MUSK MALLOW- A USEFUL HERB FOR HEALTH: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF MUSK MALLOW

MUSK MALLOW, ANNUAL HIBISCUS, MUSHKDANA, AMBRETTE, KASTURI BINDI, ABELMOSCHUS MOSCHATUS

The Musk Mallow is known by many names, but as it is known mainly for its seeds which contain a musky smelling oil in their covering, we’ll call it this. It used to be classed as a hibiscus and was formerly called Hibiscus abelmoschus, but it has now been classed separately along with okra and several other species formerly called Hibiscus. The name abelmoschus comes from the Arabic, abu-l-mosk which means father of musk.

    This trailing plant can grow to a height of 4 metres although it may only be ½ a metre tall, and it is distinguished by its yellow flowers which have a crimson centre, but the flowers can also be white. It is native to the Indian subcontinent where it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. It is naturalized in Puerto Rico and parts of Australia; although it grows in many other countries too. It is part of the folk medicine of Trinidad and Tobago where the seeds are used in childbirth, to cure infertility and to ease menstrual cramps and other “female” complaints.

  In the Indian subcontinent it is used for a multitude of ailments and is said to be a cure for snake bites. Apart from curing such bites the seeds are used as an aphrodisiac there and in Egypt, and the seeds are chewed to aid digestion and sweeten the breath. They are made into a paste with milk and used to stop itching and as a poultice are applied to the skin for any skin problems including psoriasis.

Seed pod

   It is said to stop vomiting, and stomach spasms and to cure STDs and is believed to be good for the eyes, heart, diarrhoea, and is used as a deodorant and diuretic. It is one of those plants that seem to be a cure-all.

   In Malaysia the oil from the seeds is mixed into cosmetics and used to perfume the hair. It was and is much-prized in perfumery, although it can cause photosensitivity (abnormal sensitivity to sunlight) and was used instead of animal musk. However synthetic musk is generally used these days, but the musk seeds are still used at the upper end of the perfumery industry.

  The flowers are sometimes used to flavour tobacco, and the seeds hare used in some alcoholic drinks, such as vermouths and herbal liqueurs. The pods and leaves are used as vegetables along with the young shoots, as they are similar to okra. The sees have also been used traditionally as insecticide.

  In Ayurvedic medicine it is regarded as having cooling properties as well as being a stimulant and it is touted as being good for erectile dysfunction (hence its reputation as an aphrodisiac). The seeds are also used as an anti-spasmodic as they are in Trinidad.

Seeds

 As far as modern medical research goes, the phenolic flavonoids contained in the plant have been found to be “potentially useful adjuvant therapy for patients with insulin resistance and/or the subjects wishing to increase insulin sensitivity.” (24^th Feb 2010, Liu I.M et al in “Abelmoschus moschata (Malvaceae), an aromatic plant, suitable for medical and food uses to improve insulin sensitivity”)

  It also contains the bioflavonoid myricetin which is also found in grapes, walnuts, fruit, vegetables and herbs and which is believed to have antioxidant and cholesterol lowering properties and to help reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

  Once again it seems that the ancients knew perhaps more than we sophisticated mortals do about the efficacy of herbs in the treatment of ailments.

WHAT IS PONGAM TREE? INDIAN BEECH TREE: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF PONGAM TREE

PONGAM TREE, INDIAN BEECH, PONGAM PINNATA

The Pongam tree or Indian Beech is known by many names in the Indian subcontinent, including, Honge tree, Kalanj, Panigrahi papar and kanji. It has a few different “English” names too which include Poonga Oil Tree, and Karum Tree. The name Pongam comes from a Tamil word and pinnata refers to the pinnate leaves of the tree. It’s a member of the Leguminosae species of plants and is distantly related to the Pueraria or kudzu root, although it is more closely related to members of the Fabaceae family or pea family. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and perhaps to Myanmar. However it has been naturalized in Australia, Fiji, Japan and Malaysia and has been introduced to Egypt Florida and Hawaii. It is a fast-growing shade tree which can grow to heights of 40 metres and its thick taproots are nitrogen fixers, so it is valuable to farmers. Like jatropha (Croton tiglium, or jamalgota) it is being investigated for its potential use as biodiesel.

Pongam flower

   For centuries it has been used in the traditional medicine of the Indian subcontinent and all parts of the tree are utilized. The fruits are woody pods which contain oil-bearing seeds which mature just before the tree produces new leaves. The flowers grow like wisteria flowers and can be white, pink or purple. When they fall they make excellent fertilizer as they are nutrient-rich. The leaves and branches are used as cattle fodder and the oil from the seeds is used for lamps. The timber is also used in cabinet-making and for cartwheels and to make poles and posts. Locals also use the wood for fuel. The tree is also host to lac insects as is the banyan tree.

Pongan fruit

  It is said that the leaves when fed to cattle help them to produce more milk of a richer quality so they are useful in arid areas. In the Philippines the bark of the tree is used to make string and rope. A black gum is obtained from the bark and this is used to treat wounds inflicted by poisonous fish. The seeds are said to stupefy or poison fish.

