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Medicinal herbFAQ Part 1/7 |
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Archive-name: medicinal-herbs/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th)
Last-modified: 25Apr03
Version: 1.38j
URL: http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-cont.html
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Contents
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All you ever wanted to know - and ask on a newsgroup - more often than once
a month - about medicinal herbs. A FAQ for alt.folklore.herbs and the
medicinal herblist. Version 1.38g.
Contents
* 1 Introduction
o 1.1 Contributors
o 1.2 Wishlist
* 2 Single herbs
o 2.1 Valeriana
+ 2.1.1 Valium is not derived from Valerian
o 2.2 Yohimbe
+ 2.2.1 Yohimbe is a MAO inhibitor, yohimbine isn't
o 2.3 Absinthe FAQ pointer
+ 2.3.1 More on Absinthe
o 2.4 St. John's Wort (Hypericum)
+ 2.4.1 SJW and photosensitivity
+ 2.4.2 SJW and MAO inhibition
+ 2.4.3 About standardized hypericin content in SJW
o 2.5 Ginseng
o 2.6 Stevia Leaf - Too Good To Be Legal?
+ 2.6.1 Changed legal status of Stevia Leaf
o 2.7 Poison Ivy / Oak / Sumac
+ 2.7.1 How to recognize PI/PS/PO
+ 2.7.2 How to avoid the rash
+ 2.7.3 Why does it give you a rash? / Spreading the oil about
+ 2.7.4 What helps
+ 2.7.5 Jewelweed, Impatiens
+ 2.7.6 How to get rid of poison ivy in your yard
o 2.8 Echinacea
+ 2.8.1 Using Echinacea
+ 2.8.2 Echinacea - poaching and extinction
o 2.9 Feverfew and migraine
o 2.10 Kava kava
o 2.11 Pau d'arco - updated 25Apr04
o 2.12 Wild yam and contraception
+ 2.12.1 Edible vs. true yam
+ 2.12.2 Wild yam cream and natural progesterone
o 2.13 Red raspberry and pregnancy
o 2.14 Green tea and caffeine
o 2.15 Comfrey hepatotoxicity
+ 2.15.1 Hepatotoxicity update
o 2.16 Pennyroyal
o 2.17 Cat's Claw
o 2.18 Golden Seal appeal - and Goldthread too
o 2.19 Ma Huang or Ephedra sinensis
o 2.20 Skullcap and Teucrium adulteration
o 2.21 Mellow mallows
o 2.22 Not an herb, but: Melatonin
* 3 Herbs for specific things
o 3.1 Herbs for mosquitoes and other bothersome bugs
+ 3.1.1 Repelling them
+ 3.1.2 And now you're bitten...
o 3.2 Herbs for migraines
o 3.3 Herbs for vivid dreams
o 3.4 Herbs and weight loss
o 3.5 Herbs to make you sleep
+ 3.5.1 Insomnia therapeutics
o 3.6 Aphrodisiacs
o 3.7 Herbal Abortives and Birth Control
+ 3.7.1 Herbal Abortives and Common Sense
o 3.8 Herbs and female infertility
o 3.9 Herbs, ADD, and replacing Ritalin
o 3.10 Herbs for Sunburn
o 3.11 The gall bladder flush
o 3.12 Herbs for cough
o 3.13 Herbs for constipation
* 4 Processing herbs
o 4.1 Making essential oil
o 4.2 Pointer to the How-to of Tinctures
o 4.3 Herbal oils
o 4.4 Balms and liniments
* 5 General Info
o 5.1 Introduction to side effects, safety and toxicity of
medicinal herbs
+ 5.1.1 Medicinal plant actions cannot be reduced to the
effects of their isolated 'active constituents'
+ 5.1.2 Medicinal herbs act 'multi-systemically'
+ 5.1.3 Herbs act on the healing processes in the body
+ 5.1.4 Herbs act multi-dimensionally
+ 5.1.5 Side effects vs. contraindications
+ 5.1.6 Safety and toxicity of herbal medicines
+ 5.1.7 Pregnancy
+ 5.1.8 Understanding toxicity research - politics and
ideology
+ 5.1.9 Further reading
o 5.2 Wildcrafting Ethics and similar things
+ 5.2.1 Wildcrafting checklist
+ 5.2.2 How do I find out about endangered plants (in the
USA)?
