PDR for Herbal Medicines articles from June 1 2006

PDR for Herbal Medicines archives from June 1 2006

Abscess root.(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Polemonium reptans DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the dried root. Flower and Fruit: The hanging blue flowers are in loose terminal, glandular-haired panicles. Leaves, Stem and Root: The plant grows to...

Acacia.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Acacia arabica DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the bark, the gum and the fruit of the plant. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are yellow and sweetly scented. Two to 6 inflorescence peduncles with capitula-like...

Adam's Needle.(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Yucca filamentosa DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the leaves and the roots of nonflowering plants. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are ivory-colored and located in nodding, many-blossomed terminal panicles....

Adonis.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Adonis vernalis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is derived from the aerial parts of the herb, which are collected during the flowering season and dried. Flower and Fruit: The erect, solitary, terminal flower is 4...

Adrue.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Cyperus articulatus DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: Adrue root is used in the West Indies for its anti-emetic properties. Flower and Fruit: The tubers are blackish and top-shaped, with bristly remains of former leaves. The plant is...

African Potato.(hypoxis rooperi)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Hypoxis rooperi DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the plant's rhizome tuber. Flower and Fruit: Four to 10 flowers are arranged in racemes on a long peduncle; the pedicles are 1.2 to 2.5 cm long. The 6 tepals are...

Aga.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Amanita muscaria DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The fungus is used to prepare homeopathic dilutions. Flower and Fruit: Aga belongs to the group of lamella fungi, genus Amanita. The hymenium in the inside of the fruiting body is...

Agar.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Gelidium amansii DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the seaweed's gelatinous extract known as Agar or Agar-Agar. Flower and Fruit: This perennial seaweed grows up to 1 m long. The thallus sprouts...

Agrimony.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Agrimonia eupatoria DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The drug consists of the flowering plant, which is cut a few fingers width above the ground and dried. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are yellow, arranged along small, spike-like...

Aletris.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Aletris farinosa DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the dried Aletris farinosa rhizome with roots. Fresh underground parts that are dug up after flowering are also used. Flower and Fruit: The plant has numerous...

Alfalfa.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Medicago sativa TRADE NAMES Alfalfa, Alfalfa Concentrate, Alfalfa Fortified, Alfalfa Natural, Alfalfa Organics, Alfalfa Whole Juice Concentrate Alfamin DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the whole flowering...

Alisma (Ze-Xie).(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Alisma plantago-aquatica DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the fresh rhizome. Flower and Fruit: The peduncle is triangular. There are long-pedicled, white or reddish flowers in leafless, loose panicles. There...

Alpha lipoic acid.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... DESCRIPTION Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a vitaminlike substance used as a primary clinical nutrient in several areas of complementary care. ALA supports blood sugar metabolism and increases insulin sensitivity. In diabetic neuropathy, ALA...

Alkanet.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Alkanna tinctoria DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the root of the plant (the dried roots and rhizomes). Flower and Fruit: The calyx is 4 to 5 mm in the flower, 5 to 6 mm in the fruit and eglandular. The...

Almond.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Prunus species DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the ripe fruit. Flower and Fruit: The short-petioled flowers appear in pairs before the leaves. The petals are 19 to 20 mm long, pale pink to whitish with dark...

Aloe.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Aloe barbadensis/capensis/vera TRADE NAMES Aloe Vera (available from numerous manufacturers), Herbal Sure Aloe Vera, Aloe Vera Mild Stimulant Laxative, Aloe 99 Gel, Sundance Aloe Vera Gel, Chantal Aloe Vera Cream, Palmers Aloe Vera...

Alpine Ragwort.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Senecio nemorensis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the herb. Flower and Fruit: The composite flower heads are in a dense, usually heavily blossomed corymb. The involucre bracts are grass- or olive-green and...

Alpine Cranberry.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Vaccinium vitis-ideae DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried leaves and the ripe dried fruit. Flower and Fruit: The white to reddish-tinged flowers are in clusters of various sizes. The 10 stamens are...

Amaranth.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Amaranthus hypochondriacus DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The entire plant is used medicinally Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is bifurcated, solitary, and oblong-spicate in dense spikelike terminal clusters with very short...

Amargo.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Quassia amara DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the wood of the trunk and branches. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are small and pale yellowish green. The sepals are round to ovate, fused at the base and...

American Pawpaw.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Asimina triloba DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the seeds, bark, and leaves. Flower and Fruit: The axillary flowers are dull purple and solitary. They are about 3.5 cm wide. The petals are round, ovate, and...

American Bittersweet.(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Celastrus scandens DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the root and the bark of the plant. Flower and Fruit: The twining shrub is up to 8 m tall. The leaves are 5 to 12.5 cm long, ovate to ovate-lanceolate and...

American Adder's Tongue.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Erythronium americanum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the leaves and tubers. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are terminal, large, hanging, and lilylike and are 2.5 cm in diameter. The bracts of the involucre...

American White Pond Lily.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Nymphaea odorata DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the cut and dried rhizome, the fresh rhizome and the rhizome with the roots. Flower and Fruit: The androgynous flowers are solitary, 7 to 15 cm across and...

American Ivy.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Parthenocissus quinquefolia DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the bark, the branch tips, the fresh leaves, the berries, and the resin. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescences are fairly small and appear in...

American Hellebore.(veratrum viride)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Veratrum viride DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried rhizome and the roots. Flower and Fruit: The terminal inflorescence is a panicle made up of spikelike racemes. The flowers are short-pedioled and...

American Liverwort.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Hepatica nubilis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The drug is the herb, without roots, harvested at flowering season. Flower and Fruit: The flowering stems are axillary, numerous, pubescent, and erect. They are usually reddish and...

Ammoniac gum.(dorema ammoniacum)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Dorema ammoniacum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is a resin exuded from the flowers and stems. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is an umbel that grows from the axils of the upper leaves. Because...

Androstenedione.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... DESCRIPTION Androstenedione and its derivatives (androstenediol, norandrostenedione, and norandrostenediol) are prohormones for both androgens (testosterone) and estrogens. Androstenedione is thought to increase testosterone levels by...

Anemarrhena (Zhi-Mu).(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Anemarrhena asphodeloides DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the rhizome. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is spikelike, and the flowers are clustered and radial. The perianth structures are in...

Angelica.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Angelica archangelica TRADE NAMES Nature's Answer Angelica Root Liquid DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the seed, whole herb and root. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are greenish-white to yellowish...

Angostura.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Galipea officinalis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the dried bark of the tree. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are in terminal, peduncled and closed racemes. The fruit is a 5-valved capsule, of which 2 or 3...

Anise.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Pimpinella anisum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the essential oil from the ripe fruit and the dried fruit. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescences are medium-sized umbels with about 7 to 15 scattered...

Apple tree.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Malus domestica DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the fresh false fruit, the dried fruit peels, and the inflorescences with their leaves and solid peduncles. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are umbelled racemes...

Areca nut.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Areca catechu DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the nut. Flower and Fruit: The plant is an erect palm growing up to 30 m high. The trunk has a girth of about 50 cm. The numerous feathery leaflets...

Arenaria rubra.(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Spergularia rubra DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the herb. Flower and Fruit: The bracts of the inflorescence are almost as large as the leaves. The sepals and petals are 3 to 4 mm. The petals are usually...

Arjun tree.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Terminalia arjuna DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the tree are the bark and fruit. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are arranged in upright, apical panicles. The upper flowers of the panicles are usually only...

Arnica.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Arnica montana DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of Arnica are the ethereal oil of the flowers, the dried flowers, the leaves collected before flowering and dried, the roots, and the dried rhizome and roots. ...

Arrach.(chenopodium vulvaria)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Chenopodium vulvaria DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The whole fresh, flowering plant has medicinal properties. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are small, yellow-green and inconspicuous. They grow in clusters in leafless, compact...

Arrowroot.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Maranta arundinacea DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the starch from the rhizome tubers and the dried rhizome. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are in pairs, 3.5 cm long, and pedicled. They have 3 green,...

Artichoke.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Cynara scolymus DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried whole or cut basal leaves and the dried or fresh herb from the artichoke. Flower and Fruit: Globose, thorny capituals of lingual florets grows at the...

Arum.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Arum maculatum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the root of the plant. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are pale yellowish-green. They are surrounded by a bulbous spath and therefore are not visible. A violet or...

Asarum.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Asarum europaeum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The primary medicinal part is the root of the plant. However, the leaves have been used to a lesser extent. Flower and Fruit: The end of the stem forms a short-pedicled, slightly...

Asa foetida.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Ferula foetida DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the oily gum-resin extracted from the plant. Flower and Fruit: The flowers appear after 5 years in yellow umbels on a 10 cm thick naked stem. They are numerous,...

Ash.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Fraxinus excelsior DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried leaves, the fresh bark, the branch bark, and the fresh leaves. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are in richly blossomed panicles, the terminal ones...

Asiatic Dogwood.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Cornus officinalis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the tree is the fruit. Flower and Fruit: The umbels contain 20 to 30 flowers surrounded by 4 yellow-green, 6 to 8 mm long, elliptical-acuminate bracts. The...

Asparagus.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Asparagus officinalis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the herb and the rhizome with roots. Flower and Fruit: Thin pedicles measuring from 2 to 20 mm long produce 1 to 3 flowers from the nodes....

Astragalus (Huang-Qi).(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Astragalus species TRADE NAMES Astragalus (available from numerous manufacturers), Astragalus Root, Superior Chinese Astragalus, Astragalus Vegicaps, Astragalus Extract, Alvita Astragalus Root DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts:...

Avocado.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Persea americana DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried leaves, the fresh leaves, the whole fruit, including the seed and the oil extracted from the leaves. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are in compact or...

Bael.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Aegle marmelos DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the unripe fruit, the root, leaves, and branches. Flower and Fruit: The plant has greenish-white flowers. The yellow fruit is globular or ovoid, with a hard...

Balmony.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Chelone glabra DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the fresh herb picked during the flowering season Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is a short terminal spike of bilabiate white, purple, cream, or pink...

Balloon-Flower (Jie-Geng).(platycodon grandiflorum)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Platycodon grandiflorum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the main and secondary roots. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are at the tip of the leading shoot. The flower structures are in fives and...

Bamboo.(Drug overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Arundinaria japonica DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the young shoots of the plant. Flower and Fruit: Greenish-yellow, round culms exceeding 3 m in height are surrounded at the culm nodes by dry leaf...

Baneberry.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Actaea spicata DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the root. Flower and Fruit: The white flowers are in ovate racemes. They have 4 to 6 bracts, white stamens and 1 ovary. The fruit is a black, many-seeded berry....

Barberry.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Berberis vulgaris TRADE NAMES Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium variety available from numerous manufacturers), Oregon Grape Root DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the fruit and the root bark. Flower...

Barley.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Hordeum distichon TRADE NAMES Barley (available from numerous manufacturers and as combination product), Barley Grain DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the polished grain without the husk. Flower and...

Basil.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Ocimum basilicum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the fresh or dried herb as well as the oil extracted from the dried aerial parts. Flower and Fruit: The white, labiate flowers are in 6-blossomed,...

Bear's garlic.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Allium ursinum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The fresh herb and fresh bulb are the medicinal parts of the plant. Flower and Fruit: The sheath of the terminal inflorescence is made up of 3 ovate-lanceolate, acute, early-falling...

Bean Pod.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Phaseolus vulgaris DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the ripe, dried pods and the beans. Flower and Fruit: The white, pink and lilac flowers are in lightly blossomed, peduncled racemes, which are shorter than...

Beet.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Beta vulgaris DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The root is the medicinal part. Flower and Fruit: The flowers bloom in clusters of 2 to 4 in paniclelike leafy inflorescences. Leaves, Stem, and Root: The beet is a 0.5 to 1.5 m...

Bee pollen.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... DESCRIPTION This nutritive substance is a mixture of bee saliva, nectar, and flower pollen that sticks to the bees' legs and other body parts as they collect the nectar from flowers. The yellow-orange pollen granules contain a wide...

Behen.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Moringa oleifera DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the leaves, bark, nuts and root, which have had numerous uses in traditional medicine. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is a leaf-axillary...

Belladonna.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Atropa belladonna DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the leaves and roots. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are solitary and hanging. The calyx is fused at the base, has 5 divisions and is spread like a star when...

Bennet's Root.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Geum urbanum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the dried flowering herb, the dried or fresh underground parts, and the roots. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescence is a loose panicled, umbelled cyme...

Benzoin.(styrax benzoin or Benjamin tree)(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Styrax benzoin DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the balsamic resin obtained from the mechanically damaged trunk. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are in terminal or axillary panicled racemes. The...

Betel nut.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Piper betle DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The main medicinal parts are the dried leaves; the roots and the fruit are also used. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescences are compact, hanging, cylindrical and 3.5 to 5 cm long spikes of...

Beth Root Stock.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Trillium erectum DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the rhizome, the dried root, and the leaves. Flower and Fruit: The plant has solitary, terminal, hanging flowers. The 3 green, persistent sepals and the 3...

Beta-carotene.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... DESCRIPTION Beta-carotene is the most active precursor of vitamin A (Wang et al 1998). It is a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment found in fresh fruits and green and yellow vegetables. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in vivo....

Bilberry.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Vaccinium myrtillus TRADE NAMES Bilberry, Bilberry Extract, Bilberry Herb (available from numerous manufacturers,) Time Release Bilberry Power, Standardized Bilberry Extract, Super Bilberry Plus, Bilberry Power, Bilberry Leaf ...

Birthwort.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Aristolochia clematitis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the aerial portion (when in blossom) and the root. Flower and Fruit: The plant has dirty yellow flowers, usually in axillary groups of 7. The perigone...

Birch.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Betula species DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the bark, leaves and buds. Flower and Fruit: The male flowers of Betula pendula are sessile and oblong-cylindrical 6 to 10 cm long. The female catkins are...

Bishop's Weed.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Ammi visnaga DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the fruit. Flower and Fruit: The rays are slender and patent in the flower, becoming erect, thickened and indurate in the fruit. The bracts are 1 to 2-pinnatisect,...

Bistort.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Persicaria bistorta DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the leaves and the rhizome. Flower and Fruit: The flowering stem terminates in a compact, cylindrical, false spike of flesh-colored flowers without a...

Bitter Apple.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Citrullus colocynthis DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the dried pulp. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are yellow and appear singly in the leaf axils. The fruit is about the size of an apple. It is...

Bitter Orange.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Citrus aurantium DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the fresh and dried fruit peel, the flowers, the seed,s and the extracted essential oil. Flower and Fruit: The flowers are arranged singly or in clusters in...

Bittersweet Nightshade.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Solanum dulcamara DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the stem of the plant. Flower and Fruit: The violet flowers are arranged in 10 to 20 blossomed, hanging, long-peduncled, paniclelike forms. The calyx is fused,...

Bitter Milkwort.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Polygala amara DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the flowering plant with root. Flower and Fruit: The blue or occasionally white or pink flowers are in many-blossomed racemes. Of the 5 sepals, the 2 lateral ones...

Bitter Candytuft.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Iberis amara DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the ripe seeds and the whole flowering plant. Flower and Fruit: The stemmed flowers are arranged in racemes; there are 4 orbicular, diagonally splayed sepals...

Black Alder.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Alnus glutinosa DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the bark and leaves. Flower and Fruit: Black Alder is monoecious. Male flowers are arranged in stemmed catkins. Female flowers form ovoid fruit,...

Black Horehound.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Ballota nigra DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The aerial parts of the plant are used medicinally. Flower and Fruit: The clearly stemmed flowers are 1 to 1.5 cm long. They are arranged in 4 to 10 fairly loose and often short-stemmed...

Black Mustard.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Brassica nigra DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the seeds from which oil is extracted. Flower and Fruit: The inflorescences are terminal or axillary and compressed into a semisphere. The flowers have 4 free...

Black Cohosh.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Cimicifuga racemosa TRADE NAMES Black Cohosh (available from a number of manufacturers) and sometimes sold as Black Cohosh Root, Black Cohosh Power, Wild Countryside Black Cohosh, NuVeg Black Cohosh Root, Remifemin DESCRIPTION...

Bladderwrack.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Fucus vesiculosus TRADE NAMES Bladderwrack (available from numerous manufacturers and as combination product) DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried thallus and the fresh thallus of Bladderwrack. ...

Black Hellebore.(Drug overview)
June 1, 2006... Helleborus niger DESCRIPTION Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the dried rhizome with or without roots and the fresh underground parts. Flower and Fruit: The flower is white with a greenish margin, reddish on...