"When we destroy a people's experience they become destructive" 
                                                                        -R. D. Laing

GLOBAL HERB

Click the first letter of the common name of the herb.  For example: If the herb you are looking for is burdock, click B below then select burdock from the index.  For a quicker route to the plant you seek go to Plant Index.

 A   B   C   D   E   F   G  H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V  W   X   Y   Z

Rice planting, China	Drinking water, Mexico

Data is Organized by Uses

1. Food
2. Medicine
3. Chemistry
4. Wildlife/Veterinarian
5. First-Aid

Bibliography:  Resources that are useful to own and read.

Go to: Jim's Favorite herbs

NATURAL HEALTH PRIMER

• Daily exercise, a two mile walk for example, to reduce stress, maintain muscle tone and improve circulation.  Strong muscles squeeze intercellular spaces improving circulation to distal parts of your body and the intercellular regions deep within tissue. Weight lifting three days per week protects you from injury, strengthens protection around vital organ systems and provides you with more energy and strength--an overall increase in vital capacity.  Include in your regimen:  push ups, pull ups, dumb bell weight lifting, dynamic tension (flexing muscles and taking them through their full range of motion) Always stretch and flex muscle groups before beginning strenuous exercises. 
  (See exercise prescription)

• Quality water, drink ample supplies of it plus "female plants"* and fruits. Pure water and water laden female plants and most fruit provide an efficient transport medium, electrolytes, antioxidants and minerals all necessary for optimum performance of the sodium/potassium pump at the cellular level. * Native American "female plants" recommended are cucumbers, squash, melons and pumpkin---plants that lay upon the earth and take their energy, water and electrolytes from the "Mother".

• Rest. When tired rest. Adequate sleep, at least 8 hours per day, is necessary for the body's cells to rejuvenate, regenerate and emotionally recover. Remember each cell is directly linked to each other and are in direct communication with the brain, you are a completely integrated whole that requires daily high quality resources for renewal and reconstruction.

• Eat whole plant foods.  Herbs and mineral rich wild foods selected and grown on live ground. Organic soil  are full of living creatures that impart gases, nutrients, minerals, trace and essential chemicals to food. Studies prove organic soils provide better mineral profiles in plant foods as compared to conventionally farm soils. (Rutgers Study compared organic grown vegetables with conventionally farmed vegetables of the same type and found organically grown varieties had greater mineral content.)

• Encourage regular and normal elimination of solid waste by consuming ample amounts of water and fiber: including beans, whole grains (whole oats oatmeal), fruit, vegetables and a morning cup of de-caffeinated coffee (It works for me). Soluble fiber binds bile lowering cholesterol in three ways. Fiber slows glucose absorption and gels fats. Soluble fiber is bulking and improves the health of your intestines.

• Be on guard for and temper your primal and emotional cravings for fat, sugar, excessive salt, and too much protein. Eat high fiber, low fat, low refined sugar snacks. Choose complex carbohydrates like whole grain cereals and whole grain bread and pasta. Eat quality protein, you may want to increase your protein consumption and lower your carbohydrate consumption; and increase your exercise until you achieve a desirable weight. Avoid trans-fatty-acids from margarine and hydrogenated oils.
  
• Eat your colors. Eat a large variety of foods of five different colors everyday to provide your body with ample nutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, phytochemicals (including carotenoids and bioflavonoids).

• PRACTICE LITTLE MEDICINE all the little things you must do to avoid BIG MEDICINE. Learn how to use herbs and wild plants for health protection. See Jim Meuninck's video Little Medicine.
 

Chemical Constituents of Plants

Be certain to visit the following website to get more detailed chemistry.  Agriculture Research Service and Dr. Duke's site on the chemical constituents of plants.

KEEP IN MIND A SINGLE PLANT MAY HAVE THOUSANDS OF UNIQUE CHEMICALS. IN ADDITION TO THIS RESOURCE, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING REFERENCES FOR MORE INFORMATION.

TOO MANY TROUBLES, TOO MANY CURES

What is the right dose for good health? Personally, I use very few herbs as medicine. I take a multiple vitamin daily and three (3) standardized Ginkgo tablets. That's it.  When stressed and feeling the onslaught of a cold I take a few milliliters of my home prepared Echinacea extraction three times a day for three to five days. I inherited an incredibly strong immune system. I keep it healthy and strong by exercising and eating wild plants, edible flowers, organic garden grown produce and quality water. When the stress of life and work bear down and give me a stomach ache I prepare Astragalus and Licorice rice. It does the job, quickly and effectively. So I practice a handful of Little Medicine ideas. What concerns me is Americans carrying around a bag full of phyto-pharmaceuticals. Many are looking for a cure in the form of a pill. The truth is cures typically require lifestyle changes. There are numerous barriers to cures. Please see our other database: Diet for Natural Health and discover how to break the barriers to good health and take charge of your own healthcare. Too much money is being misspent by naive and susceptible people who believe cures come quickly in the form of a pill or medicine. Many physicians, getting their feet wet for the first time, have little time to discover how to use natural products and natural remedies appropriately; they rely on information provided by wholesalers and retailers of the herbal pharmaceuticals.  Occasionally, this product producer information is as exaggerated and over inflated as our national debt. Natural health comes from doing things right: diet, exercise, lifestyle changes...It doesn't necessarily come overnight.  But I believe you can slow the aging process and have more vitality.   So instead of jumping from the latest cure-all to the next,  I suggest you feed your intellect.  Discover what is a good diet, discover what is missing from your exercise, start changing the course of your life.  Seek a professional health care practitioner  who will consider the whole mind/ body connection,  a knowledgeable  person who will help you find a healthy path: patiently, sensitively, and persistently.

