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Posts Tagged ‘herbs’

Drug and alcohol dependency is a major health concern all over the world as it is very difficult to treat and cure. Addicts are known to use even detoxification drugs to get their daily dose of high. A new trend is being noticed all over the world as natural detoxification herbs are being used to treat and cure a person of his/her addiction.

Some detox herbs are better for the immune system than others, and there are a number of definite considerations for any detoxification programme. Psyllium seeds can be used to promote a healthy bowel and generally help maintain its condition, helping with problems such as diarrhoea. It is also a good herb for detox due to its sponge-like absorption properties, which helps to soak the toxins from within the body.

In modern western medicine, drug and alcohol detoxification is a program of planned withdrawal which may or may not include medication to assist in withdrawal. The length of detoxification depends on the substance ingested and the methods used for detoxification.

In such cases most drugs used to suppresses withdrawal symptoms and the chronic “drug hunger” causes nausea, vomiting and constipation that are common side effects. However, most addicts are known to develop chronic physical dependence on the very drugs that have been used to treat him/her.

It is here that Chinese traditional herbs can make a difference by treating addiction problem without any harmful side effects. Chinese traditional detoxification herbs help to you to bury the habit once and forever without messing up your body or making you dependent on these herbal medicines.

Chinese traditional medicine works within holistic parameters where each individual is examined as an individual case and treatment is holistic in nature involving not only the body but also the mind and spirit. It does not believe in generalizations. Chinese herbs are prescribed to normalize imbalanced energy, or Qi (pronounced ‘chee’), that runs through invisible meridians in the body.

The use of herbs as part of a detox programme is not a new idea, and the healing and cleansing properties of these plants have been known for thousands of years. They are only now beginning to see more mainstream acceptance, and be used to detoxify patients worldwide. The detox is a particularly important concept in today’s environment, with dirty polluted air and processed foods full of toxins. By making use of these natural resources, you can effectively flush out your system, leaving you looking and feeling a great deal better, with fewer and less severe illnesses as a result of a strengthened immune system.

Chinese herbal medicines are mainly plant based, but some preparations include minerals or animal products. They can be packaged as powders, pastes, lotions or tablets, depending on the herb and its intended use. At Longevity Herbs you will find a wider range of products that can help in detoxification, namely Detox Combo and Detox Kit. It helps to regulate and eliminate bodily toxins and waste and has Reishi, Qi ju di huang wan (chrysanthemum/lycium blend) and a gentle laxative called ma zi ren

Interviewed on NPR, world leading medicinal mushroom specialist Paul Stamets relates how he came to discover the healing properties of agarikon, an increasingly rare wood conk that has all but vanished from Europe and now grows almost exclusively in the old growth rainforests of the northwestern United States.

Scientists have known for some time that mushrooms are not plants. Far from it. They are more closely related to animals and humans then they are to the vegetables we eat. Because of that, they are often at risk from the same bacteria and other “bugs” that cause diseases in humans. Being well aware of this fact, Stamets asked himself how agarikon – a perennial mushroom living for up to 50 years – managed to fight off diseases so well in the perpetually wet rainforests. It must possess a potent immune system, he concluded, with potential anti-bacterial and anti-viral compounds that may act as antibiotics for humans.

To find agarikon in the wild, look for something reminiscent of a beehive on the ancient tree trunks of an old-growth forest. (You may view a picture of agarikon through the agarikon-link on this page.) Please keep in mind that agarikon is a rare and threatened species. Do not harvest it unless there’s a very good reason for doing so. But by all means, bring out your digital camera.

It should be noted that the agarikon Paul Stamets uses is not harvested in the wild. He grows his own, and uses it for the extract he produces. A sample of that extract was submitted to the Defense Department, to be tested at a top security laboratory in Fort Dietrich, Maryland. The Defense Department’s BIO Shield Program at that location searches for cures to biological warfare agents such as smallpox and anthrax.

Several tens of thousands of natural and synthetic “medicines” have been tested within the Bio Shield Program. According to John Seacrest, drug discovery supervisor within BIO Shield, the agarikon extract submitted by Paul Stamets was one of only a few agents that tested positive against viruses related to smallpox. While smallpox virus itself is not available for testing (due to it being supposedly extinct and all), the agarikon extract proved effective in inhibiting closely related viruses (presumably cowpox).

Paul Stamets has since applied for a patent on a mushroom-based anti-viral drug. Boston investor John Norris is one of his financial backers. Mr. Norris believes in the project due in part to the fact that some individuals simply are not willing or not able to be vaccinated against smallpox or other potential biological warfare agents.

A former second in command at the FDA, Mr. Norris is hopeful that he and Paul Stamets will be able to sell hundreds of millions of doses of this agarikon extract to the American, German and British armies’ defense stock-piles.

That may, however, still be a few years in the making. First the product needs to go through further exhaustive lab trials as well as gain FDA approval.

Note: This article is intended for informational purposes only. Never use any herb or mushroom medicinally except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.

Reference: NPR Morning Edition, Smallpox Defense May Be Found in Mushrooms by Tom Banse, August 4, 2005.

Reishi extract has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat arthritis and other forms of inflammation for over 2,000 years. Also commonly known by its Latin name as “Ganoderma,” or Chinese “Ling Zhi,” Reishi is by far the most searched medicinal mushroom on the Internet with over 200,000 searches per month. And although it may not be the panacea (“cure-all”) that some hold it to be, the fact that modern research confirms it as an inflammation modulator may help explain why it has long been heralded as such in the Orient.

Reishi frequently gets prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects. Much recent research appears to validate this traditional use, as the majority of studies have yielded positive results. While looking through published articles on Reishi and arthritis, I found only two studies that showed inconclusive results, both of which were conducted by the same team of researchers. (1,2)

An American study conducted in 1993 by Lin et al. concluded that a water extract of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) demonstrated “significant anti-inflammatory activity.” (4) A study out of India ten years later found that an extract of Reishi decreased inflammation in conditions of acute edema and chronic edema by 56% and 60%. (3) Seven additional research papers were found during the writing of this article that all concluded that Reishi is a potent anti-inflammatory medicinal mushroom. (5,6,7,8,9,10,11)

Next we’ll be looking at some studies that more directly relate to the use of Reishi extract with arthritis. A paper published in 2006 by Blum et al. claimed to provide supporting clinical evidence demonstrating that use of Reishi extract for joint health was both safe and effective. (12)

The same year, another study summarized findings that Reishi in combination with a Chinese herbal remedy known as San-Miao-San demonstrated a positive “immunomodulatory effect” on rheumatoid arthritis. (13)

The mechanism through which Reishi achieves this beneficial effect on arthritis was suggested in a study the following year, 2007, by Ho et al., which states that GL-PP [Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide] significantly inhibited the proliferation of RASF [Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts] (14)

Several additional papers have been published that summarize positive results in the use of Reishi against arthritis. (15,16,17) One even states that Reishi compares favorably to prednisone, albeit without side effects. (18) On the other hand, a separate study found that supplementing with Reishi helped balance the side effects of prednisolone* that were experienced by some patients, including protein in the urine and cell toxicity. (19) (Prednisolone is the active compound of prednisone, which gets broken down by the liver and converted to prednisolone.)

In conclusion, the body of research does seem to support the use of Reishi extract in cases of arthritis. Remember that it is important to always work with a licensed medical practitioner when using any herb for medicinal purposes.

Note on name confusion: The name “Reishi” is Japanese for the perennial tree mushroom that American naturalists refer to as “Varnished Conk.” In China, it is known as “Ling Zhi.” All these names usually refer to the species Ganoderma lucidum, which for the sake of distinction from other types of Reishi may sometimes be called “Common Reishi” or “Red Reishi.”

Other related species that are often called “Reishi” include: “Hemlock Reishi” (Ganoderma tsugae),” which is common on hemlock trees in eastern U.S.; the Chinese species known as “Black Reishi” (Ganoderma sinense); another American species found on the west coast which is sometimes referred to as “Red Reishi” (Ganoderma resinaceum), although “Red Reishi” more often refers to G. lucidum in contrast to “Black Reishi,” G. sinense; and finally two Japanese species, one that is sometimes known as “Purple Reishi” Ganoderma japonicum, and one without any English name, Ganoderma neo-japonicum.