Hawthorn Berry

Scientific name: Hawthorn - Crataegus oxyacantha; Smooth Hawthorn - Crataegus laevigata;
Common hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna; Chinese Hawthorn - Crataegus pinnatifida

Other names: Oneseed or single-seed hawthorn(common hawthorn), white horn, hawberry, May-tree, thornapple, mayblossom, whitethorn, hagthorn, cheese Tree

Description:

Common hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna is a small flowering tree or shrub that is native to temperate regions of  Europe, North America, North Africa and Western Asia. It has abundant red berries and its seeds are readily spread into open fields, grasslands and woodlands, thus creating a thorny thicket.  The leaves are long and broad and has 3 to 7-lobed that looks like mittens or paws. The petals are white and sometimes pinkish. The stem is filled with 1-3cm thorns. The fruit, also known as, haw is berry-like and looks like cherries or stones of plums and is brilliant red in color.

The dried haws are made into tablets or capsules.


Parts Used: Dried haws or fruits


Nutritional Benefits and Properties:

Hawthorns are rich in Vitamins C and B-complex.

Hawthorn in general contains amyddalin, flavonoids(vitexin, rutin, quercetin, and hyperoside), flavone-C, flavone glycosides, tannins, catechins, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (epicatechin, procyanidin, and  procyanidin B-2),  triterpene acids (such ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and crataegolic acid), polyphenols, saponins, hyperoside, cardiotonic amines and phenolic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and phenolcarboxylic acids). These chemical constituents have beneficial effects and antioxidant properties.

Flavonoid acts as a natural ACE inhibitoris know to convert angiotensin (angiotensin I) into the active vasoconstrictor (angiotensin II). It widens the arteries and increases the supply of oxygen to the heart.

The bioflavonoids are known to benefit the circulatory system of the by toning and strengthening the muscles of the walls of the arteries which helps prevent aneurism & stroke.


Medicinal Properties and Uses:

Several species of hawthorn have been used in traditional medicine. The ripe fruit and flowers are usually used in herbal medicine.

Heart Problems

Hawthorn is widely known for the treatment of various heart diseases such as angina pectoris as well asatherosclerosis, chest pain, stroke, high blood pressure, stress....

It increases the supply of oxygen to the heart and is effective in increasing the amount of blood per heart beat. It is known to strengthen the heart muscles and dilate the coronary blood vessels. It also lowers blood pressure and reduce the amount of stress place in the heart by inhibiting the angiotensin converting enzyme. Hawthorn also has antioxidants that protect against the formation of plaque(prvents atherosclerosis) and lowers the LDL (poor) cholesterol.

Indigestion
Hawthorn was used in quite a few Chinese medicines to help with the retention of meals inside the belly. Hawthorn’s capabilities to break up fat also causes it to be useful for helping with indigestion that comes on as a result of eating greasy foods.


Other benefits:

Mild diuretic
Astringent quality (relief of sore throat)
Indigestion
Insomnia (fresh hawthorn is best used for this and is made into tea)
Weight loss ( hawthorn reduce the amounts of cholesterol in the body and increases the metabolic process)

Precaution and Side Effects of Hawthorn Berry

Hawthorn should be taken at recommended doses over the short term. Using hawthorn may cause headaches, nausea, vertigo, rashes and palpitations. While overdose may cause cardiac arrhythmia and it may lower the blood pressure at a dangerous level.

Just like in any part of this blog, it is still best to consult your physician before taking medicinal plants/herbs or any medications.

Milk Thistle

Scientific name:Silybum marianum, Carduus marianum

Other names: Silymarin, Marian Thistle, Mediterranean Thistle, Mary Thistle, Holy Thistle, Silybum Marianum, Lady's Thistle

Description:

Milk thistle is a flowering herb belonging to the genus silybum Adan., and related to the daisy (Asteraceae) and ragweed family. Members of this genus grow as annual or biennial plants. It is native to  to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.  The stem is erect, branched and furrowed. At the end of the stem are solitary flower heads that consists of tubular florets. The leaves are large, alternate, toothed and thorny with splashes of white and contains a milky sap.

Part used: Seed

Medicinal Properties and Indications:

For many centuries, milk Thistle is used as a folk remedy for liver and gallbladder disorders and is known to be liver tonics.

Liver conditions known to be treated by Milk Thistle are:
Liver cirrhosis
Jaundice
Viral Hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis
Toxin-induced liver damage

Silymarin is the main active ingredient, a flavonoid found in the seeds that is both an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.  Milk thistle seed extract contain approximately 4% to 6% silymarin.

Milk thistle can be taken as a tea or as supplements.

Known Side Effects:

When taking milk thistle supplements, mild gastrointestinal distress is the most common adverse effect that will be experienced.  Other side effects may include headache, indigestion, itching,  heartburn, diarrhea and joint pain.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED
AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS. AVOID SELF-DIAGNOSIS AND SELF-MEDICATION.

Garlic

Scientific name: Allium Sativum

Description: Garlic is widely used around the world for both culinary and medical purposes. It is a low herb growing to around 30 to 60 cm. Bulbs are broadly ovoid, consisting of several cloves and has a pungent flavor. The leaves are linear and flat like grass.

Part used:

The bulb is the most commonly used part although the leaves and flowers are also edible.