+ 5.2.3 What plants shouldn't I pick?
+ 5.2.4 United Plant Savers
o 5.3 Different schools of Herbal Healing
+ 5.3.1 Traditions in Western Herbal Medicine
+ 5.3.2 Ayurveda - an introduction
+ 5.3.3 Pointers to homeopathy sites etc.
+ 5.3.4 What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
+ 5.3.5 Flower essences
+ 5.3.6 Aromatherapy intro
o 5.4 The Ames Test
o 5.5 Trying out the placebo effect
o 5.6 How to find an herbalist / ND
o 5.7 Politics and herbal medicine
* 6 Information Sources
o 6.1 Good books on herbal medicine
+ 6.1.1 Good books to get started with
+ 6.1.2 Specialty books: women's herbals, men's herbals etc.
+ 6.1.2.1 Going for broke (and I wish you luck)
+ 6.1.3 In-depth books, by organ system
+ 6.1.4 Chinese herbs, or TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
o 6.2 Good books for further studies
o 6.3 Good periodicals
+ 6.3.1 For enthusiasts (emphasis on color pictures)
+ 6.3.2 For professional herbalists (emphasis on case studies)
+ 6.3.3 For universities (emphasis on scientific studies)
o 6.4 Online commercial databases
+ 6.4.1 Napralert
+ 6.4.2 Medline
+ 6.4.3 Ingenta
+ 6.4.4 IBIDS
o 6.5 Herb programs
+ 6.5.3 Demo or shareware herb programs
+ 6.5.4 Commercial herb programs
o 6.6 Other online information sources
+ 6.6.1 FTP
+ 6.6.2 WWW
o 6.7 Pointers to related documents
+ 6.7.1 Plants by Mail FAQ pointer
+ 6.7.2 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome WWW page pointer
+ 6.7.3 Hint for Kombucha posters
+ 6.7.4 Hint for Essiac posters
+ 6.7.5 Thinking of growing herbs for sale?
+ 6.7.6 Saw Palmetto and Prostata problems: Newsgroup/FAQ
pointer
+ 6.7.7 Natural high FAQ pointer
+ 6.7.8 Natural vision FAQ pointer
+ 6.7.9 Smoking herbs document pointer
+ 6.7.10 Pointer to herbal-medical glossary
+ 6.7.11 Menopausal discomforts
* 7 Schools etc.
o 7.1 Some hands-on schools I know of in the US
o 7.2 Some hands-on schools in Canada
o 7.3 Some correspondence courses I know of in the US
o 7.4 Some schools and correspondence courses elsewhere
o 7.5 About correspondence schools, and licensing of herbalists
o 7.6 Accreditation of ND schools and ND licensing in the US
* 8 Related forums
o 8.1 Mailing lists (= email)
+ 8.1.1 The Medicinal Herblist
+ 8.1.2 The Aromatherapy List
+ 8.1.3 The Kombucha List
+ 8.1.4 The Paracelsus List
+ 8.1.5 The Homeopathy List
+ 8.1.7 The Culinary Herblist
+ 8.1.9 The Wellpet List
+ 8.1.10 The Holisticat List
+ 8.1.12 The Apothecary List
+ 8.1.13 The HolisticBird List
+ 8.1.14 The Toiletries List
+ 8.1.16 The Aboutherbs List
+ 8.1.17 The UK Herbal List
+ 8.1.18 The Herbgardening List
+ 8.1.19 The Forageahead List
+ 8.1.20 The HolisticPet List
o 8.2 Newsgroups
o 8.4 Newsgroup (and mailing list) netiquette
o 8.5 Dealing with spam and trolls
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1 Introduction
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Hi all,
This is the (umpth + n) edition of the FAQ / Resource list. (I've lost
track).
Feel free to send additions, corrections and comments.
hetta . spamcop.net (no blanks)
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1.1 Contributors
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FAQ Keeper: Henriette Kress, hetta . spamcop.net (no blanks)
Contributors so far (listed alphabetically): ; )
Aine Maclir, Al Czap, Alex Standefer, amethyst, Andy + Sharon, Anita Hales
, August West, bahwi.technologist.com, Barbara Heller, Callie, Carolyn
Mohney, Cathy Weigl, Christopher Hedley, Clarke Hoover, Colette Gardiner,
Coyote Osborne, Craige Roberts, Dale Kemery, David Powner, Dennis
McClain-Furmanski, Dorene Petersen, Duane Weed, Elizabeth Perdomo,
Elizabeth Toews, Eric Yarnell, Eugenia Provence, George M. Carter, Gerry
Creager, Gloria Mercado-Martin, Howie Brounstein, Jack Campin, James Mally,
N.D., Jim Bardon, J. Mark Taylor, Jonathan Treasure, Julia Moravcsik,
JunieWrite.aol.com, Kathjokl, Kay Klier, Kenneth R. Robertson, Kevin Jones,
Kris Gammon, Lawrence London, Lupo LeBoucher, Marcia Elston, Mark D. Gold,
Mary Jo Gilsdorf, Maven, Michael Moore, Michael M. Zanoni, Miriam Kresh,
Noel Gilmore, Patricia Harper, Paul Bergner, Paul Iannone, Penny, Peggy
Wilbur, Peter&Janine, Peter Gail, Peter L. Schuerman, P. Mick Richardson,
Rene Burrough, Rob McCaleb, Robert Gault, Robert Hensley, Robyn Klein, Ron
Rushing, Roy Collins, Roy Upton, Rusty Taylor, Samson, Sara Klein Ridgley,
PhD, Satin, Shannon Brophy, Sharon Rust, skeevers.netcom.com, Stuart
Cullen, Suzanne E. Sky, Thimbleberry, Thomas Mueller, Tim Birdsall, Tim
Keenan, Todd Caldecott, vicki, urban shaman
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1.2 Wishlist
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Actually there isn't much important stuff missing anymore. The following
topics are currently up for grabs:
Wanted for chapter 2 (Single herbs):
* Ginkgo
Wanted for chapter 3 (Herbs for specific things):
* Herbs for flu
Wanted in addition:
* Anything else you see posted every so often, but that I haven't
included in the FAQ or on the wishlist.
If you wish to contribute send me a short note; I'll keep track of who
promised to do what, and if you can't find the time to put something
together in two months your topic will be up for grabs again.
Your contribution can be as long as you wish to make it; but it should be
GOOD (like all the entries in this FAQ - thanks, folks).
Also, if you really know what you are talking about I'd like to hear your
comments on any entry in this FAQ.
(Strange - all I ever get is 'Good Show. Keep it up.', but no-one ever
tells me if they found any errors.)
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2 Single Herbs
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2.1 Valeriana
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Also see 3.5, Herbs to make you sleep.
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> Valeriana - uses? pros? cons? safety? dosage?
From Todd Caldecott (toddius.netidea.com):
Valerian is an excellent herb to use, in combination with other herbs, or
used alone. The active constituents are the volatile oil
(isovalerianic/enic acid) and valepotriates. Valerian depresses the central
nervous system, similar to GABA (which occurs naturally in the brain and
inhibits nerve impulse transmission.) There are no cons to taking valerian
other than if you use it other than in a capsule it can smell up your house
as a tea. Or if you have cats they may rub up and down your leg (they like
it, similar to catnip) while you are drinking you tea, causing you to
stumble and fall, spilling hot liquid all over yourself. For Valerian to be
effective you must take it in sufficient quantities to work e.g. 1-2 tsp.
of the tincture (alcohol extract) before bed, or 6-10 capsules of the dried
plant. Onset is typically 1 hour. You may awaken a little muddleheaded,
which is quickly relieved as soon as you move about. For a daily dose, 5 ml
(1 tsp.) of the tincture 3 times a day between meals is the standard dose.
