Lungwort, a member of the Borage tribe, is found in woods and thickets, but is not common, and is by some only regarded as an escape from gardens, where it is cultivated now mostly for the sake of its ornamental leaves, which are curiously spotted with white.
Lungwort is a perennial plant. The horizontal creeping rootstock produces several bristly stems with alternate, ovate, dark green leaves which are petioled at the bottom of the plant and become sessile near the top.
Common doses of lungwort
Lungwort comes as tablets and extracts. Some experts recommend the following doses:
As a tincture, I to 4 milliliters taken orally three times daily.
As an infusion, steep I to 2 teaspoons of dried herb in boiling water, and drink three times daily.
Uses of lungwort herb
An infusion of 1 teaspoonful of the dried herb to a cup of boiling water is taken several times a day for subduing inflammation, and for its healing effect in pulmonary complaints. Specifically, lungwort may help to :-
Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of lungwort:
prolonged bleeding
upset stomach
skin inflammation
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don’t use lungwort while taking blood thinners such as Coumadin.
Important points to remember
Don’t use lungwort if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.
If you have a history of digestive tract bleeding, low platelet count, or allergies, check with your health care practitioner before using lungwort.
Know that medical experts recommend using conventional drug therapy for asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema instead of lungwort.
What the research shows
Scientists don’t understand the chemical basis for lungwort’s effects on the respiratory system. Because they haven’t tested the herb on people, medical experts don’t consider it safe or effective.
Other names for lungwort : –
Other names for lungwort include Jerusalem cowslip, Jerusalem sage, lung moss, lungs of oak, and spotted comfrey.
A product containing lungwort is sold as Lungwort Compound (formerly Bleeders Blend).
Lovage comes from the roots and seeds of lovage varieties called Levisticum officinale and L. radix. Found in southern Europe, these plants have been naturalized to the United States. Lovage oil is used as a fragrance in some cosmetics, lotions, and soaps.
Description
This stout, umbelliferous plant has been thought to resemble to some degree our Garden Angelica, and it does very closely resemble the Spanish Angelica heterocarpa in foliage and perennial habit of growth. It has a thick and fleshy root, 5 or 6 inches long, shaped like a carrot, of a greyish-brown colour on the outside and whitish within. It has a strong aromatic smell and taste. The thick, erect hollow and channelled stems grow 3 or 4 feet or even more in height. The large, dark green radical leaves, on erect stalks, are divided into narrow wedge-like segments, and are not unlike those of a coarse-growing celery; their surface is shining, and when bruised they give out an aromatic odour, somewhat reminiscent both of Angelica and Celery. The stems divide towards the top to form opposite whorled branches, which in June and July bear umbels of yellow flowers, similar to those of Fennel or Parsnip, followed by small, extremely aromatic fruits, yellowish-brown in colour, elliptical in shape and curved, with three prominent winged ribs. The odour of the whole plant is very strong. Its taste is warm and aromatic, and it abounds with a yellowish, gummy, resinous juice.
Common doses of lovage
Lovage comes as an herbal tea and an essential oil. Some experts recommend the following dose:
As a tea, pour 1 cup (150 milliliters) of boiling water into 1.5 to 3 grams of finely cut lovage root. Drain after 15 minutes. Drink 4 to 8 grams daily.
Uses of lovage herb
Lovage root tea eases bloating and flatulence, and eases digestion. It is also used in combination with other herbs to counteract colds and flu. Specifically, lovage may help to :-
As a sedative
Fluid retention
Intestinal gas
Menstrual irregularity
Muscle spasms
Stomach pain
To dissolve phlegm
To prevent kidney stones
Urinary tract inflammation
Side effects of lovage
Call your health care practitioner if you experience skin changes ftom light exposure when using lovage.
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don’t use lovage while taking blood thinners such as Coumadin.
Important points to remember
Don’t use lovage if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.
Know that lovage may aggravate plant allergies.
If you’re using lovage as a diuretic, remember that swollen ankles and legs may indicate heart failure or another potentially dangerous condition that calls for a complete medical examination.
Remember that proven diuretics are available to use instead of lovage.
What the research shows
Although some evidence suggests lovage can ease muscle spasms and cause sedation in animals, scientists haven’t done enough studies on people. Therefore, medical experts don’t recommend this herb.
Other names for lovage : –
Other names for lovage include Aetheroleum levistici, Angelica levisticum, Hipposelinum levisticum, maggi plant, sea parsley, and smellage.
Because lobelia has nicotine-like effects, some people have used it to help them stop smoking. Lobelia comes primarily from the dried leaves and tops of Lobelia inflata. The herb is named after the botanist Matthias de Lobel, a native of Lille, who died in London in 1616. It is an erect annual or biennial herb, 1 to 2 feet high; lower leaves and also flower are stalked, the latter being pale violet-blue in colour, tinted pale yellow within. Commercially, it is usually prepared in compressed, oblong packages, by the Shakers of New Lebanon for importation into England. The colour is a yellowish green, the odour irritating, the taste, after chewing, very like that of tobacco, burning and acrid, causing a flow of saliva. The powder has a greenish colour, but that of the seeds is brown, and stains paper with grease.
Common doses of lobelia
Lobelia comes as:
capsules (395 milligrams)
tablets (2 milligrams)
lozenges (1 milligram)
extract
Some experts recommend the following dose:
As a smoking deterrent, 0.5 to 2 milligrams in tablets or lozenges. The usual dose is 2 milligrams taken orally after each meal with 1/2 glass of water for no more than 6 weeks. Oral doses up to 8 milligrams have been used but caused significant stomach upset. Daily oral doses of beline (an alkaloid in the herb) exceeding 20 milligrams are considered poisonous.
Uses of lobelia
Lobeline, an active constituent in the lobelia plant, is very similar to nicotine in its effect on the central nervous system. Lobeline acts as a relaxant overall while also dilating the bronchioles (air passages), thereby increasing respiration and possibly helping the lungs. Specifically, lobelia may help to :-
death (from respiratory depression and respiratory muscle paralysis)
increased blood pressure
respiratory slowing (with high doses) or stimulation (with low doses)
slow pulse
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don’t use lobelia while taking drugs used for nicotine therapy.
Important points to remember
Don’t use lobelia if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.
Don’t give this herb to children.
Be aware that an overdose of lobeline (an alkaloid in lobelia) causes such symptoms as an irregular heartbeat, extreme sweating, dizziness (from low blood pressure), muscle twitching, seizures, chills, and coma.
If you have liver or kidney problems, check with your health care practitioner before using this herb.
To help stop smoking, medical experts recommend smoking cessation programs, counseling, behavior modification, nicotine replacement, and other drugs instead of Lobelia.
Don’t use any product containing lobeline for more than 6 weeks because researchers have no information about long-term use.
What the research shows
Because it’s similar to nicotine, lobeline, an alkaloid in lobelia, has been used to help people stop smoking. However, no longterm data are available and no clinical trials have been done. Lobeline can cause more serious side effects than other smoking cessation treatments. Therefore, medical experts don’t recommend it.
Other names for lobelia : –
Other names for lobelia include asthma weed, bladderpod, cardinal flower, eyebright, gagroot, great lobelia, Indian pink, Indian tobacco, pukeweed, rapuntium inflatum, and vomitwort.
Products containing lobelia are sold under such names as Bantron Tablets, Lobelia Capsules, Lobelia Extract, Lobeline Lozenges, and Lobidram Computabs.
Lily of the valley has been used traditionally for heart conditions-a use that medical experts consider dangerous. In Germany, the flowers are mixed with raisins to make a wine.
The herb comes from the leaves, roots, and flowers of Convallaria majalis. This low-growing perennial is native to Europe and cultivated throughout North America. The essential oils of the highly aromatic flowers have been used in perfumes and cosmetics. However, the Food and Drug Administration considers lily of the valley an unsafe and poisonous plant.
Common doses of lily of the Valley
Lilly of the valley is available as extracts. Experts disagree on what dose to take.
Why people use lily of the valley
The whole plant, collected when in flower and dried, and also the root, herb and flowers separately. The inflorescence is said to be the most active part of the herb, and is preferred on that account, being the part usually employed. Lily-of-the-Valley is valued as a cardiac tonic anddiuretic. The action of the drug closely resembles that of Digitalis, though it is less powerful; it is used as a substitute and strongly recommended in valvular heart disease, also in cases of cardiac debility and dropsy. Specifically, lily of the valley may help to :-
As a heart “tonic”
As an antidote to poisonous gas
Heart valve disease
Seizures
To help burns heal and prevent scar formation
Side effects of lily of the valley
Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of lily of the valley:
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don’t use lily ofthe valley while taking:
heart drugs called beta blockers (such as Inderal)
heart drugs called calcium channel blockers (such as Calan and Procardia)
Lanoxin.
Important points to remember
Know that taking any part of this plant is inadvisable.
Never use lily of the valley for a heart condition because it may be toxic and experts don’t agree on a safe dose.
What the research shows
Medical experts don’t recommend lily of the valley. When used to treat heart failure and other heart conditions, this highly toxic, poorly studied herb might have effects similar to those of Lanoxin and other prescription drugs. But there’s little reason to take it because those tested, proven drugs are widely available.
Other names for lily of the valley : –
Other names for lily of the valley include Convallaria, Jacob’s ladder, ladder-to heaven, lily constancy, lily convalle, male li1y, May lily, muguet, and Our-Lady’s-tears.
Used medicinally since Roman times, licorice is still popular in Chinese herbal medicine. The “licorice candy” sold In the United States usually is flavored with anise oil and doesn’t actually contain licorice. Besides serving as a flavoring and sweetener for bitter drugs, licorice is an ingredient in some tobacco products, chewing gums, candies, beverages, toothpastes, and shampoos.
Most licorice remedies come from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a perennial low growing shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Spanish licorice is the most common variety, but G. glabra plants are widely cunivated in the United States, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Greece, India, naly, Iran, and Iraq.
The plants are graceful, with light, spreading, pinnate foliage, presenting an almost feathery appearance from a distance. The leaflets (like those of the False Acacia) hang down during the night on each side of the midrib, though they do not meet beneath it. From the axils of the leaves spring racemes or spikes of papilionaceous small pale-blue, violet, yellowish-white or purplish flowers, followed by small pods somewhat resembling a partly-grown peapod in form. In the type species glabra, the pods are smooth, hence the specific name; in others they are hairy or spiny.
The underground system, as in so many Leguminosae, is double, the one part consisting of a vertical or tap root, often with several branches penetrating to a depth of 3 or 4 feet, the other of horizontal rhizomes, or stolons, thrown off from the root below the surface of the ground, which attain a length of many feet. These runners are furnished with leafbuds and throw up stems in their second year. The perennial downward-running roots as well as the long horizontal stolons are equally preserved for use.
Common doses of licorice
Licorice comes as:
capsules (100 to 520 milligrams)
tablets (7 milligrams oflicorice root plus 333 milligrams of garlic concentrate)
liquid extracts
teas
tobacco products
chewing gums
throat lozenges
candy.
Some experts recommend the following dose:
For peptic ulcer, take 200 to 600 milligrams orally daily for no more than 4 to 6 weeks. Or make a tea by placing 2 to 4 grams oflicorice in 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmering for 5 minutes. Cool and strain the tea, then drink three times daily after consuming food.
Uses of licorice
Addison’s disease (a life-threatening endocrine disorder)
licorice root can be chewed or made into tea. It is frequently found in cough preparations and candies, often combined with anise seed. Consumption of licorice is believed to aid in healing stomach ulcers. Tea made from licorice and other anti-spasmodic herbs is often taken for menstrual cramps.
Side effects of licorice
Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of licorice:
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about prescription or nonprescription drugs you’re taking, especially:
Claritin
Procan SR
quinidine
steroids such as Prednisone
topical steroid salves and lotions.
Don’t use licorice when taking:
Aldactone
diuretics
drugs that lower blood pressure
Lanoxin.
Important points to remember
Don’t use licorice if you have high blood pressure; irregular heartbeats; or cere brovascular, kidney, or liver disease.
Don’t use this herb if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.
Be aware that licorice can be poisonous when used in high doses for long periods.
Know that a single large dose of licorice is less likely to make you sick than long term use of smaller amounts.
Keep in mind that symptoms of licorice poisoning may be subtle. Report headache, lethargy, swelling, and irregular heartbeats to your health care practitioner.
What the research shows
Researchers have studied licorice extensively as a treatment for peptic ulcers. They’ve found that it performs no better than established drugs, may cause more side effects, and can be poisonous if taken in large doses for a long time.
However, glycyrrhetic acid, a chemical made from the licorice plant, shows promise in enhancing the effects of steroid preparations applied to the skin.
Other names for licorice : –
Other names for licorice include Chinese licorice, licorice root, Persian licorice, Russian licorice, Spanish licorice, and sweet root.
Products containing licorice are sold under such names as Full Potency Licorice Root Vegicaps, Licorice ATC Concentrate, Licorice and Garlic, Licorice Root Extract, Licorice Root Tea, Natural Arthro-Rx, Solaray Licorice Root, Tea with Mint, and Tummy Soother.
Although used in small concentrations to flavor food, lavender is cultivated mainly as an ingredient in perfumes or potpourris and for decorations. Some people believe its scent has a calming effect. France is a major producer of lavender products.
Lavender comes from the flowering tops and stalks of Lavandula officinalis and other Lavandula species. Native to the Mediterranean area, lavender is cultivated widely in American gardens for its color and fragrance. Lavandin, a popular variety, is a hybrid of spike lavender and true lavender.
Lavender is a bushy, branching shrub, whose lower branches are woody, although the young stems are herbaceous. It grows to a maximum height of three feet. Stems and leaves are covered with fine grey hairs. The evergreen leaves are silvery grey, eight times as long as wide, up to two inches in length, linear, smooth edged, and opposite. The flowers are produced on terminating, wiry blunt spikes 6-8 inches long, and grow in whorls of 6-8 flowers, subtended by short pointed bracts. The calyx is purple-grey, tubular, with thirteen veins and five lobes, one of which is slightly larger than the others. The small purple-blue flowers have four stamens and a tubular corolla with two lips: the upper lip has two lobes and the lower lip three. Examination of the corolla with a hand lens shows a dense covering of stellate hairs and small shiny oil glands. It is most often identified by its fragrant, characteristic odour. Flowers June to September.
Common doses of lavender
Lavender comes as oils, flowers, and leaves. Some experts recommend the following doses:
As a tea, steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of the herb in 150 milliliters of hot water for approximately 10 minutes.
As an oil, place 1 to 4 drops of oil on a sugar cube and take orally.
As an astringent for external use, add 20 to 100 grams of lavender to 7.7 gallons (20 liters) of water (to avoid too strong a scent).
Lavender aromatherapy has become an increasingly popular way to ease anxiety, fatique, and headaches; it can even increase your mental functioning. Besides being inhaled the herb may also be taken orally or be rubbed on the skin to treat such conditions as toothache, loss of appetite and sprains. Adding a touch of lavender oil to your bath can improve your circulation not to mention relieve your tired and achy feet after some marathon shopping at the mall or to un-stress after a bad day at work. The lavender plant does seem to have 1001 uses.
Side effects of lavender
Call your health care practitioner if you experience unusual symptoms when taking lavender. Consuming large doses may cause:
nervous system depression, causing excessive sleepiness or drowsiness, slow breathing, and reduced mental alertness
skin inflammation
small pupils
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don’t use lavender when drinking alcohol or taking drugs that cause sedation, such as:
benzodiazepines (for instance, Ativan, Dalmane, Halcion, Restoril, or Valium)
narcotic pain relievers.
Important points to remember
Don’t take lavender if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.
Know that lavender oil is potentially poisonous. Large doses can cause narcotic-like effects. Don’t consume more than 2 drops of the volatile oil.
Before using lavender as a sleep aid, consider such alternatives as behavior modification, light therapy, and a regular bedtime to combat insomnia. Also be aware that prescription sedative and hypnotic drugs have known risks and benefits, whereas lavender doesn’t.
What the research shows
Although lavender has been used medicinally for centuries, scientific studies haven’t shown its value in treating any disease or condition. Until controlled studies with people are done, medical experts won’t recommend this herb.
Other names for lavender : –
Other names for lavender include aspic, echter lavendel, English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), esplieg, French lavender, garden lavender, lavanda, lavande commun, lavandin, nardo, Spanish lavender (L. stoechas), spigo, spike lavender, and true lavender.
Products containing lavender are sold under such names as Lavender and Lavender Flowers.
Native American healers used yellow lady’s slipper to treat flu, hysteria, and certain other illnesses. Today, lady’s slipper is combined with another herb, valerian root (Valerian officinalis), in products that claim to have calming effects.
Lady’s Slipper , also known as American Valerian, Moccasin Flower, Nerve Root, Noah’s Ark, Two Lips, and Virgin’s Shoe, is a perennial herb that is native to the United States and Canada. It is considered rare in its native North America, but it is cultivated for medicinal use in Eastern Europe. Native Americans used Lady’s Slipper in love potions and to induce dreams.
