Herbs and Herbal Supplements

[Chacmool]

Thanks Racoon! Very useful and interesting info! I'm hoping to start growing some herbs soon, and thyme is definitely on my list.

[Michaelangelica]

In the days of chivalry, ladies embroidered a symbolic sprig of thyme and a honey bee on their scarves, which they gave as "favors" to the bravest knights. I just get the feeling that it was a symbol of something else too!

I mainly use lemon thyme. It is a great tea for sore throats and goes with most things.

I once had a delicious chicken in an Italian restaurant BBQ'd on a huge bunch of thyme. Never been game to use that much myself.

The pharmocognosist James Duke has a rhyme about thyme where he compares it to cough medicine. !

Thyme is supposed to be especially good to help bring up phelm. Thymol is in many commercial cough medicines.

Thyme honey collected by bees from Thyme flowers is delicious. it is a Greek specialty although I have tasted an Australian version.

Sissinhurst Castle in Kent UK, has a wonderful Thyme carpet made up of matting thymes -quite a picture in Summer.
But it when I tried it it was a bugger to weed.

[Ganoderma]

Stevia rebaudiana. i honestly never gave it a second thought, but hen i tried it in some tea. long story short i don't use sugar anymore, and i grow stevia love this plant!

Stevia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"
A 1985 study reported that steviol, a breakdown product from stevioside and rebaudioside (two of the sweet steviol glycosides in the stevia leaf) is a mutagen in the presence of a liver extract of pre-treated rats[7] — but this finding has been criticized on procedural grounds that the data were mishandled in such a way that even distilled water would appear mutagenic.[8] More recent animal tests have shown mixed results in terms of toxicology and adverse effects of stevia extract, with some tests finding steviol to be a weak mutagen[9] while others find no safety issues.[10] Although more recent studies appear to establish the safety of stevia, government agencies have expressed concerns over toxicity, citing a lack of sufficient conclusive research.[11][12]
"

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

Stevia rebaudiana. i honestly never gave it a second thought, but hen i tried it in some tea. long story short i don't use sugar anymore, and i grow stevia love this plant!
"

I have grown it for a few years.
Seems the only "sweetener " with medicinal properties.
(It is the only 'legal' sweetener in Japan apart from sugar!)

This year it was overtaken by Amaranth and did not come up
I have weeded all the amaranth and see a couple of promising shoots.
it seems to be a herbaceous perennial here.

I really have not used it much so would appreciate some suggestions

Some people say it has a licorice aftertaste but I have not found that. perhaps they are confusing it wit 'Aztec Sweet Herb'

[Chacmool]

This is such a great thread! Thanks to all the contributors so far. I think I need to take some time out and re-read the entire thread so that I can review the useful info and tips.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can use herbs to combat ants? I'm not keen on using chemicals because they harm the environment, I don't want to expose my cats to dangerous pesticides and chemicals cause me to have migraines.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Chacmool

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can use herbs to combat ants?

Ants hate Peppermint Essential Oil.
Just spread a few drops around where they come in and they will go away

I like to see ants come into the house. It often means rain is coming.

[Chacmool]

Thanks! I'll give the peppermint essential oil a go. Hopefully that will get rid of the uninvited house guests.

[Ganoderma]

i love stevia in tea....it is great in mint teas!!! i dont think it has a licorice aftertaste but a similar feeling in the mouth/throught. not sure how to explain it, but your right it tastes way different.

ants? Nicotine will kill them real fast. I used to grow Nicotiana rustica for bug control in my garden. it works but it is really spot treatment. i have also heard they dont like garlic, and cayennne peppers but never tried it.

Interesting you mentioned mint. i have a lot of chocolate mint growing out back. i planted some where fire ants are taking hold as they seem to prefer drier areas (mint keeps the dirt wet). anyway they did relocate abotu 1 meter away. but that does not get rid of them, just spreads them Nicotine KILLS everything, great insecticide. In fact, it is used as one commercially.

[Chacmool]

Thanks for the info, Ganoderma!

