Monday 29 July 2013

The Many Uses of the Dandelion

Much money is spent on herbicides to remove this cheery flower from lawns and gardens, but the dandelion holds its own, producing seeds with or without pollination and distributing them far and wide.
It is believed that the dandelion originated in central Asia and spread throughout most of the world, preferring the cooler climates. Most species occur in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, with the greatest concentration in northwest Europe. The name dandelion comes from the French ‘dent-de-lion’, referring to the plants lions tooth leaves. It’s also known as ‘wet a bed’ or ‘piss in lee’, after its diuretic action. Its Latin name Taraxacum is derived from the Greek taraxos (disorder) and Akos (remedy) on account of its curative actions.
The dandelion takes an important place among the flowers for our bee keepers. The dandelion flowers supply considerable of both pollen and nectar in the early spring, when the bees harvest from fruit trees is nearly over. It has been observed that up to 93 different kinds of insects are in the habit of visiting the flower of the dandelion.
Dandelion flowers are very sensitive to weather conditions, in fine weather, all parts of the plant are outstretched, but directly as rain threaten; the whole head closes up at once. It also closes at night around 5 o‘clock and opens again by 7 in the morning.
Dandelions roots calorie count is exceptionally low – a cup is only 25 calories – and its nutrient content is exceptionally high. In fact, dandelion root contains greater nutritional value than many stem vegetables. Dandelion leaves are also an outstanding source of vitamin A and excellent source of vitamin C, B vitamins as well as calcium, copper, manganese and iron. Young dandelion leaves make delicious additions to sandwiches and summer salads. The roasted roots make an excellent coffee, without any problems with keeping one awake at night. Just clean, roast in a warm oven and then they are ready to ground into very tasty coffee.
Dandelion is used in Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. This alone is proof of its status as an important remedy.
In Europe, dandelion is used in the treatment of the following conditions, fevers, boils, liver congestion, heartburn, skin problems and fluid retention. In Chinese herbalism, they value its anti-inflammatory action and use it in breast lumps, mastitis, boils, sore throats, appendicitis, liver disease and digestive complaints.
Bitter herbs like dandelion stimulate digestion by stimulating the release of bile by the liver and gall bladder. This can be very useful in the treatment of gall stones and poor digestive function leading to bloating and nausea after eating. Take dandelion before meal times for the relief of digestive problems. Dandelion also contains very high concentration of inulin, which serves as a food source for the growth of ‘friendly bacteria’ in the gut.
Dandelion is an excellent ‘tonic’ for the liver, in one animal study, dandelion significantly improved the livers ability to clear toxins by 244%. So anyone on long term medication can benefit from using dandelion on a regular basis.

The leaves of dandelion have a confirmed diuretic effect, used for weight loss programs and women who retain fluid around their menstrual cycle. Take the juice of dandelion leaves in the above cases, 2 tablespoons per day should work.


David Foley
MRCHM, MNIHM
Medical Herbalist

Wednesday 17 July 2013

The Benefits of Omega-3

Many people think that fat in the diet is bad. In fact fat is necessary for life but most of us consume the wrong types of fat. Over the past century, our intake of different fats has changed markedly, with most of us eating far more saturated fats and omega-6 fats from vegetable oils than ever before, whilst our intake of omega-3 fats from oily fish has decreased by an astounding 80%. In times gone by, oily fish was normal and regular part of the daily diet, but things have changed, with only one third of people in Ireland regularly eating the recommended 1-2 portions of oily fish per week. As a result, there is widespread deficiency of omega-3 fats, and this has important consequences for health.
Fat is bursting with calories and consuming too much will eventually lead to obesity, particularly if you don’t take regular exercise. However, different fats appear to have different properties, and too much of our fat intake comes from animals rather than fish. It is thought that stable fish fatty acids can actually increase the speed of certain chemical reactions in the body, burning fat to form carbon dioxide, water and energy, which can bring about a decrease in body weight, particulary when they replace saturated fats in our diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids help to keep the cell walls of deep water ocean fish supple. These fish oils have been shown to keep cells flexible in humans too, helping to maintain joint suppleness and skin and blood vessel elasticity.
Adding stable fish oil to the diet of people suffering high blood pressure has enabled some doctors to lower the doses of drugs prescribed for hypertension, thus apparently reducing the risk of the side effect from the drugs. Ingesting natural fish oil has also been shown to act as a gradual anti-inflammatory and decrease pain in joints, although it can take several months before there is any noticeable difference. Fish oil is also believed to improve the circulation of blood to fingers and legs.
A number of experimental and clinical studies on the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been carried out by Professor Saldeen and his associates at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Concluding evidence suggests that some ordinary fish oil preparations may, due to their instability, produce free radicals, which can be damaging to cardiovascular health.
From Professor Saldeens research, stable fish oil has been developed in which omega-3 fatty acids have been combined with appropriate antioxidants to produce a more stable preparation that has more pronounced effects in humans. As such, the stable fish oil has significant advantages over ordinary, commercially available fish oil preparations. An unpalatable taste or fishy odor distinguishes unstable fish oils from stable varieties, which have a neutral taste and are odorless.
Several studies have documented the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids in helping to prevent the development of atherosclerosis and its major manifestation, coronary heart disease.
Stable fish oil decreases cardiac arrhythmias and it seems to be due to its direct action on the heart. It has been found that intake of fatty fish or natural stable fish oil reduces the total mortality and mortality from heart disease by 29% after two years in men with previous heart attacks.

David Foley
MRCHM, MNIMH

Medical Herbalist

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Treating Anxiety

A large number of people in Ireland suffer from anxiety – ‘an unpleasant emotional state, ranging from mild unease to intense fear’. Anxiety differs from fear in that, while fear is a rational response to a real danger, anxiety usually lacks a clear or realistic cause. Though some anxiety is normal and even healthy, higher levels of anxiety are not only uncomfortable but can lead to significant problems.
    Anxiety is often accompanied by a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms relate to the chest, such as heart palpitations (awareness of a more forceful or faster heart beat) throbbing or stabbing pains, a feeling of tightness and inability to take in enough air, and a tendency to sigh or hyperventilate. Tension in the muscles of the back and neck often leads to headaches, back pains and muscle spasms. Other symptoms can include excessive sweating, dryness of the mouth, dizziness, digestive disturbances and the constant need to urinate or defecate.
Anxious individuals usually have a constant feeling that something bad is going to happen. They may fear that they have a chronic or dangerous illness – a belief that is reinforced by the symptoms of anxiety. Inability to relax may lead to difficulty in getting to sleep and constant waking through the night.
Severe anxiety will often produce what are known as ‘panic attacks’ – intense feeling of fear. Panic attacks may occur independent from anxiety but are most often associated with generalized anxiety or agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is defined as an intense fear of being alone or being in public places e.g. Mass. As a result, many people with Agoraphobia become housebound.
Panic attacks are very common; about 15% of the population experience a panic attack in their lifetime.
Clinical anxiety, including panic attacks, can be produced by caffeine. Perhaps the most significant biochemical disturbance noted in people with anxiety and panic attacks is an elevated blood lactic acid level and an increased lactic acid to pyruvic acid ratio. There are at least six nutritional factors that may be responsible for elevated lactic acid to pyruvic acid ratio:
  1. alcohol
  2. caffeine
  3. sugar
  4. deficiency of the B vitamins, niacin, pyridoxine, and thiamin
  5. deficiency of calcium or magnesium
  6. food allergies
By avoiding alcohol, caffeine, sugar and food allergens, people with anxiety can go a long way towards relieving their symptoms.
It has also been found that people with a deficiency of essential omega3 fatty acids - found in high concentrations in flaxseed oil - can suffer more from anxiety and panic attacks. In one study, three out of four patients with a history of agoraphobia for more than 10 years improved within two to three months after taking flaxseed oil at a dosage of 2 to 6 tablespoons daily. All patients had signs of essential fatty acid deficiency, such as dry skin, dandruff, brittle fingernails that grow slowly, and nerve disorders.
Herbal medicine also has much to offer patients with anxiety and/or panic attacks. Chamomile, valerian and passion flower are all excellent herbs to ease anxiety. Rhodiola is also used to ease anxiety along with its ability to lift mood in depression.
Suggested supplements for anxiety include calcium magnesium citrate, B complex vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids like flaxseed oil. Calcium magnesium citrate is excellent if constipation and/or muscle cramps are also present.
Exercise outdoors. Hiking, walking and swimming are the best antidotes for anxiety and tension.


David Foley
MRCHM, MNIMH

Medical Hebalist