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Herb Uses -O, P, Q Herbs
decrease flatulence and colic pain. The seeds have a much stronger diuretic action than the leaves and may be
substituted for celery seeds in the treatment of gout, rheumatism and arthritis. It is often included in "slimming"
teas because of its diuretic action. Oil of the seed (5-15 drops) has been used to bring on menstruation. Avoid
if weak kidneys.
Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens) Medicinal Uses: The Indians ate the berries and dined on a medicinal
jelly when experiencing fever. It has been used to promote easy labor and prevent miscarriage. It is a
nourishing and safe remedy for women from puberty through menopause, including during pregnancy and
lactation, especially where there is a history of difficult pregnancy or a weak reproductive system. In cases of
chronic weakness or disease, it needs to be taken for 4-8 weeks before results may be seen. It is a specific
treatment for uterine hemorrhage and therefore it is indicated in menopausal flooding as well as heavy uterine
blood loss of any kind after diagnosis by a health-care provider. Partridge berry may also relieve painful
periods. The dose is limited to one cup of tea of the single herb per day or up to one-fourth part of a formula by
weight, three standard cups per day. Partridge berry herb does apparently contradictory things: it relaxes
pregnant women while it tones up the uterine and pelvic muscles and it soothes nervous “jumpiness.” Its actions
are astringent (for weak uterine tone, but it is not drying or constipating), diuretic, emmenagogue and parturient
taken during the few weeks before birth. A well-known early 20 th century preparation, called Mother’s Cordial,
combined it with cram bark, unicorn root, sassafras oil, brandy, and sugar. It appeared in the US National
Formulary from 1926 to 1947 for treating uterine problems. It improves digestion and calms the nervous
system. At times it has been substituted for pipsissewa as a treatment for urinary tract infections.
Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris ) In Traditional Chinese Medicine, pulsatilla is used as an
anti-inflammatory and is considered specific for amoebic and bacterial dysentery. Externally, it is used as a
douche for trichomonas.
Western herbalists and homeopaths, on the other hand, use minute doses of pulsatilla as an important
remedy for premenstrual syndrome. Curiously, mainly fair and blue-eyed women are responsive to this remedy.
It is generally used as an emmenagogue and to increase blood and energy circulation for both men and women.
It strengthens sexual sensitivity while lessening the tendency towards morbid preoccupation. It is a good
remedy to consider for disorders of the reproductive organs and the prostate, associated with nervous and
emotional problems. Characteristically, the symptoms treated are nervousness, restlessness and an active
imagination or fear of impending danger or disease. For menstrual irregularity or delayed menstruation, it is
used to treat simple suppression due to atropy or shock. It is also good for some cases of heart disease, again
with strong mental symptoms.
Pulsatilla is used for various inflammatory conditions, but especially if accompanied by nervousness,
despondency, sadness, unnatural fear, weepiness and depression. It is used also for headache, insomnia,
neuralgia in the anemic, thick tongue coating with a greasy taste, stomach disorders from over-indulgence in
fats and pastries, various alternating and shifting signs such as diarrhea/constipation, amenorrhea and
dysmenorrhea, pain from exposure to wind, toothache and styes.
In France, it has traditionally been used for treating coughs and as a sedative for sleep difficulties.
Pulsatilla is also used to treat eye problems such as cataracts.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) The leaves of passion flower are an ingredient in many European
pharmaceutical products to treat nervous disorders, such as heart palpitations, anxiety, convulsions, epilepsy and
sometimes high blood pressure. They have been shown to make a nonaddictive sedative that relaxes the nervous
system. Passion flower seems especially helpful when physical or mental strain results in insomnia or stress. While it
is not a strong pain reliever and it may take a while for its effects to be noticed, it seems to have a lasting and
refreshing effect on the nervous system. It is used to prevent spasms from whooping cough, asthma, and other
diseases. The dried herb is also used for Parkinson’s disease, hysteria, and shingles. The unusual fruit has been
historically considered to be a sedative.
In Germany, passionflower is used as a component of prepared sedative (in combination with lemon balm and
valerian root) and cardiotonic (in combination with hawthorn) nonprescription drugs in various dosage forms including
coated tablets, tinctures, and infusions. It is also used in German homeopathic medicine to treat pain, insomnia related
to neurasthenia, and nervous exhaustion. In German pediatric medicine, it is used as a component of Species
nervinae pro infantibus (sedative tea for children), which contains 30% lemon balm leaf, 30% lavender flower, 30%
passionflower herb, and 10% St. John's wort herb. It is also a component of a standard Commission E fixed formula
"Sedative Tea," which contains 40% valerian root, 30% passionflower herb, and 30% lemon balm leaf. In the United
States, passionflower is used as a sedative component of dietary supplement sleep aid formulations. It was official in
the fourth (1916) and fifth (1926) United States National Formulary and removed in 1936. It was also an approved
OTC sedative and sleep aid up until 1978.
Very few pharmacological studies have been undertaken, though its central nervous system sedative properties
have been documented, supporting its traditional indications for use. The approved modern therapeutic applications
for passionflower are supportable based on its history of use in well established systems of traditional and
conventional medicine, pharmacodynamic studies supporting its empirically acknowledged sedative and anxiolytic
effects, and phytochemical investigations.
German pharmacopeial grade passionflower must be composed of the whole or cut dried aerial parts, collected
during the flowering and fruiting period, containing not less than 0.4% flavonoids calculated as hyperoside. Botanical
identity must be confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) as well as by macroscopic and microscopic
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