PAPAYA, PAPITA HERBAL REMEDY FOR DENGUE FEVER

PAPAYA, PAPITA, CARICA PAPAYA TREATMENT FOR DENGUE FEVER

There is a dengue epidemic in Pakistan at the moment, so we thought we should publish this post which gives a herbal cure for dengue. You need 5 leaves from the papaya tree each day. They are being sold in markets in cities across Pakistan, if you don’t have access to a papaya tree.

  Take the central vein from each leaf and put them in a pan with a glass full of water. Boil this until there is only half a glass left then pound the leaves into the water and take 2 tablespoons in the morning and evening until the fever has gone.

  People we know have recovered after using this remedy, so if you have dengue fever, try this remedy. You can also blend the 5 leaves after de-veining them and eat the pulp, 2 tablespoons as directed above.

  Get well soon! 

HEMLOCK - SOCRATES' NEMESIS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF HEMLOCK

HEMLOCK, CONIUM MACULATUM

Hemlock is also correctly termed Poison Hemlock. It is native to Europe, parts of North Africa, Iran and temperate regions of Asia. It is famous because it was the main constituent of the potion given to Socrates as it was to other criminals in ancient Greece.

   Plato gives us this description of the death of Socrates which aptly describes how Socrates died.

 ”Socrates walked about, and presently, saying that his legs were heavy, lay down on his back – that was what the man recommended. The man – he was the same one who had administered the poison – kept his hand upon Socrates, and after a little while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. Socrates said no. Then he did the same to his legs, and moving gradually upward in this way let us see that he was getting cold and numb. Presently he felt him again and said that when it reached the heart, Socrates would be gone.”

  Hemlock is widespread but few deaths seem to occur, perhaps because of the foetid smell of the crushed leaves, which has been likened to that of a mouse. It is similar to Sweet Cicely and Cow parsley to which it is related. It is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family of plants which also includes carrots, parsnips, parsley and fennel. It is easy to distinguish from other wild plants because of the purple patches on its stems and by the smell of the bruised leaves. Its seeds resemble caraway seeds, but are not ridged in quite the same pattern.

  The toxic principle components of this plant are g-coniceine and coniine, the latter being the most toxic. It has been used in medicine as a sedative and an antispasmodic among uses.

  Although the whole plant is poisonous it has been employed in medicine by knowledgeable physicians. The lethal dose, is only 1 per cent of body weight, so don’t be tempted to investigate its poisonous properties. It was used as medicine both by the ancient Greeks and the Arabs who clearly understood its nature and used it cautiously for the treatment of a number of diseases including pains in the joints.

  Some of the symptoms of poisoning by hemlock are: - a burning sensation in the mouth; excessive salivation; diarrhoea; muscle tremors; muscular weakness; dim vision and frequent urination.

    In Mediaeval times it was used mixed with betony and fennel seeds for treatment against the bite of rabid dogs.

     The name hemlock comes from the Anglo-Saxon, hem meaning border or shore, and leac meaning plant or leek. In Anglo-Saxon healm also means straw and the name could also have come from this.

  It is highly poisonous and should not be touched.

  

THE GREATER CELANDINE - A USEFUL MEDICINAL HERB

GREATER CELANDINE, CHELIDONIUM MAJUS

The Greater celandine despite its name is not a relative of the lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) which is a member of the buttercup family. The Greater celandine is a relative of the Papaveraceae or poppy family. The flowers form a cross and are a lighter shade of yellow than the Lesser celandine which also has more petals than the Greater one. The Greater celandine likes boggy places and is often found in woods. This plant can grow to more than a metre high and spreads too.

  In the ancient world, the Greater celandine’s sap was used for eye problems, especially with milk, to remove specks and film from the cornea, but this is not recommended. Dioscorides boiled the juice with honey to remove “slimy things” from eyes. Pliny tells us that the plant flowers when swallows arrive in early summer and withers when they depart for warmer climes just before autumn sets in. This fact gives rise to another name for this plant, Swallow wort. Chelidon is Greek for swallow (the bird) and it is thought that the English word celandine is a corruption of this.

  The sap from the plant is orange, and if ingested in quantities will turn your urine yellow, just as when you eat asparagus you have green urine. In the 14^th century it was used with other herbs as a blood purifier and to detox the system and the sap was put on fresh wounds to stop them getting infected. Preliminary clinical trials on extracts of the plant have shown that it may have antimicrobial properties.

