Tea Alchemy- Herbal Wellness Center LLC

Apothecary & Dispensary

June 2010 Newsletter July 2, 2010

Tea Alchemy’s June Newsletter

In this months newsletter we have exciting changes occurring in the store, so come on in and enjoy a cup of the day tea with us at our new daily high tea service available at 5pm. We also have new summer hours for your leisurely convenience.  We will also have a naturopath available for free to our patients and members in Wednesdays- (please check the patient only pages on the new blog site for more information). In the future we hope to offer an herbalist, nutritionist and flower essence practitioners as well- stay tuned!

The website is being remodeled and will be up to date with all upcoming classes as well as a link to our new blog which has been set up as a resource center for all interested. Come and check us out at: http://teaalchemy.wordpress.com/

In this section we offer a forum to ask questions that will be answered daily by a highly qualified administrator.  An entire section on recipes is so diverse that it encompasses: MMJ preparations to farmer’s hands garden salve. Featured monthly articles, this past month focused on cannabis as a treatment for migraines, but  we would love to hear what you the reader would like to have featured as well- so feel free to comment. A patient and member only section- available by password only- all strains are available 3 days before the public is made aware, as well as other patient focused resources. We will be shifting over to a more electronic format for our patient’s convenience, so please provide an email address so you can receive updates. We are also on Facebook so come and become part of our group!

-The cannabis feature of the month focuses on the many historical uses of cannabis in numerous cultures around the world. This article highlights the diversity that this green ally can offer.

 -The local herb of the month is: Pulsatilla patens or pasque flower. Take a look at the many ways that this plant can be used ie homeopathic, in formula, tincture, flower essence and much more.

New Summer Store Hours!

We have extended our hours for your summer leisure! Come on in and enjoy daily high tea served at 5pm, store specials and other new exciting services such as: spin the wheel. See below for more information.

Friday-Saturday-Sunday = 10am- 9pm

Tues- Thursday = 11am- 6pm

Closed Mondays

Special Sales

Daily- High Tea of the day Available at 5pm (See below for more info) 

High Tea Specials and ALL MMJ holders receive a free dose of glycerin tincture.

-Non MMJ- traditional tea service that includes tea of the day for only 2 dollars in comfortable atmosphere.

-All MMJ card holders- Come in for high tea and receive the house tea blend of the day, with a dose of cannabis glycerin included for free. Each cup is only 2 dollars.  This service is open to the public MMJ community not just patients or members.

-In house specials Spin the wheel for free prizes, upgrades and discounts. Coming soon to the store! Stay tuned for free local hand-made gifts and other apothecary/ dispensary related items, discounts and other surprises. Starting in June.   

Tues- Thursday MMJ Only Specials 

Tuesdays: Free ½ oz tincture with purchase of a ¼ of Cannabis 

-If you buy a quarter ounce (7 grams) you will receive free a 1/2 ounce bottle of glycerin tincture (a 16 dollar value for free). This is a service to the community, available while supplies last. Limit 2 per customer.

Wednesdays: Free medicated Edible with purchase of ¼ of cannabis

-If you buy a quarter ounce (7 grams) you will receive a free edible, heavily medicated at least 3 medicinal doses. The chocolate is pure cocoa butter and coconut oil along with maple syrup and cocoa powder. The perfect blend of alchemy made specifically for your medicinal pleasure. Limit 2 per customer.

Thursdays: 4.20 Gram 1/8th from between 4-5pm

-4.20 gram 1/8ths from 4pm -5pm weekly. Arrive between 4-5 pm and receive any 1/8 at 4.20 grams instead of the traditional 3.5 grams. Limit 2 per customer.

Featured MMJ article of the Month:

Historical, Traditional, Ethno-Botanical & Clinical Usage of: Cannabis spp.                  

 

By: Jamie Lynn Thomas CCH, CN

Nomenclature issues caused much despair and tainted the historical value of this plant. The term Indian hemp was an issue that caused many negative side effects and death. This may be the beginning of the herbal myth that Cannabis can produce death if taken in a “poisonous dose.” Could this perhaps be related to the marasmus myth as well? This confusion reminds me of the need to verify that Scullcap is really skullcap and not germander. However, as the common name (Indian hemp) has but vanished this should not be of importance for the current practitioner or medical marijuana patient. This is especially noticeable since most of the Cannabis product is now grown in the states; no longer being imported from India or even Mexico for that matter. The market has driven up quality and no longer accepts the inferior product that may have been squashed together with seeds, stems and any thing else that was once dubbed schwag. This product form is not even an option at dispensaries nor is it present in the black market for it has all but disappeared from a few erroneous sources. The below excerpt illustrates the need to verify correctly the correct genus.

“The continuation in the Br. Pharm. of the name of Indian Hemp is unfortunate because of the possibility of its being mistaken for the root of Apocynum cannabinum, which is also called Indian Hemp. Several mistakes have occurred through this unfortunate confusion of nomenclature” “(42).

-Historical uses/traditional uses in various cultures

Ancients-“Hempseed was served fried for dessert” (39).

-Arabic

-“Arabs smoke the sun-dried leaf mixed with tobacco in huge pipes” (39).

Africa

“Africans smoke the hemp alone” (39).

China:

“A marked feature is the anesthesia produced, and it is asserted that the Chinese formerly performed surgical operations under its use (23).

-“early as A. D. 220” (39). 

Celts:

-“Cultivated by the Celts” (39). 

Troy:

“Helen is stated to have received the plant from a woman of Egyptian Thebes. It is known in India, as the “increaser of pleasure,” the “exciter of desire,” the “cementer of friendship, and “the” causer of a reeling gait, “the”laughter mover” (27). 

India: 

Below is an account by O’Shaughnessy about the uses in India and the peculiar methods of gathering the precious crystals and trichomes.

“Central India and the Saugor territory, and in Nipal, Churrus is collected during the hot season in the following singular manner: Men clad in leathern dresses run through the hemp fields, brushing through the plant with all possible violence; the soft resin adheres to the leather, and is subsequently scraped off and kneaded into balls, which sell from five to six rupees the seer. A still finer kind—the Momeea or waxen Churrus—is collected by the hand in Nipal, and sells for nearly double the price of the ordinary kind. In Nipal, Dr. M’Kinnon informs me, the leathern attire is dispensed with, and the resin is gathered on the skin of the naked coolies. In Persia, it is stated by Mirza Abdul Razes that the Churrus is prepared by pressing the resinous plant on coarse cloths, and then scraping it from these and melting it in a pot with a little warm water. He considers the Churrus of Herat as the best and most powerful of all the varieties of the drug”(27).

-There have been numerous accounts that the men who “assassinated Lord Cornwallis in India were intoxicated by hemp “(Thornton, History of the British Empire in India, vol. ii. p. 486, 1848.) as seen in (27).

Egyptians & Asiatics

Even in Egypt the use of cannabis was well known as was the ability to extract the most precious of constituents through a mixture of water and lipid soluble processes; dependent upon the correct amount of heat. In this way they developed their own sort of alchemy; even with the most limited supplies. Are butter, lard and oil able to withstand years of oxidation while adhering to the infused constituent qualities? I question the validity of using old infused butter, lard or oil as a method of administration. What other agents have made their way into the medium? (See the world of edible section for a more in depth discussion into storing methods for your infused butters ad other Cannabis preparations). An excellent visual of this process is excerpted from Jonathan Pereira in the elements of materia medica:

“employ Indian hemp for the purposes of intoxication, various preparations of this drug are in use. In some of these the plant itself is employed, either rubbed up with water and made into a draught or formed into an electuary. But a favorite mode of using it is to extract the active principle by some fatty matter (generally butter or oil), by which an oleaginous solution or fatty extract is obtained. For this purpose the hemp is boiled in butter or oil, with a little water, usually until the water is boiled away. It is said that the fatty extract thus obtained will preserve its intoxicating powers for years. It is usually mixed up with other ingredients, and taken in the form of an electuary, confection, or pastille” (27).

            Hemp in the form of resinous compounds and historical traces of ash were found in a tomb in China; where a girl had died in childbirth. The authors extrapolate according to epidemiological, chemistry and biological evidence they believed that the use of cannabis was to help ease the difficulty of labor. The cause of death was unable to be completely determined (15).

 

Tibet

In Tibet a hemp preparation “Momea or mimea” was supposedly made with human fat. How they retrieved the fat is a mystery as well as the original source (15).

 

Russia & Poland

-“peasants are extremely fond of parched hempseed and it is eaten even by the nobility. The oil expressed from the seed is much used as food during the time of the fasts in the Volga region” (39).

-It is mostly grown for fiber and seed purposes in Russia and North America (39). 

Rome

-Galen and Pliny both used the fresh squeezed juice to treat a variety of ear ailments such as earwigs or ear pains. Its analgesic, antiseptic and antiinflammatory properties were probably how it exerted effects (5).

Biblical mention

“Some scholars believe that Cannabis is the plant kaneh bosm (translated as “aromatic cane”) which was mentioned in Exodus 30:23, where God directs Moses to make a holy oil composed of cinnamon, kaneh bosm and kassia” (15).

 

Folklore

- “The green plant collected in the spring, and 2 or 3 twigs placed in or between beds, will, it is asserted, certainly and effectually cause bedbugs to remove from the room in which they are used” (23). 

-Topical uses of the leaf and flower that were traditionally employed in Mexico and Central America for swollen joints, inflammation, fever, infection, superficial injuries, burns and rheumatoid or arthritic conditions (5).

Historical Uses of Cannabis in Women’s Health-

“Ancient world, medieval world and Far East” (34).

One of the earliest references utilizing a form of cannabis, in formula, for female ailments was described in ancient Mesopotamia medical tablets from Sumerian and Akkadian sources dating as far back as 2000 bce. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal gathered theses precious transcripts into a vast library around 7th century bce; later to be unearthed and translated by R.C. Thompson in 1924. In the translations a formula calling for hemp seeds (Azullu) and other agents in beer was employed for unspecified female complaints. The seeds were also employed in, “difficult childbirth, staying the menses when mixed with saffron and beer, or used rectally using fumigation was described for other ailments” (34).

            The Egyptian pharmacopeia has contained formulas for cannabis since ancient times. Some applications are, “orally, rectally, vaginally, on the skin, in the eyes and by fumigation” Other uses from the Eber Papyrus talk of inducing contractions when ground in honey and placed inside the vagina (34).

In the Persian Holy book Zend-Avesta, from around 600bce, Psychoactive effects of Banga were noted by the translator Darmesteter. In 9th century Persia, the first Arabic materia medica named Al-Aqrabadhin Al-Saghir, called for use of an “intranasal base preparation of juice from cannabis seeds was mixed with a variety of other herbs to treat migraine, calm uterine pains, prevent miscarriage, and preserve fetuses in their mothers’ abdomens” (34). The plants resin was traditionally used as a treatment for miscarriage. (5).

Ayurvedic and Arabic traditional preparations employed Cannabis in aphrodisiac formulas, pain treatments and Avicenna recommended seeds and leaves to expel uterine gases (34).

In China, various applications were used, “Cannabis flowers for use in menstrual disorders, Seed kernels for postpartum difficulties and the juice of the root…thought to have beneficial action in retained placenta and post-partum hemorrhage” as noted in the Pen T’sao Kang Mu complied via Li Shih-Chen in 1596- this text was later translated into the Chinese materia medica (34).

Earliest European references come from a translation of the 11th century Old English Herbarium that indicates the use of Hemp, possibly learned from the Anglo-Saxons, for sore breasts, “rub the herb, with fat, lay it to the breast, it will disperse the swelling; if there is a gathering of diseased matter it will purge it” (34).

Potential uses as shown via ethno botanical, Traditional and Clinical Usage

-Note to reader: these below uses are neither completely studied nor proven; however they are coming from ethno botanical or traditional uses that were translated from ancient texts. Most of what many authors have done is extrapolate the way the ancients were using herbs and medicines.

-“Treat anal fissures, as can occur after postpartum” as noted in Syriac medicine (34).

-Cannabis leaf juice is diuretic and used to check discharge in diarrhea and gonorrhea- in Persian text Makhzan-ul-Adwiya (34).

-Hemp seed oil to help harden and contract the uterus- ibn al-Baytar prescription (34).

-Hemp seeds- drying in nature- inhibit maternal milk production- 11th century Andulian thought via Ibn Wafid al-Lajmi (34).

-Hemp seeds mixed in potion with other things like lentils and vinegar may produce a reduction in female genital lubrication according to Tabit ibn Qurra (34).

-Hemp seed oil employed in use of uterine tumors – employed via a 17th century Azerbaijan physician (34).

-Poultice of leaves and stems mixed with asafetida to treat hemorrhoids and hysteria, recommended for use via Tibbnama 1712 (34).

-“intranasal base preparation of juice from cannabis seeds was mixed with a variety of other herbs to treat migraine, calm uterine pains, prevent miscarriage, and preserve fetuses in their mothers abdomens” – In 9th century Persia, the first Arabic materia medica named Al-Aqrabadhin Al-Saghir, called for the above applications (34).

-“Cannabis flowers for use in menstrual disorders” – noted in the Pen T’sao Kang Mu complied via Li Shih-Chen in 1596- this text was later translated into the Chinese materia medica (34).

-“Seed kernels for postpartum difficulties” – noted in the Pen T’sao Kang Mu complied via Li Shih-Chen in 1596- this text was later translated into the Chinese materia medica (34).

-“juice of the root…thought to have beneficial action in retained placenta and post-partum hemorrhage” – noted in the Pen T’sao Kang Mu complied via Li Shih-Chen in 1596- this text was later translated into the Chinese materia medica (34).

-The infused herb with fat- used to treat sore breasts- numerous sources reflect on this usage from the 11th century Old English Herbarium & the supposed 13th century Austrian manuscript named Codex Vindobonesis 93(34). 

 –One translation of the supposed 13th century Austrian manuscript named Codex Vindobonesis 93 yielded that an herbal infused ointment be used to reduce inflammation and pain in the breasts (34).

-Another translation of the supposed 13th century Austrian manuscript named Codex Vindobonesis 93, that hemp seeds were eaten in great quantity liberate maternal milk and treat amenorrhea (34).

-Hemp oil & poultice of cannabis preparation laid or rubbed on sore painful breasts after mothers have given birth; In folk German medicine in the late 19th century (34).

-Hempseed milk “used to treat bladder pains and dropsy” In folk German medicine in the late 19th century (34).

- Prevent staphylococcal mastitis and cracked fissures on nipples. A complication that can sometimes lead to mastitis- in Czechoslovakia a study was conducted on an extract of Cannabis in alcohol and glycerin was used on the nipples (34).

-Root used to treat gonorrhea by the German physician Georg Eberhard Rumpf in Indonesia (34).

-“green leaves of the female plant, cooked in water with Nutmeg, to drink to folks who felt a great oppression in their breasts, along with stabs, as if they had Pleuritis too” (34).

-Hemp seed oil emulsion in milk was aid to treat “heat of the urine,” “incontinence of urine,” and “restraining venereal appetites” as stated in the Edinburgh New Dispensatory in 1794 (34).

-Renal pain of Bright’s disease (34).

-Menopausal headaches (34).

-Carminative- seeds and leaves- Leaves purportedly used to treat “uterine gases” from al-Mayusi 1877 in the time of Galen (34).

-“Shrink vagina and prevent leukorrhea…an ointment of hashish and tobacco” is employed in Soviet prohibition in the 1930’s  (34).

-German Folklore & childbirth “sprigs of hemp were placed over the stomach and ankles to prevent convulsions and difficult childbirth” (34).

-In India- an “infusion of the seeds was used to treat gonorrhea” (34).

-In Vietnam- Pre birth- Improper placement “21 seed kernels boiled in water help to reset the neonate into normal position at birth (34).

-“pregnant women should always have some burnt for her as to have a completely healthy child” they were also given some to make them brave and “so as to no feel pain” Urban Africans 1980 were employing these methods (34).

- Abortive properties “strengthen uterine contractions”, (34).

-“Hemp seed, in infusion, has been found very useful in after-pains, and in the bearing-down sensation accompanying prolapsus uteri “(23).

Prohibition of Cannabis in 1937 up to the present…

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 ended the medicinal use of cannabis; for a time. In 1941, it was withdrawn from the U.S. pharmaceutical market due to the burdensome requirements of the law. Various panels were developed to judge the addictive nature, efficacy and safety. Over and over this medical substance was found to be “harmless & potentially useful”. “In 1971, President Nixon appointed the Presidential Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, led by Pennsylvania Governor William Shafer. When the commission unexpectedly recommended the repeal of laws against adult use of marijuana, Nixon promptly disavowed their report. Another study by the National Academy of Sciences came to similar conclusions in 1982, and was likewise ignored by President Reagan”. In the late 1970’s, 35 states developed legislation to look more into the intriguing aspects of cannabis for medicinal purposes; by developing research programs to find out the truth of the matter (15).

Under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 Marijuana was “classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning that it has high abuse potential and no recognized medical use. Schedule 1 drugs cannot be used without explicit permission from the DEA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which involves exhaustive paperwork, long delays, and almost certain refusal”. In 1976, a compassionate use protocol was put into place for certain conditions like glaucoma, MS, and rare genetic disease. In 1996, California voters approved the use of marijuana for ill patient’s ie medical usage (15).

 In 1997, the drug czar commission that the nation institute of health do an intensive overview of the safety and efficacy of marijuana and its derivatives i.e. cannabinoids. “The report cautioned against use of smoked marijuana on account of the respiratory hazards of smoking, but acknowledged that it remained the only good alternative for certain patients with chronic conditions. The report recommended further research and clinical trials including the development of non-smoked delivery systems. The federal government ignored the report and continued to oppose medical marijuana”. After the amendment passed in California many other states “passed medical marijuana laws of their own: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, Maine, Montana, Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Mexico. Canada’s highest court struck down the country’s marijuana laws and ordered the government to institute legal access for medical users.

Associations who have supported outright legalization of marijuana:

 

The American Public Health Association

 The American College of Physicians

The American Nurses’ Association

The American Psychiatric Association

The American Academy of Family Physicians

The AIDS Life Lobby

The Physicians’ Association for AIDS Care

The New England Journal of Medicine

 Consumer Reports Magazine (15).

References

1-Battista, N N (05/2008). “Interplay between endocannabinoids, steroids and cytokines in the

control of human reproduction”. Journal of neuroendocrinology (0953-8194), 20 Suppl 1 (s1), p. 82.

2-Brodbeck, J., Matter, M., Page, J., & Moggi, F. (2007). Motives for cannabis use as a

moderator variable of distress among young adults. Addictive Behaviors. 32 (8), 1537-1545.

3- Cohen, M., Solowij, N., & Carr, V. (2008). Cannabis, cannabinoids and schizophrenia:

integration of the evidence. AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. 42 (5), 357-368.

4-Cohen, Peter J (2009). “Medical marijuana: the conflict between scientific evidence and

political ideology. Part one & two”. In The Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy (1536-0288), 23 (1) & (2).

5-Conrad, C. (1997). Hemp for health: The medicinal and nutritional uses of Cannabis sativa.

Rochester, Vt: Healing Arts Press.

6-Domenici, Chiara C (2009). “Drug addiction during pregnancy: correlations between the

placental health and the newborn’s outcome – elaboration of a predictive score”. Gynecological endocrinology (0951-3590), 25 (12), p. 786.

7-Drake, W. D. (2002). Marijuana food. (pp. 60-92). Berkeley, CA: Ronin Publishing

Company.

8-Dutra L, Stathopoulou G, Basden SL, Leyro TM, Powers MB, & Otto MW. (2008). A meta-

analytic review of psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 165 (2), 179-87.

9-Ebadi, M. S. (2002). Pharmacodynamic basis of herbal medicine. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press.

10-Ellingwood, F. (1907).(Ellingwood’s therapeutist, A monthly journal of direct therapeutics. (Vol

1-3) Chicago.  Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/journals/elth1909/01-cannabis.html

11-El Marroun, Hanan H (12/01/2008). “Demographic, emotional and social determinants of

cannabis use in early pregnancy: the Generation R study”. Drug and alcohol dependence (0376-8716), 98 (3), p. 218.

12-Fasano, Silvia S (04/2009). “The endocannabinoid system: an ancient signaling involved in

the control of male fertility”. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (0077-8923), 1163 (1), p. 112.

13-Fried, P.(2002). The Consequences of Marijuana Use During Pregnancy: A review of the

Human Literature. In Russo, E., Dreher, M. C., & Mathre, M. L. (2002). Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science and Sociology. (pp. 85-104). Binghamton, NY:  Haworth Herbal Press.  

14-Fried, P.(2002). Chapter 24: Pregnancy. In Grotenhermen, F., & Russo, E. (2002). Cannabis

and cannabinoids: Pharmacology, toxicology, and therapeutic potential (pp. 269-78). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Integrative Healing Press.

15-Gieringer, D. H., Carter, G. T., & Rosenthal, E. (2008). Marijuana medical handbook

Practical guide to therapeutic uses of marijuana. Oakland, Calif: Quick American.

16-Green, B., Kavanagh, D. J., & Young, R. M. (2007). Predictors of cannabis use in men with

and without psychosis. Addictive Behaviors. 32 (12), 2879-2887.

17-Grieve, M. (1971). A Modern Herbal. (pp.  397). New York: Dover publications.

18-Hall, W., & Lynskey, M. (2005). Is cannabis a gateway drug? Testing hypotheses about the

relationship between cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs. Drug and Alcohol Review. 24 (1), 39-48.

19-Hayatbakhsh, M. R., Mamun, A. A., Najman, J. M., O’Callaghan, M. J., Bor, W. & Alati, R.

(2008). Early childhood predictors of early substance use and substance use disorders: prospective study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42(8), 720-731.

20-Hazekamp, A., Bastola, K., Rashidi, H., Bender, J., & Verpoorte, R. (2007). Cannabis tea

revisited: A systematic evaluation of the cannabinoid composition of cannabis tea. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 113 (1), 85-90.

21- Hjorth̐ưj C, Fohlmann A, & Nordentoft M. (2009). Treatment of cannabis use disorders in

people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders – a systematic review. Addictive Behaviors. 34 (6-7).

22-Iversen, L. L. (2008). The science of marijuana. New York: Oxford University Press.

23-King, J., Felter, H. W., & Lloyd, J. U. (1898). King’s American dispensatory. (pp. 77-82,

1328-1330). Cincinnati: Ohio Valley.

24-Macleod, John J (10/2008). “Parental drug use, early adversities, later childhood problems

And children’s use of tobacco and alcohol at age 10: birth cohort study”. Addiction (Abingdon, England) (0965-2140), 103 (10), p. 1731. 

25-Marijuana (2010). Natural medicines Comprehensive Database online. Retrieved online at:

http://0-www.naturaldatabase.com.skyline.cudenver.edu/(S(bg45en55nffnqmaeecnyji45))/nd/Search.aspx?cs=475965&s=ND&pt=100&id=947&ds=

26- McLaren, J., Swift, W., Dillon, P., & Allsop, S. (2008). REVIEW: Cannabis potency and

contamination: a review of the literature. Addiction. 103 (7), 1100-1109.

27-Pereira, J.(1853).The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Vol. II, 3rd American ed

Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/pereira/cannabis.html

28-Petersen, F. J. (1905). Materia medica and clinical therapeutics. Los Olivos, Cal: F. J.

Petersen. Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/petersen/cannabis.html

29-Pilcher, T. (2007). The cannabis cookbook: Over 35 recipes for meals, munchies, and more.

Philadelphia, PA: Running Press.

30- Potter, S. O. L. (1902). A compend of materia medica, therapeutics and prescription writing,

with especial reference to the physiological action of drugs; Based on the eighth revision of the U. S. pharmacopœoœeia including also many unofficial remedies. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston’s son &. Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/potter-comp/cannabis.html.

31-Potvin S, Sepehry AA, & Stip E. (2007). Meta-analysis of depressive symptoms in dual-

diagnosis schizophrenia. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 41 (10), 792-9.

32-Ream, G., Benoit, E., Johnson, B., Dunlap, E. (2008).  Smoking Tobacco along with

marijuana increases symptoms of cannabis dependence. (pp.199-208) Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 95(2008).

33-Russo, E. (2001). Handbook of psychotropic herbs: A scientific analysis of herbal remedies

for psychiatric conditions. (pp. 220-32). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Herbal Press.

34-Russo, E. (2002).  Cannabis Treatments in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Historical Review.

In Russo, E., Dreher, M. C., & Mathre, M. L. (2002). Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science and Sociology. (pp. 5-35). Binghamton, NY:  Haworth Herbal Press.  

35-Sayre, L. E. (1917). A manual of organic materia medica and pharmacognosy; An

introduction to the study of the vegetable kingdom and the vegetable and animal drugs (with syllabus of inorganic remedial agents) Comprising the botanical and physical characteristics, source, constituents, pharmacopoeial preparations, insects injurious to drugs, and pharmacal botany. Philadelphia: Blakiston. Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/sayre/cannabis.html

36-Scudder, J. M. (1870). Specific Medication and Specific Medicines. (pp. 94). Cincinnati:

Scudder.

37-Scudder, J. M. (1898). The American eclectic materia medica and therapeutics. (pp. 332).

Cincinnati: Scudder Brothers.

38-Skenderi, Gazmend.( 2003). Herbal Vade Mecum: 800 herbs, spices, essential oils, lipids,

etc. Constituents, properties, uses and caution. (pp. 241). Herbacy Press. Rutherford, New jersey.

39-Sturtevant, E. L., & Hedrick, U. P. (1919). Sturtevant’s edible plants of the world. Ed. by U.

P. Hedrick. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, state printers. Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/sturtevant/cannabis.html

40-Tierra, M. (1992).  Planetary Herbology. Twin Lakes, WI. Lotus Press.

41-Usmanghani, K., Saeed, A., Muhammad T. (1997). Indusyunic Medicine: Traditional

medicine of Herbal, animal and Mineral origin in Pakistan. Pakistan. University of Karachi.

42- Wood, G. B., Remington, J.  (1918). The dispensatory of the United States of America.

Philadelphia: Lippincott. Retrieved from http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/usdisp/cannabis.

Featured: Local Herb of the Month  

                     Pulsatilla patens

By: Jamie Lynn Thomas CCH, CN

            As the spring snows melt off into the mountain runways and feed our precious rivers we start to notice the delicate flowers of the coming season’s bounty that push their ragged bodies up past the bosom of the earth into the lights rays. As she unfolds herself, her delicate purple flower makes all who come within her realm feel exalted by the power of vitality! As she is a gentle fuzzy flower whom is also know as wind flower,  pasque or May flower due to its appearance (in lower elevations) around Easter, but as our climate shifts so does the appearance of this delicate titan. Many in the mountains have noticed how the weather has been different; especially this season for the snows kept coming without the traditional spring showers. What it has resulted in is an extension of the flowering period of the sweet pulsatilla.

            Just as the appearance of this plant is mystical so are its multiple medicinal uses stemming from homeopathy, herbal medicine and clinical usage via the Eclectics. When using this herb in Homeopathy it is said that the delicate blue flowering plant reflects the “temperament of those who can best be helped by the remedy- indecisive, low spirited, depressed, mild mannered etc.”

Pulsatilla Homeopathic type 
Timid, moody and weeps easily.-her face tends to be reddish due to a strong rush of blood to the head. Dark circles around the eyes and a narrow face. In spite of gentle disposition pulsatilla types can be irritable and may complain when they feel neglected. Attention and affection improve their condition.
Characteristic symptoms “proven as a successful treatment for those with a tendency towards cold feet, chronic colds, eye infections, headaches, menstrual complaints, gastritis, digestive disorders, varicose veins, skin eruptions, rheumatism, anxiety & depression” 
Mood-quick mood swings-weepiness with a desire for sympathy-exaggerated, unreasonable anxiety

-fear of other peoples opinions

-feeling of abandonment

Head-Pulsating, pounding feeling in the forehead above one or more eyes-headache after emotional event-headache from eating too much rich food

-headache due to sun exposure

Colds & Infections-Thick, yellowish green discharge from the nose.-in children, eye infections that secret yellow discharge-itchy, burin ing of eyes with stickiness of the eyelids in the morning

-ear infections with a feeling of congestion and pain; usually worse at night

Skin-Painful, burning itching eruptions with a tendency toward inflammation and scabs, relieved by cold applications-Vaginal infections accompanied by thick yellow discharge General-fever with lack of thirst-difficulty falling asleep; waking up before midnight
Main Homeopathic applications
-Mental symptoms are first addressed by this remedy.-Physical symptoms such as GI complaints caused by a excessively rich diet. As well as patients suffering from uterine or ovarian disorders, menstrual complaints or menopausal difficulties also respond well to pulsatilla.-Earaches & ear infections- painful or inflamed ears respond well especially when the problem is triggered by wet feet or cold. Plus earaches accompanied by a lack of thirst and a yellowish green discharge from the nose can be treated successfully with this remedy.
Symptom Gauge- A great way to determine if pulsatilla is right for you. Do your symptoms change under the following conditions Ie do they get better or worse.
Better-When walking slowly-Fresh air-When continually in motion

-When you get sympathy

Worse-In warmth and heat-In the sun-In stuffy rooms

-In the evening

-When you eat greasy foods

           

(Taken from: The Complete Guide to Natural healing Cards- Group 5 card 7).

            In herbal medicine there is some confusion between the method of application, preparation and species in the West compared to European herbalism. For the topic of this article we will focus upon the uses in the west NOT the uses in Europe. In history we see this plant being employed by the Minnesota tribe Indians who considered it a chief plant that was so valued due to its many uses that they considered it a “cure all.” In Lloyds treatise on pulsatilla he claims that the plant exhibits numerous actions that can profoundly affect the physiology of a patient. His experience with the plant in clinical practice spans over 20 years and considers it a specific medication for many conditions. In the below monograph, many of the uses have been outlined in an easy to read format. If anyone is interested in more uses, dosing etc. Please feel free to hop onto our blog page and ask a question or post a comment and we will do our best to answer you fully. http://teaalchemy.wordpress.com/

Monograph for:

Anemone pulsatilla- (Pasque flower, wind flower) 

Plant Family:                     Ranunculaceae                                                                                                

Parts Used: FRESH HERB-from spring flowering to early seeding.                                     

Clinical Actions:                                                                                                                

-Strong relaxant, Relieves the stress response, may be useful for stress-related headache.

Antispasmodic, sedative, counterirritant, blistering agent (P. Bergner 7 A, E, F)

-Fresh-counterirritant/ vesicant (depending on concentration) and analgesic. Anemonin is non- toxic and has shown antimicrobial effects (Skenderi 308).

-Dried- antimicrobial, antispasmodic, diuretic, sedative (Skenderi 308).

Cautions/Warnings:                                                                                

-Note that anemone as used in British Herbalism and in North American Herbalism are very different. In North America we use a fresh tincture. The result is a very powerful

Preparation, with an acrid taste, which can cause burning in the digestive tract even with

20 drop doses. Typical dose is more like 3-10drops.

- Don’t use in Pregnancy, bradycardia, acute and febrile conditions (Michael Moore plant folios: http://www.swsbm.com )

-British Herbalism used only dried plant- and Is an Abortifacient and can cause GI irritations (Skenderi 308). 

Primary uses:                                                                                                                    

•Tincture of the fresh plant [1:2]. Despite many references to the contrary, ONLY the fresh plant is potent (Michael Moore plant folios WWW: http://www.swsbm.com.)

DOSAGE: 3-10 drops, to 4X a day. Several drops on the tongue or with a little water- USE WITH CARE.

NOTE: The medicine works quickly…the active constituents are camphor-like and acrid, similar to those found in such relatives as the Buttercups. Its absorption is quick, effecting the central nervous system almost immediately, rather that the usual pattern of gradual absorption from the intestinal, through the liver, thence into general circulation.

Several drops on the tongue or with a little water is the appropriate dose. Larger amounts wont help if smaller ones don’t. It simply means the herb is inappropriate, Large amounts (usually over 30 drops) may produce strong effects on the autonomic nervous system, with a sense of cold, a clammy sweat and even dizziness…the small doses produce NO side effects.

This dichotomy may seem peculiar, but a LITTLE Pulsatilla effects the brain only…large doses are absorbed in general circulation and produce a predominantly somatic response (Michael Moore plant folios: http://www.swsbm.com) 

Internal: Insomnia, nervousness, and a generally agitated emotional state with gloom and distress. Wan and chilly, not hot and flushed (Michael Moore plant folios http://www.swsbm.com)

SPECIFIC INDICATIONS:

•Increased intraocular pressure; lachrymitis; glaucoma in aged or tired; viral iritis; fullblown styes on lids; ophthalmalgia;•Eyestrain with orbital pain; conjunctivitis, watery and inflamed with grainy vision.•Tongue white coated with nausea, or creamy white¸ with taste of rancid fats.•Otitis media; tinnitis.•Dry cough, hectic, with mucus vomiting, gagging, no overt disease. •Delirium tremens in asthenics.•To prevent anxieties when insomnia is feared.•Incontinence from chronic nephritis or acute lower urinary tract infections.•Amenorrhea with depressions.•Dysmenorrhea, with depressions and lengthy history of PMS.•Impotence/frigidity, from constant anxiety and depression regarding sexuality with fearof no arousal, lubrication or erection.•Leukorrhea; hypersecretory, milky, little smell.•Orchitis/epididymitis, with red, enlarged and painful testicles, no major pathology.•Lactation, suppressed from nervousness, mild sympathetic excess, with painful, swollen breasts.•Depression with nervous irritation.•Hysteria, in depressive states.•Migraine headaches, as a vasodilator.•Dopamine/prolactin antagonist, for in PMS symptoms from a short progesterone phase•Minor symptoms derived from elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure and caused by catecholamine excess; PMS (see previous), orbital headaches, some neck pain(Michael Moore plant folios http://www.swsbm.com)

External:

-Used as a poultice, liniment: fresh herb for rheumatic complaints and neuralgia pains and as a wash, wet compress: dried herb for bacterial and fungal infections (Skenderi 308). 

Biochemical Actions:                                                                                                      

Dried herb: - Note wont use this necessarily- Anemonin (=protoanemonin dimmer); fresh herb: Protoanemonin (an unstable compound(, and (fresh or dried): tannins, Flavonoids, saponins, organic acids, etc.(Skenderi 308).

-Action, Energetics and formulation by Paul Bergner – mm pg 7

and common pairs 

AnemoneCimicifugaspasmodic and nervousfemale complaints, headache

Clymer 

AnemoneScutellariaconvulsionsCook

 

AnemoneScutellariachorea, hysteria, agitation,epeleptiform seizures

Priest

AnemoneValerianamenopause, scanty mensesPriest

 

Anemone 1-3 gttMitchella 8-15Leonurus 8-15menstrual headache

Clymer 

 
 

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.