in Thailand claim that ginger also has an anticholesterol effect.
The powdered ginger root also had beneficial effect in reducing vertigo which is often linked with disturbances in the functioning of the apparatus in the ear – which again in responsible for ear sickness or air sickness. In addition, extensive studies documented the antiemetic or anti nausea effect of ginger. The Indonesian book How to Use Herbal Medicines by Doris Esche mentions clearly with pictures that the roots of ginger cure an upset stomach and increase appetite. Literature of four countries have been quoted – India, China, Thailand and Indonesia but, in fact, ginger has been and is being used to treat gastrointestinal disturbances in nearly all countries which have heritage in the use of traditional medicines.
Several interesting points of thought and discussion arise out of this small write-up. If ginger is so widely used in the treatment of nausea, would it be possible to use it in out allopathic hospitals as well for this condition? It could certainly be recommended as a home remedy for nausea. The scrapings from dried ginger could be powdered and taken or the scrapings could be chewed-the juice taken and to those prone to air sickness. Finally, the question that has been raised several times in the previous times in the previous chapters is asked again.
Are there many other substances like ginger in out traditional armamentarium, of drugs which could be used for
Treating simple conditions that are neglected today?
Something, perhaps, needs to be done to document, in a simple ways, ten to fifteen of such home remedies. These could then, if effective, be provided for use instead of powerful allopathic medicines. Incidentally The Lancet article states that metoclopramide has side effect while ginger reduces such side effects.
One of the uses of ginger could be in treating the mausea caused by drugs used for treating cancer. Ginger is also used in the post surgery treatment and in treating the sickness caused while travelling long distances. In fact ginger has been used for centuries as a simple and effective medicine against nausea and for treating other disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract in several countries of the world. Commonly the rhizomes of the plant are used. These are scraped, and dried in the sun and used. It has been used as a carminative in India to counteract nausea, indigestion and flatulence.
In China, according to the World Health Organisation publication Medicinal Plants in China, ginger is used for treating common cold, (vomiting and cough). It is also used to treat vomiting and diarrhoea. The standard book on Thai medicinal plants published in 1992 by Farnsworth and Nuntavan mentions several uses of the roots of the ginger. Ancient books dealing with Thai traditional medicine state that the roots of ginger are used to treat abdominal discomfort and dyspepsia caused by flatulence. After extensive experimental studies, scientists in Thailand claim that ginger also has an anticholesterol effect.
The powdered ginger root also had beneficial effect in reducing vertigo which is often linked with disturbances in the functioning of the apparatus in the ear – which again in responsible for ear sickness or air sickness. In addition, extensive studies documented the antiemetic or anti nausea effect of ginger. The Indonesian book How to Use Herbal Medicines by Doris Esche mentions clearly with pictures that the roots of ginger cure an upset stomach and increase appetite. Literature of four countries have been quoted – India, China, Thailand and Indonesia but, in fact, ginger has been and is being used to treat gastrointestinal disturbances in nearly all countries which have heritage in the use of traditional medicines.
Several interesting points of thought and discussion arise out of this small write-up. If ginger is so widely used in the treatment of nausea, would it be possible to use it in out allopathic hospitals as well for this condition? It could certainly be recommended as a home remedy for nausea. The scrapings from dried ginger could be powdered and taken or the scrapings could be chewed-the juice taken and to those prone to air sickness. Finally, the question that has been raised several times in the previous times in the previous chapters is asked again.
Are there many other substances like ginger in out traditional armamentarium, of drugs which could be used for
Treating simple conditions that are neglected today?
Something, perhaps, needs to be done to document, in a simple ways, ten to fifteen of such home remedies. These could then, if effective, be provided for use instead of powerful allopathic medicines. Incidentally The Lancet article states that metoclopramide has side effect while ginger reduces such side effects.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tulsi - A Wonder herb
Ocimum sanctum, commonly known as tulsi or holy basil is found in most Indian homes more than any other plant. A tulsi plant in the courtyard of a traditional home is linked with both religious practice and healthy living. The tulsi plant is associated with so many therapeutic properties that it is difficult to know clearly where it should be used in modern therapeutic practice.