[Michaelangelica]

"Sweet Annie" (Artemisia annua) is a plant grown in China for thousands of years to treat maleria. it belongs to the wormwood family traditionally used against worms. I suppose the malaria parasite is a bit worm like?!
With other malaria drugs becoming useless "Sweet Annie" is being grown and used to fill the breach.
Artemesias are usually grey-silver leaved plants that almost 'glow' in the dark. They are therefore under the dominion of the moon goddess (Sometimes used in "Night Gardens" full of plants that are only fragrant at night etc)
although Artemesias like it sunny, hot and dry.

WHO publishes guidelines on cultivating essential plant used in anti-malaria medicines [Mar 16 07 Geneva Switzerland]--The World Health Organization (WHO) today publishes guidelines for the cultivation and collection of Artemisia annua L, a Chinese traditional medicinal plant which is the source of artemisinin, used to produce the most effective medicines for malaria.
The guidelines will contribute to improving the quality of Artemisia annua L to further develop artemisinin-based medicines, and help ensure a sustainable supply to meet market demand.

Artemisia annua L, used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries, is today considered part of the solution where malaria has become resistant to other medicines. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been recommended by WHO since 2001 in all countries where falciparum malaria - the most resistant form of the disease - is endemic.

Since then, the world market for products containing artemisinin derivatives has grown rapidly.
However, not all artemisinin meets the required standards to produce quality medicines, making it all the more urgent to promote best practices in the cultivation and collection of the raw material used to make the combination therapy.

About 40% of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria which is resistant to other medicines. Of the 76 countries needing artemisinin-based treatment today, 69 have adopted the WHO recommendation to use this therapy.

The availability of these treatments still falls short of what is needed. Of an estimated 600 million people needing ACTs worldwide, only about 82 million are receiving the treatment through public sector distribution systems (which constitute 90% of antimalarial distribution in developing countries).

The "WHO monograph on good agricultural and collection practices for Artemisia annua L." provides a detailed description of the cultivation and collection techniques and measures required for a harvest to meet quality requirements.
The information is based on research data and the practical experience of several countries where successful cultivation practices have led to a high yield of good quality Artemisia annua L.

As with most medicinal herbs, artemisinin's contents and efficacy are subject to climatic, geographical and environmental conditions.
Not all Artemisia annua plants necessarily contain artemisinin and in some places, depending on the quality of the soil and rainfall, the content may be very low and without industrial value. These factors make it necessary to run pilot tests of cultivation on small areas of land to ensure that the land selected is suitable for growing high-yield plants before large-scale cultivation begins.

Cultivation of Artemisia annua requires a minimum of 6 months and extraction, processing and manufacturing of the final product require at least 2–5 months depending on the product formulation. High temperatures during post-harvest handling can damage the quality of the plant.
After harvesting or collection, the artemisinin content of the leaves will gradually decrease. The value of the raw material for extraction can be lost after six to twelve months’ storage.

The authors of the guidelines caution governments on two fronts.
First, they must ensure that farmers work with manufacturers to determine the actual market demand for the plant. Recent experience in some countries has shown that overproduction not only wastes money and time, it can also have a negative effect on the plant's future yield.
Second, they must ensure the availability of the technical skills and know-how needed to extract artemisinin from dried leaves.

The WHO monograph also aims to provide a model for countries and researchers to develop further monographs on good agricultural and collection practices for other medicinal plants, and promote the sustainable use of the plant as part of the larger aim of protecting the wild resources of medicinal plants.

Recent estimates of the global malaria burden have shown increasing levels of illness and death caused by malaria, reflecting the deterioration of the malaria situation in Africa during the 1990s. About 90% of all deaths from malaria occur in Africa, in the areas south of the Sahara, and the great majority of these are in children under the age of five.

Key among the factors contributing to increasing malaria mortality and morbidity is the widespread resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to conventional antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine, sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine and amodiaquine. The rising tide of counterfeit and substandard malaria medicines in parts of Africa and Asia contributes to the problem of resistance. Multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is also widely prevalent in south-east Asia and South America.

Google Groups