Throughout history there have been many natural substances that were thought to help heal the human body through various mechanisms of actions but until recently these mechanisms were unknown. With the advancement of modern science, it has become possible to isolate the various mechanisms of naturally occurring herbs to understand how they can be used to heal the body and promote health in individuals. Curcuma longa is one such herb that has been used for thousands of years, both to heal the body as well as to serve other functions. Curcuma longa has a long historical use in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for a number of inflammatory conditions including osteoarthritis. The common name for curcuma longa is turmeric. The rhizome of the plant is what typically is used for both medicinal and non-medicinal uses. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family. It is possible for the leaves to be used, however, it is typically done in the areas where it is locally grown which include India and China. It can also be found in other tropical areas. Traditional Indian medicine has used turmeric as a medicinal herb that helps protect the body against inflammatory diseases, biliary disorders, anorexia, and hepatic disorders. It is also possible for curcuma longa to be used as a topical agent in the treatment of sprains and strains where swelling needs to be reduced to the acute injury. It is believed that this topical effect is due in part to the anti-inflammatory properties of curcuma longa. Curcuma longa is also used in non-medicinal function in many textile mills as a coloring agent. Curcuma longa contains a number of curcuminoids that include atlantone, bisdemethoxycurcumin, turmerone, demethoxycurcumin, and curcumin. The main con... ... middle of paper ... ...ered that turmeric help to reduce the β-amyloid plaques and Tau protein burden in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. This finding was very important because it may provide a botanical based treatment for a neurological disorder. Overall, the area of study for Curcuma longa is very diverse and recent studies suggest that it was a wide range of efficacy. It is believed that Curcuma longa is a relatively safe botanical as it is already consumed on a large scale by a variety of cultures in food as well as in topical preparations. In people who have sensitivity to curcumin or other constituents found in Curcuma longa they should avoid using it but otherwise in healthy individuals there has not been a toxic dose discovered. The field of study for Curcuma longa is wide and as science continues to advance more understanding may be gathered about this botanical. Work Cited
The multiple use of plants used for nourishment, medicinal purposes and practical use were ignored by Lewis and Clark during their monumental trek across the United States. Rather than consider the Native Indian’s use of native plants they persisted on using Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolt pills that probably caused more problems than the condition that inflicted them. Many modern day cultures continue to ignore native remedies and have come to depend on synthetic pharmaceutical drug production. In recent years the wealth of indigenous knowledge has been acknowledged revealing the use of native plants and the importance it had in the survival of indigenous people.. Pharmaceutical companies have utilized the immense knowledge of the indigenous people and their use of natural plants. The application of natural plant species have revealed the main reasons mankind has survived into present day. Following is a few of the plants, their application and their specific purposes.
Curare, also known scientifically as, Chondrodendron tomentosum is a substance which is bitter and grows on the stems and barks of some South American plants. Curare is known to paralyze the motor nerves. Traditionally, curare was used by South American Indians to poison their arrows by combining the curare obtained from plants and various poisons from animals and then mix everything up to make syrup like substance. The Indians then would coat the syrup on to their arrows and use the arrows to kill prey and later eat them.
Clinically, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque between living neurons in the brain (Sabbagh, 2008). This results in an excessive calcium influx inside the neurons and the breakdown of a protein called tau. Normally, the rol...
There are some traditional medicines that are used to help with Rheumatoid Arthritis such as a mixture of ufudu, sengaparele, and ishaba bark are boiled and then strained. The patient should drink it four times daiy to take away pain. There have been many tests done and it has been proven that in most pateints borage seed oil helps to relieve pain and swelling of joints. Blackcurrent seed oil also improves the tenderness of joints in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Ultima, an elderly curandera, teaches a young boy about herbal remedies by gathering plants growing in the llano to cure the sick. She uses herbs like juniper, yerba del manso, oregano, manzanilla, and osha. Juniper can be used for nausea, headaches, and even some bug bites. It is also used for ceremonial fires. “Of all the plants we gathered none was endowed with so much magic as the yerba del manso” (Anya 39). Yerba del manso could cure burns, sores, piles, colic in babies, bleeding dysentery, and even rheumatism. Oregano can be used for coughs, fever, asthma, and bronchitis. “We wandered on and found some oregano, and we gathered plenty because this was not only a cure for coughs and fever but a spice my mother used for beans and meat" (Anya 40). Ultima also gathers an herb called manzanilla. Manzanilla is used to calm anxiety and settle stomachs. It also eases heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Ultima uses it to cure a man’s mollera illness. “We were also lucky to find some osha, because this plant grows better in the mountains . It is like yerba del manso, a cure for everything” (Anya 40). Osha helps with coughs, colds, cuts, bruises, stomach troubles and rheumatism. It can also keep poisonous snakes
Thesis/Preview Statement – Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes a decline in brain function, it destroys healthy nerve cells. Today, we have discussed Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of AD.
