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Herb Uses - C, D, E Herbs
due to empty lungs; leukorrhea; menorrhagia
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) A strong infusion of chervil will ease gnat and mosquito bites, dabbed on the
affected area at regular intervals. Pliny thought that hiccups could be stopped by drinking vinegar containing
the seed of chervil and that it was good for stomach disorders. During the time of the plague, chervil roots were
boiled and eaten as a preventative. Poultices of chervil leaves have been laid on oils, bruises, and other skin
afflictions by the ancient Arabians, Greeks, Romans, and Europeans. It was boiled in wine for urinary disorders
and for use as a speedy diuretic. The juice pressed out of the fresh flowering herb has been used for scrofula,
eczema, gout stones, abscesses, dropsy, and women’s abdominal complaints. The infusion is popularly used in
Europe to lower blood pressure.
Chestnut, Sweet (Castanea sativa)...All parts of the tree are rich in tannin, used medicinally as an astringent useful
in the treatment of bleeding, diarrhea, etc.. An infusion of sweet chestnut leaves treats whopping cough, bronchitis,
and bronchial congestion. The preparation tightens the mucous membranes and inhibits racking coughs. A decoction
of leaves or bark is also valuable as a gargle for sore throats and may be taken for diarrhea. The leaves are also used
to treat rheumatic conditions, lower back pain, and stiff joints or muscles.
Chickweed (Stellaria media): Historically used to treat both internal and external inflammations. Poultice of stems and leaves
used to ease arthritis and pains of the joints, cuts, and skin irritations. It may soothe severe itchiness and is often used to relieve
eczema, varicose veins and nettle rash. An infusion of the fresh or dried plant may be added to a bath, where the herb’s emollient
properties will help reduce inflammation, in rheumatic joints for example, and encourage tissue repair. It may be taken internally
to treat chest ailments and in small quantities, it also aids digestion. The saponins in chickweed are poorly absorbed through the
intestinal walls, but apparently increase the permeability of the mucous membranes sufficiently to produce expectorant effects on
the throat and increase the absorption of nutrients, especially minerals, from the digestive tract. Homeopathic remedy for
rheumatism. The root of S. dichotoma is used in China as a cooling herb in fevers and to stop nosebleeds and heavy menstrual
bleeding. It is also given as a tonic for malnourished children.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus): : Chicory has been an esteemed medical plant ever since the Roman physician
Galen called it “the friend of the liver” some 1,800 years ago. A syrup of chicory, rhubarb and oats was given
to patients with liver ailments. It was also considered valuable for treating a variety of other ailments. A syrup
of the whole plant was prepared with sugar and taken to cure insomnia. The bruised fresh leaves were applied
externally for healing eye inflammations and boiled in broth for strengthening the digestion of the persons with
weak stomachs. An infusion of the leaves was also used to reduce fever in children. A distilled water of
chicory or the juice pressed from it was good for pregnant women and especially to soothe nursing breasts that
were swollen from too much milk.
Chicory is an excellent bitter tonic for the liver and digestive tract. Recommended for loss of appetite
and dyspepsia. The root is therapeutically similar to dandelion root, supporting the action of the stomach and
liver and cleansing the urinary tract. Chicory is also taken for rheumatic conditions and gout, and as milk
laxative, one particularly appropriate for children. An infusion of the leaves and flowers also aids the digestion.
A decoction may alleviate gallstones and kidney stones and aid in the production of bile. Egyptians
treated rapid heartbeat with chicory root, and scientists have discovered a digitalis-like principle in both the dried and roasted root
that decreases the heart rate and amplitude. Conducted studies on rats show that inulin from chicory seems very effective in
promoting proprionic fermentation and enhances the calcium content of the large intestines. Experiments with the isolated toad
heart show that chicory extracts reduce cardiac rate in a manner similar to quinidine. These findings suggest chicory constituents
may be effective in treatment of disorders involving tachycardia, arrhythmias and fibrillation.
It also has been found to significantly lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The sesquiterpene lactones found in roasted
root kill bacteria. Internally used for diabetes, dry coughs, abscesses, childbirth (second stage of labor), and abortion
(tubers); bronchial infections with thick phlegm, chest pain and tightness; dry constipation, and lung and breast tumors
(fruits). Fruits are traditionally prepared as a winter soup to ward off colds and influenza.
Trichosanthin was isolated from the root tuber of a Chinese medicinal herb Trichosanthes kirilowii Maximowicz
and was identified as the active component of Tian Hua Fen, a Chinese medicine described as early as the 16th
century as a treatment for various kinds of ulcer. Since the discovery of its specific injurious effects on human
placental trophoblasts in the 1970's, trichosanthin has been used clinically in China to induce abortion and to treat
diseases of trophoblastic origin such as hydatiform mole, invasive mole and choriocarcinoma. Soon after the
laboratory finding in 1989 by McGrath et al. that trichosanthin appeared to inhibit the HIV-1 replication in both acutely
infected T-lymphoblastoid cells and in chronically infected macrophages, and selectively killed HIV-infected cells while
leaving uninfected cells unharmed, clinical trials of trichosanthin as a potential treatment for HIV were carried out in
USA. Trichosanthin attacks the life cycle of the virus at an entirely different point from AZT and related drugs, and in
other words, it has a unique mechanism of action complementary to other drugs. Present clinical reports showed that
trichosanthin has some curing effects on AIDS patients and suggested it to be a possible treatment that may fill the
gap in the treatment of HIV disease.
Chinese Anemone (Pulsatilla chinensis)... In Traditional Chinese Medicine, pulsatilla is used as an
anti-inflammatory and is considered specific for amoebic and bacterial dysentery with bloody stool, abdominal pain and
tenesmus and is often used with phellodendron bark, coptis rhizome and ash bark, known as Pulsatilla Decoction
(Baitouweng Tang). It is most commonly taken as a decoction to counter infection within the gastrointestinal tract.
The root is also used to treat malarial fever. In addition, this herb can be used with flavescent sophora to prepare a
lotion for the treatment of trichomoniasis vaginalis. The root contains the lactone protoanemonin which has an irritant
and antibacterial action. Protoanemonin is destroyed when the root is dried. The fresh herb is a cardiac and nervous
sedative, producing a hypnotic state with a diminution of the senses followed by a paralyzing action. A constituent
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