  A red-brown oil is obtained from the seeds which has been used in the tanning industry, to make soap and is also employed to cure skin diseases. Juice extracted from the roots is antiseptic and is used to clean the teeth, as are twigs from the pongam tree.

  In India the fruit and sprouts of the tree are used for abdominal tumours and a powder made from parts of the tree is employed for the same purpose in Vietnam. The seeds are used in traditional medicines in Asia to cure scabies, herpes and as an ointment for rheumatic pains. Juice extracted from the leaves is used for clod, coughs, indigestion and heartburn, flatulence, diarrhoea, gonorrhea and leprosy. A decoction made from the bark of the Pongam tree is used for piles and taken internally. Powdered seeds are considered good for reducing fevers, for helping with bronchitis and whooping cough and the flowers are used to treat some of the symptoms of diabetes. They are also used to stop bilious attacks and nausea.

  In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, parts of the tree are used to get rid of internal parasite, for lice, and for reducing the effects of poison and contagious diseases. The leaves promote digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties so are used to dress wounds. The fruit and seeds are used for piles, urinary discharges problems affecting the brain, eyes, head and skin. The oil is also used to stop biliousness to remove intestinal worms, to help with eye problems, and is put on wounds. It is also given in cases of leucoderma (white patches on dark skin) and applied to rheumatic joints which are inflamed.

  Medical studies have been carried out on the leaves, roots and flowers of the Indian Beech tree, and it has been found to contain various bioflavonoids and amino acids and fatty acids such as linoleic, palmitic and oleic acids among others. It would seem that the leaves may help to protect the liver and improve its functioning, as well as having antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. The roots may also help to protect the liver and the leaves and oil have potent antioxidant properties, as do the flowers. However research into the Indian beech tree is still ongoing and the traditional uses have yet to be confirmed as efficacious at the present time.

CHICKWEED-A USEFUL HERB FOR HEALTH: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND HOW TO USE CHICKWEED

CHICKWEED, STELLARIA MEDIA

Chickweed is known by a variety of other names including Starweed, Passerina, and Winterweed. In Welsh it is A Gwylydd y Dom (the sentinel or watchman). It grows almost everywhere in temperate regions, in the North Arctic, and the Indian subcontinent. It has star-like white flowers which droop their heads in heavy rain, and whose leaves move closer to each other at night to protect the new leaf buds and shoots. It isn’t sensitive to the touch however as is Tickle Me.

  It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, and there is an old wives tale that says that it controls obesity. It does have mildly laxative effects and is a diuretic, so stops water retention, but somehow it seems a little over-optimistic to claim that it can control obesity.

   Like chamomile and marigolds it is useful for skin problems when applied to the affected areas in a poultice and it has a cooling effect and stops itching. The bruised leaves can be applied directly to the skin to relieve inflammation etc. It can be found in skin care products and the tisane is also useful for applying to irritated skin. To make this you need 2 tbsps of the fresh plant to 1 cup of boiling water, and pour this over the herb. Leave the herb to steep for 15-20 minutes then strain and drink. If you drink this regularly for a period of 6 weeks you should notice an improvement in your general health as it clears the body of toxins. It is rich in vitamin C so helps if you are susceptible to colds and coughs. Don’t drink too much though as it has a mild laxative effect and could cause diarrhoea.

  It might have got its name, chickweed because birds love it as Gerard notes writing in the 16^th century. “Little birds in cadges (especially Linnets*) are refreshed with the lesser Chickweed when they loath their meat whereupon it was called by some ‘Passerine’”

*Linnets are song birds that were often kept in cages during the Renaissance.

 All birds love to eat its seeds and the young tops and leaves. It is good for people too being full of minerals such as zinc, iron, manganese, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, selenium silica, magnesium and sodium. Chickweed is a good source of Gamma-Linoleic Acid (GLA) which is an Omega-6 fatty acid derivative. GLA is recommended for skin problems and hormone imbalance such as occurs during PMT/PMS and for arthritis. It is also responsible for clearing congested lungs and it has anti-inflammatory actions. Apart from being helpful for these things, GLA also reduces the negative effects of drinking too much alcohol, and is good to stop water retention.

  Chickweed also contains the flavonoid rutin the B-complex vitamins and beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A.

  The tisane will clam the stomach, and in the Indian subcontinent it is used for indigestion. When applied externally it will relieve pain very quickly and is good for rheumatic pains in the joints. It is best collected from May-July and can be laid out flat to dry in the sun, or hung in a warm sunny place. It can be boiled and used with young dandelion leaves in a salad or even made into pesto (see pine nuts). It flowers from March through to autumn when the seeds form in a capsule. These are shaken out of their pod by the wind and scatter so that the plant reseeds itself.

   Gerard says “the leaves of Chickweed boyled in water very soft, adding thereto some hog’s grease, the powder of Fenugreek and Linseed and a few roots of Marsh Mallow …” and made into a poultice, “ taketh away the swelling of the legs or any other part, in a word it comforteth, digesteth and suppurateth very notably.”

