Medicinal plant forum?

Even grapefruit juice interacts with common medications.

This is another personal responsability issue.

I'm sooooo glad I found this, I am still learning my way around and saw the other day a pot about medicinal plants then I lost it and finally I found you guys,,, oh I hope you do make a forum for this I have a friend I'm always calling she isnt online so I am always looking up things for her and her family or myself, meganO

Megan.

I think the current status is that if there are enough posts in the Herb Forum to warrant a New Medical Plant forum it may be established.

Well, I have both MDs and alternative healers in the family. Healthcare practitioners are licensed by state in the US. What is allowed in one state, may not be allowed in the next state. That being said, most licensing authorities for MDs prohibit or narrow the ability of the physician from recommending/prescribing alternative treatments, even if they are aware of or trained in alternative modalities. Serveral excellent MDs have found themselves in jail for helping a patient with an alternative scope. The patients were happy with their treatment but medical colleagues were not. A very sad state of affairs.

The W.H.O. recoginizes several traditional forms of medicine as complete medical systems. Most of Europe and Asia allows these systems to practice legally.
The US is far behind other industrialized nations in integrating healthcare modalities.
Accupuncturists/OMDs were practicing here for decades before they achieved licensing status. Ayurveda/Sidda Vaidya is about 5 years away from licensing in the US. California will probably be the first to have that.

Minnesota and California have both passed state laws to decrimminalize alternative medicine and allow the practitioners to work unharrassed as long as they disclose that they are not MDs, their profession is not licensed in the state, don't make medical diagnoses etc.

The US is a land of immigrants and the offspring of those immigrants. Over 55% of US citizens are foreign born. Many more have experienced traditional medicine when visiting friends/relatives in other countries and seek the same type of healthcare when they return. Others have learned to use home remedies from their parents or grandparents. Consumer demand will continue to push for the availability of these healthcare systems.

Food is still our best medicine.......but only if the food is real food that is worth eating.

So, I guess I'd better go look for threads beginning with MED in the herb forum.


This message was edited Jul 24, 2008 6:38 PM

And WHY do medical doctors and big pharmaceutical companies get their panties in a wad about this...?

MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY....

You're lucky, g_m, to have ALL kinds of thought available to you. While I'd love to have you for a neighbor, I'd suggest you don't consider moving to SE Texas!

I really hope this happens, so we can see what everyone is up to in there gardens, I once took a muelin plant from the side the road out of a ditch, just to see what it would do, It ended up being gorgeuos, at least 3 feet accross and 7 feet high,,, it was a lot of fun

Yes, mullein plants are gorgeous to look at, their leaves make a good tea for bronchial congestion, their blossoms make a good oil for ear infections and their stalks serve as a torch, which why they are sometimes called "miners' candles".

Western MDs don't make nearly as much money as you might think (compared to decades ago). Thank goodness, there are still many good ones around who see patients without insurance or money. Our health crisis in the US is not because of the doctors, for sure!

If I had spent 11 years past college years and didn't start making money until I was 33 years old with medical loans to pay back, I might disagree with whoever brought up money money money!

Over the counter meds are medicine and need to be prescribed by a pharmacist or an MD to consider the meds you are already taking.

I actually agree with all you said, gessie. It's the pharmas and the insurance companies that are the problem, in my opinion. Drs. are almost as much victims of it as patients are.

brigidlily - We do need a complete overhaul of our medical system. Right now it doesn't work for any individual.

I thought this forum was about medicinal plants.

Maybe it needs to get a different title so the discussion doesn't get bogged down in discussions about MDs and the medical system.

I don't think there is much connection.

If I remember correctly, the subject was brought up several times on this thread and there is a lot of connection from my point of view. It simply means that herbs or any medicinal plant needs to be considered a 'medicine' and prescribed by authorized people.

Perhaps it can be discussed separately but I don't know how to do it.

In my field it is called "ethnopharmacology" which may or may not include the use of plants in traditional medicine.

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/506035/description#description

that is a technical term which may not fly as a forum title.

but the term "medicine" already is saturated with semantic problems.

i don't think most people would want to go to a board certified anything
to use a piece of mullein from their back yard on a bruise.

Medicinal plant forum? I vote NOT! Potential harm than good, since we're posting personal experience, others can naively used/misuse and lead to potential harm. One can go so far as marketing technique, but use this as a feature to attract people to DG? A thump DOWN on such endeavor! My two cents.

If people took as many medicines as I do, I wouldn't use anything growing in the backyard for any reason other than cooking without recommendation from my physician.

Lily_love says it nicer than I can.............thank you, Lily.

Another example of ethnobotany.

http://www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/

the way to learn about plants is to study them. Fear doesn't teach anything but more fear - and ignorance.

Okay, call it "Medicinal Plant Cultivation". I don't need, or WANT anyone telling me how or what to use these plants for, I just want to know how to grow them. They won't all fit into the Herb Forum, as they aren't all herbs.

gessiegail wrote;"If people took as many medicines as I do, I wouldn't use anything growing in the backyard for any reason other than cooking without recommendation from my physician."

I understand, in that case, you should probably be careful with everything you consume. Even grapefruit juice is potentially hazardous combined with some medications. I imagine some herbs from the garden, even for cooking, could be fraught with possible danger when numerous powerful pharmacueticals are being prescribed.

Not everyone is taking synthetic drugs, or spends much time with physicians. I don't, so interaction is not a concern. I'm still not looking for someone to tell me how to use plant material to self-medicate, or alter my health. There are people trained to do that.

But they don't grow the medicinal herbs, they don't have any desire to. I do want to grow them. While I don't want advice on using them, I do want to know if the plant is possibly toxic. We have Forums that tell us how to grow some extremely toxic plants, but no-one suggests using them for anything dastardly, at least not that I've seen. In fact, there are numerous cautions issued, as there should be.

Mostly, I want a "Medicine Wheel" garden. I'd like to see pictures, and talk to people who've grown them successfully. I've looked into it, and would like to know what goes where. The cultivation requirements for some are wildly different, and I want to know how that's managed. I want to know how and when to harvest and store things from my garden.

Okay, here's an example. There are lots of rose hips forming in my garden. I'd like to know when to "harvest" them, and what is done to preserve them. Are they dried after picking? Or, should they be cut with some branch, and hung? Can I just put them in a paper bag, or should it be a jar? Refrigerate? That's about as far as I expect anyone to go.

And, as with all the other Forums, if it isn't of interest, or is something you wish to be cautious about, don't participate.

catmad says it nicer than I can...thank you cat.

in college I had a public speaking class and the title to my speach was MEDICINAL HERBS OR HOW TO KILL YOUR EX HUSBAND! I got a few laughs and an A...... I just thought I would throw that in here...

Collecting rose hips could be covered in both the rose forum and the herb forum I would think. Good luck.

Oh, good grief. It was an _example_.
I give up.

I will stay away from the discussion, I promise (LOL)..........I thought you were serious

catmad – You should make a thread in herbs MED: Show me you medicine wheel gardens.

gessiegail – I found out recently that onions lower blood pressure. I love onions and have cooked with them in large quantities, eaten them raw, etc… I also have very low blood pressure and have had fainting spells. I think these two facts could be linked. Especially since I haven’t had fainting spells recently, but I haven’t been able to cook with onions as often due to having a picky 7 year old that I have to cook for.

Isn’t it worth having some place that side effects, good or bad, could be listed for foods and herbs, so others don’t have similar issues?

We mentioned earlier in this thread that a Medicinal Herbs forum would need to have a disclaimer in the forum banner. Perhaps something to the effect of " Readers or participants of this forum agree to consult with their healthcare practitioner before using any herbs for health related matters. Views/opinions expressed on this forum are those of the poster, and not those of Dave's Garden. Readers/participants agree to hold DG harmless etc etc etc".

"It simply means that herbs or any medicinal plant needs to be considered a 'medicine' and prescribed by authorized people."

Many people, including myself, would consider that an invasion of our privacy and rights afforded to us by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Many of us grew up using food, herbs and spices to treat minor ailments and prevent major ones. To imply that I need a prescription by an "authorized" person to continue practicing my family cultures is very arrogant.

The burden of checking for herbal-drug interactions on a public discussion forum belongs to those who chose to use synthetic drugs, not to those who want to discuss cultivation, historical, social, anthropological and general pupose uses. Alternative healthcare practitioners will check on herb/nutritional supplement and drug interactions when they are consulting with a patient/client.

Every kitchen herb or spice has some type of medicinal value and can be used medicinally. It would be ridiculous to need a prescription or "authorization" to purchase/use tumeric, ginger, garlic, rose hips, cumin, coriander, cloves, aloe vera, asparagus root, yams, goji berries etc.

zhinu, you bring up a very good point. There are many ordinary foods that can affect blood pressure. A forum that let's us discuss how we use foods/herbs/spices, it may trigger an "aha!" moment for someone else and give them the lead to examine and research their own diet and its effects on their health.

I started researching, recently I'd done historical research before, because my husband was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol because of a under active thyroid and I wanted to find things I could add to meals to help with that.

I think that this is an area that people need to know more about.

I am not sure why you would think I was being 'arrogant' because I practice Western Medicine most of the time. I do use acupuncture when it is beneficial to me. We were just all talking pros and cons. Didn't mean for anyone to get upset and turn this thread into one of those 'ugly' ones...........just talking and thinking..........

By the way, zhinu, thank goodness I don't have high blood pressure but I have always had (hereditary) high cholesterol even when I was 21 and weighed less than a 100 lbs. My kids do, too. They really work out physically. (I don't at my age)

The main thing I have learned about food is very very little red meat is needed and fish should be eaten 10 times a week. (I also take synthroid for my thyroid). I come from a family of hunters and fishermen. So , our deep freezes are full of fish,buffalo, venison and other wild game with no fat on it..........very lean. You can order online the best buffalo in the world from (can't remember.......but something like www.buffaloguys.com.....will have to look it up)

I can't believe that I do remember the site plus they are selling now in retail stores in lots of states.
http://www.thebuffaloguys.com/

Okay....okay, enough's enough.

I am closing this thread to further posts, because the conversation has gotten sidetracked.

Those who are interested in the cultivation of medicinal plants are welcome to start threads in the herbs forum (hey, most plants are technically considered "herbs" anyway ;o)

Those who are not interested in such a forum...your concerns have been duly noted by me (and I share some of those concerns.) However, I'm willing to let those who are interested have a go at it, within the confines of an existing forum. We'll re-evaluate the need for a separate forum in the near future.

gessiegail, I didn't say that you were being arrogant for practicing Western medicine.
I said that to imply that a person needs a prescription by an "authorized" person to use herbs or a medicinal plant is arrogant. I didn't intend that to be directed at you personally - my apologies there. My comment is directed at the current medical monopoly that we have in the US. There are many people in the US that grew up using herbal medicine and know how and when to use it (and likewise, how and when not to use it). We pass this knowledge on from generation to generation.
If an MD or the AMA doesn't know how to use a traditional herb or substance in a healing modality, then they shouldn't use it. There is no reason for them to block the use of the herb by those who *do* know how to use it. Unfortunately there have been too many MDs, pharma & biotech attempting to file patents on the use of traditional medicines, or have them relabeled as "drugs", and thereby restrict the availability and use to their own industry.

If I broke my leg, I would go to an orthopedic physician to have it radiographed and set. I would then also use nutrition and herbal medicine to help the bone mend itself.
Why should I need a prescription from an "authorized" person make a stinging nettle soup and brew some boneset tea?