  Ancient herbalists believed that because of the orange-yellow sap it would be good to cure jaundice, but there have been some reports, although not many, that the plant can cause severe, if no fatal liver damage.

  The whole plant can irritate sensitive skin and is allergenic, so be careful if you touch it. The sap can stain your hand yellow, just as turmeric does. Large doses of it can cause sleepiness and for this reason it is sometimes used today as a mild sedative. The plant contains the alkaloid chelidonine which is similar to the papaverine found in poppies and which has an antispasmodic and sedative effect on the bile duct and bronchi. It may also have some cancer preventative properties according to some clinical studies, but this has yet to be proven.

  The German Commission E has approved the use of the Greater celandine for dyspepsia, but other countries such as the US have not approved its use because of the dangers associated with it. It has antispasmodic properties and is a detoxifying herb which relaxes the muscles of the internal organs, and is a constituent of a stomach ulcer drug. The plant also contains sparteine which restores normal rhythm to the heart when someone suffers from arrhythmia.

  The sap from the plant has been used in the past to get rid of ringworm and warts and the seeds contain a fatty oil which seems not to have been employed in remedies on its own.

  A tisane can be made from the whole dried plant, which is best gathered when in flower, between May and July, when the plant can also be used fresh. The tisane promotes sweating in fevers and is made from one ounce of the whole dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water. Pour the water over the plant and leave it to steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain and drink in small wineglass doses three times a day. You can make a decoction by boiling the whole herb in water until the water has reduced by half and use for stones and gravel in the internal organs.

  However you should remember that this plant is not recommended for use.

SPINY NIGHTSHADE: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SPINY NIGHTSHADE

YELLOW-BERRIED NIGHTSHADE, SOLANUM SURRATENSE, KAANDERI IN URDU

Yellow-berried or Spiny nightshade is a native of the Indian subcontinent, parts of North Africa, tropical Australia, Polynesia and South-East Asia. As its names suggest it has yellow berries and spiny stems and hairy leaves. It grows prostrate along the ground and has either white or blue-purple flowers. It has been employed in traditional medicine for centuries and is used for a number of ailments. Its other Latin name was Solanum xanthocarpum, but it is now known as S. surratense, with there being a new variant discovered in Pakistan, known as S. surratense var. awanicum.

  It is a member of the Belladonna, or nightshade family so is related to the Nipple fruit, aubergine, tomato, potato, Cape gooseberry, tomatillo and the Chinese lantern, to name but a few in this family. It is highly valued in folk and Ayurvedic medicine and used in combination with other herbs and alone to cure various ailments. For example, a decoction of the root is combined with asafoetida (heng) and rock salt for spasmodic coughs, and the same decoction can be combined with long pepper (Piperi longum) and honey for coughs and asthma. The leaf juice with black pepper is used for rheumatism, and this is used with other herbs in cases of dengue fever, acute bronchitis and fevers which are accompanied by chest infections.

  A paste made from the root is applied to hernias by tribal people in Rajasthan, India, and it is believed that smoke from the seeds kills insects and gets rid of the pain of toothache.

  The stem, fruit and flowers are used in medicine as well as the root, although the upper parts of the plant are usually dried and administered in powder form. The seeds and roots make good expectorants for coughs and bronchial problems. The bruised leaves can be applied to feet if there is a burning sensation in them and for this people also used water in which turnips have been boiled as well as a paste of henna being plastered on the soles of the feet. The juice from the berry is supposed to be good for sore throats. The whole plant is said to have diuretic properties and is used for the manufacture of cortisone.

  Research has shown that extracts of the plant have antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties, and in rats an extract has been shown to combat ulcers. It may also help to lower blood pressure and inhibit some forms of cancer, although much more research is needed before this can be established. The plant does contain the bioflavonoid, quercetin which seems to have anticancer properties, and is also found in the outermost layers of onions, red grapes, parsley and apples. It contains diosgenin, and apeginin, as well as caffeic acid, various tannins, alkaloids, other flavonoids, glycosides and phenolic compounds.

  More research is still to be done on this plant but meanwhile it will still be used in traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent.