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Herbal Answers 
Posted by FoM on January 16, 2001 at 10:49:36 PT
By Ginny Merriam of the Missoulian 
Source: Missoulian
Missoula physician Ethan Russo's new book is not about what he learned in medical school. Instead, it looks at an area he has studied since, the medicinal use of herbs. His newly-published "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs: A Scientific Analysis of Herbal Remedies for Psychiatric Conditions" is part textbook, part reference book and part narrative and history. In it, Russo looks at widely available herbs and their applications to conditions and diseases such as depression, sleep disturbance and multiple sclerosis. 
Russo uses many of the herbs in his own practice as a board-certified neurologist with Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists in Missoula. "One of the dictums of medicine is, 'First, do no harm,'" Russo said in an interview. "We can do that very well with the applications of botanicals." As well as being a physician and a clinical assistant professor in the University of Washington's School of Medicine and an adjunct professor in the University of Montana's pharmacy department, Russo is an ethnobotanist. The field looks at plants in the context of the people who live with and use them, and the avocation has taken Russo to the rain forests of South America and led him to write book chapters and articles on the use of herbs. "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs" grew from the encouragement of renowned medicinal herb specialist Varro Tyler, professor emeritus and former dean of Purdue University's pharmacy school, and from interest from the publisher, Haworth Herbal Press. Russo intends the central audience for the book to be his colleagues in the medical profession - doctors, social workers, counselors and others who treat depression and other disorders. It's also meant to provide background, history and information for the general public. It is not intended to be a self-help manual to help people prescribe their own botanicals, he said. Herbal medicine has been used around the world for thousands of years, Russo said. But in the United States it has fallen from the mainstream with the rise of the current tradition, which for the past 20 years has emphasized synthetic pharmaceuticals. Some physicians look askance at the field because they say it lacks research - not so, Russo says - and simply because of their level of familiarity and comfort with it. Russo hopes his book encourages physicians to learn more about herbal remedies. "Whether they like it or not," he said, "their patients are using them. It would be better that they do it with the help of a physician who knows rather than doing it on their own." Russo doesn't draw a line between synthesized pharmaceuticals and medicinal botanicals. They're both medicines, he said, and both have beneficial applications. About 25 percent of pharmaceuticals are derived from medicinal plants. "I don't make a distinction," he said. "We're talking about standard herbal preparations." Many herbal agents work more subtly than pharmaceuticals, he said, and are meant to be used long-term. These "quietly effective" remedies include, for instance, valerian, which works effectively for insomnia after about four weeks of use. "Why should your medicine hit you in the face?" Russo said. "We've got plenty of things that do that. Subtlety is a virtue in many applications." Many psychotrpoic (a "psychotropic" herb, from the Greek roots, is an herb that "turns the mind") can help a condition greatly without the side effects of the pharmaceutical remedy most often prescribed, Russo said. For instance, for depression, old tricyclic drugs like amitriptyline work 80 percent of the time and have side effects in 80 percent of patients. New generation antidepressants, like Prozac, work 80 percent of the time and 20 percent of the time show significant side effects. The psychotropic herb hypericum, called popularly St. John's wort, comes with much less fallout for most patients with uncomplicated depression, Russo said. "It's every bit as effective," he said, "and with fewer side effects." St. John's wort's new-found popularity has led to its abuse by disreputable manufacturers in the unregulated herbal industry, Russo said. "There is a lot of garbage on the shelves," he said. "It's really hard for the consumer to go in and see this mass of products. ... It's my feeling that probably 90 percent of the treatment failures (of St. John's wort) in this country are because of inadequate formulas or inadequate doses." Another herb that's become widely known and the subject of exploitation is Gingko biloba, known to help dementia and memory problems. Botanically, the gingko plant is fascinating, Russo said. It's a relict, or botanical dinosaur, that has died all over the world until there is only one species left in the whole genus and family. It was the first new life to break out of the ground after the bombing of Hiroshima, he said. It's used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine and has been intensively researched by German scientists. Gingko is also fascinating medically, Russo said, because it contains three separate groups of agents that work independently on circulation and the muscarinic receptors in the brain, which deal with memory. It also may work like the sexual enhancement drug Viagra. It should be used with caution by people on anticoagulants and people on aspirin therapy. "Beyond that, it's a very safe agent," Russo said. Among the herbs that can be used episodically rather than long-term is kava kava, known for its calming effect. It's often overlooked and should be used more, Russo said. "We've got tons of drugs for anxiety," he said, "but for the most part they're sedatives, and they're addicting. Not so here." Russo, who makes a call for more research in the field of herbal medicine, also uses dietary approaches in his practice. The American carbohydrate-laden diet promotes pain, he said. Humans are designed to eat high-quality protein and fats. "I believe