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Peach Herb - Uses And Side Effects

Other names :- Amygdalin, Amygdalus persica, laetrile, Persica vulgaris, and vitamin B-17.

Many parts of the peach tree (prunus persica) have been used for herbal therapy, including the leaves, bark, and seeds or kernels of the fruit. Typically, the bark is harvested from young trees in the spring, whereas leaves are gathered in summer. Both the bark and leaves are dried after harvest.

The tree can grow up to twenty feet in height, but is usually much smaller. Before its leaves reappear in the spring, the Peach Tree bears beautiful pink blossoms. While most people obviously associate the Peach Tree with its tasty fruit, the leaves of the Peach Tree are also of value. Peach Tree Leaf has demulcent, sedative, diuretic, and expectorant properties.

Common doses of peach

Peach is available as persic oil, peach kernel oil, bark, leaves, and seeds. None of these preparations contain standardized amounts of active ingredient. Some experts recommend the following dose:

• As a tea, place 0.5 ounce of dried bark or 1 ounce of dried leaves in 16 ounces of boiling water, and steep for 15 minutes. Drink three times daily.

Why people use peach

• Constipation
• Bad breath
• Blisters
• Boils
• Bronchitis
• Bruises
• Burns
• Dysentery
• Earache
• Eczema
• Fluid retention
• Headache
• Hemorrhage
• High blood pressure
• Menstrual pain
• Pain
• Pneumonia
• Scurvy
• Shingles
• Skin irritation or inflammation
• Sore throat
• Warts

Side effects of peach

Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of peach:

• allergic reactions to the skin of the fruit
• symptoms of cyanide poisoning, including severe vomiting and stomach pain followed by fainting, drowsiness, and possibly seizures and coma.
• Several people have died after eating peach pits. The seeds, leaves, flowers, and bark of the peach tree contain cyanogenic glycosides, which cause cyanide poisoning and can be lethal in fairly small amounts. A single gram of peach seeds contains about 2.6 milligrams of hydrocyanic acid. An adult who consumes 50 to 60 milligrams (about 20 grams of peach seeds) may die.

Interactions

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don't use pau d'arco while taking blood thinners.

Important paints to remember

• Don't use peach as an herbal therapy if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
• Wear gloves when handling peaches if you're allergic to the skin of the fruit.
• Keep peach pits and seeds away from children and pets.
• Don't eat peach pits or kernels because you could be poisoned.
• Know that chronic consumption of cyanogenic glycosides can cause vision problems, deafuess, trouble walking, spastic muscles, and nerve damage in the feet and hands.

What the research shows

No clinical evidence supports the use of peach bark or leaves. More importantly, plenty of clinical data show the dangers of consuming peach pits, which can cause cyanide poisoning and death. Because of this risk and lack of evidence that peach pits prevent or cure cancer, medical experts warn against using them medicinally.