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Herbs & Plants

Adenophora Triphylla

 

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Botanical Name : Adenophora triphylla var. japonjca Hara
Family : Campanulaceae
Genus  : Adenophora

Synonyms : Adenophora tetraphylla – (Thunb.)Fisch. ex B.D.Jacks.  Campanula triphylla – Thunb.

Korean Name: Jan-dae

English Name: Three-leaf ladybell

Parts Used : Root

Habitat : E. Asia – China, Japan, Korea.    Grassy places in lowland and mountains, also on woodland edges. In meadows from the lowlands to elevations of 1000 metres. Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Meadow; Cultivated Beds;

Description:–
Erect Perennial herb growing to 1m.Root white,thickened. Stem glabrous or white-pilose. Basal leaves long -petiolate,almost round; stem leaves usually in worls of 4 , oralternate, short-pitiolate  or sessile, oblong or oblong-ellipetic or linear, to 10 cm long, serrate. Flowers lower in whorls on very slender pedicels, more paniculate above; corolla pale bluish-violet, narrow urceolate- companulate, slightly constricted above, about 13-22 mm long; style long-exerted. July-Nov

CLICK  & SEE THE PICTURES..
It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower in September, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.

This quite rare & most elegant & graceful member of the Campanula family comes   from Japan. To 2-3’ tall, it forms erect, branching spikes bearing pale blue, perfect little chubby bells in late Summer thru Fall. The lance shaped leaves are glossy & held in whorls. Good garden soil is best. Easy! (Bait for snails).

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:-
Prefers a light rich slightly alkaline soil that is not too dry and a warm sunny position. Prefers a moist peaty soil in sun or partial shade. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. This species is extremely polymorphic, and several varieties and forms have been described in Japan. The many variations in several characters (hairiness, leaf-shape, inflorescence-shape etc.) can be seen in individuals growing intermixed. This species succeeds in a meadow if the grass is not cut until after the plant flowers. Intolerant of root disturbance. The young growth is extremely attractive to slugs, they have been known to destroy even mature plants.

Propagation:-
Seed – best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. The seed can also be sown in spring. Surface sow 2 – 3 seeds per pot in the spring in order to avoid transplanting. We have found that if transplanted when very small seedlings grow away without difficulty. Germinates in 1 – 3 months at 10°c. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst young. Basal cuttings in spring. Division in spring – very difficult because the plant dislikes root disturbance.

Chemical Components:- Saponin (1). Triterpenes (2)

Edible Uses:-
Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Root – cooked. The root is thick and carrot shaped. Leaves – cooked.

Medicinal Actions & Uses :
Antifungal; Cardiotonic; Expectorant.

The root is antifungal, carditonic and expectorant. It is used I Korea to treat bronchial catarrh and coughs, especially where there is excess phlegm. The rot has been shown to contain saponins and triterpenes which are responsible for its expectorant action.

Tradional Uses: Sputum, cough,bronchial catarrh

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.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Adenophora+triphylla
http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=1323

Click to access 11.pdf

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adenophora_triphylla_var_japonica3.jpg
http://gayasan.go.kr/eng/diary/diary.jsp?mnu_uid=0&lan_code=eng&flw_uid=667&gotopage=1&cmd=view

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News on Health & Science

Herb Triggers The Death of Cancer Cell

CM NEWS – A substance of popular Chinese herb huang qin (Scutellaria radix,) triggers the death process in tumour cells, while it has virtually no effect on healthy cells, according to a new discovery of this selective function of huang qin by scientists of the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum,
CLICK  & SEE….>….Huang qin

The valuable substance extrachted from huang qin is wogonin (han huang qin su,´ ). It’s until recently that modern science has been able to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-cancerous effect of wogonin.

Defects in genes that control growth can turn a cell into a threat for the whole organism. Defective cells that might get out of control are driven into suicide by a protective mechanism called apoptosis. However, this life saving mechanism is no longer working in most tumour cells, since numerous molecules regulating apoptosis are defective.

This is why researchers have been trying for some time to restore the capability of controlled suicide in tumour cells. However, this is a risky venture, because it involves the danger of damaging healthy tissue, too, by cell death. Therefore, scientists have urgently been searching for substances that induce cell death selectively in tumour cells.

Dr. Min Li-Weber of the Division of Immunogenetics headed by Prof. Dr. Peter Krammer has been concentrating on pure substances from herbs that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Investigating their ability to trigger apoptosis, the scientist has recently come across an interesting candidate: the substance wogonin, a plant flavone from huang qin.

According to the researchers, wogonin causes apoptosis in leukemia cells in the culture dish, while it has virtually no damaging effect on healthy blood cells. Wogonin also led to reduced cancer growth in mice that had been transplanted human leukemia cells.

The mechanism underlying the selective effect of this plant constituent had still been unclear. There are two different ways by which the apoptosis program can be started in a cell: by external stimuli or by signals from within the cell as a response to factors such as radioactive radiation or reactive oxygen compounds such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

Li-Weber has now shown that wogonin leads to highly increased formation of hydrogen peroxide in tumour cells compared to healthy cells. The peroxide, in turn, produces a calcium response which triggers the apoptosis reaction cascade. In addition, tumour cells contain a higher number of those membrane channels through which calcium flows from its intracellular storages into the cytoplasm.

Min Li-Weber¡’s results so far are based on experiments in the culture dish and in the animal model. The scientists rate the data as convincing enough to continue testing the suitability of wogonin as a therapeutic agent for leukemias.

Awesome Cancer-Busting Approaches

Without disputing the value and effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an alternative to the flawed healthcare system in the United States, I believe you can VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE your risk of cancer and chronic disease, and radically improve your chances of recovering from cancer if you currently have it, by following these relatively simple risk reduction strategies.

You won’t read or hear much about them because they have not been formally “proven” yet by conservative researchers. However, did you know that 85 percent of therapies currently recommended by conventional medicine have never been formally proven either?!

Most of the herbs are frequently effective symptomatic band-aids. Therefore, if you depend solely on herbs without addressing the underlying cause of your disease, you’re still likely avoiding the real cure.

So what are the underlying causes of most, if not all disease? It boils down to three basics of equal importance:

1.Your emotional and mental state
2.Your nutrition
3.Your physical activity
All advice essentially falls under one of these three basic necessities for optimal health, which create a circle of either positive or negative ramifications, depending on whether you address them appropriately or not.

Here are Twelve Strategies:

1.Reduce or eliminate your processed food, sugar and grain carbohydrate intake. Yes, this is even true for whole unprocessed organic grains as they tend to rapidly break down and drive your insulin and leptin levels up, which is the last thing you need to have happening if you are seeking to resolve a cancer.

2.Control your fasting insulin and leptin levels. This is the end result, and can be easily monitored with the use of simple and relatively inexpensive blood tests.

3.Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil or fish oil and reducing your intake of most processed vegetable oils.

4.Get regular exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

5.Normalize your vitamin D levels and vitamin A levels by getting plenty of sunlight exposure and consider careful supplementation when this is not possible. If you take oral vitamin D and have a cancer, it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.

6.Get regular, good sleep.

7.Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

8.Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

9.Limit your exposure and provide protection for yourself from information carrying radio waves produced by cell phone towers, base stations, phones and WiFi stations.

10.Avoid frying or charbroiling your food. Boil, poach or steam your foods instead.

11.Have a tool to permanently reprogram the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique. German New Medicine is another powerful tool.

12.Eat at least one-third of your food raw.

Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/19/herb-triggers-cancer-cell

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Herbs & Plants

Bakuchi

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Botanical Name: Psoralea corylifolia
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Psoralea
Species:P.corylifolia
Kingdom:Plantae
Order: Fabales

syn. Cyamopsis psoralioides

Common name:
Babchi Seeds, Bavachi, Bavanchalu, Bavanchi Bavchi, Bhavanchi-vittulu, Bawachi, Bhavaj, Bobawachi, Bogi-vittulu, Hakuchi, Kantaka, Karpokarishi, Karu-bogi, Krishnaphala, Latakasturi, Somaraji, Sugandha kantak, Vabkuchi, Vakuchi,Babchi

Habitat: Bakuchi grows throughout the plains of central and east India. The black variety is commonly used  now a days.

Description:
Bakuchi is an evergreen small plant. It grows from 4 and 9 metres. They may live to one hundred years of age. The plant is variable in habit, usually upright to sprawling, and may intertwine with other species. The plant parasitises the roots of other tree species, with a haustorium adaptation on its own roots, but without major detriment to its hosts. An individual will form a non-obligate relationship with a number of other plants. Up to 300 species (including its own) can host the tree’s development – supplying macronutrients phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, and shade – especially during early phases of development…Click & see

It may propagate itself through wood suckering during its early development, establishing small stands. The reddish or brown bark can be almost black and is smooth in young trees, becoming cracked with a red reveal. The heartwood is pale green to white as the common name indicates. The leaves are thin, opposite and ovate to lanceolate in shape. Glabrous surface is shiny and bright green, with a glaucous pale reverse. Fruit is produced after three years, viable seeds after five. These seeds are distributed by birds.
Cultivation :
The psoralea herb grows and thrives well in any average garden top soil. The plant however, prefers a well-drained soil and enough of sunlight. The psoralea plants are very sensitive in the sense that they cannot endure any disturbance of the root and hence it is advisable while the plants are still small they should be planted outdoors in their stable place. The psoralea enjoys a symbiotic or ‘give-and-take’ rapport with specific bacteria in the soil. These bacteria form lumps on the psoralea roots and attach the much need nitrogen for the plant from the atmosphere on the roots. The amount of nitrogen deposits in the nodules formed by the bacteria are so abundant that while the psoralea plants can utilize some of it, the remaining nitrogen can be used by plants growing in the vicinity.

Propagation:
The psoralea plant is propagated through seeds. The best season to grow the plant is from early to middle of spring. For effective propagation of this variety of climbing beans, soak the seeds in warm water for approximately 24 hours and then sow them early in a greenhouse. It is always better to sow the seeds in separate pots or containers as this will not require any relocation of the plant. Alternatively, the seeds may be sowed in one large pot and the seedlings removed as early as possible, as the psoralea plant cannot tolerate any root disturbance. Continue to grow them in the pots till they are suitable for planting in their permanent place in the outdoors. It may be remembered that it is virtually not possible to transplant this variety of the beans species without afflicting some damage to their roots. The psoralea plant requires a division during the spring. Utmost care should be adopted while undertaking the division process as the plant is averse to any kind of annoyance to its roots. Again, it must be mentioned here that it is almost unfeasible to do the division of the plant with 100 per cent success as there is bound to be some damage to the roots.

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Medicinal Uses:

Parts Used: Seeds
P. corylifolia contains a number of chemical compounds including flavonoids (neobavaisoflavone, isobavachalcone, bavachalcone, bavachinin, bavachin, corylin, corylifol, corylifolin and 6-prenylnaringenin), coumarins (psoralidin, psoralen, isopsoralen and angelicin) and meroterpenes (bakuchiol and 3-hydroxybakuchiol).

Very high concentrations genistein have been found in the leaves of Psoralea corylifolia.
The chief active principle of the seeds is an essential oil; and a fixed oil, a resin, and traces of a substance of alkaloidal nature.

P. corylifolia L., or Bu Gu Zhi in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an herb used to tonify the kidneys, particularly kidney yang and essence. It is used for helping the healing of bone fractures, for lower back and knee pain, impotence, bed wetting, hair loss, and vitiligo.

 

Remedies For:
Aromatic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, stimulant, aphrodisiac

Action & Uses in Ayurveda & Siddha:
Mathura tikta rasam, katu-vipakam, seetha veeryam, kapha-haram, rasayanam, ruksham, hrithyam, in meham, kushtam, jwaram, krimi, rakta-pittam.

Action & Uses in Unani:
Skin conditions, particularly leucoderma, anti-souda, balghami, fevers, anthelmintic, sedative for internal ulcers.

Dosage:
Five grams powder twice daily before meals with some coriander and honey (to taste); as an external paste.

Properties and Uses: Very powerful herb for variety of problems, such as: skin discoloration, veiling, baldness, conditions involving bilious affections, leprosy, leucoderma, antifungal and antiprotozoal, antitumor, enuresis, impotence, and frequent urination, improves hair and nails condition; tones liver, spleen, and pancreas;
it helps to overcome impotency,
frequent or involuntary urine. Have been used in India, China and Tibet both externally and internally.

A Top Herb for Leprosy, Skin Conditions

This herb has been considered by Ayurveda doctors to be so effective in the treatment of leprosy that it was given the name of ‘Kushtanashini’ (leprosy destroyers).

The powder from the seed is used to treat leprosy and leucoderma internally. It is also applied in the form of paste or ointment externally.

The unsaponified oil has been used with success in case of leucoderma and psoriasis.

It was shown to improve the color of skin (including removing white spots), hair, and nails. For instance, t

An ointment made by combining one part of an alcoholic extract of the seeds with two parts of chaulmugra oil and two parts of lanoline has been found to be effective in treating leucoderma, white leprosy, psoriasis, and other inflammatory skin diseases and febrile conditions. The oil can be used both internally or as a simple ointment externally. Gently rub the oil once or twice daily. The proportion of the active ingredients may be increased if needed.

The herb is also prescribed for
Seeds are also used to make a perfumed oil. They are also used for scorpion sting, and snake-bite.

Safety Precautions: May increase Pitta when taken alone; do not take with low body fluids; do not use with licorice root.

The essential oil varies enormously in its effects on different persons. With the majority (95 per cent) of people, it causes only redness of the leucodermal patches. But in a small number (5 per cent) there is extreme sensitiveness to the oil. It may even cause blistering of the skin. The strength of the oil should therefore be varied in such a way as not to allow its action to go beyond the state of redness of the leucodermic patches.

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.

Source:Hollastic online.com and weight-care.com

http://www.allayurveda.com/bakuchi-herb.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoralea_corylifolia

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