   The chopped plant may be boiled in ghee or lard to make an ointment for cooling piles and sores and other skin problems, used externally.

Chickweed seeds

    Culpeper writing in his Herbal in the 17^th century says that Chickweed is a “fine, soft, pleasing herb.” And recommends the juice or distilled water “for all heat and redness of the eyes…as also into the ears…It helpeth the sinews when they are shrunk by cramps or otherwise…” he also recommends the juice for “wheals, itch or scabs” and suggests that the bruised leaves made into a poultice should be placed on the liver region to “temper the heat of the liver.”

    Little research has been done into Chickweed’s properties yet, but it seems as though this is another common weed that we could use to our benefit.

 

MILK THISTLE- A USEFUL HERB FOR HEALTH: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF MILK THISTLE

MILK THISTLE, SILYBUM MARIANUM/ CARDUUS MARIANUM

Milk thistles are a common weed in the British Isles, although they are probably not native as they would appear to come from the Mediterranean region. They have been used for more than 2000 years in traditional medicine in Europe and are thought to be good for treating the effects of alcoholism as combined with dandelion they seem to reduce the craving for alcohol and also help regenerate liver cells and help build new ones, so reducing the cirrhosis of the liver which is caused by alcohol.

  The ancient Greeks used milk thistle for liver complaints and for a number of other ailments.  Pliny (23 AD-79 AD) believed that milk thistle could purify the blood and clear it of toxins. Also in the first century AD Dioscorides believed that it would help infants who had palsied limbs as Gerard, writing his Herball in 1597, tells us:-

   “Dioscorides affirmed that the seeds being drunke are a remedy for infants that have their sinews drawn together; and for those bitten by serpents.”

   Milk thistle was used to prevent snake bites by the Anglo Saxons, who believed that if the plant was worn around the neck they would be protected, “the wort if hung about a man’s neck it setteth snakes to flight.” This may have been because of a tradition which has it that the milk of the Virgin Mary dropped onto the leaves of the Milk Thistle, giving them their white veins. This is why the plant’s Latin name is marianum and why it is sometimes called Our Lady’s Thistle, although the Holy Thistle is also called by the same name, which tends to confuse the issue.

  Milk Thistles are related to Globe artichokes and can be eaten like them if boiled with all the spines removed. The stalk can be stripped of its spines, boiled and eaten as a salad vegetable, as can the stem of the globe artichoke and the closely related cardoon. They are also related to burdock.                                                             

    Gerard also believed as did others of his time that the liver was the seat of melancholy and wrote “the root if borne about one doth expel melancholy and remove all diseases connected therewith…my opinion is that this is the best remedy that grows against all melancholy diseases” which would have included those of the liver and spleen.

  John Evelyn (1620-1706) believed, as did the Physicians of Myddfai, from whom he may have got his information, that milk thistle promoted the milk supply of breast-feeding mothers. However it is recommended that pregnant and breast-feeding women avoid milk thistle today.

  In 1694, William Westmacott wrote this in his “sive historica vegetablium sacra or a scripture herbal” bemoaning the fact that much of the old ways were being lost, overtaken by modern imports. It sounds a lot like the things people say today regarding those “Good Old Days.”

   “It (the milk thistle) is a Friend to the Liver and Blood, the prickles cut off, they were formerly used to be boiled in the Spring and eaten with other herbs; but as the World decays, so doth the Use of the good old things and others more delicate and less virtuous brought in.”

  Culpeper believed that the milk thistle could cure fevers and guard against the plague, as well as removing obstructions from the liver and spleen. He recommended an infusion made from the seeds and fresh root for jaundice and to disperse gravel and stones from the kidneys and other organs. He also recommended that the young milk thistle plant be boiled when young and tender in spring and used to purify the blood from toxins. Today a tisane is made from the herb to clear congested lungs. However this is made from the seeds and is better if mint is added to the tisane as the seeds are not too palatable alone.

  The milk thistle is arguably the most important medicinal thistle growing in Britain, and it can grow to heights of between 4 and 10 feet. It is loved by donkeys and the seeds are delicacies for charms of goldfinches. People now cultivate it as it makes a pretty ornamental plant. It now grows throughout Europe and in California and Australia. The flower heads may be gathered when in full bloom but the seeds, which are brown, spotted and glossy, are best gathered in late summer.

Milk thistle seeds

   Modern medical research has found that the milk thistle is indeed good for the liver and also the kidneys and pancreas. It contains bioflavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol among others and the most important discovery as regards medical science is of silymarin which has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is actually a group of flavonoids, namely, silibinin, silidianin and silicristin. Silymarin is the active ingredient which in vitro and animal studies have shown to protect against certain damage to the kidneys, liver and pancreas. It is currently being investigated for its possible anti-cancer properties, particularly against prostate, breast, skin, colon, tongue and bladder cancers.

   Milk Thistle is also a known antidote to the poisonous effects of eating “death cap” mushrooms or Amanita phalloides.

  Please note that people with a history of hormone related cancers (e.g. breast, uterine and prostate) should not take any milk thistle or products containing it and neither should breast-feeding and pregnant women.