About 20% of the population respond to Valerian as a stimulant, so if you
take it and have insomnia or buzzed out, try hops, chamomile,
passionflower, skullcap or Avena, which are all excellent herbs to relieve
stress, anxiety and insomnia.
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2.1.1 Valium is not derived from Valerian
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>Valerian is the parent of Valium isn't it?
From Michael Moore (hrbmoore.rt66.com):
There is absolutely NO connection between Valerian and Valium...believe
me...just an accident of circumstance...Valeriana is a classic Roman Latin
reference...Valium is an invented trade name...a copycat name from a
pharmaceutical manufacturer to aid in making a conscious or unconscious
connection with "Librium", a successful tranq whose market Valium was
originally aimed at.
Valerian HAS had some anecdotal use for ADD...the only problem is that
extended use of enough Valerian to have value has ALSO brought about
emotional lability in some folks. Using herbs as drug substitutes has
value, but with Valerian having SO many different physiologic effects
(depressant for CNS, stimulant to gastric, pulmonary and cardiovascular
functions) it is a botanical that is best used within a constitutional
framework...i.e. evaluating the PERSON metabolically to find out if the
profile of effects from Valerian is complementary or antagonistic.
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From Colette Gardiner coletteg.efn.org:
Re the name Valium and its relation to the name Librium. For some weird
reason I actually remember reading an article in the newspaper on the new
drug Valium. There was a quote from the inventor basically saying he had
been trying to invent something similar to Librium only better. He went on
for a paragraph or so about comparing the various sensations and effects,
and concluded that yes Valium was "nicer".
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2.2 Yohimbe
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From _urban shaman_, reached over Carras.aol.com:
If people wanted to obtain a legal hyperalert sexually aroused state, they
might find some yohimbe (Corynanthe yohimbe, Pausinystalia yohimbe) and
brew it up by simmering a quart of water with 1 gm of ascorbic acid to 5 gm
yohimbe until there's only 50% of the original water volume left. Add a lot
of sugar afterward. Mixes synergistically with sassafras and Pau d'arco if
you're adventurous and would like to cure your ills and get a hard-on at
the same time. However, most people who have tried yohimbe have been
disappointed. They didn't know you need to brew it 20 to 30 minutes at
approx. 200x with an organic acid to release the alkaloid components.
The active alkaloid, yohimbine bitartrate, is the component of the only
allopathic medicines known to cause erection in impotent males and
approaches the concept of an aphrodisiac. Yohimbine bitartrate particularly
affects nerves and changes blood flow regulators in the genital area. The
medical texts never mention that it does the same thing to women, showing a
typical disregard for female erection.
In the best case scenario this decoction will cause many users to get a
melting spinal sensation and extreme epidermal sensitivity with high
interpersonal perception and melding. It can be extremely sexually
arousing...or at least all the signs and signals are there...
And the worst case scenario for yohimbe? - well, you have to remember
ethnographic reports documenting cases of some African tribes drinking it
in copious quantities in pre-raid rituals to suppress fear and jack up
physical aggressiveness. After getting to the point where they were
bouncing up and down so much they looked like a mosh pit full of spears,
they'd run 10 miles over to the next village and kill off most of the
neighboring tribe, stopping only to rape the dogs, cattle, women, children,
surviving males, dead bodies, water jugs and tree holes before running back
home. I'm not sure this is something we need downtown on Friday night.
Yohimbe Caution: it will keep both partners up all night. In the male of
the species this becomes really inconvenient and irritating as after a few
hours an erection becomes more of a liability than an asset - especially as
this aspect continues long past the point - as long as 8 hours - where
you'd like to go to sleep and there's this turgid log attached to you that
won't go away and is just beginning to ache.
Note on the Caution: A warm bath can help with the log-on problem, as can
gentle massage. However this should be avoided for at least four hours
after ingestion because of the effect of raised body temperature on
metabolism of the alkaloid - i.e., heat could intensify the stimulant
effects.
Females are not exempt from this - it has the same effect on them, although
it is easier to sleep on.
A possible downside of this erectile effect in high doses is the danger of
blood vessel damage and gangrene in the penis resulting from the localized
poor circulation condition known as penile erection.
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More from _urban shaman_ on the subject:
There are a number of caveats re yohimbe - it shouldn't be taken with MAO
inhibitors or by persons with high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, or a
history of mental disturbance, especially including bipolar disorder.
A good dose prepared using methods as I described can have profound
psychological effects - enough so that 'set' and 'setting' can become
issues if the concentration/quantity is sufficient. This condition can
easily be entered into by simply acquiring relatively recently
gathered/dried/imported specimens of the herb and using enough of it.
Botanicals are very wiggly in the potency dept. - a primary breakdown in
the process occurs when practitioners have never seen a 'good' specimen of
the herb in question. There are no low cost analytical methods for
determining the active compound density of herbal materials gathered in the
wild. It totally depends on recognition by experts - and sometimes even the
best of them may have to compromise, as there just may not be any high
quality material to be had.
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Still more from _urban shaman_ on the subject:
The "approved" alkaloid is yohimbine hydrochloride. Herbal Yohimbe extracts
are sold by a number of health food companies including I believe Michaels
and Herb Pharm. Yohimbe bark and powder may be available from "...of the
Jungle" in Sebastopol CA. Please remember, if you're considering making
extracts - Yohimbe is strongly synergized by alcohol. It is also easily
extracted in alcohol/water - but the alcohol should be evaporated off after
extraction unless you're looking for a real wow-wow effect. There could be
high blood pressure complications from ingesting strong concentrations of
Yohimbe. Dayton Laboratories sells the prescription preparation Dayto
Himbin in tablet and liquid form. The tablets contain about 5.5 mg
hydrochloride. The liquid contains phenylalanine as well and should be used
with caution. Total daily doses run on average between 20-30 mg of the
hydrochloride.
The medical action is to increase penile blood inflow and decrease penile
blood outflow. The action is cited as having an erectile function without
increase in libido. I have not taken the hydrochloride so don't speak from
direct experience.
Although the caveats state that Yohimbine exerts no cardiac stimulation, it
is later noted that Yohimbine is an unpredictable CNS stimulant and may
cause elevated blood pressure and cardiac rates.
From this information I hazard we are to take it that in the same manner
that yohimbine causes erections without raising libido, it also causes
cardiac rate increase without stimulating the heart? (I love the guys who
write this hype - they're so wise)
Buried deep in the caveats for the Dayto Himbin product is language saying
you should not give this to people with a history of mental instability,
and that it causes recipients to express a range of curious behaviors at
doses lower than those required to cause erection - among which are
tremors, irritation, dizziness, flushing (note that niacin causes a body
flush at sites almost identical to those of a sexual flush).
Horse breeders administer large doses of niacin to both parties of a horse
breeding "to get them in the mood". I would not suggest, however, that
taking niacin along with yohimbe would have a parallel effect. If you don't
know what a "sexual flush" is - take 200 mg of niacin and stand naked in
front of a 3 panel mirror and watch your face, neck, "loins", and chest.
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From Henriette:
If you have problems keeping it up, or are too dry, you might want to start
with these:
* reduce your stress
* sleep enough and regularly
* change your contraceptive pills (if applicable)
* check your medication(s) for side effects (there's often surprises in
the fine print)
* eat your vitamins
* if your partner's idea of foreplay is "Brace yerself, Sheila!" then
you might benefit from some helpful books, imaginative games, or even
from some softporn magazines.
If all that is OK, there are some herbs which remedy imbalances or work as
aphrodisiacs, that aren't as quirky as yohimbe:
Try muira puama (Ptychopetalum), cotton root bark (Gossypium), or damiana
(Turnera).