Common doses of lady’s slipper
Yellow lady’s slipper comes as liquid extract, powdered root, dried rhizome (underground stem), teas, and tinctures. Some experts recommend the following doses:
As dried rhizome or root, 2 to 4 grams taken orally three times daily.
As liquid extract, 2 to 4 milliliters (I: 1 water and 45% alcohol) taken orally three times daily.
Uses of lady’s slipper
Lady’s Slipper is still used in the treatment of stress, especially in cases of mild depression. It is also of used if fighting insomnia and anxiety. Specifically, lady’s slipper may help to :-
Lady’s mantle is extracted from the roots, leaves, and flowers of Alchemilla mollis, A. vulgaris, and other members of this species. Native to Europe, the plant also grows in the northeastern United States and Canada.
Now used in some herbal cleansing creams and other cosmetics, lady’s mantle is rich in folklore. The plant’s name, comes from the word “alchemy” because people believed the herb could produce miraculous cures. It has also been linked with the Virgin Mary because the lobes of its leaves resemble the scalloped edges of a cloak.
The Common Lady’s Mantle is generally distributed over Britain, but more especially in the colder districts and on high-lying ground, being found up to an altitude of 3,600 feet in the Scotch Highlands. It is not uncommon in moist, hilly pastures and by streams, except in the south-east of England, and is abundant in Yorkshire, especially in the Dales. It is indeed essentially a plant of the north, freely found beyond the Arctic circle in Europe, Asia and also in Greenland and Labrador, and only on high mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas, if found in southern latitudes.
Common doses of lady’s mantle
Lady’s mantle comes in compounded extracts and teas. Some experts recommend the following dose:
As an infusion or tea, steep 2 teaspoons of dried herb in 1 cup of boiling water. Take the tea (2 to 4 milliliters) orally three times daily.
Uses of lady’s mantle
The Lady’s Mantle has astringent and styptic properties, on account of the tannin it contains. It is ‘of a very drying and binding character’ as the old herbalists expressed it, and was formerly considered one of the best vulneraries or wound herbs. Specifically, lady’s mantle may help to :-
Call your health care practitioner if you experience unusual symptoms when using lady’s mantle. Tannins in this herb may lead to liver damage.
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you’re taking.
Important points to remember
Don’t use lady’s mantle if you’re breast-feeding or pregnant.
Know that little information about this herb is available.
If you use lady’s mantle, report weakness, fatigue, or jaundice to your health care practitioner.
What the research shows
Clinical studies don’t support the use of lady’s mantle for any condition. Human studies must be done to determine if the herb is safe or effective.
Other names for lady’s mantle : –
Other names for lady’s mantle include Alchemilla, bear’s foot, dewcup, leontopodium, lion’s-foot, nine hooks, and stellaria.
Various manufacturers sell products containing this herb under the name Lady’s Mantle.
Gentian has been used for centuries to treat mild to moderate digestive disorders. It has been approved for use in foods, cosmetics, and some antismoking products. During the summer, the herb is extracted from the roots and rhizome (underground stem) of 2- to 5-year-old Gentiana lutea L. plants. Another variety, called stemless gentian, is extracted from the entire plant of Gentiana acaulis L Both types are approved food additives and used to flavor vermouth.
Gentian plant has a thick, branching, yellowish-brown root that produces a hollow, erect stem reaching four feet in height. The stem grows 3 or 4 feet high or more, with opposite obovate leaves which are bright green, sessile, and have five prominent veins. Lower leaves are also present and emerge from the root. Large, orange-yellow flowers bloom from July to August, appearing in the upper leaf axils, growing in whorls of 3 to 10 blossoms. The fruit is an obovate capsule. Gentian roots are collected and dried in central and southern Europe, much of the supply for this country having formerly come from Germany, though it is also imported from Switzerland, France and Spain, and French Gentian is considered of special excellence.
The herb’s bitterness depends on how fast it’s dried: the faster, the more bitter. Although no longer listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia (a legal compendium of drug standards), gentian can still be found in similar European compendiums, including the British Pharmacopoeia.
Common doses of gentian
Gentian comes as stemless gentian tea or extract, compound gentian infusion BP 1993, and concentrated compound gentian infusion BP 1993. Some experts recommend the following dose:
As a tea, boil 1/2 teaspoon of coarsely powdered gentian root in 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of water for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture and take 30 minutes before meals, up to four times daily. If the tea is strong and bitter, reduce the amount of herb.
