Nature's Medicine Cabinet

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Nature's Medicine Cabinet

Herbal remedies provide alternative avenue to recovery

By Eric T. Rezsnyak

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When Leslie Noble catches a cold, the Syracuse resident doesn't

bother with the brightly colored pharmaceutical packaging lining drugstore

aisles. Instead, she turns to the beige-colored extract of

echinacea, a

brilliant purple flower found to fend off colds and various forms of

flu by bolstering the immune system.

 

To Noble, trying this herbal remedy isn't just New Age mumbo-jumbo.

It

works.

 

" These herbs are here, and so is the knowledge of hundreds, if not

thousands, of years, " says Noble, who was recently shopping for her

herb-based remedies at Discount Natural Foods on Burnet Avenue.

 

" There's no harm in trying them for illness, for more day-to-day

healthful living. I'm a true believer. "

She's not the only one. Approximately 60 million Americans have

jumped

on the herbal remedy bandwagon, spending $12 billion last year on

these

natural feel-goods. For nearly every common ailment, it seems some

root, leaf or berry holds the key to a relatively side-effect-free

recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally Nurturing

Someone who knows all about the healing nature of herbs is Sandra

David, herbalist and owner of Biogardens, a Liverpool-based " liquid

pharmacy " where she produces more than 170 herbs in fluid form.

David

sells her liquid remedies, called tinctures, to the general public

and

is working on having them carried by a retail store. Crediting herbs

and other alternative medicines with saving her life after a

debilitating accident several years ago, David says herbal remedies

have definite benefits. " They are conservative, non-invasive and

have

few negative side effects, " she explains.

 

According to David, herbal remedies have reduced side effects

because

they are generally sold in their natural form without synthetics or

additives. " Because an herb has all of its constituents, it reduces

the

side effects, " she says. " If you isolate one single part of the

plant,

maybe it needs that vitamin C or B-12 to work with to reduce the

vomiting, hair loss, or whatever. "

 

Aspirin provides a good example. Synthesized from the bark of white

willow, the drug can cause stomach irritation and other side

effects.

 

Not so when taking the extracts of the bark itself, David says. " In

its

natural form, the side effects are nowhere near as dramatic, " she

adds.

 

Another benefit of using natural remedies is that they work with the

body to fight disease, not against it, David says. While traditional

decongestants and cough syrups used to fight colds seem to work,

they

actually go against the body's natural defenses, such as mucous

production and coughing, and suppress the immune system. " Bad, bad,

bad, " she says. " You're causing the disease to go deeper into the

body. "

 

Instead, herbs support the immune system by letting your body do its

thing, David says. " The most valuable cold remedy is the human

body, "

she explains. " It's a magnificent machine. It works very hard to

work

through a cold by raising your temperature, sweating, creating

mucous,

etc. " There are things you can do to enhance your immune system with

herbs, she says. " You can take a natural antibiotic that doesn't

compromise your immune system. Try Echinacea, periwinkle or

nasturtium. "

 

The way David sees it, people should give their bodies what they

need.

Herbs do that by increasing nutrients and elements that synthetic

drugs

often do not. " If we were talking about a Jaguar, you would put the

proper fuel in that car, the proper oil to make it run right, " she

points out. " Now, with our bodies, we're not doing that. If you put

the

proper things in the body, it will run a lot better, and a lot

longer. "

 

Herbs also offer users greater personal involvement in their health

care, says Pam McNew, herbalist at Natur-Tyme Discount Vitamin Land,

527 Charles Ave. " Herbs give an involvement that is appropriate in

health, " she says.

 

That involvement includes finding what herbs or combination of herbs

work for you, as well as knowing exactly what they

do. " Getting a pill from the doctor's office or off the shelf

without

understanding what it does, you don't have any feeling or

appreciation

of where it came from, " McNew says. " When we have some kind of

imbalance in our system, and we can know why it came about and

prevent it, that's something wonderful. "

 

But while herbal remedies offer benefits, natural shoppers need to

be

careful when shopping for them. Since herbs are not considered a

food

or drug (most are considered dietary supplements), they are not

under

the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration. While that

aids

in getting new products to the market quickly, it can also lead to

disparities in the quality of the herbs, which can be dangerous.

 

" The main thing that concerns me is that people find quality

products, "

says Christine Carlson, certified nutritionist and director of the

Center for MindBody Integration on Walton Street. " There's such a

large

increase in usage that {companies} are producing a lot of products,

and

many are not of good quality. "

 

Natur-Tyme's McNew says quality can be compromised in a number of

ways, including using old herbs and irradiating them. " You can have

products with the name only and with no real medicinal value, " she

says. " There

are companies in any field where if they can make cash, they jump

right

in. That's the same in the herbal world, too. "

 

To ensure good quality herbs, Carlson suggests shopping for products

from established companies. " I try to deal with herbal companies

that

have been around awhile and who have founders with herbal

backgrounds and good ethics, " she says. " When I see a new brand I

haven't heard of,

I question it. " Gaia and HerbPharm are among the brands she approves

of, and she also suggests checking with local herbalists.

 

Price can prove another downside to herbal remedies. For the

economically challenged, laying down between $10 to $20 per bottle

of

the natural alternative is a bit steep. A 100-count bottle of

Nature's

Way brand of echinacea costs $14.99 at General Nutrition Center, a

health-food chain, while a 180-count bottle costs $15.49. With a

recommended dosage of one to two caplets daily, that's quite a chunk

of

change compared to more traditional, clinically proven cold remedies

such as Tylenol Cold, about $6 at your local pharmacy for 24

caplets,

which has a recommended dosage of two caplets every six hours, taken

nly while sick.

 

" Some vitamins and herbs

might not be appropriate if you have hypertension, a heart condition

or

an autoimmune disease, but this isn't common, " she says. " People are

ndividuals and need to be aware of their own problems. "

She adds that

herbs and natural remedies cause only 1 percent of adverse reactions

to

medications around the world, and many of those are mild

 

 

Patient, Heal Thyself

Even if the benefits of herbal remedies seem enticing, finding

exactly

what herb you need can be difficult, especially since many labels do

not list the intended effect. Even finding a remedy for something as

simple as the common cold provides a plethora of options. Several

herbs

have been found to help, including echinacea, astragalus and

propolis,

a substance found in beehives. They are also available in a number

of

forms, such as pills, tinctures or even lozenges. Knowing what herb

and

in what form is right for you can cause some shoppers to run

screaming

for the Tylenol gel-coated hills.

 

But according to Carlson, doing a little legwork can clear the

confusion. " People can do a lot of research themselves by calling

herb

companies, or by going to a trained herbalist or nutritionist, " she

says. " You have to do the work, just like anything else. " She

suggests

books by noted herbalists Michael Murray, David Hoffmann and Joseph

Pizzorno are a good place to start.

 

" If you're interested in learning about herbal medicines, extracts

or

teas, why not go buy a book so you can have a fingertip guide to

what

you're taking? " agrees Biogarden's David. " Find out what you're

doing.

 

Knowledge is power. "

 

And buying herbs is now easier than ever, thanks to the industry's

increased media exposure. Supermarkets such as Wegmans in DeWitt now

sell a variety of natural products, including remedies and organic

foods. Established in 1995, the Wegmans' Nature's Marketplace

department was only the second in the chain, but it now has more

than

40. According to Tracy Ballers, manager of the DeWitt Nature's

Marketplace, it's the fastest growing area in Wegmans history, with

a

30 percent growth each year in her store alone. " There was a

health-food segment in the company 20 years ago, and it just didn't

fly, " Ballers says. " People weren't ready for it then, but they are

ow. More and more people are coming in who have heard something

about

the herbs, and it appeals to them. "

 

 

Despite increasingly easy access, herbalists still believe it is

important to take the remedies seriously in order to get their full

effect. " There is such a concern about people using natural remedies

like they used to use over-the-counter medicines, " says

Carlson. " That

can be done a little bit, but herbal medicines can involve so much

more. "

 

David also says that, when trying herbs, it is important to give

them

time. " Don't expect miracles with one try, " she says. " It's not the

answer to all of your problems.

 

They may lie in what you have created as a habit. Take more

responsibility. You can change many things,

certain aspects of disease by changing your lifestyle, the foods you

eat and what you drink. "

 

While most agree that a healthy lifestyle and responsibility are

important, giving herbs a try for non-life threatening diseases may

be

worth a try. " They're available for everyone, and there's an herb

out

there for everyone, " says David. " I don't know who would be

eliminated

from herbal treatments. I can't think of one person and situation.

It's

something worth exploring. "

 

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Promising Prostate Product

 

While most herbal remedies are readily available through mail order,

health-food stores and even supermarkets, some are still considered

difficult to find. One of these is PC SPES, a seven-herb combination

that has helped men suffering from prostate cancer. It is available

in

less than 100 locations across the United States, including Natur-

Tyme

Discount Vitamin Land, 527 Charles Ave.

PC SPES, which includes chrysanthemum, licorice, saw palmetto and

others, has been found to significantly reduce the number of

Prostate

Specific Antigens (PSA) in certain men. The PSA count is an

indicator

for prostate cancer. That's what it did for Bill Winans, 55,

chairman

of the Syracuse chapter of Man-to-Man, a prostate cancer awareness

and

support group. After being diagnosed with cancer in 1994, Winans'

PSA

climbed to 42.3 by July 1996, when he was accepted into a PC SPES

study and put on the product. " Within weeks my PSA was down to 4.3, "

he says. " I've been dropping ever since, " he says. His PSA has

stayed between 1.5 and 2 since, he says, although he admits he

wonders how long it will remain effective.

 

Although whether or not the product works has yet to be

scientifically

proven, the product is currently undergoing clinical trials in

several

locations around the country to good results, says Taras Wybaczynsky

of

BotanicLab, manufacturer of PC SPES. But Winans says he has already

seen the proof. " The men who I know take it permanently have all

been

successful, " he says, adding that 10 to 12 men in the Syracuse

Man-to-Man group use PC SPES. " I knew a few men who were taking it

and

passed away {from prostate cancer), but for them it was really too

far

gone. "

 

While the scientific debate continues, PC SPES remains available in

Syracuse because of Needs, a locally based mail-order business owned

by Stanley Myerson. Needs supplies remedies for a variety of

ailments to

doctors andmedical practitioners around the world. According to

Myerson, PC SPES is heavily demanded by doctors across the country

and ends up at Natur-Tyme because Myerson owns that store as well.

 

While it is available right off the shelves, Myerson has concerns

about

the use of the product and suggests that it is not for everyone. " No

prescription is required, but sales are not promoted unless someone

knows the product, works with a support group and is under the

supervision of a primary physician, " Myerson says. " There's no set

dosage, no one is monitoring it. There's no such thing as

self-medication in this case. "

 

While PC SPES sells well at Natur-Tyme, according to herbalist Pam

McNew, it also isn't cheap. A bottle of 60 capsules costs $98 at

Natur-Tyme, a bargain compared to the asking price of $108 (plus

shipping and handling) you pay buying directly from BotanicLab. And

the

fact that it is available here is still a boon for men living with

prostate cancer in Syracuse. " I look at it this way, " Winans

says. " It

has bought me 21/2 years with a good quality of life. "

 

For more information on Man-to-Man, contact Winans, 633-8013.

 

--Eric Rezsnyak