A nice wine will relax both partners - after you've tried and had problems
there's psychological barriers, too, so you do need to relax. A romantic
circumstance usually helps, too.
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2.2.1 Yohimbe is a MAO inhibitor, yohimbine isn't
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From Michael Moore:
The alkaloid yohimbine is NOT an MAO inhibitor. The herb yohimbe IS.
The whole plant is potentially so evil and insidious BECAUSE it's complex
chemistry contains both adrenergics AND cholinergics...with effects that
substantially mimic both sympathetic adrenergic, sympathetic cholinergic
AND parasympathetic neuroreceptors all at the same time. It contains both
yohimbine alkaloid groups (stimulating and hypertensive) and several potent
reserpinoid (Rauwolfia) alkaloids (tranquilizing and hypotensive) ...a
warlock's brew.
Consistent use will, because of it's wildly opposite effects, find and
widen metabolic chinks in almost ANYBODY.
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2.3 Absinthe FAQ pointer
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If you really are serious about absinthe go get the FAQ from
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/absinthe/absinthe_faq.shtml
I put this on top of the absinthe entry of this FAQ long ago: "Be warned -
thujone IS dangerous, no matter what that FAQ says."
This sparked some debate, which follows.
But first, the La Fee Verte folks have made a very good absinthe FAQ:
http://www.feeverte.net/faq.html - they also debunk the thujone danger.
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2.3.1 More on Absinthe
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Dale Kemery wrote
>I've been puzzled by absinthe for a long time. My recent reading has only
intensified my curiosity. Is/was absinthe a true psychedelic beverage? Or
what were/are its effects? For a long time I relied on the traditional
reports about absinthe turning the brain to mush.
>However, considering the hysterical disinformation campaign of Howard
Anslinger aimed against marijuana, I've become very suspicious of any
official strictures. What *is* the story about wormwood/absinthe?
>Where can I learn more?
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From christopher.gn.apc.org (Christopher Hedley):
This is from R.F.Weiss, Herbal Medicine. Weiss was an MD who taught herbal
medicine in medical schools in Germany, so I suppose he counts as fairly
impartial and reliable:
"The plant contains 0.25-0.5% of a volatile oil the main
constituent of which is thujone as well as bitters. The bitter
action predominates. Wormwood is a typical aromatic bitter. The
volatile oil is remarkably effective against worms. It is however
toxic, whilst the bitter principle is largely non-toxic. Absinthe
is made with wormwood oil, but in Germany its manufacture has
been banned since 1923. The usual wormwood preparations contain
so little of the oil that there is no risk of toxic effect. In
some Mediterranean countries, where absinthe is consumed in large
quantities, the seriously damaging effects on the central nervous
system which have given the plant its bad name may develop and
even lead to seizures. This shows that wormwood also has central
stimulant properties that are no doubt of benefit in the small
quantities normally used.
Wormwood herb, for tea, 1 teaspoon to a glass of boiling water,
leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
Wormwood tincture. 10-20-30 drops three times daily in water."
Comment; so the story is the same one as coffee, i.e. abuse/overuse of a
perfectly good and useful herb.
Wormwood is Artemisia absinthium, it is used a lot in aperitif wines and
spirits in Europe, but only in small amounts or it dominates the taste.
It is mostly used for intestinal parasites, 'weak digestion', liver and
gall bladder troubles and as an emmenagogue. I always recommend it as a
prophylactic for folk traveling to hot countries, 15 drops of tincture
three times daily usually does the trick. The American spp of Artemisia,
incl. sagebrush and mugwort, have pretty much the same properties.
- No Artemisias should be taken during pregnancy.
I trust this is useful info. Christopher Hedley
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From Howie Brounstein :
>>Be warned - thujone IS dangerous, no matter what that FAQ says.
The reason this line is attached to the Absinthe Pointer is because the
Absinthe FAQ is slanted.