Uses of gentian herb
Gentian root may well be the most bitter substance on the planet! It is a powerful digestive stimulant used for improving appetite, absorption of nutrients, promoting secretion of digestive juices and alleviating bloating and wind. It is particularly useful for older people. Specifically, gentian may help to :-
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you’re taking.
Important points to remember
Don’t use gentian if you have high blood pressure.
Avoid this herb if you’re pregnant.
Know that the best way to take gentian is by brewing a tea.
Don’t collect the herb in the wild because nonflowering G. lutea may be hard to distinguish from the poisonous white hellebore.
What the research shows
In one limited clinical trial, a small amount of gentian extract was effective in stimulating the appetite and aiding digestion. The herb’s other uses haven’t been tested or documented.
Other names for gentian : –
Other names for gentian include bitter root, feltwort, gall weed, pale gentian, stemless gentian, and yellow gentian.
A product containing gentian is sold as Angostura Bitters, a commercial cocktail flavoring containing an alcoholic extract of stemless gentian.
Garlic, or Allium sativum, is among the most extensively researched and described medicinal plants. Usually, the fresh garlic bulb is dried, crushed into a powder, and compressed to produce a tablet. However, raw whole cloves of garlic provide similar effects.
The leaves are long, narrow and flat like grass. The bulb (the only part eaten) is of a compound nature, consisting of numerous bulblets, known technically as ‘cloves,’ grouped together between the membraneous scales and enclosed within a whitish skin, which holds them as in a sac. Fresh and powdered garlic are popular food seasonings. The Food and Drug Administration considers the newer garlic oil, extract, and oleoresin products to be safe. You also can find garlic products promoted as “odorless” or “deodorized.” These Products may lack medicinal value because garlic’s beneficial properties seem to be in allin, the chemical that gives garlic its distinctive odor.
Common doses of garlic
Garlic comes as:-
tablets (garlic extract; 100,320,400, and 600 milligrams)
tablets (allicin total potential; 2 and 5 milligrams)
dried powder (400 to 1,200 milligrams)
fresh bulb (2 to 5 grams)
antiseptic oil
fresh extract
powdered, freeze-dried garlic powder
garlic oil (essential oil).
Some experts recommend the following dose:-
To lower cholesterol, 600 to 900 milligrams taken orally daily; or an average of 4 grams (fresh garlic) or 8 milligrams (garlic oil) taken orally daily.
Garlic is one of the few seasonings that nearly every culture knows and uses on a regular basis. Be it raw, cooked or pickled, certain dishes would not be the same without the addition of garlic.
Side effects of garlic
Call your health care practitioner if you experience any of these possible side effects of garlic:
skin rash or other allergic reactions (such as asthma, rash, or chest tightness)
sweating
Chronic garlic use or excessive garlic doses may lead to decreased production of hemoglobin (a compound in red blood cells) and a resulting change in red blood cells. This herb also can cause garlic odor and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Interactions
Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Tell your health care practitioner about any prescription or nonprescription drugs you’re taking, especially:
antiplatelet agents such as Persantine (garlic may increase their effects)
blood thinners such as Coumadin (don’t use garlic while taking these drugs).
Important points to remember
Don’t use garlic if you’re sensitive to the herb or other members of the Liliaceae family.
Avoid garlic if you have digestive tract problems, such as peptic ulcers or reflux disease.
Don’t take garlic if you’re pregnant because it may stimulate the uterus.
Remember that widely available cholesterol-lowering drugs have been proven safe and are more effective than garlic in reducing cholesterol.
If you take garlic along with a drug to stop bleeding, report bleeding gums, easy bruising, tarry stools, and tiny red or purple spots on your skin.
Report side effects to your health care practitioner promptly.
What the research shows
Although garlic is one of the oldest and most revered herbal remedies, research is still incomplete. Scientists don’t know if garlic really helps to lower cholesterol or reduce deaths from coronary artery disease. Other potential garlic uses, such as to lower blood pressure, calm an upset stomach, or treat AIDS, haven’t been fully evaluated.
Other names for garlic : –
Other names for garlic include ail, allium, camphor of the poor, da-suan, knoblaunch, la-suan, nectar of the gods, poor-man’s-treacle, rustic treacle, and stinking rose.
Products containing garlic are sold under such names as Garlic, Garlic-Power, Garlique, Kwai, Kyolic, Odorless Garlic Tablets, One a Day Garlic, and Sapec.
