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Herb Uses -O, P, Q Herbs
Mexican Poppy (Argemone mexicana ) The fresh latex of Mexican poppy contains protein-dissolving constituents,
and is used to treat warts, cold sores, and blemishes on the lips. The whole plant acts as a mild painkiller. An infusion
of the seeds—in small quantities—is used in Cuba as a sedative for children suffering from asthma. In greater
quantities, the oil in the seeds is purgative. The flowers are expectorant, and are good for treating coughs and other
chest conditions.
The juice of the plant has a rubifacient and slightly caustic effect; used straight for warts, diluted for skin
ulcerations, externally. The fresh juice, greatly diluted, has a long traditional history as a treatment for opacities of the
cornea. The preserved juice, with three or four parts water, can be used for heat rash, hives, and jock itch. One-half
teaspoon in water in the morning for a few days will lessen the irritability of urethra and prostate inflammations. The
whole plant can be boiled into a strong tea and used for bathing sunburned and abraded areas for relief of pain. The
dried plant is a feeble opiate and helps to reduce pain and bring sleep, a rounded tablespoon in t4ea. The seeds are a
strong cathartic, a teaspoon or two crushed in water and drunk. They have somewhat of a sedative and narcotic effect
when eaten and have traditionally been smoked alone or with tobacco.
Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) - Silymarin is poorly soluble in water, so aqueous preparations such as teas are
ineffective, except for use as supportive treatment in gallbladder disorders because of cholagogic and spasmolytic
effects. The drug is best administered parenterally because of poor absorption of silymarin from the gastrointestinal
tract. The drug must be concentrated for oral use. Silymarin’s hepatoprotective effects may be explained by its
altering of the outer liver cell membrane structure, as to disallow entrance of toxins into the cell. This alteration
involves silymarin’s ability to block the toxin’s binding sites, thus hindering uptake by the cell. Hepatoprotection by
silymarin can also be attributed to its antioxidant properties by scavenging prooxidant free radicals and increasing
intracellular concentration of glutathione, a substance required for detoxicating reactions in liver cells.
Silymarin’s mechanisms offer many types of therapeutic benefit in cirrhosis with the main benefit being
hepatoprotection. Use of milk thistle, however, is inadvisable in decompensated cirrhosis. In patients with acute viral
hepatitis, silymarin shortened treatement time and showed improvement in serum levels of bilirubin, AST and ALT.
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) A root decoction (either fresh or dried) strengthens the heart in a different way from
digitalis, and without the foxglove derivative’s toxicity. It also soothes the nerves and is listed as an emetic,
anthelmintic (kills worms) and stomach tonic. It helps relieve edema probably by strengthening the heart. It’s also a
diaphoretic and expectorant. It’s used for coughs, colds, arthritis aggravated by the cold, threatened inflammation of
the lungs, asthma, bronchitis, female disorders, diarrhea and gastric mucus. The milky sap is used topically, fresh or
dried, to reduce warts.
The root is emetic and cathartic in large doses. In average doses it is considered diuretic, expectorant and
diaphoretic. It is said to produce temporary sterility if taken as a tea.
HOMEOPATHIC: Used for afflictions of the nerves and the urinary tract and for pressing
Miner’s Lettuce (Montia perfoliata): Apart from its value as a nourishing vegetable, miner’s lettuce, like its relative
purslane, may be taken as a spring tonic and an effective diuretic.
Mint (Mentha spp): Ayurvedic physicians have used mint for centuries as a tonic and digestive aid and as a treatment
for colds, cough, and fever. Medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen recommended mint for digestion
and gout. Shortly after Culpeper wrote about the benefits of mint, peppermint and spearmint were differentiated, and
herbalists decided the former was the better digestive aid, cough remedy, and treatment for colds and fever.
Spearmint cannot replace peppermint in combined bile and liver or nerve herbal teas even though it is used as a
stomachic and carminative.
The Chinese use bo he ( M. arvensis) as a cooling remedy for head colds and influenza and also for some
types of headaches, sore throats, and eye inflammations. As a liver stimulant, it is added to remedies for digestive
disorders or liver qi (energy) stagnation). Disperses wind-heat: for patterns of wind-heat with fever, headache and
cough. Clears the head and eyes and benefits the throat: for patterns of wind-heat with sore throat, red eyes, and
headache. Vents rashes: used in the early stages of rashes such as measles to induce the rash to come to the
surface and thereby speed recovery.
Peppermint also contains antioxidants that help prevent cancer, heart disease and other diseases associated
with aging. From Jim Duke’s “Green Pharmacy” comes a Stone Tea for gallstone attach: brew a mint tea from as
many mints as possible especially spearmint and peppermint and add some cardamom, the richest source of borneol,
another compound that is helpful.
The oil of peppermint has been shown to be antimicrobial and antiviral against Newcastle disease, herpes
simplex, vaccinia, Semliki Forest and West Nile viruses.
Menthol is an allergic sensitizer that may cause hives. The menthol in oil of peppermint is an effective local
anesthetic. It increases the sensitivity of the receptors in the skin that perceive the sensation of coolness and reduces
the sensitivity of the receptors that perceive pain and itching. Menthol is also a counterirritant, an agent that causes
the small blood vessels under the skin to dilate, increasing the flow of blood to the area and making the skin feel
warm. When you apply a skin lotion made with menthol, your skin feels cool for a minutes, then warm. Menthol’s
anesthetic properties also make it useful in sprays and lozenges for sore throats.
Mistletoe (Viscum album): Despite the traditional belief that European and American mistletoe have opposite
actions, science has found out that they contain similar active chemicals and have similar effects. Mistletoe has the
ability to slow the pulse, stimulate gastrointestional and uterine contractions, and lower blood pressure.
European mistletoe is chiefly used to lower blood pressure and heart rate, ease anxiety, and promote sleep. In
low doses it also relieves panic attacks, headaches, and improves concentration. European mistletoe is also
prescribed for tinnitus and epilepsy. In anthroposophical medicine, extracts of the berries are injected to treat
cancer.
European mistletoe’s efficacy as an anticancer treatment has been subject to a significant amount of research.
Studies going back 25 years show mistletoe impairs the growth of test-tube tumor cells. In Germany three
mistletoe-based chemotherapy agents are administered by injection to treat human cancers. The great advantage
offered by mistletoe extracts is that unlike other chemotherapeutic drugs, their immunostimulant and tonic effects are
nontoxic and well tolerated. There is no doubt that certain constituents, especially the viscotoxins, exhibit an
anticancer activity, but the value of the whole plant in cancer treatment is not fully accepted.
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