Most sources say that long term use of Absinthe is dangerous and
debilitating. I was under the impression that many people became addicted
to it and suffered mental and physical deterioration, thus it became
outlawed. I would stress that this is long term use. Wormwood, Artemisia
absinthium is pretty nasty stuff, you would have to drink a lot of tea to
feel its narcotic like effects, but by then you'd be retching from its foul
taste. Of course, you could try to hide the flavor with other stuff ...
thus Absinthe.
Personally, I don't like it, don't feel its worth the havoc on your body
for the effect. I like the smell of it, and would keep it around for that.
The Absinthe FAQ, however, takes the point that it may be harmless, that
the debility was caused by alcohol addiction, or Absinthe impurities, and a
marihuana - like political scare tactics. I am not sure what to make of it,
but the warning does remain that thujone is dangerous when taken in large
enough quantities, and that the Absinthe of history did hurt a generation
of people no matter what the specifics.
>If thujone is so dangerous, what are we to make of it as the primary
constituent of Artemisia? Are we endangering ourselves whenever we inhale
it?
Firstly, the chemistries of Artemisia absinthium and Mugwort, Artemisia
vulgaris or douglasiana are different. Some of the contraindications are
different; the uses are different; their histories are different. Also, it
may be a bit premature to say that one chemical, thujone, is THE active
ingredient in either. That would be a bit too reductionist for my tastes.
We can't even assume that because a plant contains some small amount of a
poison, that the plant is poisonous, or we'd have to give up onions,
spinach, mustard. The difference between food and poison is often dosage;
the difference between poison and medicine is dosage. So let's focus on
thujone. A brief list of plants containing thujone includes:
Salvia officinalis L. - Sage (Leaf)
Salvia triloba L. - Greek Sage (Plant)
Artemisia dracunculus L. - Tarragon (Shoot)
Mentha x rotundifolia (L.) HUDSON - Applemint (Leaf)
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium SCHRAD. - Slenderleaf Mountain Mint (Shoot)
Mentha pulegium L. - European Pennyroyal (Plant)
Thymus orospedanus H. del VILLAR - Orosped Thyme (Plant)
Achillea millefolium L. - Yarrow (Plant)
Capsicum frutescens L. - Cayenne (Fruit)
Carum carvi L. - Caraway (Fruit)
Glycyrrhiza glabra L. - Licorice (Root)
Juniperus sabina L. - Sabine (Plant)
Matricaria recutita L. - Annual Chamomile (Plant)
Mentha arvensis L. - Cornmint (Plant)
Sassafras albidum (NUTT.) NEES - Sassafras (Root)
Satureja hortensis L. - Summer Savory (Plant)
This list, and others like it is available free from the Phytochemical
databases - http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ .
So as you can see, many plants that are very safe (in normal dosages)
contain this chemical. So smell your Mugwort, drink Mugwort tea, smoke it,
smear the juice all over your body on a vision-dream quest, just don't
extract pure thujone from it and snort it.
>Someone on another list suggested smoking Artemisia because there's a
strong connection with marijuana --both affect the same (or similar)
receptors in the brain, and are apparently similar botanically (I don't
know what that means technically). Additionally, a book called *Absinthe,
History in a Bottle* by Barnaby Conrad III mentions thujone-enol's
structural similarity to THC.
Smoking Artemisias? Hmm, for me Mugwort is a flavor, used in small amounts
as not to be too overwhelming. Kind of mentholly. Or perhaps for it's
dreaming effects. But once again folks are implying a generalization: This
one constituent (or group of constituents) is shaped like THC, and perhaps
affects the same receptor sites as THC, so it must make you feel like you
smoked THC. Oops, flawed logic again. Just because the shape of two
molecules are similar doesn't mean that they have similar biological
effects.
They might, but its not guaranteed. My take on this: Ingesting Mugwort, or
any Artemisia I've tasted, does not make you feel like you've ingested
Marihuana.
So enjoy the smells, drown your concerns, and a happy, aromatic holiday
season to all you netters out there.
Howie Brounstein
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From Dale Kemery, DalePK.aol.com, to above:
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