Herbs

[I. Kay]

Anyone here consistently use herbal remedies for anything? Having worked at Vitamin World on and off for a few years, I've taken some time to read into and experiment with a few. The difficulties are obvious ones: the quality of any given brand, the correct potency, the lack of a truly controlled atmosphere, etc. Also, even more so than other medicines/supplements, herbs seem to have very different effects on different people.

A few I've tried and liked:

Valerian root - There's no doubt that this stuff knocks me for a loop. I sold some once to a guy who had to take over 1300mg before he got relaxed. If I take 900mg I feel like I'm stoned! Anyway, this stuff, especially in lower doses (in conjunction with Chamomile and a few others) has worked really well for me at sleep time. Too large a dose makes me feel stoned, but keeps me awake.

Echinacea - Sure, it's hard to chart the true path of a cold, but I'm fairly convinced that this stuff, taken every 1-2 hours for a day, has reduced and/or controlled a few colds I've had.

Tribulus terrestris - I've taken this twice in my life, each time for 3 weeks. The first time it gave me a perpetual boner. The second time around I felt more aggressive and got zits all over my arms. So, perhaps "like" isn't the right word. It does have it's effects, though.

Licorice Root Tea - This coated my throat very well last year when I was sick. It tastes really good with lemon, too... kinda looking forward to my first raw throat... ???


Herbs from which I've seen no definite effect:

Fenugreek - I used it with post-workout shakes to boost T and possibly (according to one source) control my insulin response. Who knows? A month of using it and I saw/felt nothing. It does smell good, though.

Goldenseal - I suspect I may actually be allergic to this stuff. I couldn't be sure, but nasal congestion seemed to worsen in the hours after taking it.


Herbs I intend to test out this fall/winter:

Burdock Root - This supposedly will help "cleanse" the system. I haven't decided yet how I'll monitor this one.

Olive Leaf Extract - I'll give this a whirl the first time I get a winter cold.

Ashwaganda - Stress reliever? That'd be great, but we'll see.


Anyone else feel free to chip in!

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by RockHard

Echinacea - Sure, it's hard to chart the true path of a cold, but I'm fairly convinced that this stuff, taken every 1-2 hours for a day, has reduced and/or controlled a few colds I've had.

Not an herb, but I've been using Cold-Eze zinc lozenges when I get a cold. They do seem to work and shorten the cold.

Originally Posted by RockHard

Tribulus terrestris - I've taken this twice in my life, each time for 3 weeks. The first time it gave me a perpetual boner. The second time around I felt more aggressive and got zits all over my arms. So, perhaps "like" isn't the right word. It does have it's effects, though.

Interesting.

Originally Posted by RockHard

Fenugreek - I used it with post-workout shakes to boost T and possibly (according to one source) control my insulin response. Who knows? A month of using it and I saw/felt nothing. It does smell good, though.

I've been meaning to try this one. Is it cheap? I don't think it boosts T. I think it reduces the effects of xenoestrogens. I think the fiber of the seed might be what reduces the insulin response, but not sure. If that's the case, I wonder how much you have to take. The article that I read talked about taking fenugreek seeds and flaxseeds, but gave no amounts. I take 2-4 tablespoons of flaxseeds a day, so it's hard for me to judge a "normal" amount, you know.

Here's some of what I've taken in the past.

cinnamon. I put in a lot of stuff. Shakes, oatmeal, bars, etc. Increases insulin sensativity.

green tea leaves. I don't really like drinking green tea, so I tear open the tea bags and dump the leaves right into my supershakes. Dump early in the process, when you're grinding the nuts, seeds, carrots, spinach, fruit, etc.

bay leaf tea. Once, when I was sick, my neighbor made me some bay leaf tea. Just a bunch of bay leaves, steeped in water. It was unusual, but good. It seemed to help, but nowadays, I don't question these things. I just assume that they will help. Makes life easier. Bay leaves are very cheap if you buy them in huge dried bags or even fresh at the Mexican, Italian, Greek, etc. markets. American cooking has like one leaf in a huge pot of stew, so that little jar lasts years. Not so, in other cuisines.

[RacerBill]

Re the bay leaf tea: American markets usually have California Bay, which is a relative of eucalyptus, so I imagine that will probably help relieve cold symptoms. Turkish bay is a different species, and that's what you'll find in the Mediterranean region. It's more subtle than California bay, so it can be used in greater quantities.

I've used echinacea before, and I think it helps keep colds from getting worse. I know there are studies that say otherwise, but I figure it can't hurt.

For a while I took alfalfa for allergies. Didn't seem to have any noticeable effect.

[emartin10]

Echinacea works well for me, as does Cold-Eze (although my mouth tastes like zinc for about a month afterwards). Tribulus gave me the same perpetual boner, with no other effects. I like Lost Dog's idea of green tea in the shakes.

I'm not sure it's an herb, but we grow stevia leaves, and use them to sweeten stir fries, or we'll de-hydrate it and grind it up and use it in coffee or tea. It's a great sweetener, and so much healthier than Splenda or sugar. And, it's really easy to grow!

E

[galya]

This is neat. Where do you get the plant and how do you grow it?

[emartin10]

We got it at a farmer's market in town, and just grew it right beside our basil and cilantro. Just some water and sun and it grew like a weed!

E

[zambro]

Experimenting with herbs can be a tricky business. Since there's no regulation of herbal products, each product tends to have different amounts and concentrations of the given herb. There's debate about which parts of different herbs could be beneficial, and there's usually no way of knowing which part (the leaf? the stalk? the flower?) you're getting, and how pure whatever parts that you're getting actually are. It varies widely from product to product, and even within a product line it can vary from batch to batch.

I'm sure everyone knows all this - just saying it's complicated comparing products from different companies.

[BamaDave]

I'm with you on the Valerian Root - that has helped me sleep many times. It doesn't always work, but if I'm having a moderate amount of trouble getting into a deep sleep, it can help a lot. Too high of a dose, though = grogginess the next day. I've even used a low dose a couple of times during the day to alleviate stress or nervousness about work-related stuff, meetings, etc. The stuff that really worked the best for knocking me out was a Valerian root complex that also contained Kava. I also tried Kava tea a few times - that stuff is a little freaky. It works, but you really do feel "drugged" and have to wonder whether it's detrimental.

I have a Bay shrub that I planted in a sheltered location because it is supposed to be marginally Winter-hardy here, yet I haven't used even a single leaf yet as a seasoning! I never think about adding Bay to anything.

I used to have a Tea Camellia and have thought about planting another one - but from what I have read, making your own green tea probably isn't worth the effort.

[Cynic]

I am taking Tribex and even though I said I would stop after this supply ran out, I ordered two more bottles with two tubs of Surge.

I don't have the perpetual boner (I wish) but I can get it up a lot faster, the orgasms are more intense and I'm having some breakouts on my back.