in real food made from real animals and plants," he said. "If it's anything made by Kraft, I don't recommend it." Russo has had good results using fish oil and borage oil in the past year and a half. "I've had remarkable benefit in my MS (multiple sclerosis) patients," he said. "They feel better, have more energy and they have fewer incidences of relapse." Most use the oils in conjunction with pharmaceuticals, he said, though some of his younger patients prefer the non-pharmaceutical approach alone. "Now is that going to work for everybody? No," he said. "But it will for a lot of people." For many conditions and diseases, no herbal medicine is known. Take, for instance, epilepsy and seizure disorder, Russo said. Kava kava and valerian have anti-convulsive effects, but, "Medically, we just wouldn't have confidence in that." No herbal replacement exists for insulin, another example. Russo doubts anyone will read his 350-page work cover-to-cover, but he does hope its contribution to the body of knowledge about psychotropic herbs leads to more of their use. "Everything has its place," he said. "Herbal medicine has an important role as it's on its ascendancy." Reporter Ginny Merriam can be reached at 523-5251 or at: gmerriam missoulian.comBook Signing:Missoula neurologist Ethan Russo will sign copies of his new book, "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs: A Scientific Analysis of Herbal Remedies for Psychiatric Conditions," and entertain discussion on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at Fact & Fiction bookstore in Missoula. On Saturday, Jan. 20, at noon, he will sign books at Waldenbooks, and he will sign on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. Recommended Herbs:Recommended standardized psychotropic herbs by Dr. Ethan Russo Depression: St. John's wort (hypericum), should be LI 160 extract: Kira (Lichtwer Pharma), Emotional Balance (Quanterra) or WS 5572 extract: Movana (Pharmaton), Perika (Nature's Way). Standard dosage in adults is 300 milligrams three times a day, but an increase to 600 milligrams three times a day may be useful in more severe cases. Dementia/memory problems: Gingko biloba (gingko), should be EGb 761 or LI 1370 extracts: Gink-Gold (Nature's Way), Mental Sharpness (Quanterra), Ginkoba (Pharmaton), Ginkai (Lichtwer Pharma). Standard dosage in adults is 60 milligrams twice a day, but doses up to 120 milligrams twice a day may be used. Anxiety: Kava kava, preferable is extract WS 1490; Kava Pro (MMS Pro) or preparation standardized to 55 percent kavalactones. Standard dosage in adults is 128 milligrams three times a day. Insomnia: valerian, preferable is a standardized 70 percent ethanol extract; for adults, 600 milligrams before bed for at least four weeks in chronic cases. Alternatively at any time, German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) as a simple herbal tea before bed, or 125 to 250 milligrams of an extract standardized to 1.2 percent apigenin. "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs: A Scientific Analysis of Herbal Remedies for Psychiatric Conditions" Note: Missoula physician's book roots out science behind herbal remedies By Ethan Russo (Haworth Herbal Press) Source: Missoulian (MT) Author: Ginny Merriam of the Missoulian Published: January 16, 2001Address: PO Box 8029, Missoula, MT 59807 Copyright: 2001 Missoulian Fax: (406) 523-5294 Contact:  newsdesk missoulian.com Website http://www.missoulian.com/ DL: http://www.missoulian.com/sub_features/healthwell/http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_features/healthwell/health01.txtNote from CannabisNews: Dr. Russo's book " Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs " also has a section about Cannabis called " Cannabis a Breed Apart" in the chapter "Miscellaneous Herbal Psychotropic Agents" Pages 220 - 232.Related Articles & Web Site:Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs Web Sitehttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/ermd.htmHandbook of Psychotropic Herbshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8233.shtmlFDA Approves Marijuana Study On Migraineshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/3/thread3222.shtmlMarijuana & The Migraine - Research http://cannabisnews.com/news/3/thread3117.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 16, 2001 at 19:57:10 PT
Dr. Russo is a Good Person
I agree with you i rule. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Russo involved in all we are doing. He is a very nice person and represents Cannabis the way it should be. His book is wonderful for people who use herbs medicinally. The Cannabis Section is really interesting too and wonderful to see in a book. My husband picks the book up and while I'm looking for news he starts reading me different things. We don't even have to go to Web MD! Just a little kidding there. I have used many of the herbs in the book for years now and am happy that I started when I did. I haven't had the flu or been sick since 94 when I started on a daily regimen of herbs. I forget to take vitamins but I never forget to take my herbs.
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Comment #2 posted by i_rule_ on January 16, 2001 at 19:33:32 PT
A star for the doc.
Way to go, Doc. I would just like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here on this board and promoting natural alternatives to the man-made chemicals. (sometimes poisons) Thanks for lending credibility to our cause to free Cannabis. You deserve a big ole shiny gold star.Peace.
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Comment #1 posted by observer on January 16, 2001 at 12:51:06 PT
at Amazon, too!
Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs: A Scientific Analysis of Herbal Remedies for Psychiatric Conditions Hardcover http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789007185/Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs: A Scientific Analysis of Herbal Remedies for Psychiatric ConditionsPaperback http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789010887/
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