A review of the scientific literature leads us to the use of Ocimum sanctum in respiratory disorders. It is a simple remedy for cough and cold and for the treatment of fever. It is the Krishna tulsi, darker in colour which is used rather than the lighter coloured Shyam tulsi. To prevent coughs and colds, it has been suggested in Ayurvedic medicine that five leaves of the plant, after washing carefully, should be taken every day. Tulsi leaves, together with neem leaves and black pepper, have been reported to prevent and treat fevers, including malarial infection.
Having few leaves of tulsi boiled in water every morning is reported to exert an anti-stress effect. Tulsi and honey is undoubtedly effective in treating a persistent cough. Keeping a tulsi plant in the home has been looked upon as creating healthy atmosphere, and Ayurvedic physicians believe that it particularly helps person with a tendency to
succumb to respiratory problems and asthma. It is very possible that the benefits of this simple home remedy would be manifold.
At the Science Day on 28 February, the Indian Council of Medical Research exhibited at their office some plants reported to have therapeutic properties. Tulsi were one of the plants on the table, and the anti-stress property of the plant was mentioned. Till now, there were not many methods available to clearly determine whether a plant has clear anti-stress activity or not. Most of the earlier work has been carried out on animals and there are limitations to this type of experimental work. For example, it is not really very easy to find out whether a plant can prevent cough or cold. Today we have methods available for carrying out such studies in humans and also to find out if tulsi has an anti—stress activity.
The Indian Council of Medical Research, the Council of Research in Ayurvedic and the Central of Research in Unani medicine all have programmers for clinically evaluating medicinal plants. Tulsi will certainly to be one of the plants which will be tested. In recent years, the sale of the Korean plant, ginseng, has increased dramatically in India, and is being prescribed as a tonic, and as a medicine which enhances well being, diminishes stress and raises the quality of life.
In fact, these are the very qualities that have been associated for centuries with the tulsi plant in India. It would not come as a surprise if, in the years ahead, tulsi too finds a national and international market for its many faceted properties. Till these clinical trials are carried out and the results assessed, one can safely continue taking five tulsi leaves every day.
A review of the scientific literature leads us to the use of Ocimum sanctum in respiratory disorders. It is a simple remedy for cough and cold and for the treatment of fever. It is the Krishna tulsi, darker in colour which is used rather than the lighter coloured Shyam tulsi. To prevent coughs and colds, it has been suggested in Ayurvedic medicine that five leaves of the plant, after washing carefully, should be taken every day. Tulsi leaves, together with neem leaves and black pepper, have been reported to prevent and treat fevers, including malarial infection.
Having few leaves of tulsi boiled in water every morning is reported to exert an anti-stress effect. Tulsi and honey is undoubtedly effective in treating a persistent cough. Keeping a tulsi plant in the home has been looked upon as creating healthy atmosphere, and Ayurvedic physicians believe that it particularly helps person with a tendency to
succumb to respiratory problems and asthma. It is very possible that the benefits of this simple home remedy would be manifold.
At the Science Day on 28 February, the Indian Council of Medical Research exhibited at their office some plants reported to have therapeutic properties. Tulsi were one of the plants on the table, and the anti-stress property of the plant was mentioned. Till now, there were not many methods available to clearly determine whether a plant has clear anti-stress activity or not. Most of the earlier work has been carried out on animals and there are limitations to this type of experimental work. For example, it is not really very easy to find out whether a plant can prevent cough or cold. Today we have methods available for carrying out such studies in humans and also to find out if tulsi has an anti—stress activity.
The Indian Council of Medical Research, the Council of Research in Ayurvedic and the Central of Research in Unani medicine all have programmers for clinically evaluating medicinal plants. Tulsi will certainly to be one of the plants which will be tested. In recent years, the sale of the Korean plant, ginseng, has increased dramatically in India, and is being prescribed as a tonic, and as a medicine which enhances well being, diminishes stress and raises the quality of life.
In fact, these are the very qualities that have been associated for centuries with the tulsi plant in India. It would not come as a surprise if, in the years ahead, tulsi too finds a national and international market for its many faceted properties. Till these clinical trials are carried out and the results assessed, one can safely continue taking five tulsi leaves every day.
Medicinal Properties of Spices - Spices for Treatment
The kitchen cabinet of a housewife contains several spices which have medicinal properties and which could be used more to treat common and simple ailments.
Two common spices which could be used to treat indigestion are cumin, commonly known as jerra, and asafoetida, known as hing, Cumin is taken as a drink. It can be taken alone or along with other substance. One suck preparation is known as jaljeera. It can also be taken as a pill. There is a pill available in the market which is made up of equal parts of cumin, jaggery and the pulp of the tamarind fruit. This pill needs to be taken thrice a day. Hing is obtained from the plant, Asafoetida binn. It is the milky juice or exudates collected from the thick fleshy plant. It is preferable to use hing rather than jerra when the indigestion is accompanied by cramps in the intestines. It is also used to treat excessive bas in the intestines – an action usually described as its antiflatulent effect.
The seeds of the coriander plant known as dhania are used often for the treatment of sore throat and common cold. A decoctin is prepared from the seeds of the coriander – as a Tea – and this is to be drunk three times a day. Some ayurvedic physicians use roasted seeds of coriander for treating indigestion. Coriander leaves contain large amounts of Vitamin A. Its use should be encouraged in areas where a lack of Vitamin A intake may be responsible for including eye problems. Coriander leaves also contain vitamins B, B2 and C.
A commonly used plant in the kitchen is fennel known as saunf. It is reputed to be good for the treatment of flatulence or wind and is specially used for this purpose in children and babies who may be suffering due to this condition. The volatile oil of fennel seeds is mixed with sodium bicarbonate and the syrup is used for children. One of the reasons for serving sanuf at the end of the meal is that it removes all smells from the mouth. Further, saunf is used in patients or persons who lose their voice either due to infection or for hoarseness in the throat. A local treatment of the throat for getting back one’s voice is to boil saunf in wate till water is reduced to one quarter of its volume. Sugar or honey is then added and the hot drink sipped slowly.
Ajwain or lovage seed is another plant which is available in nearly every home. Seeds of ajwain are used not only to treat indigestion but to prevent indigestion. In several countries ajwain is recognised carminative medicine mentioned in the pharmacopoeias of those countries. There are many preparations in the market which contain ajwain as or eucalyptus. Although it has been mentioned in ayurvedic literature as being, used for many conditions, the two main indications for the use of ajwain are indigestions in adults and wind or flatulence in children.
Seeds from the mustard, commonly known as sarson in hindi, are also found in every kitchen. Mustard seeds are beneficial when applied locally in muscle injuries, sprain or joint injury. The mustard poultice prepared from the mustard seed will increase the circulation of blood and decrease the pain and inflammation. Mustard seeds in water are used for inducing vomiting when a person has been poisoned.
The six spices discussed here – cumin, asafoetida, coriander, fennel, lovage, and mustard – all possess medicinal properties and could be used more at home or kitchen remedies. It is interesting that the kitchen which is sometimes responsible indirectly for indigestion and flatulence – perhaps in food – contains the largest number of home remedies for the same.
Two common spices which could be used to treat indigestion are cumin, commonly known as jerra, and asafoetida, known as hing, Cumin is taken as a drink. It can be taken alone or along with other substance. One suck preparation is known as jaljeera. It can also be taken as a pill. There is a pill available in the market which is made up of equal parts of cumin, jaggery and the pulp of the tamarind fruit. This pill needs to be taken thrice a day. Hing is obtained from the plant, Asafoetida binn. It is the milky juice or exudates collected from the thick fleshy plant. It is preferable to use hing rather than jerra when the indigestion is accompanied by cramps in the intestines. It is also used to treat excessive bas in the intestines – an action usually described as its antiflatulent effect.
The seeds of the coriander plant known as dhania are used often for the treatment of sore throat and common cold. A decoctin is prepared from the seeds of the coriander – as a Tea – and this is to be drunk three times a day. Some ayurvedic physicians use roasted seeds of coriander for treating indigestion. Coriander leaves contain large amounts of Vitamin A. Its use should be encouraged in areas where a lack of Vitamin A intake may be responsible for including eye problems. Coriander leaves also contain vitamins B, B2 and C.
