Tag: African American

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Ohio Buckeye

[amazon_link asins=’B071YV9SK8,B074SWS7ZZ,B013YW63II,B0711SJPM7,B018GVE8VQ,B00LNE3XX8,B071PBKHM9,B002GQ7NH4,B076HDT9NY’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’db8f8939-e662-11e7-92b2-370521950f9f’]

Botanical Name :Aesculus glabra
Family : Hippocastanaceae / Sapindaceae
Genus: Aesculus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Sapindales
Species: A. glabra

Common Names: Ohio buckeye, American buckeye, or fetid buckeye(It derives its unflattering common name from the disagreeable odor generated from the flowers, crushed leaves, broken twigs, or bruised bark.)

Habitat :–
Ohio buckeye grows mostly on mesophytic sites in western Pennsylvania to Nebraska, south to Tennessee and Oklahoma, Ohio, and southern Michigan west to Illinois and central Iowa. Its range extends south to eastern Kansas, southwestern Oklahoma, and central Texas; east to western Arkansas, Tennessee, and central Alabama with one location in eastern Mississippi . It has been planted in Europe and the eastern United States; in eastern Massachusetts, Minnesota, and western Kansas

Usually found in moist sites such as river bottoms and streambank soils, but it is sometimes also found on drier sites though does not grow so well there .

Description:–
A deciduous Tree growing to 20m.  The leaves are palmately compound with five (rarely seven) leaflets, 8–16 cm (3-6 in.) long and broad. The flowers are produced in panicles in spring, yellow to yellow-green, each flower 2–3 cm (3/4 – 1 1/8 in.) long with the stamens longer than the petals (unlike the related Yellow Buckeye, where the stamens are shorter than the petals). The fruit is a round or oblong spiny capsule 4–5 cm (1 1/2 – 2 in.)diameter, containing 1-3 nut-like seeds, 2–3 cm (3/4 – 1 1/8 in.) diameter, brown with a whitish basal scar.

CLICK  &  SEE  THE  PICTURES
Flowering and Fruiting– Ohio buckeye is polygamo-monoecious, bearing both bisexual and male flowers. The pale greenish-yellow flowers appear after the leaves in the spring from March to May and are borne in upright branched clusters. Only those near the base of the branches of a cluster are perfect and fertile; the others are staminate . The fruit is a leathery capsule containing one, two, or three seeds. The ripe seed is dark chocolate to chestnut brown, smooth and shiny, with a large, light-colored hilum so that it resembles an eye. ‘The cotyledons are very thick and fleshy and contain no endosperm.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation :-
Prefers a deep loamy well-drained soil but is not too fussy. This species is the state tree of Ohio. Its growth-rate is moderate in the wild, with trees living up to 100 years. In Britain, it grows best in eastern and south-eastern areas of England probably needing a continental climate in order to thrive. Although the trees are hardy when dormant, the new growth can be damaged by late spring frosts. The twigs, bark, flowers and leaves all produce a foetid odour if crushed. Most members of this genus transplant easily, even when fairly large.

Propagation:-
Seed – best sown outdoors or in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. The seed germinates almost immediately and must be given protection from severe weather. The seed has a very limited viability and must not be allowed to dry out. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours prior to sowing and even after this may still not be viable. It is best to sow the seed with its ‘scar’ downwards. If sowing the seed in a cold frame, pot up the seedlings in early spring and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.

Constituents:-The fruits contain tannic acid, and are poisonous for cattle, and possibly humans, although they are often eaten by badgers. Native Americans would blanch them, extracting the tannic acid for use in leather.

Edible Uses:-
Edible Parts: Seed.
Seed – cooked. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel. The seed is quite large, up to 35mm in diameter, and is easily harvested. It is quite rich in saponins and needs to be leached of these toxins before it becomes safe to eat – the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 – 5 days. By this time most of the minerals etc would also have been leached out.

The buckeye confection, made to resemble the tree’s nut, is made by dipping a spoonful of peanut butter fudge in milk chocolate, leaving a circle of the peanut butter exposed. These are a popular treat in Ohio, especially during the Christmas and NCAA college football seasons

Medicinal  Actions &  Uses
Antispasmodic; Miscellany.
Minute doses of the seed are used internally in the treatment of spasmodic coughs, asthma and internal irritations. It is used externally as a tea or an ointment in the treatment of rheumatism and piles. An extract of the bark has been used as an irritant of the cerebro-spinal system.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Other Uses:-
Soap; Wood.:The wood is light and soft and is used for pulpwood, woodenware, and occasionally for lumber….CLICK & SEE

Saponins in the seed are used as a soap substitute. The saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water. This water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc. Its main drawback is a lingering odour of horse chestnuts. Wood – close-grained, light, soft, white, but often blemished by dark lines of decay. It weighs 28lb per cubic foot. It is easy to carve and resists splitting. Ideal to use in making artificial limbs, it is also used for woodenware, pulp etc and is occasionally sawn into lumber.

In addition to using the tannic acid for leatherworking, Native Americans would roast and peel the nut, and mash the contents into a nutritional meal they called “Hetuck”.

The buckeye nuts can also be dried, turning dark as they harden with exposure to the air, and strung onto necklaces. These are particularly popular among Ohio State fans.

Known Hazards : The seed is rich in saponins. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish.

The seeds as well as the bark of Ohio buckeye are reported to be poisonous, and the Aesculus native to Illinois is known to contain a poisonous narcotic glucoside . The young shoots of buckeye are poisonous to cattle, and landowners in Indiana have exterminated buckeye in many areas because the seed is considered poisonous to livestock . On the other hand, some buckeye seed are apparently eaten by squirrels. In Ohio, it constitutes from 2 to 5 percent of the food of eastern fox squirrels during the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Other studies in Ohio list buckeye as an auxiliary food that was sampled by squirrels in September but not eaten in quantity . Thus, it seems probable that the use of buckeye seed for food by animals is not a limiting factor in its reproduction.

Fox squirrels in Illinois were observed eating the pith from terminal twigs . Buckeye pith contains 66 percent raffinose, a sweet-tasting 18-carbon sugar that is much sweeter and contains potentially more energy than sucrose.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aesculus+glabra
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/aesculus/glabra.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_glabra

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Related articles
Categories
News on Health & Science

Feeling Hopeless Ups Stroke Risk in Women

[amazon_link asins=’B00HVULNBC,B00IK7EJ48,B00LLQKS0Y,B00K7FGGTW,B00QU8SC9W,B00VOFG4TQ,1540672808,1497433177,B00NES9YK2′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f120762f-8a2c-11e7-9349-6965136588bf’]

Scientists at the University of Minnesota Medical School say that the feeling of hopelessness may make increase the risk of stroke in women.
…………….

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURE
Writing in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers have revealed that even healthy middle-aged women, when feeling hopeless, seem to experience the thickening of arteries in the neck, a precursor to stroke

Linking hopelessness with negative thinking and the feeling of uselessness, they say that it affects arteries independent of clinical depression, and before women develop clinically relevant cardiovascular disease.

For their study, the researchers looked at 559 healthy women—average age 50, 62 percent white, 38 percent African American—who did not show any signs of clinical cardiovascular disease.

They measured hopelessness with a two-item questionnaire assessing expectancies regarding future and personal goals. Depressive symptoms were measured with a 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Thickness of neck arteries was assessed using ultrasound.

The researchers found consistent, progressive, and linear association between increasing neck artery thickness and rising levels of hopelessness.

They say that the overall difference in arterial thickening between women with higher versus lower hopelessness scores, about .02 millimetres (mm), was equal to about one year of thickening.

Those with the highest hopelessness scores had an average .06 mm greater thickening than those in the lowest group — a clinically significant difference. This correlation remained after adjusting for any influence of age, race, income, cardiovascular risk factors, and depression.

“Previous studies have shown that hopelessness is associated with cardiovascular disease outcomes in men and also in women with documented heart disease. However, this is the first study to suggest that hopelessness may be related to subclinical cardiovascular disease in women without clinical symptoms of heart disease and who are generally healthy,” said Dr. Susan A. Everson-Rose, principal investigator of the study, associate director of the Program in Health Disparities Research, and associate professor of medicine.

“These findings suggest that women who experience feelings of hopelessness may have greater risk for future heart disease and stroke. In fact, our data indicate that hopelessness may be uniquely related to cardiovascular disease risk. We did not see similar relations when looking at global depressive symptoms,” Everson-Rose said
The researchers used data from Chicago and Pittsburgh sites of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) to examine associations of hopelessness, and depressive symptoms with carotid IMT, an early marker of atherosclerosis.

“The findings we observed are based on cross-sectional data — a snapshot in time — so we look forward to examining the longitudinal relations between hopelessness and heart disease risk in women,” Everson-Rose said.

You may also click to see:-
>Thick blood causes & protects from stroke
>Diet rich in soy cuts down stroke-risk
>Stroke survivors at increased risk of fracture
>High BP ‘raises silent stroke risk’
>Exercise helps stroke patients recover

Source: The Times Of India

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Diagnonistic Test

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

[amazon_link asins=’0808917013,B00GNPDDBY,0896402754,1556645473,B00UPRBIZO,0865423695,0683049097,0471602426,B01MDK8Y5U’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’09f220fc-04fd-11e8-bbe6-c96065688b29′]

Definition:
Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure used to see inside the sigmoid(the lower portion of the large intestine) colon and rectum. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can detect inflamed tissue, abnormal growths, and ulcers. The procedure is used to look for early signs of cancer and can help doctors diagnose unexplained changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, bleeding from the anus, and weight loss.

[amazon_link asins=’0808917013,0896402754,B00GNPDDBY,0865423695,0845142372,0683049097,B01M7MEV3Y,B01F82FB0S,B005410Q8G’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1f06bbcc-2ee6-11e7-93dc-01e414140fdc’]

. The endoscope used for this test is about a half-inch wide and long enough to reach about two feet into the colon. A sigmoidoscopy can detect early cancers as well as polyps that could later become cancerous.

Sigmoidoscopy is an effective screening test for colon cancer if you have the procedure done every five years starting at age 50. Alternatively, you might choose to have a colonoscopy every 10 years to screen for colon cancer. In either case, it’s wise to have a fecal occult blood test in the years you don’t have a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. A sigmoidoscopy is also useful for evaluating the cause of abdominal pain, blood in the stool, constipation, and diarrhea.

What are the sigmoid colon and rectum?
The sigmoid colon is the last one-third of the colon. The colon comprises three main parts: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, and the sigmoid colon—sometimes called the descending colon. The colon absorbs nutrients and water and forms stool.

CLICK & SEE
The sigmoid colon is the last one-third of the colon.

The rectum is about 6 inches long and connects the sigmoid colon to the anus. Stool leaves the body through the anus. Muscles and nerves in the rectum and anus control bowel movements.

Difference between flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy:
Flexible sigmoidoscopy enables the doctor to see only the sigmoid colon, whereas colonoscopy allows the doctor to see the entire colon. Colonoscopy is the preferred screening method for cancers of the colon and rectum; however, to prepare for and perform a flexible sigmoidoscopy usually requires less time.

How to Prepare for a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy:
To prepare for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, one or more enemas are performed about 2 hours before the procedure to remove all solids from the sigmoid colon. An enema is performed by flushing water, laxative, or sometimes a mild soap solution into the anus using a special wash bottle.

In some cases, the entire gastrointestinal tract must be emptied by following a clear liquid diet for 1 to 3 days before the procedure—similar to the preparation for colonoscopy. Patients should not drink beverages containing red or purple dye. Acceptable liquids include

*fat-free bouillon or broth
*strained fruit juice
*water
*plain coffee
*plain tea
*sports drinks, such as Gatorade
*gelatin

A laxative or an enema may also be required the night before a flexible sigmoidoscopy. A laxative is medicine that loosens stool and increases bowel movements. Laxatives are usually swallowed in pill form or as a powder dissolved in water.

Patients should inform their doctor of all medical conditions and any medications, vitamins, or supplements taken regularly, including

*aspirin
*arthritis medications
*blood thinners
*diabetes medications
*vitamins that contain iron

What happens when the test is performed?
You wear a hospital gown for the procedure and lie on your side on a table. After applying some clear jelly to his or her gloved hand, the doctor feels the inside of your rectum with a finger, then gently inserts one end of the sigmoidoscope inside.

The doctor will fill your intestine with air, which often causes some pain similar to the cramping you might get when you have gas. As the camera on the scope transmits pictures to a video screen, your doctor watches for any suspicious lesions on your bowel lining. If one appears, he or she might use some small clippers on the end of the scope to take a tissue sample to check under the microscope. When the test is finished, the doctor vacuums the air out of your intestine and slowly removes the tube. The test usually takes 10-30 minutes.

How is a flexible sigmoidoscopy performed?

Examination of the Sigmoid Colon:
During a flexible sigmoidoscopy, patients lie on their left side on an examination table. The doctor inserts a long, flexible, lighted tube called a sigmoidoscope, or scope, into the anus and slowly guides it through the rectum and into the sigmoid colon. The scope inflates the colon with air to give the doctor a better view. A small camera mounted on the scope transmits a video image from inside the colon to a computer screen, allowing the doctor to carefully examine the tissues lining the sigmoid colon and rectum. The doctor may ask the patient to move periodically so the scope can be adjusted for better viewing.

When the scope reaches the transverse colon, the scope is slowly withdrawn while the lining of the colon is carefully examined again.

Risk Factors:
The risks are minimal. The chance of perforation is less than for a colonoscopy. A few people have a small amount of bleeding after the procedure if a biopsy has been taken.

Must you do anything special after the test is over?
You should feel fine and be able to return to your regular activities immediately after the test. Call your doctor if you have more than light bleeding from the rectum or if you have continuing abdominal pain

Biopsy and Removal of Colon Polyps
The doctor can remove growths, called polyps, during flexible sigmoidoscopy using special tools passed through the scope. Polyps are common in adults and are usually harmless. However, most colon cancer begins as a polyp, so removing polyps early is an effective way to prevent cancer. If bleeding occurs, the doctor can usually stop it with an electrical probe or special medications passed through the scope.

During a flexible sigmoidoscopy, the doctor can also take samples from abnormal-looking tissues. Called a biopsy, this procedure allows the doctor to later look at the tissue with a microscope for signs of disease.

Tissue removal and the treatments to stop bleeding are usually painless. If polyps or other abnormal tissues are found, the doctor may suggest examining the rest of the colon with a colonoscopy.

Recovery
A flexible sigmoidoscopy takes about 20 minutes. Cramping or bloating may occur during the first hour after the procedure. Bleeding and puncture of the large intestine are possible but uncommon complications. Discharge instructions should be carefully read and followed.

Patients who develop any of these rare side effects should contact their doctor immediately:-
*severe abdominal pain
*fever
*bloody bowel movements
*dizziness
*weakness

Points to Remember
*Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure used to see inside the sigmoid colon and rectum.
*One or more enemas are performed about 2 hours before the procedure to remove all solids from the sigmoid colon.
*In some cases, the entire gastrointestinal tract must be emptied—similar to the preparation for colonoscopy.
*A sigmoidoscope transmits a video image from inside the colon to a computer screen.
*A doctor can biopsy abnormal-looking tissues during a flexible sigmoidoscopy.
*Polyps can be removed using special tools passed through the sigmoidoscope.
*If polyps or other abnormal tissues are found, the doctor may suggest examining the rest of the colon with a colonoscopy.
*A flexible sigmoidoscopy takes about 20 minutes.

Hope through Research
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases conducts and supports basic and clinical research into many digestive disorders.

Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research. For information about current studies, visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

For More Information
Fact sheets about other diagnostic tests are available from the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov, including

Resources:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/diagnostics/flexible-sigmoidoscopy.shtml

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Related articles
Categories
Therapetic treatment

The Benefits Of Music Therapy

[amazon_link asins=’1499084064,B01FXDDZL4,0198735367,0198792611,1462529720,0615896286,0634006452,1610721829,1884914209′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’015d328d-7539-11e7-a00e-69bf1de3c0cf’]

A new study has revealed that music training may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than learning phonics.

click & see

The study conducted by Northwestern University found that music   fundamentally shapes sensory circuitry.

Audiovisual processing was much enhanced in musicians’   brains compared to non-musician counterparts, and musicians also were more sensitive to subtle changes in both speech and music sounds,” said Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, where the work was performed.

“Our study indicates that the high-level cognitive processing of music affects automatic processing that occurs early in the processing stream and fundamentally shapes sensory circuitry,   she added. The nervous system’s multi-sensory processing begins in the brainstem, an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain previously thought to be relatively unmalleable.

Source:The Times Of India

Related articles
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

[amazon_link asins=’B00028NZK2,B0006NXGD4,B013LV4NQQ,B018Y65RSQ,B01AN5UDX0,B072XHLXN9,B06XZZC4D7,B0006NYIV8,B00PA3WCLM’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1f7262d1-6a99-11e7-87b8-794b33af83f4′]

Botanical Name:Eupatorium perfoliatum
Family:    Asteraceae
Genus:    Eupatorium
Species:    E. perfoliatum
Kingdom:    Plantae
Order:    Asterales
Other Names: Feverwort, Agueweed, Thoroughwort, Sweating plant,
Indian sage.

Related Terms:
Agueweed, Asteraceae (family), astragalin, common boneset, Compositae (family), crosswort, dendroidinic acid, eucannabinolide, eufoliatin, eufoliatorin, eupafolin, eupatorin, Eupatorium connatum Michx., Eupatorium perfoliatum, Eupatorium perfoliatum D2, euperfolide, euperfolitin, feverwort, flavonoids, gravelroot, hebenolide, helenalin, hyperoside, Indian sage, kaempferol, quercitin, rutin, sesquiterpene lactones, snakeroot, sterols, sweat plant, sweating plant, tearal, teasel, thoroughwax, thoroughwort, thorough-stem, vegetable antimony, wild Isaac, wild sage, wood boneset.

Notes: Avoid confusion with gravel root (Eupatorium purpureum), which is also known as boneset. Snakeroot is a common name used for poisonous Eupatorium species, but boneset should not be confused with Ageratina spp., which are more commonly known as snakeroot.

Range & Habitat: Moist ground; thickets. Nova Scotia to Florida; Louisiana; Texas to North Dakota. Common Boneset has been reported from most counties of Illinois, and is fairly common (see Distribution Map). However, it appears to be somewhat less common than either Eupatorium serotinum (Late Boneset) and Eupatorium altissimum (Tall Boneset). Habitats include openings in floodplain forests, poorly drained areas of black soil prairies, and various kinds of wetlands, including marshes, bogs, fens, seeps, edges of rivers, and sand flats along Lake Michigan. This plant also occurs in or near roadside ditches. Generally, it doesn’t stray far from wetland areas of one kind or another.
Description:
Boneset is a perennial plant found in swampy areas and along stream-banks in eastern North America. The rough, hairy stem grows to a height of 1 to 5 feet from a horizontal, crooked rootstock. The leaves are rough, serrate, and taper to a long point. Terminal corymbs of numerous, white flowers appear July through October. The fruit is a tufted achene. The plant has only a weak odor but a very bitter taste.

click to see the pictures….(01)..….....(1)..…...(2).…....(3)....……….
It is tall and unbranched. Except for some flowering side stems near the apex. The central stem and side stems are covered with long white hairs. The opposite leaves are up to 8″ long and 2″ across, and light or yellowish green. Their bases surround the central stem and merge together (perfoliate). In shape, they are lanceolate with long narrow tips and serrate margins. There is a conspicuous network of veins, particularly on the lower leaf surface. This lower surface is also pubescent. Some of the upper leaves near the inflorescence(s) are much smaller in size and sessile. The upper stems terminate in clusters of white flowerheads, spanning about 2-8″ across. Each flowerhead is about 1/6″ across and consists of about 15 disk florets. Each disk floret has 5 spreading lobes and a long divided style, in the manner of other Eupatorium spp. The blooming period is late summer to early fall, which typically lasts about 1-2 months for a colony of plants. There is a pleasant floral scent. The florets are replaced by achenes with small tufts of hair  they are dispersed by the wind. The root system is fibrous and produces rhizomes in abundance. Common Boneset typically forms vegetative colonies.
Common Boneset has interesting foliage and fragrant flowers. It tolerates flooded conditions better than many other Boneset species. It can be distinghished from these other species by the perfoliate leaves that surround the central stem. The other species have opposite leaves that are sessile or have distinct petioles. All of these species have spreading clusters of white flowers with a similar appearance    It is in flower in  July – October.   These flowers are quite popular with diverse kinds of insects.

History: The American Indians introduced boneset to early colonists as a sweat-inducer, an old treatment for fevers. The Indians used boneset for all fever-producing illnesses:
such as influenza, cholera, dengue (pronounced DENG-ee), malaria, and typhoid. The Indians also used boneset to relieve arthritis and treat colds, indigestion, constipation, and loss of appetite.
Boneset was listed as a treatment for fever in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 through 1916, and in the National Formulary, the pharmacists’ manual, from 1926 through 1950. But over time it fell from favor, replaced by another herbal fever-fighter, aspirin.
Contemporary herbalists continue to recommend boneset enthusiastically for fever.


Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and wet to moist conditions. The soil should contain considerable organic material so that it can retain moisture. This plant can withstand flooded conditions for short periods of time, but it is not really aquatic. The foliage appears to be little bothered by pests and disease.

Constituents: Quercetin, Kaempferol, Rutin, Eupatorin, Sesquiterpene, Volatile oil, Resin.

Medicinal Properties   & uses:
Properties: Stimulant, Tonic, Diaphoretic, Emetic, Aperient, Antispasmodic, Cathartic, and Febrifuge.

Parts used: tops and leaves. European studies show this herb helps treat minor viral and bacterial infections by stimulating white blood cells to destroy disease-causing microorganisms more effectively. In Germany, physicians currently use boneset to treat viral infections, such as colds and flu. One study shows boneset is mildly anti-inflammatory, lending some support to its traditional use in treating arthritis.
Taken in small doses it often gives relief very quickly. It reduces fever and clears up mucous build-up in the lungs. It gently empties any toxins which may be stored in the colon. It relaxes the joints and eases the terrible pain which often accompanies the flu. Some people have found it to be very useful for their rheumatism. Boneset is dual in action, depending on how it is administered, when cold a tonic, when warm emetic diaphoretic. It is extremely bitter to the taste and is disliked by children, but in these cases a thick syrup of boneset, ginger and anise is used by some for coughs of children, with good results.

The flavonoids and the sesquiterpene lactones in the essential oil appear to work together in an as yet undetermined fashion to produce the antipyretic and diaphoretic effect. The essential oil also irritates mucous membranes resulting in its expectorant effect. The irritation may also stimulate peristalsis.

Besides the bitter and aromatic components of the herb, it contains the mucilaginous polysaccharride inulin which could mitigate the harshness of the herb. Tannins are also present which tone inflamed tissue. One study also mentions the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These are apparently of the same chemical class as the hepatoxic alkaloids found in comfrey. Flavonoids have even shown some antitumor properties.
Colds and Flu: European studies show this herb helps treat minor viral and bacterial infections by stimulating white blood cells to destroy disease-causing microorganisms more effectively. In Germany, where herbal medicine is more main-stream than it is in the United States, physicians currently use boneset to treat viral infections, such as colds and flu.
Arthritis: One study shows boneset is mildly anti-inflammatory, lending some support to its traditional use in treating arthritis.

Preparation And Dosages:
To treat colds, flu, and arthritis, and for minor inflammation, use an infusion or tincture.
Infusion: Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaves per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 20 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day. The taste will be very bitter. Add sugar or honey and lemon, or mix it with an herbal beverage tea.
Tincture: Dry plant – (1:5). 20 to 40 drops in hot water.
Clinical Effectiveness:
1. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is native to eastern North America and was used by Native Americans to treat fevers, including dengue fever and malaria. Today, boneset is used primarily in homeopathic medicine for fevers, influenza, digestive problems, and liver disorders.

2. In the past, boneset was used extensively for a number of conditions, including constipation, fever, and influenza. Currently, however, the use of boneset is limited because other drugs generally are more effective.

3. Boneset may be effective when used orally as an immunostimulant and anti-inflammatory agent. There is insufficient reliable information available about the effectiveness of boneset for its other uses.

4. Products containing boneset have been placed in the “Herbs of Undefined Safety” category by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
CAUTION: Do not eat fresh boneset. It contains a toxic chemical (tremerol), which causes nausea, vomiting, weakness, muscle tremors, increased respiration, and at high doses, possibly even coma and death. Drying the herb eliminates the tremerol and the possibility of poisoning.

Allergic hypersensitivity can result in contact dermatitis due to the sesquiterpene lactone constituents.

Other Uses:  Eupatorium perfoliatum is a specific Butterfly food and habitat plant.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
http://www.indianspringherbs.com/boneset.htm
http://www.naturalstandards.com/
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/cm_boneset.htm

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
css.php