*This information is provided for your inspiration and reference. In no way is it meant to replace proper diagnosis or treatment by a qualified therapist or physician.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA.

PLEASE CONSULT A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE.

BURDOCK -  (Arctium lappa): Western herbalists have long used burdock for its demulcent action, both externally and internally, and for its alterative effects on the blood and urinary system.  During the Middle Ages, remedies for kidney stones contained burdock in the belief that a stony character in a medicine would cure the stony ailment.  The Chinese find it more valuable as a healer of hot (yang) conditions. It enters the liver meridian and benefits spleen deficiency.  Its diaphoretic and diuretic properties make it valuable for eliminating excess nervous energy, sweating out toxins, and cooling the heat of infections.  They also use it for colds, flus, measles, and constipation.  The Chinese also consider burdock to be a strengthening aphrodisiac.  The most popular western use of burdock root is as a primary herb in blood purifier formulas.  It is also used to cleanse the body of uric acid and other residues that accumulate from rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.  Seeds are sometimes used for skin problems. The shredded leaves have also been folded into egg whites and applied as a skin dressing to accelerate healing.  Tests confirm that it kills both bacterial and fungal infections.     French herbalists have used the fresh root to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics because it contains the easily digestible starch “inulin”.  It is also believed, but not proven, that the root regenerates liver cells and stimulates the gallbladder.  Burdock is also used in many parts of the world in herbal cancer treatments.

Chamomile, German (Matricaria recutita)  German chamomile has been taken for digestive problems since at least the 1st century AD.  Gentle and efficacious, it is very suitable for children. The herb is valuable for pain, indigestion, acidity, gas, gastritis, bloating, and colic.  It is also used for hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome.  German chamomile, which contains spiroether and bisabolol, very strong antispasmodics, relax tense, aching muscles and eases menstrual pain.  It also appears to have relaxing action on the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract.  One study shows chamomile relaxes the digestive tract as well as the opium-based drug papaverine.  Chamomile also may help prevent stomach ulcers and speed their healing.  In one experiment, two groups of animals were fed a chemical known to cause ulcers.  Those also given chamomile developed significantly fewer.  Then the animals who developed ulcers were divided into two groups.  Those fed chamomile recovered more quickly.  It also relieves irritability and promotes sleep, especially in children.  German chamomile is useful for hay fever and asthma.  The proazulenes in the herb produce chamazulene on steam distillation, which is markedly antiallergenic.  Externally, it can be applied to sore, itchy skin and eczema.  It also relieves eyestrain.  A cream made from German chamomile was tested in 1987 for its ability to heal wounds and produced very good results.  Apply it externally for disinfecting and anti-inflammatory treatments in the form of packs, baths, and compresses using a strong tea, diluted chamomile tincture or a liquid chamomile extract.  In 1993, a trial using German chamomile and 4 other herbs showed them to be most effective at easing infantile colic.  Historically, chamomile poultices have been placed on cancers, and its sesquiterpene lactones do show immune system-stimulating and antitumor activity.  Inflamed oral mucosa can also be treated with chamomile tea.  For stomatitis, an uncomfortable inflammation of the mouth’s mucous membranes, and canker sores, the mouth is rinsed with the tea or a liquid chamomile extract into one glass of water.  Due to its antispasmodic properties Chamomile is a good remedy for all cramping pains, especially for abdominal cramping in children.  At the same time it has a carminative effect of relieving flatulence. In pediatric medicine chamomile is used as a tea or syrup.  The effect can be increased by placing a hot chamomile pad on the painful area.  To treat cramps, mix equal parts of chamomile flowers and silverweed to make a tea.  Chamomile is a classic remedy for teething pains in children.  For this, use chamomile in its homeopathic form or as teething tablets.

Chamomile, Roman (Chamaemelum nobile)    A remedy for the digestive system, Roman chamomile is often used interchangeably with German chamomile.  However, an infusion of Roman chamomile has a more pronounced bitter action than its German namesake.  It is an excellent treatment for nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and loss of appetite.  It is also sedative, antispasmodic and mildly analgesic, and will relieve colic, cramps, and other cramping pains.  By stimulating digestive secretions and relaxing the muscles of the gut, it helps normalize digestive function.  Roman chamomile may also be taken for headaches and migraine, even by children.  Its anti-inflammatory and antiallergenic properties make it helpful for irritated skin.

Chaparal (Larrea tridentata  ): Chaparal is used for treating such ailments as: tuberculosis, bowel complaints, stomach ulcers and bowel disorders, cancers, and colds and flu. It is found to be beneficial to the walls of capillaries throughout the body, and so are good to take regularly in cases of capillary fragility.  Chaparal contains N.D.G.A.. It is responsible for inhibiting several enzyme reactions, including lipo oxyginase, which is responsible for some unhealthy inflammatory and immune-system responses. It has been shown to reduce inflammatory histamine responses in the lung, which is good news for asthma sufferers. N.D.G.A. is one of the most highly anti-oxidant substances known to man. Several types of tumors, such as those in uterine fibroids and fibrosystic breast disease, can be helped immensely by a concentrated extract of the plant.   Chaparal can improve liver function, causing the liver metablolism to speed up, clearing toxins, and improving the livers' ability to synthesize fatty acids into high density lipids (HDLs....the good quality cholesterol). The low density lipids levels (LDLs....the poor quality cholesterol) decrease.  The strong anti-oxident effects of Larrea t. appear to repair free radical damage caused by drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines.