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Arrowroot Maranta arundinaceae (LINN.)

Arrowroot Maranta arundinaceae (LINN.)

Family: N.O. Marantaceae

Synonyms Indian Arrowroot. Maranta Indica. Maranta ramosissima. Maranta Starch or Arrowroot. East or West Indian Arrowroot. Araruta. Bermuda Arrowroot.
Part Used The fecula or starch of the rhizome.
Habitat Indigenous in the West Indian Islands and possibly Central America. Grows in Bengal, Tava. Philippines, Mauritius. Natal. West Africa.

Description—The name of the genus was bestowed by Plumier in memory of Bartommeo Maranto (d. 1559, Naples), a physician of Venosa in Basilicata. The popular name is a corruption of the Aru-root of the Aruac Indians of South America, or is derived from the fact that the plant is said to be an antidote to arrow-poison.

The product is usually distinguished by the name of the place from which it is imported. Bermuda Arrowroot was formerly the finest, but it is now rarely produced, and the name is applied to others of high standard.

It was introduced into England about 1732 though it will only grow as a stove plant, with tanners’ bark. The plant is an herbaceous perennial, with a creeping rhizome with upward-curving, fleshy, cylindrical tubers covered with large, thin scales that leave rings of scars. The flowering stem reaches a height of 6 feet, and bears creamy flowers at the ends of the slender branches that terminate the long peduncles. They grow in pairs. The numerous, ovate, glabrous leaves are from 2 to 10 inches in length, with long sheaths often enveloping the stem.

The starch is extracted from rhizomes not more than a year old. They are washed, pulped in wooded mortars, stirred in clean water, the fibres wrung out by hand, and the milky liquor sieved, allowed to settle, and then drained. Clean water is again added, mixed, and drained, after which the starch is dried on sheets in the sun, dust and insects being carefully excluded. The starch yield is about one-fifth of the original weight of the rhizomes. It should be odourless and free from unpleasant taste, and when it becomes mouldy, should be rejected. It keeps well if quite dry. The powder creaks slightly when rubbed, and feels firm. Microscopical examination of the starch granules is necessary for certainty of purity. Potato starch, which corresponds in chemical and nutritive qualities, is sometimes substituted, but it has a somewhat unpleasant taste, and a test with hydrochloric acid brings out an odour like French beans. Sago, rice and tapioca starches are also found occasionally as substitutes.

The jelly is more tenacious than that of any other starch excepting Tous-les-mois.

Arrowroot is often used simply in the form of pudding or blanc-mange. The roots could be candied like Eryngo.

–Constituents—An 1887 analysis of the root of the St. Vincent Arrowroot gave starch 27.17 per cent, fibre, fat, albumen, sugar, gum, ash, and 62.96 per cent water. Of the starch was given: starch 83’70 per cent., fibre, fat, sugar, gum, ash and sand, and water 15.87 per cent.

The official granules, according to Pereira, are ‘rarely oblong, somewhat ovate-oblong, or irregularly convex, from 10 to 70 microns in diameter, with very fine lamellae, a circular hilium which is fissured in a linear or stellate manner.’

—Medicinal Auction and Uses—Arrowroot is chiefly valuable as an easily digested, nourishing diet for convalescents, especially in bowel complaints, as it has demulcent properties. In the proportion of a tablespoonful to a pint of water or milk, it should be prepared by being first made into a smooth paste with a little cold milk or water, and then carefully stirred while the boiling milk is added. Lemon-juice, sugar, wine, or aromatics may be added. If thick, it will cool into a jelly that usually suits weaning infants better than other farinaceous foods.

It is said that the mashed rhizomes are used for application to wounds from poisoned arrows, scorpion and black spider bites, and to arrest gangrene.

The freshly-expressed juice, mixed with water, is said to be a good antidote, taken internally, for vegetable poisons, such as Savanna.

—Other Species—

Maranta ramosissima is the M. arundinaceae of the East
M. allouya and M. nobilis are also West Indian species. The term arrowroot is applied to other starches.
BRAZILIAN ARROWROOT, or Tapioca Meal, is obtained from Manihot utilissima (bitter) and M. palmata (sweet) . It is also called Bahia Rio, or Para-Arrowroot. See MANDIOCA.

TAHITI ARROWROOT is from Tacca oceanica (pinnatifida). It is a favourite article of diet in the tropics, being found in the Sandwich and South Sea Islands, and is said to be the best arrowroot for dysentery.

