Herbs in general

In practice, the concept of herbs is used for all plants used as foods, spices, or medicine.
The use of herbs for benefitting the health is as old as mankind itself. In recent years, phytology - the science of plants - has experienced a renaissance. New research in medicine that use herbs as a site of origin, often conferms old knowledge about the herbs' different ways of application. More seldomly, effects that have been contributed to specific herbs are being dedramatized, but resarch also finds totally new ways of using them.
The starting point for the use of herbs in food and medicine is that they must not be toxic. Some plants have in time developed certain substances to protect themselves from insect attacks and the suns ultraviolet rays and can therefore be toxic to some extent. The philosopher Sokrates died shortly after having been forced to drink a cup of juice from the plant Hemlock (Conium maculatum). In many gardens, the shrub Golden chain (Laburnum anagyroides) grows; it has pods that resemble pee's pods, which might tempt small children into eating it causing them to be dangerously ill as the whole plant is toxic. Other herbs may have beneficial effects when they are being used for a short period of time while their toxic effects might not show up until later. The daily dose of the herbs is also important; herbs that have toxic effects when taken in large doses might be able to alleviate and cure if taken in small doses - however, it is not to be assumed that all toxic plants have curative effects when taken in small doses!!!
Spices
They are used for making the food aromatic and tasty even though the spices might very well be the same herbs that are being used for their medicinal qualities. If large amounts of spices are consumed, a therapeutic effect is therefore to be expected. Spices are used both fresh, dried, and grounded. Also in spices, different parts of the plants are used; both the seeds, the stalk, and the leaves, but also the bark, the root, and the fruits. Fresh spices taste milder than dried ones. An easy way of measuring the quality of the spices is to smell them; the more powerful the smell, the better the quality.
Standardizing
The containt of active substances in the herbs is to a high extent a result of their growth conditions; that is the soil and the weather, but also the herbs' age and the time of gathering. The strenght of the same herb can vary from year to year and from country to country. In standardized herb preparations, the content of certain active substances is therefore measured and a homogenous strenght is achieved by concentrating or by increasing the amount of herb in the preparation.
For therapeutic use, it might be a good idea to choose a few herbs whose area of operation partly overlap in a certain area and who has shown good results empirically. This principle lies at the root of many ready-made herb complex remedies available. In case of doubt, it is wise to consult a herb specialist.
Herbal tea
Many herbs can be taken as they are and a therapeutic effect can be achieved after some time. A very popular method is to make a herbal tea. A normal dose is 1 tsp of dried herb in 1 cup of boiling water to be let to draw for 10-15 min. Some herbs require a larger dosage.
Tinctures and extracts
Some plant substances, however, are more easily extracted with alcohol. Roots and bark must infuse for a longer period of time than leaves and flowers. They are being left to infuse for a couple of weeks after which they are shaken, strained, and poured into bottles. This is the method used for herbal tinctures and -extracts. Tinctures are weaker than extracts. The ratio between herbs and alcohol is indicated with two numbers, e.g. 1:2 or 1:5 in which 1:2 extracts are stronger than 1:5 extracts.
Oils and creams
Herbs can also be extracted with oils and be used in creams. This is e.g. used in skin care products and in massage oils. The herbs must be let to infuse for a couple of months. Herbs to be used externally can also be made as a decoction.
Tablets and capsules
This is an easy way of consuming herbs. Herbal tablets necessarily contain quite a few subsidiary materials and the fewer the better. If the tablets have a groove so that they can be split into two, they are easier to dose more individually. Tablets should be pressed so that they do not crumble, but not hard enough not to let them dissolve quickly in the stomach. However, people who cannot swallow tablets may crush them in a mortar.
Herb capsules are either made of pure vegetable material or gelatine. This is why there is no need for the subsidiary materials that are present in tablets. Herbal preparations that predominantly work on account of their bitter substances are not nearly as suitable in the form of tablets or capsules as they are in liquid preparations, because the important bitter reflex on the tongue which stimulates the vagus nerve is lost. In cases where you only want to use the content of the capsules, they can relatively easily be pulled apart.
The contents of the herbs
Either the herbs’ flowers, seeds, stalks, leaves, or roots are being used in different ways – either in- or externally or both. In some preparations, it is stated which part of the plant is used; e.g the leaves (folia), the root (radix), the fruit (fructus), or the bark (cortex). In some cases the whole plant is used. The herbs contain hundreds of active substances, which can be divided into groups. For example:
Alkaloids
These are pharmacologically very active substances. They are most often alkaline and bitter. Some of them are capable of crossing the blood brain barrier where their effect can be very strong. Examples of alkaloids are nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, quinine, and morphine. Although alkaloids can be toxic in large doses, they may be beneficial in smaller doses. They might have e.g. pain-relieving-, antispasmodic-, expectorant-, and bile enhancing effects.
Anthraquinones
Are found together with certain sugars in plants. By increasing the amount of electrolyte minerals in the intestines, the anthraquinones make the stools more liquid and soft. Besides being used for constipation, anthraquinones have other medicinal properties beneficial for inflammation, the formation of calculus, and psoriasis. Anthraquinones are found in e.g. Senna (Cassia senna), Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius), and Aloe vera. Large doses of anthraquinone can be habit-forming.