A commonly used plant in the kitchen is fennel known as saunf. It is reputed to be good for the treatment of flatulence or wind and is specially used for this purpose in children and babies who may be suffering due to this condition. The volatile oil of fennel seeds is mixed with sodium bicarbonate and the syrup is used for children. One of the reasons for serving sanuf at the end of the meal is that it removes all smells from the mouth. Further, saunf is used in patients or persons who lose their voice either due to infection or for hoarseness in the throat. A local treatment of the throat for getting back one’s voice is to boil saunf in wate till water is reduced to one quarter of its volume. Sugar or honey is then added and the hot drink sipped slowly.
Ajwain or lovage seed is another plant which is available in nearly every home. Seeds of ajwain are used not only to treat indigestion but to prevent indigestion. In several countries ajwain is recognised carminative medicine mentioned in the pharmacopoeias of those countries. There are many preparations in the market which contain ajwain as or eucalyptus. Although it has been mentioned in ayurvedic literature as being, used for many conditions, the two main indications for the use of ajwain are indigestions in adults and wind or flatulence in children.
Seeds from the mustard, commonly known as sarson in hindi, are also found in every kitchen. Mustard seeds are beneficial when applied locally in muscle injuries, sprain or joint injury. The mustard poultice prepared from the mustard seed will increase the circulation of blood and decrease the pain and inflammation. Mustard seeds in water are used for inducing vomiting when a person has been poisoned.
The six spices discussed here – cumin, asafoetida, coriander, fennel, lovage, and mustard – all possess medicinal properties and could be used more at home or kitchen remedies. It is interesting that the kitchen which is sometimes responsible indirectly for indigestion and flatulence – perhaps in food – contains the largest number of home remedies for the same.
Herbal Medicines - Home Remedies, Treating Ailments at Home
All of us keep a certain number of allopathic medicines at home, which are use whenever needed. These medicines usually include a pain killing medicine, an antihistamine tablet, a laxative, a drug for diarrhoea, an antibiotic and perhaps on antiseptic ointment. There are also simple inexpensive herbal medicines now available in the market which could also be kept at home and used whenever necessary.
Ocimum sanctum or tulsi can be kept for preventing or treating coughs and common cold. Mentha arvensis known as mint or pudina would certainly help when a person suffers from indigestion or flatulence. For constipation, the husks of Plantago ovata, soaked in little water or milk, is the preferred treatment, even allopathic medicine. It is commonly known as Isabgol. Nausea or loss of appetite should be treated by giving Zingiber officinale commonly known as ginger. Interestingly, the Food and Drug Directorate of the USA has just recently approved the use of ginger for treating nausea that is usually seen when treating cancer patients with anticancer drugs. The fruit of the Aegle marmelos, the bael plant, should be used for treating diarrhoea and preparations of this are available in the market.
To treat fever, one can have tea made from Ocimum sanctum, neem, Azadirachta indica and black pepper. Honey shuld also be kept as a home remedy. It can be used with tulsi for the treatment of coughs, while in certain circumstances, it can also be used to promote healing of wounds. A preparation of Albizzia lebeck or Siris could be kept in the house for the treatment of asthmatic attacks or bad fits of coughing.
To treat a luggish liver, keeping some stems of the plant Andrographis paniculata or chirata at home will come in handy. These can be left overnight in a tumbler of water which should be taken the next morning. Acidity is a very common problem, preparation containing Embelia officinalis or vidanga are available and one of these could be used to treat acidity. A preparation of the plant Curcuma longa or haldi has a clear anti-inflammatory effect, both when applied locally and when taken orally. This should be kept at home for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such arthritis and back pain. A preparation of Azadirachta indica should be kept for local application in skin disorders.
It has often asked whether these home remedies are effective. There is of course ethnobotanical support for their efficacy in that generations have been using these remedies. Experimental and clinical observations also appear to support their therapeutic effect. Strict well controlled clinical trials have however been carried out only with a few of these plants and more work need to be done before some of these plants are fully accepted for use in allopathic medicine.
