Not to be confused with a different species in the verbena family, the highly scented lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora), vervain, like so many other lilac-flowered plants, is primarily a nervine. It is considered specific for long standing nervous tension, especially helpful when a patient has been chronically stressed for an extended time. According to the Dorothy Hall vervain person-picture they are “detail” people, “conscientious, always busy and somewhat irritable.” This is echoed by UK herbalist Lucy Jones who says: “I always think of it for people who make lists…Vervain is specific for those who are perfectionists and carry the weight of the world on their shoulders…” She says another way of viewing this is that they carry most of their tension in their neck and shoulders. 

Vervain is also strongly bitter, which stimulates the liver and bile secretion, enhancing digestion. As a hepatic herb vervain encourages hormone balance meaning it can be helpful for menstrual irregularities, period pain, menopausal symptoms and premenstrual tension. Vervain also plays a role in balancing blood sugar and counteracting depression through its liver supporting action. 

It's no wonder then that Juliette de Bairacli Levy, deemed one of the grandmothers of contemporary herbalism, declared vervain a cure-all which, “along with red clover (Trifolium pratense), is known as God’s gift to man… In the plague years, vervain was one of the herbs recommended as a safeguard.” De Bairacli Levy said that while vervain is beneficial for all “ills” it is especially valuable for fevers. 

References

Hall D. Dorothy Hall’s Herbal Medicine. Sydney:Lothian. 1988. p301

Jones L. A Working Herbal Dispensary. Aeon Books:Glasgow. 2023. p362

Jones L. A Working Herbal Dispensary. Aeon Books:Glasgow. 2023. p362

de Bairacli Levy J. Common Herbs for Natural Health. Ash Tree Publishing:New York. 1997. p.165

Believed to be a hybrid of spearmint (Mentha spicata) and water mint (Mentha aquatica), the highly aromatic, pleasant tasting peppermint is a very popular herbal tea however it is also significantly medicinal and should not be underestimated as a herbal extract. It is often taken after meals because of its carminative properties but it should be avoided by people who are prone to heartburn, acid reflux or hiatus hernia. This is due to the fact that it relaxes the stomach and oesophageal valve, potentially exacerbating these conditions. Therefore it is best drunk as a tea, or taken as a liquid extract, when needed rather than as a daily habit. It is widely known to relieve digestive ailments including indigestion, flatulence, nausea and associated problems. 

It may come as a surprise to some people that while peppermint may be cooling at first it then warms the system and encourages sweating. It has been used in both traditional Chinese medicine and Western herbalism as a diaphoretic to address fevers that accompany colds and influenza. According to UK herbalist, Lucy Jones, although cooling in action superficially peppermint raises the internal heat of the body and encourages sweating but less strongly than some of the other diaphoretic herbs. 

Peppermint is one of the stars of a classic botanical blend of synergistic herbs that is still common today for the onset of colds and influenza. It is a combination of equal parts yarrow (Achillea millefolium), elder flowers (Sambucus nigra) and peppermint, colloquially known as Y.E.P.  Maud Grieve said “An infusion of equal quantities of Peppermint herb and Elder flowers (to which either Yarrow or Boneset may be added) will banish a cold or mild attack of influenza within thirty-six hours, and there is no danger of an overdose or any harmful action on the heart. Peppermint tea is used also for palpitation of the heart.” 

References

Jones L. A Working Herbal Dispensary. Aeon Books:Glasgow. 2023. p.275

Jones L. A Working Herbal Dispensary. Aeon Books:Glasgow. 2023. p.275

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Middlesex:Penguin Books. 1978

Valentine’s Day, on February 14, is an annual celebration of love in its many varied forms. It has competing origin stories, including beginnings in a wild pagan festival celebrating fertility or a Christian feast day honouring martyrs named Saint Valentine. However Valentine’s Day started it is now recognised as a tribute to romance in many regions of the world. This universal day of love has also become synonymous with gifts of chocolate, flowers and messages of affection from secret admirers.

Preparing, serving and enjoying delicious delicacies is a pleasurable way to spoil yourself and your valentine. Appropriately named, bliss balls are a no bake, nutritious and bite sized sweet treat. For all the herb lovers out there our Western Australia practitioner consultant Amanda Goncalves has developed a bliss ball recipe to tantalise your tastebuds. With herbal rockstar, withania (Withania somnifera), to encourage relaxation and cacao, known as “food of the Gods”, it’s difficult to stop at one.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond meal

2 tbsp desiccated coconut, plus extra for rolling

2 tbsp tahini (unhulled)

1 ½ tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tsp organic vanilla bean extract

6 medjool dates finely chopped (remove pit, cover in water, soak for a few hours then blend smooth)

1 ½ tbsp Withania Extract 1:1

2 tbsp water added slowly (more if needed).

Method

1. Mix all dry ingredients together first

2. Add all wet ingredients to the dry mix including pureed dates plus approx. 2 tablespoons of warm water to get the correct texture.

3. Roll and knead with hands, divide mixture into half and roll 6 balls from each half (food processer is not needed, texture needs to be well mixed and not too sticky but able to be shaped into balls)

4. Insert decoration i.e., half walnut or roll in the desiccated coconut (after decoration is inserted gently squeeze out any cracks to correct ball shape).

Serve either straight away or refrigerate for later.

* If tahini or maple syrup are not preferred, substitute for 1 tablespoon of coconut oil melted instead.

Makes about 12- 14 bliss balls.

A recent randomised controlled trial has found that supplementing 1500mg per day of ginger can alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly constipation, nausea, bloating and abdominal pain, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The findings of this study indicated that ginger supplementation for 12 weeks statistically significantly reduced the frequency and severity of nausea and constipation as well as the severity of bloating.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of autoimmune origin. Communication between the brain and the body is disrupted, causing persistent disability and low quality of life. Added to this burden, recent evidence has shown that gastrointestinal symptoms are common amongst these patients. This disease has four clinical course patterns, with RRMS being the most prevalent. Gastrointestinal symptoms affect more than 80% of individuals with RRMS. This investigation was conducted because ginger (Zingiber officinale) is widely known for its gastrointestinal relieving properties.

The study was a 12-week double-blind parallel randomised controlled trial with a three-week run-in period during which the patients were requested to avoid consuming ginger and its products and to maintain their usual physical activity and dietary intake. Fifty-two eligible patients were randomly assigned to the ginger and placebo groups, with 26 patients in each group. The intervention group received 500mg ginger, three times a day, along with main meals. In comparison with placebo, ginger supplementation resulted in significant or near-significant reductions in the frequency and severity of constipation, nausea, bloating and the severity of abdominal pain.

Consistent with these findings, previous studies have reported that ginger supplementation significantly relieved constipation in patients with hypothyroidism and caused a significant reduction in time to first defecation after caesarean section in women. The mechanism of this beneficial effect may be related to the ability of ginger to increase gastrointestinal motility. 

References

Foshati S, Poursadeghfard M, Heidari Z, Amani R. The effects of ginger supplementation on common gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023 Oct 27;23(1):383. doi: 10.1186/s12906-023-04227-x. PMID: 37891539; PMCID: PMC10605938.

Rhubarb, also known as Da Huang, has been used medicinally in China for many centuries and is noted for the medicinal properties of its root. The Chinese Materia Medica described the traditional use including: “Purging heat and loosing the bowels, used for retention of the faeces and abdominal pain, fever with constipation and dysentery with inadequate discharge of the bowels…” In her famous book, A Modern Herbal published in 1931, Maud Grieve says R. palmatum, also called turkey rhubarb, can be distinguished from its relation, the familiar garden rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), by its much larger size, the shape of its leaves and the “graceful looseness of its little panicles [cluster of flowers] of greenish-white flowers. The first buds which appear in spring are yellow, not red.” The flowers, however, can become purple-red as they grow. 

The use of rhubarb root as a laxative for use in constipation is recognised and well documented in authoritative texts. It is used for short-term use in cases of occasional constipation by promoting intestinal contraction and movement. The correct individual dose is the smallest required to produce a comfortable soft-formed motion. 

As a mild anthraquinone purgative rhubarb differs from other anthraquinone purgatives in that it exerts an astringent action after evacuation of the bowels. This makes it a true gut cleanser because it can firstly remove debris and then astringe the system with its antiseptic properties. It is therefore used traditionally as both a laxative and an antidiarrhoeal agent. The astringent bitter action predominates with small doses. To avoid any griping it is recommended to take rhubarb with carminatives such as ginger (Zingiber officinale). 

References

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Middlesex: Penguin Books; 1973. p. 676

European Medicines Agency. Assessment report on Rheum palmatum L. and Rheum
officinale Baillon, radix. Scientific Medicines Health. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) (updated September 25 2019;accessed Jan 23 2024). Available from https://www.fitoterapia.net/archivos/201910/draft-assessment-report-rheum-palmatum-l-rheum-officinale-baillon-radix-revision-1_en.pdf?1

Xiang H, Zuo J, Guo F, Dong D. What we already know about rhubarb: a comprehensive review. Chin Med. 2020 Aug 26;15:88. doi: 10.1186/s13020-020-00370-6. PMID: 32863857; PMCID: PMC7448319

European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) Monographs. Rhei Radix Rhubarb. 2018.
Notaries House:United Kingdom

European Medicines Agency. Assessment report on Rheum palmatum L. and Rheum
officinale Baillon, radix. Scientific Medicines Health. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) (updated September 25 2019;accessed Jan 23 2024). Available from https://www.fitoterapia.net/archivos/201910/draft-assessment-report-rheum-palmatum-l-rheum-officinale-baillon-radix-revision-1_en.pdf?1

Hoffmann D. Medical Herbalism. Rochester: Healing Arts Press. 2003. p. 577

Blue cohosh is from the Berberidaceae, or barberry, family. The plant has dark blue berries and small, white flowers. Blue cohosh is generally classed as a uterine tonic which has both stimulating and relaxing properties which facilitate childbirth, similar to raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) which is not related despite the similar name. Blue cohosh produces contractions which are regular and effective, interspersed with a good relaxation period. It is said to be most helpful when delay in childbirth is due to weakness, fatigue or ‘lack of uterine power’. It was a favourite remedy amongst Native American women for false pains and after pains. Historically it was used to prepare the uterus for labour (partus praeparator), for period pain and for various ‘inflammations’ of the uterus. It also acts as a relaxant and tonic to the nervous system. Traditionally, blue cohosh has been used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and for arthritis, but it is used most commonly in pregnancy and gynaecology, most specifically as a way to avoid conventional methods of induction. 

Case reports of adverse events in recent years, however, have called for an evaluation of the plant’s pharmacological and safety data. Reports of toxicity associated with blue cohosh, combined with its continued popularity as a natural birthing aid, prompted The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) to publish a monograph. “Blue cohosh has been implicated in a few cases of toxicity that include neonatal cardiac toxicity and maternal toxicity,” said AHP Executive Director Roy Upton. “Because blue cohosh was the primary herb used in birthing practices of herbalists, integrated medical doctors, and midwives for more than 100 years, we felt it was important to address this concern.” The AHP monograph notes that Eclectic physicians in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries almost always used the herb in combination formulas, “which inherently limits the exposure to potentially toxic substances.” Upton says, ”it may still prove to be a safe and effective induction agent when used by highly trained and experienced birthing professionals, but concern regarding potential toxicity has limited its use in birthing.” A review of the data suggests that blue cohosh is indeed associated with certain adverse events reported, but confounding factors make it impossible to establish a causal relationship. The monograph stressed the “need to use the herb within the context of those most experienced with it and in the context of how it was most widely used traditionally, in combination with other botanicals.” 

A combination of blue and black cohosh has been shown to be effective in ripening the uterus for augmenting labour. There were claims of neurological toxicity in a newborn after using this combination however they were formally disputed on the grounds that the toxic effects suggested would only occur if much higher doses than reported were consumed. Caution is therefore advised with this herb during pregnancy. 

References

McIntyre A. The Complete Woman’s Herbal. Gai Books Limited:London. 1994. p. 26

Blue Cohosh Root & Rhizome monograph. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. 2012.

Smith T. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Publishes Blue Cohosh Monograph. HerbalGram Winter 2012;96:18. https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/96/table-of-contents/hg96-orgnews-blkcohosh/

Trickey R. Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle. 3rd edn. Fairfield: Melbourne Holistic Health Group. 2011. p. 293