Bitter substances
Can be both toxic and non-toxic. The non-toxic substances have many beneficial effects on the body; first and foremost they promote digestion. The bitter taste on the tongue stimulates the vagus nerve and thereby the secretion of bile and gastric juice is enhanced. Furthermore, the bitter substances can be beneficial when suffering from allergic diseases, certain skin diseases, gallstone, arthritis, and diabetes among other things. Many people do not like the bitter taste, but if the bitter taste of the herbs is subdued with other substances, the effect of the vagus nerve will be weakened!!!
Flavonoids
Are plant colourings; a large group of water-soluble, vitamin-like substances with a sweet or bitter taste. They enhance the effect of ascorbic acid, counteract free radicals, lower the level of histamine which in large doses may produce allergic symptoms, have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects, and may be beneficial against cardiovascular diseases etc.
Phyto-oestrogens
Also known as isoflavones. These are plant hormones and resemble human oestrogen in their structure. Some herbs contain large amounts of phyto-oestrogen. The effect of phyto-oestrogen is a slight hormonal effect that varies according to the oestrogen level in the body. It is being debated whether the phyto-oestrogens from e.g. soy might be damaging to the health, but this has never been established. In Asia, large amounts of phyto-oestrogens have been consumed for hundreds of years without any proven side effects.
Tanning agents
A group of substances characterized by their ability of tanning skin into leather. Tanning agents are normally not absorbed into the blood stream but work on the skin and the intestinal wall. Tanning agents have a contractive effect, but this effect is weakened after a few years of seasoning. In small and moderate amounts tanning agents counteract infection caused by bacteria and vira and are generally anti-inflammatory. Moreover, they can be used against diarrhoea. One kind of tanning agents are normally found in small amounts in red wine. Tanning agents can neutralize certain toxins, but are actually toxic themselves if taken in large quantities.
Glycosides
Are organic substances whose molecules consist of two parts; one is a sugar and the other belongs to the group of aglycones. When glycosides are cleaved during digestion, the sugar from the aglycone which is the active part of the molecule is liberated. These aglycones have various effects in the body.
Saponins
Are soap-like substances belonging to the group of glycosides. Saponins have various effects; they can enhance the absorption of other substances and they can have strenghtening-, anti-inflammatory-, expectorant-, and hormone stimulating effects. Some saponins are toxic and may cause local irritation.
Ethereal oils
Mostly consist of the type of substances called terpenes. They are transient, strongly scented substances which actually are not oils but have the same consistency as oils. They cannot be diluted in water. In aroma therapy the substances are used in a concentrated form where they are said to influence the psyche. A few drops is evaporated in hot water and is absorbed along with the inhaled air in the lungs and through the skin. Furthermore, ethereal oils have various effects in the body: they can inhibit the growth of micro-organisms, inhibit inflammation, and they have have soothing-, pain-relieving-, stimulative-, and expectorant effects. They also enhance the body's secretion of bile and milk; but they might also be irritating on the mucous membranes.
Mucus substances
Are a group of substances that consist of various long-chained sugar compounds and combinations between methyl alcohol and organic acids. Starch, pectin, and rubber fabrics belong to this group of mucus substances. Mucus substances are characterized by their local function and their ability to absorb large amounts of liquid, they can protect the mucous membrane of the intestinal wall, dampen violent intestinal motion, and stimulate its emptying function. They can absorbe toxins, inhibit inflammation, and lower the blood sugar level. Some mucus substances can stimulate the immune system. There are mucus substances in e.g. linseed (Linum usittatissimum), Elm bark (Ulmus rubra), and Aloe vera.
Other substances
Here are only to be mentioned two groups of substances that are both connected with a reduced risk of getting cancer, namely coumarines and lignanes. Coumarines have bactericidal-, anti-fungal-, anti-inflammatory-, muscle-relaxing-, and blood-diluting effects and can enlarge the cardiovascular system. Lignanes have anti-oxidant effects and strenghtens the liver functions.
Herbs also have a certain nutritional value by virtue of their content of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins and minerals. Theses substances are described elsewhere and are not relevant in this context.
Interactions
Interactions, i.e. the biological interplay between different kinds of medicine, between medicine and dietary supplements/natural medicine (including herbs), but also between medicine and diet has been subject to an increasing interest in recent years. The question is: if there is a problem, then how great is it?
A study of 458 non-hospitalized patients from two American clinics showed that interactions between medicine and dietary supplements are only rarely serious.
Typical health products that appeared in the study were vitamins and minerals, garlic, ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, and ginseng. Among these health products, 45% had a potential ability to affect the effect of the medicine, but this potential ability was not serious in 94% of the cases.
Reference: Peng CC, Glassman PA, Trilli, LE, et al. Incidence and Severity of Potential Drug–Dietary Supplement Interactions in Primary Care Patients: An Exploratory Study of 2 Outpatient Practices. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:630-636.