Ocimum sanctum or tulsi can be kept for preventing or treating coughs and common cold. Mentha arvensis known as mint or pudina would certainly help when a person suffers from indigestion or flatulence. For constipation, the husks of Plantago ovata, soaked in little water or milk, is the preferred treatment, even allopathic medicine. It is commonly known as Isabgol. Nausea or loss of appetite should be treated by giving Zingiber officinale commonly known as ginger. Interestingly, the Food and Drug Directorate of the USA has just recently approved the use of ginger for treating nausea that is usually seen when treating cancer patients with anticancer drugs. The fruit of the Aegle marmelos, the bael plant, should be used for treating diarrhoea and preparations of this are available in the market.
To treat fever, one can have tea made from Ocimum sanctum, neem, Azadirachta indica and black pepper. Honey shuld also be kept as a home remedy. It can be used with tulsi for the treatment of coughs, while in certain circumstances, it can also be used to promote healing of wounds. A preparation of Albizzia lebeck or Siris could be kept in the house for the treatment of asthmatic attacks or bad fits of coughing.
To treat a luggish liver, keeping some stems of the plant Andrographis paniculata or chirata at home will come in handy. These can be left overnight in a tumbler of water which should be taken the next morning. Acidity is a very common problem, preparation containing Embelia officinalis or vidanga are available and one of these could be used to treat acidity. A preparation of the plant Curcuma longa or haldi has a clear anti-inflammatory effect, both when applied locally and when taken orally. This should be kept at home for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such arthritis and back pain. A preparation of Azadirachta indica should be kept for local application in skin disorders.
It has often asked whether these home remedies are effective. There is of course ethnobotanical support for their efficacy in that generations have been using these remedies. Experimental and clinical observations also appear to support their therapeutic effect. Strict well controlled clinical trials have however been carried out only with a few of these plants and more work need to be done before some of these plants are fully accepted for use in allopathic medicine.
Cure For Plague with Traditional Medicine | Treating Plague
On fifth August 1994 the sarpanch, elected head of the village, Mamla Beed in Maharashtra state, informed in the medical office at Kuppa Primary Health centre about the sudden increase in the number of fleas and rats dying in the village. This was confirmed on 7 August by a medical officer who visited Mamla. On 22nd August the first case of bubonic plague was suspected when a person at Mamla developed symptoms of the disease. After a few days, the doctors prescribed the drug tetracycline, suspecting plague.
The first information about plague occurring at Surat was received on 2nd September. Within the next two weeks about 500,000 people left Surat in a mad Scramble to get away from plague and death and dispersed in the cities of India. There were about fifty deaths at Surat. The first suspected cases of plague were reported at the Infectious Disease Hospital, New Delhi on the evening of 25th September 1994. When cases of suspected plague were diagnosed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and there were cases of death a few days later in the country, the government of Delhi and the government of India and their supporting organizations went
into such frenzied activity that has rarely been seen before. It is not possible to list here all the different doctors, and administrators and scientists and politicians who showed determination and delication to fight this menace. However, at the centre of all the activities, mention should to the made of Dr. Harshvardhan, the then Minister of Health of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, who worked with his team day and night to contain this menace. During this period a highly successful immunization programme for polio was carried out on a October 2nd on the children of Delhi. Tremendous amount of accumulated garbage was removed, thousands of people were referred to the Infections Disease Hospital, and thousands of samples were analysed at the National Institute of Communicate Disease. By October 9, the plague had been contained. During the phase of activity many lives have been lost. India had been isolated from the world as a country where a dreaded scourge had occurred and the loss in foreign exchange, till October 9, 1994 to the country was approximately Rs 200 billion.
All the three systems of alternative medicine offered ways in which people could avoid getting plague or could be cured after having contracted it. Now that the occurrence of this disease has subsided and life has gone back to normal, it is time for our scientists to carry out research to determine if these cures actually work and if so, how well.
Homeopathy doctors recommended that Phosphorus-30 should be taken regularly to avoid plague. Unani physicians recommended three ways to prevent plague. A powder was to be taken which was prepared with Zahar Mohora, Jadwar and Camphor. Drops were to be taken which is made from a mixture out of the following : camphor , pudina and ajwain. The houses were to be fumigated by burning to gether ajwain, neem camphor and sandal wood. The national Academy of Ayurvdeda recommended a tea made from neem leaves, ginger, holy basil of tulsi, and cloves. Another preparation was made from the roots of withania Somnifera or ashwagandha, ambia, pushkar mool and black pepper. Either of these preparation could be taken. Fumigation by burning a combination of twenty plants and other substance, some of which were guggal, neem, shirish, haldi and camphor was recommended.