Alzheimer’s disease or AD is an incurable disorder of the brain that results in loss of normal brain structure and function. In an AD brain, normal brain tissue is slowly replaced by structures called plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques represent a naturally occurring sticky protein called beta amyloid and in an Alzheimer’s brain, sufferer’s tend to accumulate too much of this protein. Neurofibrillary tangles represent collapsed tau proteins which, in a normal brain along with microtubules, form a skeleton that maintains the shape of the nerve cells. In Alzheimer’s disease, the tau proteins break loose from their normal location and form tangles. Without the support of these molecules, nerve cells collapse and die. As normal brain structure is lost with progression of the disease, brain function also degenerates. Patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease display a gradual mental decline. Initially, and most apparently, there is a loss of short-term memory. Eventually, as a patient progresses to later stages of the disease, the brain becomes so damaged that patients can no longer communicate or recognize immediate family or even themselves. They have difficulty walking and standing and frequently fall. In the final stages, they lose bladder and bowel control and have difficulty with swallowing, frequently leaving them malnourished and dehydrated. Eventually, they are forced to remain bedridden and, without the help of life-prolonging measures provided in a hospital, die. However, this level of deterioration is severe and may take as long as twenty years. Because of the disease’s slow progress and its usual later start in a person’s life, a victim of AD will usually die first of natural causes. Under the objectives ...
An herb is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavour, or therapeutic properties which are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. People use herbal medicines to maintain or improve their health. Herbalism or the use of plants for medicinal purposes has existed for centuries and their knowledge has been relayed from one generation to another. Written evidence of herbal remedies dates back over 5,000 years, to the Sumerians, who created lists of plants. A number of ancient cultures wrote on plants and their medical uses. Herbs are mentioned in Egyptian medical papyri and depicted in tomb illustrations (Nunn and John, 2002). In India, the oldest known ayurvedic texts, Susrutha Samhita and Charaka Samhitha speak of herbal preparations for treating diseases. One such plant which has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for diseases including parkinsonism is Mucuna pruriens. Mucuna is rich in L-Dopa (L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) or levodopa which is the precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is deficient in Parkinson’s...
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
...icot stem. Label and sketch its parts. Take note of the position of the vascular bundle.
Alzheimer’s Disease is named after a German doctor, who specializes in the brain and nervous system, named Alois Alzheimer. This Disease forms in the brain. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of Dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to enter. The Tau protein ensures the tubes in your brain stay straight allowing molecules to pass through freely. In Alzheimer’s Disease the protein collapses into strands or tangles, making the tubes disintegrate. There is visible differences of brain tissue in the from misfolded proteins called plaques and tangles. Beta-Amyloid clumps block signals and communication between cells in the brain. Researchers agree that Alzheimer’s Disease is m...
Traditional herbal medicine comes from many different areas of the world (Indian, Chinese, African, Western, Native American herbs, Ayurvedic and other indigenous medicines) and in most all of them they are still b...
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
Herbal medicines are sold in different ways from tablets, teas, extracts, capsules, powders, and fresh or dried plants. Many consumers believe that these products are safe and free of harm due to the labeling of the product with words such as “all natural.” The downside of taking these “natural” medicines are some ingredients can cause harm to a consumer’s health. According to the U.S .National Library of Medicine, some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. It is also reported that herbal
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.