cannabisnews.com: Herbal Remedies Beat Superbugs Herbal Remedies Beat Superbugs Posted by FoM on May 27, 2001 at 16:19:08 PT Cannabis has medicinal properties Source: Sky News (UK) Old Wives' Tales: This is due not only to doctors becoming more reluctant to write a prescription for every patient, but also because people are realising that many old wives' tales were based in fact.This means that the global market is such remedies is very large - according to the European Herbal Practitioners Association, it is estimated at 6.8 billion euros a year in the European Union Market. Many Herbalists say their extracts are more potent than prescribed drugs. Now scientists find they may be right. No one doubts that herbs are full of medicinal chemicals - after all, plants are the source of half the pharmaceuticals in our modern medicine cabinet. But many people may wonder why take a risk by swallowing something as unpredictable as plant material when modern science can isolate the active ingredient and serve it straight. Magic Bullet: Herbalists claim it is because mixtures are better than pure chemicals. They say the dozens of biologically active compounds in a plant work together to produce a greater effect than any one chemical on its own. This may sound somewhat incredible, but scientists are finding that the herbalists are sometimes right. According to research published in New Scientist, herbs could point the way towards a whole new generation of drugs. Modern medicine is hooked on the idea of the "magic bullet" - the pure drug molecule, like aspirin or penicillin. Even multi-drug approaches such as combination therapy for HIV are just more of the same. Each ingredient in the cocktail is a magic bullet in its own right.Cannabis: However there are a host of illnesses, from depression to multiple sclerosis, for which there is no magic bullet. Some respond better to the kind of mixtures found in herbs. An example is found in MS patients who respond better to using cannabis as a whole than just tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the main active ingredient. There is certainly evidence that cannabis taken whole works better than isolated extracts. At a symposium at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in London in April, pharmacologist Elizabeth Williamson of the University of London School of Pharmacy reported that in a mouse model of MS, an extract of whole cannabis relieved muscle spasms much more effectively than pure THC. Williamson says this shows chemicals other than THC enhance the effect, but not whether the action of these is synergistic or merely additive. Synergy: Some herbal derivatives seem to show true synergy. Hildebert Wagner and colleagues at the University of Munich have shown that a mixture of two anti-clotting chemicals found in ginkgo leaves is more powerful than the sum of their individual effects. Similarly, the six most active chemicals in the herbal sedative kava kava seem to act synergistically. Williamson says additive or synergistic effects may make for better therapies because you can achieve the medicinal effect with smaller doses of each ingredient. That means you can avoid the side effects that tend to kick in with higher doses. There's anecdotal evidence that this is true: the herbal stimulant ephedra, for example, is said to have fewer side effects than ephedrine, one of its ingredients.But no one has done any research to find out why. The mainstream pharmaceuticals industry isn't really interested in herbs because they're unpatentable. To market herbal derivatives with full patent protection, they would have to do clinical trials on the active ingredients, separately and together. Compared with testing a single magic bullet, this is prohibitively expensive.St John's Wort: And there is a downside to these complex interactions. The better brands of the herbal antidepressant St John's Wort, for example, contain specific quantities of one of the active ingredients, hypericin. But since there are a dozen or more active compounds in the herb, two batches with the same hypericin content might have very different potencies.In any case, most herbal preparations are marketed with little testing, even to make sure they contain the plants they claim to. European manufacturers try to ensure that at least the safety, if not the efficacy, of their products is tested, but they are under pressure from the US industry to weaken even these controls. Without the support of the pharmaceuticals industry, the true value of herbs is never likely to be known.Note: The news that many bugs are becoming resistant to antibiotics has led to a dramatic increase in the use of herbal remedies.Source: Sky News (UK)Published: May 27, 2001Copyright: 2001 BSkyB Website: http://www.sky.com/skynews/FB: http://www.sky.com/skynews/feedback/enquiry/1,,,00.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Royal Pharmaceutical Society http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/Handbook of Psychotropic Herbshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8233.shtmlFDA Approves Marijuana Study On Migraineshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3222.shtmlMarijuana & The Migraine - Research http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3117.shtml Hemp for Headaches PDF Format - Ethan Russo M.D.http://www.montananorml.org/docs/Hemp_for_Headache.PDF Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on May 28, 2001 at 21:05:31 PT Thanks dddd I have the web site on my herbal page but I haven't look at it for a long time. I see they have description that are good so I bookmarked it. Thanks!We have about one third of our land in woods on a steep incline. We even have a cool beaver dam at the bottom of the hill. I haven't been down to it in a few years but when I was down there last it was cool. I took my old Rott and a video camera that worked back then and just sat and watched them. The beavers even had a sliding board down the side of the hill to the water. It's neat. We have wild turkey and not the booze! LOL! We've counted about 25 at one time. We have a little spot out back that fills up with water and the frogs come up from the creek and make so much noise I've had to shut the door. I love it! I miss having my horses but they are well cared for where they are and I won't ride anymore. Too many broken bones in the past and I feel like Humpty Dumpty if I fall and break one more time they won't be able to put me back together again! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by dddd on May 28, 2001 at 15:12:34 PT The Woods I'm jealous FoM...I used to live in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.Gathering fresh herbs from native souces is quite special.LoL............ddddhttp://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/golsea27.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 28, 2001 at 14:34:28 PT Goldenseal dddd, Since you mentioned goldenseal to me a while ago we have it in our home. I have always used Echinacea and now we have a blend of goldenseal and Echinacea. We have Goldenseal growing wild all over in our woods and Wild Ginseng. I have hunted Goldenseal with a neighbor a few years ago but I would need someone to go with me again to be sure I was getting the right thing and the right time of year. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dddd on May 28, 2001 at 13:50:01 PT herbs Indeed,,I agree with Kap..grape seed extract,,,most benificial,andhighly recommended.....Golden Seal is also a prince among herbs,perhapseven better than Cannabis?..... dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 28, 2001 at 12:10:27 PT Thanks kaptinemo I love herbs. They've saved my life. I'm not kidding either. If you had known me then and met me now you wouldn't believe it could possibly be the same person. Legal drugs made me sick mentally and physically. Because I understand about the need for a healthy immune system because of my son's illness it made me realize that we all need a healthy immune system. I also am wacky about believing that most serious diseases kick in when our immune system is low. I believe that certain cancers can be kept in check if the immune system is strong. It's just a theory and certainly not fact. I will check out where to buy grapeseed extract. I can get it from the coolest health food store I have ever been in back in PA that I went to almost everyday when I was living back east when my son was in bad shape. They have books on all kinds of good herbs. Great place. Reminds me of a hippie area for the rich or something like that. As far as hempseed oil goes is it really beneficial? Where can I get some? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on May 28, 2001 at 11:55:56 PT: FoM, May I recommend something? Since we are on the subject of herbs and healing, you might consider getting some grape-seed extract or pycnogenol for your Hubby. Both are very rich in anti-oxidants, more so than Vitamin C; the grape-seed extract is generally cheaper and easier to find than pycnogenol, which is dependant upon pine nut harvests. You can find both at almost all health food stores.And of course, the absolute king of herbal remedies is - what else? - hemp seed oilI, too, have been using all manner of herbs since 1988, and have rarely suffered from colds or flu. Prior to the usage of herbs, I used to be afflicted with bronchitis and sinusitis almost every month. Not any more. My lungs are clear as a bell (no 'pre-cancerous lesions' Frances, so take your pseudo-science and peddle it elsewhere!) and I haven't been troubled with sinus headache in years. All thanks to a changed diet and medicinal herbs.Something to think about. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 28, 2001 at 07:55:31 PT You're Welcome Dr. Russo I really believe in herbal medicine. I was a very skitzy person and had a bad temper when I used legal pharmaceuticals drugs. I could be set off very easily. Since then I've learned that our family reacts to any drug with phenobarbital in it the same way I did. I just don't get angry any more. That doesn't mean things don't upset me but I can keep it in check if that makes sense. I guess I mean I don't go off the deep end now. Thank goodness for herbs! Herbal Medicine Links [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on May 28, 2001 at 06:30:01 PT: Thanks, FoM Thanks for posting this, and all the plugs to my work. This article concisely summarizes a point I have tried to convey in my work for several years.Cannabis is not just a crude vehicle for THC. Rather, it is a package whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, what my friend John McPartland likes to call, "a synergistic shotgun."He and I will have a fairly comprehensive article out in the fall in the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics on the "other players" in cannabis beyond THC, some 6 other phytocannabinoids, 12 terpenoid essential oil components, 3 flavonoids, and one sitersterol. All seemingly contribute to the medical properties of cannabis, the single most useful and versatile herbal remedy on Earth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 27, 2001 at 21:03:18 PT Herbal Medicine GCW I've use medicinal herbs everyday since 94 and have been healthy. I have only had a few colds that weren't bad ones and haven't needed to see a Doctor. SJW is a wonderful herb for depression. Depression is not part of my life anymore and I know it is the SJW. Ephedra tea does wonders for a stuffy nose and Echinacea is a great immune enhancer. I could go on and on. Milk Thistle seems to be helping my husband since he has been diagnosed with Hep C. His symptoms aren't as extreme now. We don't know how well Milk Thistle is working but more tests are coming up so we'll have something to compare too. Herbal Medicine Links [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by The GCW on May 27, 2001 at 20:05:11 PT Comparison? One is made by man to produce profit. The other is produced by God for the benefit of man, free of charge, out of Love.That same paralell can be made about beer / cannabis, after work wind down choices. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: