Herbs

Question 1

Turmeric

Answer 1

Category:
- Anti-inflammatory Herb

Common Uses:

• Arthritis
• Chronic pain due to inflammation
• Joint health

What we are concerned about:
- bleeding: anti-platelet activity

Contraindications:
- Taking with anticoagulants

Question 2

St. John’s Wort

Answer 2

Category:
- improves mood

Common Uses:
- depression, anxiety, insomnia

Contraindications:
- Nearly every medication

Question 3

Ginkgo

Answer 3

Category:

• Improve cognitive function
• Vasodilator

Common Uses:

• improve memory
• increase circulation to the brain

Contraindications:

• Antiplatelets
• Anticoagulants

Ginkgo = Grampy = he needs memory improvement

Question 4

Garlic

Answer 4

Categories:
- Diuretic, anthelmintic, positive circulatory effect

Common Uses:

• Fighting colds
• Lowering BP
• Diabetes

Caution:

• Potentiates anticoagulation/antiplatelets
• Lowers blood sugar
• Diuretic

Contraindications:
- Any drugs that also have these effects

Question 5

Black Cohosh

Answer 5

Categories:
- Stimulates estrogen receptors

Common Uses:

• Menopause (hot flashes)
• Hormone imbalances

Contraindications:
- Pregnancy

Cohosh = Coochie = Menopause & Hormone Imbalance

Question 6

Valerian Root

Answer 6

Category:

• sedative effects
• Increase GABA
• nature’s Benzodiazepine

Used for:

• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Can cause withdrawal effects
• Needs to be tapered off
• Vampires don’t sleep so they need VR to help them to reduce anxiety & go to bed

Question 7

Kava

Answer 7

Uses:

• Anxiety & depression
• Seizures, insomnia

Caution:
- Hepatotoxicity

• Use caution with all medications

Question 8

Nursing for Herbs

Answer 8

• Be respectful to individuals and cultures (ask & learn, know & document)
• Be familiar with commonly used herbs
• Ask about all herbal remedies, frequency, reason for taking, and effects
• Educate that herbs can interfere or be toxic when combined with Western medicines
• Inform your doctor if you are using herbs
• Stop taking herbs when starting a new medication (some need tapering off)
• Avoid during pregnancy and lactation
• Avoid giving them to infants & children

Question 9

Herb Interactions

Answer 9

Don't =  Digoxin
Feed = Flecanide 
Quacking = Quinidine 
Pigeons! = Procainamide 
Leave = Lithium 
Them = Theophylline 
Where = Warfarin 
People = Phenytoin 
Can = Carbamazepine 
Violently =  Valproic Acid 
Consume = Cyclosporin 
Their = Tacrolimus 
Meat = Methotrexate