WHAT'S THE RIGHT DOSE?

The dose on an over-the-counter phytopharmaceutical is typically less than the dose used in clinical trials. For example, fish oil capsules used to fight inflammation and heart disease suggest on the bottle that you take three (3) 1000mg capsules per day. Yet, the clinical trial literature show that upward of 12 to 14 grams of fish oil are used to get a therapeutic response. Ginkgo too in clinical trials is typically administered at 33% more of the standardized extract than is suggested on retail bottles in a drugstore. The science of herbal dosage is still evolving. If you make your own herbal preparations consider that the plant material varies, the quality of your procedures may vary, and the world goes round and round. Herbal preparations made at home are not standardized. So try using a very small amount and see if you get the described response. Trial and success will lead to you to the right amount of an extraction to use.   Use the dosage suggestions on the labels of commercial preparations as your guidelines.  Dosage recommendations are quantified from third party sources in the Physician's Laptop Reference.  Always seek guidance from your professional health care advisor.

I use herbs as food not medicine. I add appropriate, tasteful amounts to food. Where the described use is a tea or decoction (simmered or boiled in water) I use a tablespoon dried herb to a cup of water. I use about 3 or 4 times as much of the fresh herb to a cup. For potent herbs like cayenne, juniper berries and ginger use lesser amounts. This is intuitive cooking. People's needs and tastes will vary.

   Quick list of Phytopharmaceuticals I have had success with over the years.

MY FAVORITE PLANT BASED FOODS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WHAT THEY DO FOR ME:

Echinacea for acute infections, colds, flu...
Ginkgo for improved circulation to distal areas, and perhaps improved memory.
Astragalus for both acute and chronic disease conditions, and tone for the stomach.
Licorice for stomach problems and improved performance when used in combination with other herbs, improved immune system performance. 
Brown rice when cooked in Astragalus and licorice water for stress, stomach upset, ulcers (see physician before self-treatment).
Dandelions for there nutrient density and constant availability.
Stinging Nettles for their vitamins and minerals and wonderful taste.
Burdock mineral rich food, inulin to control glucose release into blood, functional immune system improvement.
Chamomile, Mint, Thyme and Lemon Balm teas (for enhanced immunity; improved circulation, gastrointestinal stress, mental stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant.
Ginger for nausea; stomach distress and/or infection; protection from food poisoning; thins mucus and gets it flowing.
Garlic and other alliums (infection prevention, hypotensive, anti-cholesterol).
Cayenne  is a circulatory stimulant, analgesic, gastrointestinal tract conditioner, protecting it from parasites; anti-inflammatory, enervating.
Tea  Tea is stimulating, anti-cancer, protects mouth from infection, anti-diarrhea tannins and phenolic compounds, flouride from tea may relieve pain from teeth that have lost some enamel.  
Coffee helps evacuate bowels, morning mental jump start...Limit to one cup each per day of tea and coffee. 
Guar Gum partially hydrolyzed (soluble fiber) shortens the duration of diarrhea during re-hydration therapy (World Health O. Reuters, May 13, 1997).
Seaweed for broad based mineral content in chelated form
Bitter gourd  (Bitter melon) anti-diabetic, anti-viral.
Pumpkin seeds for prostate protecting chemistry, phytosterols, essential fatty acids; zinc.
Tofu Look under soy for cancer preventing flavonoids, genistein, daidizen, calcium, cholesterol reducing phytate, anti-cancer, anti-viral protease inhibitors.
Sunflower and flax seeds for their many health benefits primarily from essential fatty acids. 
(SEE INDIVIDUAL PLANTS IN THIS FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION)

PLANTS I AM DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP WITH: elderberry; hawthorn; evening primrose; borage flowers and all other edible flowers, nuts and seeds for flavonoid content, phytosterols and essential fatty acids; milk thistle leaves and seeds (as food and liver restorer, protector); horse radish (expectorant, upper respiratory problems); wild violet leaves and flowers (superior food); culinary herbs; curry (warming, stimulating and full of cancer fighting antioxidants); Chinese cruciferous plants, Shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese cucumber (for electrolytes, minerals and immune system stimulation). For mild forms of depression see Saint John's Wort.

REFERENCES
(Also see web pages and Jim Meuninck's Resources)

Below our excellent indexes, handbooks, texts and manuals that I have referenced. All are worthwhile additions to your library.

(1) Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants, L.D. Kapoor, CRC Press, 1990.

(2) Phytochemical Constituents of GRAS Herbs and Other Economic Plants, James A. Duke; CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 1992.

(3) Oriental Materia Medica, Hong-yen Hsu, Ph.D.; Keats Publishing; New Canaan, CT. 1986.

(4) Color Atlas of Chinese Traditional Drugs, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products; Science Press, Beijing, China 1987.

(5) Handbook of Proximate Analysis Tables of Higher Plants; Duke, Atchley, CRC Press; 1986.

(6) Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, James A. Duke CRC Press, 1985.

(7) Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses, Demi Brown; Dorling Kindersley Publishing, NY,NY. 1995.

(8) The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, Andrew Chevallier, Reader's Digest, 1996.

(9) Handbook of Proximate Analysis tables of Higher Plants, James A. Duke and Alan A. Atchley, CRC Press; 1986.

(10) Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants, Brill and Dean, Hearst Books, 1994.

(11) Visual Food Encyclopedia, MacMillan.1996.

(12) Understanding Nutrition; Whitney and Rolfes, 7th Edition West 1996.

(13) Antiviral Compounds from Plants, Hudson CRC Press. 1990.

(14) Principles of Neuropsychophramacology; Feldman, Meyer, Quenzer; Sinauer Associates 1997.

(15) Medical Immunology 9th Edition; Stites, Terr, Parslow; Simon and Schuster 1997.

(16) Horticulture and Human Health, Quebedeaux, Bliss; American Horticultural Science. Prentice Hall. 1987.

(17) American Indian Medicine, Vogel; Oklahoma Press. 1970.

(18) The Green Pharmacy; Duke. Rodale Press, 1997.

(19) Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West; Moore; Red Crane Books 1993.

(20) Chinese Herbal Medicine, Reid; Shambhala. 1986.

(21) Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples. Kuhnlein, Turner; Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. 1991.

(22) Protein Power. Eades and Eades; Bantam Press. 1996.

(23) Dr. Bob Arnot's Revolutionary Weight Control Program. Robert Arnot; Little Brown. 1997.

(24) Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance, McArdle, Katch & Katch..Williams and Wilkins 1996.

(25) Foods that Harm Foods That Heal, Reader's Digest Books 1997.

(26) The Review of Natural Products, Facts and Comparisons (800) 223-0554.

(27) Guide to Popular Natural Products, facts and Comparisons (see above).

(28) Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America, Keats Publishing. Author: Couplan; New Canaan CT.

(29) The Merck Index, for discovering phytochemistry of medicinal plants. Merck $ Co. Inc. Rahway, NJ.

(30)  PDR of Herbal Medicines, Medical Economics Co. (515) 284-6714.

(31) Herbal Medicine, Expanded Commission E Monographs, Blumenthal, et al., (519) 926-4900.

Personally produced Resources: Discover more uses of these plants and others as food and medicine in the Jim Meuninck's videos:

- Natural Health with Medicinal Herbs and Healing Foods (1hour) Protecting and nourishing your immune system with herbs and healing foods to prevent degenerative diseases of aging.

- Edible Wild Plants, One Hundred Useful Wild Herbs (1 hour) Dr. Jim Duke and Jim Meuninck take you foraging for edible wild plants and explain their Native American, Chineses and modern pharmaceutical uses.

- Trees, Shrubs, Nuts & Berries, Video Field Guide(edibility and medicine resource) (1hour) Dr. Jim Duke and Jim Meuninck take you afield to discover the food and medicine used of trees, shrubs, nuts, fruit, leaves, berries, roots and bark.

- Cooking with Edible Flowers and Culinary Herbs (1 hour) Travel coast to coast to the best restaurants that cook with flowers and herbs. Discover their recipes and how to grow and harvest edible wild flowers.

- Little Medicine, The Wisdom to Avoid Big Medicine (1 hour) This ancient Navajo concept makes sense today. Discover first-aid from plants. My favorite video!

-Native American Medicine (1hour) Three Native American healers share their ancient healing secrets: sweat lodge, sweeping, smudging, sun dance, massage, first-aid and indigenous American nutrition.

-Herbal Preparations and Nutritional Therapies (1hour) Learn how to prepare your own healing recipes: infusions, tinctures, salves, decoctions, fomentations, poultices and percolations.

-Diet for Natural Health, One Diet for Weight Control and Disease Prevention. (1hour) Two medical doctors, an oncology dietician and Jim Meuninck identify the universal truths about dieting. Here is a diet that is fun, easy and it works. It is base on modern medical and nutritional research and considers individual differences.

These tapes are available from Jim Meuninck 24097 North Shore Drive, Edwardsburg, MI 49112. 

Credit Card orders (800) 487 0522 (Please do not call for information on our toll free line. Tel. (269) 699-7061; Web site:  www.herbvideos.com  Email: jim @herbvideos.com  Additional print media resources are in the resource file of this disk.