EAST INDIAN ARROWROOT is from Curcuma augustifolia, or longa.

TOUS-LES-MOIS is from Canna edulis and C. achiras, of the West Indies, called Indian Shot, from their hard, black seeds, used as beads, and Balisier, from the use of their leaves for packing, in Brazil.; OSWEGO ARROWROOT, used in America, is from Zea Mays, Indian Corn. ;MEXICAN ARROWROOT is from the seeds of Dion edule. ;CHINESE ARROWROOT is said to be from the tubers of Nelumbium speciosum. ;PORTLAND ARROWROOT was formerly obtained from Arum maculatum, but it was acrid and not very satisfactory.; M. dichotoma has stems used, when split, for making shade mats in India.

M. Malaccensis has poisonous roots used as an ingredient in a Borneo arrow-poison.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Arnica (Arnica montana)

Arnica (Arnica montana)
Compositae Composite family

Parts Usually Used: Flowers, rootstock

Description of Plant and Culture

Arnica is a perennial plant; the horizontal, brown, branched rootstock sends up a slightly hairy, simple or lightly branched stem that reaches a height of 1-2 feet. Basal leaves are oblong-ovate and short-petioled; upper leaves are smaller and sessile. Each plant has 1 to 9 large, yellow, daisy-like flowerheads, 2-2 1/2 inches wide, whose rays are notched on the outer tips. The flowers appear from June to August.

Arnica is also commonly called leopard’s bane. The arnica plant has a bright yellow, daisy-like flower that blooms around July. Preparations made from the flowering heads have been used in homeopathic medicine for hundreds of years. It is popular in Germany and over 100 drug preparations are made from the plant. Arnica is a perennial that is protected in parts of Europe.

Medicinal Properties: Diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, stimulant, vulnerary

The active components in arnica are sesquiterpene lactones, which are known to reduce inflammation and decrease pain. Other active principals are thymol (an essential oil), flavonoids, inulin, carotenoids and tannins.

Arnica works by stimulating the activity of white blood cells that perform much of the digestion of congested blood, and by dispersing trapped, disorganized fluids from bumped and bruised tissue, joints and muscles.

Uses: Arnica is used externally mostly. Used as a salve or tincture, helps heal wounds, bruises, arthritis, and irritations. Only very dilute solutions of the tincture should be used (the herb can cause blistering and inflammation). Used as a poultice but not often. Native Americans used the ointment for stiffened, cramped muscles, poor appetite, hair loss, and arnica tincture to open wounds and gashes, sprains. It is typically rubbed on the skin to soothe and heal bruises, sprains, and relieve irritations from trauma, arthritis and muscle or cartilage pain. Applied as a salve, arnica is also good for chapped lips, irritated nostrils and acne.

Arnica is known to stimulate blood circulation and can raise blood pressure, especially in the coronary arteries. The plant is used externally for arthritis, burns, ulcers, eczema and acne. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities that can reduce pain and swelling, improving wound healing.

Part Used: Extract of the blossoms

Formulas or Dosages: Use professionally prepared remedies when possible.

Infusion: use 1 tsp. dried flowers with 1/2 cup boiling water. Take in 3 equal portions during the day for diaphoretic, diuretic, or expectorant action.

External wash: steep 2 heaping tsp. flowers in 1 cup boiling water. Use cold.

Tincture: use a dilute solution of 1 to 2 tbsp. to a cup of water.

Ointment: heat 1 oz. flowers in 1 oz. olive oil or lard in a water bath (in a double boiler) for a few hours. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth.

Warning: One reference cautions not to use arnica on broken skin. This herb can cause blistering and inflammation. An irritant to the stomach and intestines, can cause serious damage to the heart; and fatalities from poisoning have been reported.

Arnica should not be used for any purpose without medical supervision.

Toxicity: The internal use of Arnica is not suggested. It can cause vomiting, weakness, increased heart rate and nervous disturbances.

Bibliography

American Folk Medicine, by Clarence Meyer, pg., 283.
The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, pgs., 130-131, 146-147, 180.
Healing Plants, by Mannfried Pahlow, pgs., 141-142.
The Herb Book, by John Lust, pgs., 101-102, 477, 478, 490, 529.
Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, by Earl Mindell, pgs., 43-44.
Herb Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, pgs., 132, 163. I
ndian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, pgs., 15-17.
The Nature Doctor, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; pgs., 12, 26, 27, 33, 50, 120, 122, 129, 135, 139, 144, 152, 186, 324-325, 349, 358, 384, 395. The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton, pgs., 351-352.
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, pg., 75.
The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, pg., 193.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.)

Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) Umbelliferae Umbel family

Description of Plant and Culture: An annual plant; the spindle-shaped, thin, woody root sends up a round, grooved, branched stem up to 1 1/2 feet high. The lowest leaves are round-cordate and long-petioled, the middle leaves are pinnate, and those at the top are incised into narrow lobes. The small, white flowers appear in compound umbels during July and August. The downy, brown ovate fruit is about 1/8 inch long and ripens during August and September. The whole plant has a fragrant odor, and the seeds taste sweet when chewed. It has a licorice-like flavor.

Among the cafe set, anise is the herb most likely to be invited to cocktails. From Greek ouzo to French pastis to Italian sambuca, anise lends its distinctive flavor to some of the world’s most sophisticated libations — but the herbally hip know that this plant has as important a place in the medicine chest as it does in the liquor cabinet.

Medicinal Properties: Antispasmodic, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, tonic

Biochemical Information: Essential oil with anethole, choline, fatty oil

Legends, Myths and Stories: Most people don’t think of anise in terms of its popularity with mice, but in the 16th century, anise found wide application as a mouse-trap bait. According to several old herbals, the mice found it irresistible. The Romans served a wedding cake strongly flavored with anise seeds to help prevent indigestion caused by overeating at the marriage banquet. From this ancient practice came the tradition of baking special cakes for weddings.

Anise is called Huai-hsiang in China, eaten to relieve flatulence and griping bowels. The Herbal Almanac states the a few drops of Oil of Anise, or Oil of Rhodium on a trappers bait will entice any wild animal into the snare trap.

Another story about animals is quite sad: A farmer, having trouble with the mischief of coons on his farm, was told: “Here is a remedy to get rid of Coons. Get a good heavy wire, and make a snare. Catch one Coon, cut both ears off, and get a can of white paint, and paint the Coon white, then turn it loose and it will run all the Coons off the farm”.

Uses: Anise promotes digestion, improves appetite, alleviates cramps and nausea, cough, colds, and relieves flatulence, bad breath, and, especially in infants, colic (mothers who sip anise tea will relieve the colic in the breast feeding baby). Is useful as an expectorant for coughs. Anise water promotes milk production in nursing mothers, and a soothing eyewash. Said to promote the onset of menstruation when taken as an infusion. Anise oil helps relieve cramping, and spasms and is good as a stomach tonic. For insomnia, that a few seeds in a glass of hot milk before bedtime. Can be made into a salve to use for scabies or lice. A tea made from equal parts of anise, caraway, and fennel makes an excellent intestinal purifier. Because of its sweetness, anise is a good additive to improve the flavor of other medicines.

Anisette, sold in most liquor stores, has volatile oil of anise as part of the preparation. Anisette is reputedly helpful for bronchitis and spasmodic asthma. Taken in hot water, anisette is said to be an immediate palliative.

5 to 10 drops of anise oil on top of a tsp. of honey, taken every 1/2 hour before meals, is said to be helpful in some cases of emphysema. 15 drops of essence of anise added to 1 quart of hot water, used as an inhalant, will sometimes help stubborn cases of laryngitis.

Anise has a wide variety of applications in cooking as well as medicine.

Try Anise If: You’re hacking and hacking, but nothing’s coming up. A popular ingredient in cough drops, anise contains the chemicals creosol and alpha-pinene, which have been shown to loosen mucus in the bronchial tubes and make it easier to cough up.

You wined, you dined … and your tummy needs a bedtime story. There’s a reason why anise-flavored cordials are drunk after dinner: Anise contains the chemical anethole, which helps relieve gas and settle a queasy — or just burgeoning — tummy. A cup of anise tea is a refreshing, elegant way to cleanse the palate after a big meal without the alcohol or calories of a digestif.

Traditional herbal healers have long recommended anise to help a nursing woman’s milk come in, and modern science suggests there’s some reason to believe it works. Anise contains the compounds dianethole and photoanethole, which are chemically similar to the female hormone estrogen. If you’re a new mom and would like to try anise, drink three cups of the tea spaced throughout the day.

You’re throwing off enough heat to power a small city. If menopausal hot flashes have you wondering if you could fry an egg on your forehead, give anise tea a try. The same mild estrogenic action that makes it valuable for nursing moms may also help take the edge off your menopausal symptoms.

