What should you be aware of before using it?
If a product says simply “aloe,” it could be aloe vera, or it could be one of several other species of aloe. Evidence is coming in that some of the other species are carcinogenic (cause cancer).27 Be aware of what kind of aloe you are using.
Topical use. Don’t use aloe topically if you are allergic to onions or garlic. If you’ve never used aloe before, or if you’re using aloe from a different plant, try a little bit on a small area. If you develop an irritation, discontinue use.
If you have any of the following symptoms after using aloe, call poison control or your doctor: throat swelling or breathing difficulty, severe burning or pain in the throat, nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue, severe abdominal pain or vomiting, severe skin irritation or rash.
Internal use. Don’t use aloe internally without medical supervision. Though aloe vera has been used internally for centuries, sometimes by people who proclaim near-miraculous properties to it, modern research casts doubts on its safety. Aloe for internal use is not usually standardized and is sometimes mislabeled. The dose that works fine for you this time might be very different from the dose you get next time from the same product.
Aloe can be a violent purge. As a result, it can affect electrolyte levels.
It can also affect blood sugar, perhaps dangerously so if you are hypoglycemic, diabetic, or on blood sugar medication. Be cautious when using it in conjunction with herbs known or suspected to affect blood sugar levels. (See Chapter 5 for a list.)
If it is taken orally for diarrhea for more than a week, it can cause dependency. For these reasons, the FDA has banned the use of aloe in over-the-counter laxatives,28 and it recommends that aloe not be taken internally.29 If you should choose to ignore these recommendations, be sure you consult with a trained herbalist and learn about contraindications and interactions, for they are many.
Injected use. Never use injected aloe intravenously or intramuscularly. Four cases of death have been associated with Aloe vera injections.30
Be aware that though the African plant aloe and the North American plant agave, sometimes known as “American aloe,” may look similar but they are very different in their medical uses. Also the word Aloes, in Latin Lignum Aloes, used in the Bible refers to a completely different plant, the Aquilaria agallocha.
Andrographis
Scientific name: Andrographis paniculata
Also known as chiretta, heart-thread lotus leaf, and kariyat, kalmegh, maha-tita, chuan xin lian, yi jian xi, and lan he lian, chyun sam ling, senshinren
Andrographis, Andrographis paniculata
Credit: Courtesy of Teo Siyang
Andrographis is a small annual shrub native to tropical Asia. The leaves and roots are used medicinally. It is very bitter.
Andrographis is sometimes called “Indian echinacea” for its use in supporting the immune system. It has been a part of Chinese and South Asian medicine for centuries. In Chinese medicine, andrographis is believed to dispel heat and it is used for conditions involving fever, inflammation, and the formation of pus.31 In Indian medicine, it was credited with stopping the 1919 Indian flu epidemic. Combined with eleuthero, andrographis is now a major part of one of the most popular herb blends in Sweden (Kan Jang®). It is used there to treat colds and for immune support during the cold and flu season.
What is it good for?
Colds and flu. The active ingredient in andrographis is andrographolides, which are believed to have immune-stimulating, anti-inflammatory properties.32 Several double-blind studies have shown the effectiveness of andrographis in reducing symptoms of the common cold.33 Improvement is shown in fever, headache, muscle aches, throat symptoms, cough, nasal symptoms, general malaise, and eye symptoms.34 It is more effective than placebo in treating upper respiratory tract infections.35 It helps treat sinusitis.36 It inhibits streptococcus bacteria in vitro.37 According to Chinese medical tradition, it is better for flu symptoms (with fever) than for cold symptoms (with just congestion and no fever).
Immune support. The hype says that andrographis stimulates the immune system38 and reduces inflammation.39 Though it may indeed do so, we don’t have the clinical studies that prove that it does. What we have is one small-scale study of young adults which showed that andrographis cut the risk of catching a cold in half.40
How do you use it?
Andrographis is taken internally, either as dried herb in a capsule or as a standardized extract.
Dosage: How much do you use?
We don’t know exactly how much andrographis is safe, but these are typical doses:
For capsules containing dried herb, take 500–3,000 mg, three times per day.41
For standardized extracts, clinical trials have typically used 100 mg of a standardized extract taken two times per day to treat or prevent the common cold.42
What should you be aware of before using it?
Some people get an upset stomach when taking andrographis. If this happens to you, try reducing the dose or taking it with meals.
It may also aggravate ulcers or heartburn.
Andrographis has no known drug interactions. The drug, however, is new enough to Western medicine that it may have interactions we don’t yet know about.
Anise
Scientific name: Pimpinella anisum
Also known as anise, aniseed, jintan, sweet cumin
Pimpinella anisum
Anise originally grew only in the Near East. As anise became popular as a spice, it became more widely cultivated. The ripe syncarp (fruit) is the part used medicinally. The syncarp is typically referred to as “anise seed,” though it is not strictly a seed. It’s the essential oil from this seed/syncarp that contains the medicinal properties.
Pimpinella anisum is the same anise that is used in foods, especially candy and bakery goods, throughout Europe and the Middle East. It is also a flavoring in ouzo and root beer. Its medicinal use goes back to both ancient Rome and ancient Egypt. Hippocrates used it as a cough remedy. The ancient Chinese used it for digestive problems. In other cultures, it has been used, with varying degrees of success, for everything from colic, to cancer, to warding off the evil eye.
What is it good for?
Coughs. Anise is used for the treatment of coughs. The Cherokee Indians used an infusion in hot water as a respiratory aid for catarrh.43 Commission E recommends it for “catarrhs of the respiratory tract.” The 1918 U.S. Dispensatory mentions an expectorant effect. The PDR for Herbal Medicine describes it as “antibacterial,” though this effect appears to be mild. Use as a cough remedy has ample anecdotal evidence, but no known clinical trials support it. Laboratory research, however, is hopeful. One study suggests that an ingredient in the oil increases the movement of the cilia in the bronchial passages of animals. Both infusion and tincture of anise also helped dilate the bronchial passages of pigs.44 If the same is true in humans, anise might have a measurable expectorant effect.45