If some of these medicines show, in scientific experiments, their effectiveness against plague, this would complement the range of allopathic drugs which act against plague. The two drugs most active against plague are tetracycline and streptomycin. These are ably supported by the following other drugs- gentamicin, kanamicin, chloromycetin, sulfa drugs in combination with trimethoprim and doxycycline which is similar to tetracycline. If used correctly and administered early, these drugs cure 90-95 per cent people who have plague. When used irrationally and unnecessarily, these drugs could cause harmful effect and even make the plague bacillus resistant to one or more of these drugs.
As a follow up to these traumatic events when Indian were not allowed to travel to several countries and planes of several airlines refused to come to India, the World Health Organization commended the steps taken by the authorities to contain the disease and sent a team of India to find out more as to why such an attack plague broke out in India and what steps need to be taken to prevent such outbreaks in the future.
The first information about plague occurring at Surat was received on 2nd September. Within the next two weeks about 500,000 people left Surat in a mad Scramble to get away from plague and death and dispersed in the cities of India. There were about fifty deaths at Surat. The first suspected cases of plague were reported at the Infectious Disease Hospital, New Delhi on the evening of 25th September 1994. When cases of suspected plague were diagnosed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and there were cases of death a few days later in the country, the government of Delhi and the government of India and their supporting organizations went
into such frenzied activity that has rarely been seen before. It is not possible to list here all the different doctors, and administrators and scientists and politicians who showed determination and delication to fight this menace. However, at the centre of all the activities, mention should to the made of Dr. Harshvardhan, the then Minister of Health of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, who worked with his team day and night to contain this menace. During this period a highly successful immunization programme for polio was carried out on a October 2nd on the children of Delhi. Tremendous amount of accumulated garbage was removed, thousands of people were referred to the Infections Disease Hospital, and thousands of samples were analysed at the National Institute of Communicate Disease. By October 9, the plague had been contained. During the phase of activity many lives have been lost. India had been isolated from the world as a country where a dreaded scourge had occurred and the loss in foreign exchange, till October 9, 1994 to the country was approximately Rs 200 billion.
All the three systems of alternative medicine offered ways in which people could avoid getting plague or could be cured after having contracted it. Now that the occurrence of this disease has subsided and life has gone back to normal, it is time for our scientists to carry out research to determine if these cures actually work and if so, how well.
Homeopathy doctors recommended that Phosphorus-30 should be taken regularly to avoid plague. Unani physicians recommended three ways to prevent plague. A powder was to be taken which was prepared with Zahar Mohora, Jadwar and Camphor. Drops were to be taken which is made from a mixture out of the following : camphor , pudina and ajwain. The houses were to be fumigated by burning to gether ajwain, neem camphor and sandal wood. The national Academy of Ayurvdeda recommended a tea made from neem leaves, ginger, holy basil of tulsi, and cloves. Another preparation was made from the roots of withania Somnifera or ashwagandha, ambia, pushkar mool and black pepper. Either of these preparation could be taken. Fumigation by burning a combination of twenty plants and other substance, some of which were guggal, neem, shirish, haldi and camphor was recommended.
If some of these medicines show, in scientific experiments, their effectiveness against plague, this would complement the range of allopathic drugs which act against plague. The two drugs most active against plague are tetracycline and streptomycin. These are ably supported by the following other drugs- gentamicin, kanamicin, chloromycetin, sulfa drugs in combination with trimethoprim and doxycycline which is similar to tetracycline. If used correctly and administered early, these drugs cure 90-95 per cent people who have plague. When used irrationally and unnecessarily, these drugs could cause harmful effect and even make the plague bacillus resistant to one or more of these drugs.
As a follow up to these traumatic events when Indian were not allowed to travel to several countries and planes of several airlines refused to come to India, the World Health Organization commended the steps taken by the authorities to contain the disease and sent a team of India to find out more as to why such an attack plague broke out in India and what steps need to be taken to prevent such outbreaks in the future.