Health Benefits:

Many health conditions can be prevented and treated by taking a clove of garlic a day. Garlic has flavonoids, vitamin C, B6, magnesium, potassium, selenium, calcium and manganese. The key component of garlic is allicin, known to have a potent
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-oxidant properties. It also possesses stimulant, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant properties.

Medicinal properties and Uses:

Arthritis - Crush several cloves and rub on affected areas.

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure - Regular intake of garlic can reduce blood cholesterol and may increase HDL(good cholesterol) and LDL(bad cholesterol) ratio that will prevent stroke and other heart diseases.

Prevents Blood Clots - The use of garlic can increase nitric oxide production in the blood vessels thus dilating the blood vessels and helps in fibrinolysis(dissolving of blood clotting). Garlic reduces the possibility of strokes and thromboses.

Diabetes - Garlic may also help regulate blood sugar levels.


Fight Infections(Athlete's foot, ear infection, Tinea Cruris, Tinea Corporis and other fungal diseases) - Garlic has sulfur compounds like allicin that exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and that may help treat fungal infections. Raw Garlic is also a potent natural antibiotic. Cut clove crosswise and rub directly to affected area.

Cancer - slows down the growth of tumor cells specifically in colon, stomach and prostate cancers.

People who are allergic to garlic should stay away from it or those who consume it in large quantities may suffer from flatulence, stomach irritation and heartburn.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS.

Mugwort

 
Scientific name: Artemisia vulgaris

(Also know as Felon Herb, St. John's Plant, Artemisa, Carline   Thistle and closely related to common wormwood)

Description:

It is a perennial herb native to Africa and abounds on hedge banks and waysides in most parts of England. This tall-growing shrubby plant, has angular stems, often of a purplish hue, rising 3 feet or more in height. The
leaves are smooth and of a dark green tint on the upper surface, and covered with a dense cottony down beneath. They are alternate, pinnately lobed, and the segments being lance-shaped and pointed. The small oval flowers are greenish yellow and are arranged in long, terminal panicles with a cottony appearance.

This shrub has been known since the ancient times and used for centuries as an alternative medicine for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, hemostatic,  purgative, stimulant, and cleansing
properties. It is also slightly tonic and is of value as a nervine and emmenagogue. Mugwort also has diuretic and diaphoretic action.


Parts Used: Leaves, Stem, roots


The leaves and stems are usually gathered in August and let dry for later herb use. The roots are dug in autumn, cleansed and dried.

Medicinal Properties and Uses:

Constituents: A volatile oil, a sesquiterpene lactone, flavonoids, coumarin derivatives, and triterpenes, an acrid resin and tannin.

* An infusion of the leaves and flowering tops (1 ounce of the herb to 1 pint of boiling water prepared in a covered vessel and given in 1/2 teaspoonful doses, while warm. It is used in the treatment of all conditions
related to the digestive system like bloating, hyperacidity...  and is good for the liver and jaundice.

In similar dose (1/2 teaspoonful), the infusion may be taken cold as a tonic, three times daily.

* As a gargle for sore throat, a wash for sores.

* As a poultice for infections, tumors and to stop bleeding of the uterus.

As a decoction, Mugwort can be used to ease menstrual pain and is also use to reduce and to stop excessive and heavy menstrual bleeding.

* Expel intestinal worms. The leaves have an antibacterial action that inhibits the growth of Staphococcus aureus, Bacillus typhi, pseudomonas, B. dysenteriae, streptococci, B. subtilis, and E. coli.

* The juice and an infusion of the herb were given for intermittent fevers and are good against agues (alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating associated with malaria).

* As a nervine, it is a popular folklore remedy for epilepsy, palsy and hysterical fits.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED
AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE
TRYING THIS.

Noni or Indian Mulberry

Noni (also called Indian Mulberry, noni fruit, noni juice, morinda, wild pine, hog apple


Scientific name: Morinda citrifolia,

Description:

The Noni plant is a small tropical evergreen tree that grows to about 10
feet tall in Tahiti and other Pacific Islands. It has straight trunk, large,
bright green and elliptical leaves, white tubular flowers and bears an ovoid
fruit about the size of a potato which starts out green and ripens into a
"grenade-like" yellow or white fruit. The seeds are reddish brown,
triangular in shape and has an air-sac attached at one end which makes the
seeds buoyant. A mature Noni fruit has a foul taste and odor. Parts of the
noni plant are used as a juice, a tonic, a poultice, and in tea. Its fruit,
bark, and leaves are used in herbal remedies and Polynesian folk medicine.


Medicinal Benefits:

* Increases the levels of antioxidant activity in the body. It also inhibits
or prevent the growth of tumors and helps the immune system.

* Prevents arteriosclerosis as it inhibits low-density-lipoprotein
oxidation. It is also used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure)
because Noni acts as a vasodilators allowing blood vessels to widen thus
increasing blood flow naturally.

* The pancreas is also affected by Noni juice lowering the blood sugar and is good for diabetics.

* The ripe noni fruit is used as a poultice for facial blemishes or as a
remedy for skin sores, boils, or infections.

* The leaves and bark are made into a liquid tonic for urinary problems and
muscle or joint pain.

* The fruit of Noni contains a natural alkaloid xeronine that helps
treat gastric ulcer, menstrual cramps, arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes,
heart disease and cancer.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED
AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS.