quarta-feira, 5 de agosto de 2009

"St. John's wort "



Things I found out about it and why I picked this:

Overview:
St. John's wort - Hypericum perforatum - has a history of medicinal use dating back to ancient Greeks, where they believed that the fragrance of St. John's Wort would cause the evil spirits to fly away. The plant was given magical powers. In ancient Greece, the herb was used to treat many ailments, including sciatica and poisonous reptile bites. In Europe it was used for the topical treatment of wounds and burns. It is also a folk remedy for kidney and lung ailments as well as depression.


Fancy and complicated name: Hypericum Perforatum

Other Names: Johnswort, Amber, Touch-and-heal, Goat weed, Hardhay, Klamath Weed, Rosin Rose, Hypericum, Tipton weed.

Parts that are used: Flowers and leaves.


Efects:
Hypericum extract contains numerous active compounds that together create the antidepressant and antianxiety effects. Hypericum is the first known substance to enhance three key neurotransmitters- serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Preliminary research suggests that St. John's Wort also lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and enhances the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a naturally occurring tranquilizer in the brain. It is a very mild, clinically insignificant monoamine oxidase inhibitor.


Remedies For:
Anxiety
Depression
Inflammation of the skin
Blunt Injuries
Wounds and Burns
Recurrent Ear infection
Vitiligo
Being tested for AIDS

Antispasmodic, astringent, expectorant, nervine, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial.


Dosage:
At meal, drink a cup of St. John's Wort's tea.
For me, it's for depression, so I should take 300mg, three times per day.
St. John's Wort should be taken close to meals. Assess the effectiveness of the herb after 4 to 6 weeks of starting the herbal treatment.

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for l0-l5 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.

Tincture: take l-4ml of the tincture three times a day.



Safety:
- Hypericum should not be combined with a inhibitor antidepressant such as Nardil (phenelzine) or Parnate (tranylcypromine). This combination can produce a dangerous rise in blood pressure or hypertensive crisis, along with severe anxiety, fever, muscle tension, and confusion. After stopping a MAO inhibitor, one should wait at least four weeks before taking other antidepressants, including Hypericum.
- May interfere with medications given during organ transplant (such as kidney and liver.) Do not take this herb if you have undergone or plan to undergo a transplant operation.
- Avoid foods and medications that are known to interact negatively with MAO-inhibiting drugs.
- Tyramine containing foods ( red wine, cheese, beer, yeast, and pickled herring).
- St. John's Wort should not be used at the same time as prescription antidepressants.
- Do not use St. John's Wort during pregnancy or lactation.
- St. John's Wort makes the skin more light sensitive. Persons with fair skin should avoid exposure to strong sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light, such as tanning beds.


Saint John's Wort has a good safety record over centuries of folk medicine. In contrast to synthetic antidepressants, there have been no reports of Hypericum-related deaths. Drug monitoring studies on over 7000 patients and twenty-seven double-blind research studies confirm its safety. The extensive use of Hypericum by millions of people has not resulted in reports of serious side effects.


You'll find this information and more in: http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h20.htm.




Well, this is what I'll be using for the next months and hope to get better, I don't want to start takin' pills like my mom, I just can't even stant to think about it... You wanna know what took me so long to start treating this stupid disease? It's was asking for help. I had to seek out for someone that could help me, in your case can be your mother, father, older brother, best friend, loved one or even yourself if you aknoledge you have a problem and you have to get it "fixed". They'll help you, belive me and life will become a little easier but you too will have to fight and struggle everyday.


NOTE:
This herb works fine with depression BUT! That doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek medical help first, take their instructions, please. Remember, above all this herb should be taken AFTER seeking proper help. Like you, there are people suffering from this "disease" all over the world and it has a cure.




☽◯☾ Lady Crove

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