Dill
(Anethum graveoluns L) is an annual winter crop, a native of the Mediterranean region and Southern Russia. It grows wild among the corn in Spain and Portugal and upon the coast of Italy, but rarely occurs as a cornfield weed in Northern Europe. In most part of the world it is thought that the word dill is associated to the Old Norse dilla that means "calm", "soothe" as it was used to relieve babies from stomach pain due to its anti flatulent power. The genus name Anethum is derived from Greek áneeson or áneeton, which means "strongly smelling".
The feathery, thread-like leaves and cheerful yellow flowers are a great addition to any garden be it floral, herbal or culinary. The leaves have a slightly grassy tang with hints of lemon, pine and fennel; the flavor of the seeds is stronger and heavier on the fennel side.
Considered a symbol of good luck by first century Romans, dill has also been thought to possess magical properties. Over the centuries it has been used to guard against witchcraft, in medicines and in love potions.
When employed, it is for flavouring soups, sauces, etc., for which purpose the young leaves only are required. The leaves added to fish, or mixed with pickled cucumbers give them a spicy taste.
Medicinal uses: Dill weed contains the carminative agent, carvone, which is said to promote digestion and sleep; it also aids in reducing flatulence and nausea. To make dill tea, use one teaspoon of dried dill for every cup of hot boiling water. A weak infusion of this tea can be given to toddlers less than two years of age on a daily basis to help with their digestion and to reduce gas. The seeds are also high in calcium, with 1 tablespoon providing an equivalent of 1/3 cup of milk. Women who are breast feeding drink this tea to help their body produce more milk. Some people smell dill to cure their hiccups.
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English Plantain
Plantago lanceolata
Family Plantaginaceae
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) Swedish botanist. In 1732 he was a student in Uppsala, and that summer he traveled on the horseback in Lapland where he explored and studied the plants and the animals of that region. He published his observations and discoveries in his work Flora lapponica. He named the genus from Latin word planta a footprint.
In England, the English plantain is sometimes called Kemp. This word, with its origin in the Danish koempe, meaning warrior, refers to a game that children used to play with the plant: Using the flower stalks as swords, they tried to knock the heads off their competitors' weapons.
Plantain leaf is recommended as an infusion taken three to four times per day using 2 rounded teaspoonfuls (ca. 1.5g) of whole or ground leaf per 150ml of boiling water. The herb can also be infused in cold water initially for 1 to 2 hours and then brought to a boil for a short while and after 10 minutes passed through a tea strainer. This tea can also be used externally on wounds and sores, to be applied three to four times daily. For external use as a rinse or a gargle, a cold macerate is recommended and can be prepared by soaking 1.5 grams of cut herb in 150ml of cold water for 1 to 2 hours (stir frequently). For stimulating wound healing, the freshly pressed leaf juice is most often recommended.
Plantain leaf has many medicinal virtues and is listed in the German Commission E Monographs for treating catarrh of the respiratory passages and inflammation of the mouth and throat. The Commission E also recommends plantain leaf externally for treating skin inflammation and folk medicine recommends the leaf juice for treating blisters, sores, ulcers, insect stings and bites, earaches, eye ailments and to reduce the heat and pain of inflammation. It stops bleeding almost instantly and with little of any stinging sensation.
Traditionally, plantain is most often used internally to suppress coughs and soothe mucous membrane inflammation associated with bronchitis, colds and upper respiratory congestion.
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Milk Thistle
Common names: Holy thistle, Marythistle, St. Mary’s thistle, Marian thistle
Botanical names: Silybum marianum, Carduus marianus
Parts used and where grown: Milk thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings, including roadsides. The dried fruit (also called achenes) are used to produce modern herbal extracts.
Milk Thistle has been used in connection with the following conditions- Alcohol-related liver disease, Hepatitis, Liver cirrhosis, Gallstones. Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.
Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.
A herb is primarily supported by traditional use, or the herb or supplement has little scientific support and/or minimal health benefit.
Historical or traditional use (may or may not be supported by scientific studies): Medical use of milk thistle can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Nicholas Culpeper, the well-known 17th-century pharmacist, cited its use for opening “obstructions” of the liver and spleen and recommended it for the treatment of jaundice.
Active constituents: The dried fruit of milk thistle contain a flavonoid complex known as silymarin. This constituent is responsible for the medical benefits of the plant.
Silymarin is made up of three parts: silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin. Silibinin is the most active and is largely responsible for the benefits attributed to silymarin.
Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells.As with other bioflavonoids, silymarin is a powerful antioxidant. Silymarin has also been shown to regenerate injured liver cells. Recent studies have shown that silymarin has the ability to block fibrosis, a process that contributes to the eventual development of cirrhosis in people with inflammatory liver conditions secondary to diseases such as alcohol abuse or hepatitis.
Milk thistle extract is most commonly recommended to counteract the harmful actions of alcohol on the liver.
Double-blind trials indicate that it helps the liver return to a healthy state once a person stops drinking.
Some trials suggest it may improve quality of life and even life expectancy in people with liver cirrhosis. However, another trial found no effect in cirrhosis patients.
Milk thistle alters bile makeup, thereby potentially reducing risk of gallstones. However, this needs to be verified by human clinical trials. Milk thistle extract has been shown to protect the liver from the potentially damaging effect of drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis. However, one trial found that it did not protect the liver from the potentially harmful effects of the drug Cognex tacrine hydrochloride) used to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
How much is usually taken? For liver disease and impaired liver function, research suggests the use of 420–600 mg of silymarin per day from herbal extract of milk thistle standardized to 80% silymarin content. According to research and clinical experience, improvement should be noted in about eight to twelve weeks.
For people with chronic liver disease,milk thistle extract may be considered a long-term therapy.
For those who prefer, 12–15 grams of milk thistle dried fruits can be ground and eaten or made into a tea. This should not be considered therapeutic for conditions of the liver,however.
Are there any side effects or interactions? Milk thistle extract is virtually devoid of any side effects and may be used by most people, including pregnant and breast-feeding women. In fact, it has been recommended as a treatment for itching due to poor gallbladder function during pregnacy.
Since silymarin stimulates liver and gallbladder activity, it may have a mild, transient laxative effect in some people. This will usually cease within two to three days.
There is one case report of a 57-year-old Australian woman experiencing several episodes of nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and weakness after taking a milk thistle preparation. This case is so atypical, however, that the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee of Australia questioned whether the product taken might not have contained other herbs or additives that could be responsible for the adverse reaction. Are there any drug interactions? Certain medications may interact with milk thistle.
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