Bibliography

Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss; pgs., 88-89.
The Herb Book, by John Lust, pgs., 99-100, 173, 309, 316, 366, 372, 459, 460-463, 466-469, 475, 484-486, 490, 510-511, 529, 541, 565, 567, 573.
Old Ways Rediscovered, by Clarence Meyer, pgs., 3, 59.
The Nature Doctor, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; pgs., 38, 263, 408.
Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Li Shih-Chen, pgs., 331-332.
The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, pgs., 136-137, 180.
Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, by Earl Mindell, pgs., 41-42.
The Herbalist Almanac, by Clarence Meyer, pgs., 33, 39, 54, 56, 77, 247.
Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, pgs., 61, 76, 217, 246.
Herb Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, pgs., 121-124, 128.
Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., pgs., 91, 92, 102, 105, 109, 244, 388, 423.
American Folk Medicine, by Clarence Meyer, pg., 283.
Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists, by Richard Lucas, pg., 46.
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, pg., 55.
The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living, by Richard Lucas, pg., 39.
The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton, pgs., 105-106, 144-145, 149, 279, 345-349.
The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, pg., 192.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Allspice (Pimenta officinalis L.) Myrtle family

Allspice (Pimenta officinalis L.) Myrtle family

Fast facts: promotes digestion, relieves toothache, alleviates muscle pain.

Description of Plant and Culture: Allspice is the dried berry of the pimento, an evergreen tree growing to 40 feet in height; it bears opposite, leathery, oblong to oblong-lanceolate leaves whose pinnately arranged veins show prominently on the underside. Small white flowers grow in many-flowered cymes in the upper leaf axils from June to August. The fruit is a fleshy, sweet berry which is purplish-black when ripe. The berries used for allspice are collected when they have reached full size but are not yet ripe. The name comes from the berry’s taste, which has been described as a combination of cloves, Juniper berries, cinnamon, and pepper.

Medicinal Properties: Aromatic, carminative, stimulant

Allspice owes its name to its unique flavor: a zesty blend of cinnamon, pepper, juniper and clove. Thanks to its oil, it also has mild but significant healing powers as a digestive aid and topical anesthetic.

Aromatic allspice berries have a long history in Caribbean folk healing. Jamaicans drink hot allspice tea for colds, menstrual cramps and upset stomach. Costa Ricans use it to treat indigestion, flatulence and diabetes. Cubans consider it a refreshing tonic. And Guatemalans apply crushed berries to bruises and joint and muscle pains. Most of these uses have been confirmed by modern science.

“Allspice owes its medicinal actions to eugenol, a chemical constituent of its oil,” says Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. “Eugenol promotes digestion by enhancing the activity of the digestive enzyme trypsin. It’s also an effective pain reliever and anesthetic.”

Dentists use eugenol as a local anesthetic for teeth and gums, and the chemical is an ingredient in the over-the-counter toothache remedies Numzident and Benzodent.

“Allspice oil is not as rich in eugenol as clove oil,” says James A. Duke, Ph.D., a botanist retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. That’s why dentists favor clove oil. But allspice oil has similar anesthetic action and may be applied directly to painful teeth as first aid until professional care can be obtained.

Uses: Pimento water and oil of pimento are helpful for flatulent indigestion or simple flatulence; the oil is used for hysteria. Taken with a laxative, the oil lessens the tendency toward griping.. As an ointment or a bath additive, allspice is said to have some anesthetic effects. Also used for rheumatism and neuralgia.

Putting the herb to work

For toothache, apply allspice oil directly to the tooth, one drop at a time, using a cotton swab. Take care not to swallow it. Powdered allspice adds a warm, rich flavor to foods, but its highly concentrated oil should never be swallowed. As little as one teaspoon can cause nausea, vomiting and even convulsions.

Allspice is on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. But in people with sensitive skin, particularly those with eczema, allspice oil may cause inflammation. If inflammation develops, stop using it.

For a medicinal tea, use one to two teaspoons of allspice powder per cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 to 20 minutes and strain. Drink up to three cups a day. When using commercial preparations, follow the package directions.

Bibliography

The Herb Book, by John Lust, pgs., 90, 510-511,541.
The Herbalist Almanac, by Clarence Meyer, pgs., 39, 217.
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke, pg., 242.
Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., pg., 168.
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, pg., 37.
Old Ways Rediscovered, by Clarence Meyer, pg., 104.
The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton, pg., 145.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.