CHAPTER 11: Botanicals - biologically based therapy

Question 1

what are biologically based therapies

Answer 1

use a variety of natural techniques to maintain health or to treat diseases
- make use of minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, proteins and probiotics

Question 2

orthomolecular medicine

Answer 2

supplementing diet with mega doses of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids

Question 3

chelation therapy

Answer 3

using drugs to bind with and remove excess amounts of metals or minerals from blood

Question 4

botanicals

Answer 4

use of plants or plant materials to create scents or develop therapeutic medicinal treatments
- mixture of diff or single

uses:
- herbal remedies
- nutritional supplements
- aromatherapy
- spices
- cosmetics
- prescription drugs

Question 5

phytotherapy

Answer 5

the practice of using medicines derived from plants or herbs to treat or prevent health conditions

Question 6

what are herbal remedies used for

Answer 6

to restore and maintain health by relying on the curative properties of certain herbs to stimulate our bodys healing system

alleviate disease, prevent it from recurring, detoxify body and support immune system

Question 7

cosmetic industry

Answer 7

uses over 360 botanical additives to add fragrance and enhance the looks of the products

Question 8

how herbs have been used historically

Answer 8

• used in ayurvedic medicine as long as 1900 BCE and in traditional chinese medicine
• indians used it to treat malaria and lime, vit c defficiency
• early 1800s: beginning of scientific pharmacy

Question 9

herbalist

Answer 9

practitionor and contributor to the field of herbal medicine
- Native healers, shamans, scientists, holistic medical doctors, nutritionists, pharmacists, naturopaths, TCM doctors, and traditional Ayurvedic medicine doctors may use and promote herbal medicines within their practice

Question 10

crude herbs

Answer 10

herbs that are collected and dried, cut, and sifted. stored in dark glass or closed containers made of plastic
- stored for 6 months
- may be cooked in teas

Question 11

powders

Answer 11

ground crude herbs
- may be ingested in natural form or cooked to make teas

Question 12

tinctures

Answer 12

herbal concentrates or extracts made by soaking herbs in solutions, usually alcohol
- designed to bring out herbal properties

Question 13

capsules and tablets

Answer 13

powdered herbs, dried decoctions or concentrated extracts placed into tablets

Question 14

dried decoctions

Answer 14

Decoctions are concentrated brews
made by simmering tougher forms or parts of herbs such as roots, barks, and woody stems
- 4 times as potenent as original herbs

Question 15

poultice

Answer 15

preparation of a fresh, dry, ground or powdered herb or herbal mixture wrapped in thin cotton or wool cloth and applied to the skin

Question 16

shopping for herbs

Answer 16

• may be bought in bulk from herb garden
• standardized herbs
• cannot be sure of level of constitutes in the bulk herbs

Question 17

care and storage of herbs

Answer 17

• check to make sure from reliable place and free of insects
• kept in a tightly closed container
• herbal brews can be kept in fridge for a couple days

Question 18

germany regulation of herbs

Answer 18

• checks herbal data indepednely of other drugs
• assess data from clinical trials, case studies
• panel determines safety and efficacy of herbs

Question 19

US regulation of herbs

Answer 19

• FDA evaluates safety of
  new drugs based on
  data supplied by
  manufacturer
• DSHEA allowed herbal
  products to be labelled
  with certain information
  in 1994
• DSHEA defines herbals
  as dietary supplements

Question 20

canada regulation of herbs

Answer 20

• health canada regulates natural health products
• assess all natural health products before allowing their sale

Question 21

utensils for making herbal preperations

Answer 21

• pans that are aluminum and cast iron should NOT be used
• use stainless steel, glass or cermaic pots and bowls

Question 22

how the FDA approves new drugs and medical devices

Answer 22

1. investigational new drug application
   - fda has 30 days to submit questions
2. clinical studies
   - 3 phases
3. new drug application
   - how drug is processed, made of, package, samples, labelling
   - approval takes about 2 and a half years

Question 23

safety depends on factors such as:

Answer 23

• chemical makeup
• how the herb works in the body
• how it is prepared
• dosages
• interaction with other products

Question 24

the FDA has issues a public health advisory concerning many of these interactions:

Answer 24

• kava kava (antianxiety herb)
• valerian (sleep aid)
• garlic, ginkgo, feverfew, ginger (increases bleeding)
• evening primrose
• st. johns wort (aid mild depression)
• red yeast rice products
• from asian countries

Question 25

study from health care providers

Answer 25

• 62% do not recommend herbal supplements
• 66% reported they did not know enough about herbal supplements
• 50% had not received any education on it

Question 26

how much money is spent on herbal supplements each year

Answer 26

33.9 billion

nonvitamin, nonmineral products: 14.8 billion

homeopathic medicine: 2.9 billion

Question 27

precautions that should be taken before buying an herb for medicinal use

Answer 27

1. discuss with physician
2. research the company that is producing the herbal

Question 28

herbal supplements commonly used:

Answer 28

• hawthrone
• st johns wort
• milk thistle seed
• kava kava
• cats slaw
• echinacea
• arnica
• creatine
• ginger
• cranberry
• calendula
• garlic

Question 29

alkaloids

Answer 29

group of chemicals made by plants that are alkaloid in nature
- cocaine, nicotine, caffeine