Botanicals

Herbs

"Crude drugs of vegetable origin utilized for the treatment of disease states, often of a chronic nature, or to attain or maintain a condition of improved health".

Allopathy

"conventional medicine" in Western societies Utilizes a process of reductionism (focus on symptoms exhibited in a part of the organism rather than on the organism as a whole). Treat symptoms of diseases primarily through prescription drugs

Qigong (pronounced "chee gong")

-In Chinese, "qi" means energy and "gong" means a skill or practice. Together they translate as "a skill or practice of cultivating energy." -Qigong is a Chinese practice of self-care that involves the combination of specific regulation of body movement and posture through physical exercise with meditation involving careful regulation of breath and deep relaxation states. -It is done to enhance the mind-body connection and thus promote health.

Osteopathy

-a system of therapy and medicine based on the theory that the normal body is a vital mechanical organism whose structural and functional states are of equal importance and is capable of making its own remedies against infections and toxic conditions when there are favorable environmental circumstances and adequate nutrition

Vegan diet

-excludes all animal products such as flesh foods, milk, cheese, eggs, butter, and honey

Vegetarian diet

-excludes flesh foods such as meat, fish, fowl and their derivatives -sometimes called lacto-ovo vegetarian because of including milk and eggs

Hydrotherapy

-external application of water for therapeutic purposes -differentiated from balneotherapy by emphasizing the use of plain water

Flower essences (developed in the 1930's by Dr. Edward Bach)

-flower essences are made by infusing flowers or other plant parts in spring water and then adding alcohol as a preservative -the underlying philosophy focuses on stabilizing emotions in order to dissipate illness and stimulate internal healing processes

Balneotherapy

-hot or warm baths in natural mineral waters or spas -includes drinking the waters -does not include whirlpool baths

Meditation relaxation techniques

-mental exercises such as concentration or visualization, postural modifications, and breathing exercises designed to reduce mental and/or physical arousal -used techniques include meditation, Jacobsen exercises, the Mitchell method, autogenic training, visualization and imagery

Hypnosis

-state of increased receptivity to suggestion and direction, induced by the influence of another person

Massage

-systematic application of petrissage, effleurage, friction, percussion, stroking, static pressure, vibration, or other manual manipulations to the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia) of the body -some used techniques are Rolfing, Trager, Bidegewebsmassage, Neuromuscular Therapy Hellerwork, acupressure, myofascial release, strain-counterstrain, positional release, shiatsu, and the manual stimulation of trigger points

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

A 3,000-year-old holistic system of medicine Chinese physicians that look for the underlying causes of imbalance in the "yin" and "yang" which lead to disharmony in the "qi" energy in the body. It combines the use of medicinal herbs, acupuncture, food therapy, massage, and therapeutic exercise.

Herbal Infused Oils

A process of extraction in which the volatile oils of a plant substance are obtained by soaking the plant using a carrier oil for approximately two weeks and then straining the oil. The resulting oil is used therapeutically and may contain the plant's aromatic characteristic.

Percolation

A process to extract the soluble constituents of a plant with the assistance of gravity. Material is moistened and evenly packed into a tall, slightly conical vessel. • Solvent poured onto the material is allowed to steep for a certain length of time. • Allow the extract to slowly flow out of the vessel. • The marc may be discarded. Many tinctures and liquid extracts are prepared this way.

Drug

A pure substance or combination of pure substances (isolated from natural sources, semi- synthethic, or purely chemical in origin) intended to mitigate, treat, cure or prevent a disease in humans (and other animals).

Balsamum

A solution of resin and volatile oil usually produced by special cells in some plants.

Phytoestrogens

A type of phytochemical with some influence on the estrogenic activity or hormonal system in humans.

Essential Oils

Aromatic volatile oils extracted from the leaves, stems, flowers, and other parts of plants. Therapeutic use generally includes dilution of the highly concentrated oil.

GRASE Categories

Category I status - generally recognized as safe and effective and not misbranded (few) Category II and III status - not GRASE, misbranded, and insufficient data (most)

Phytochemicals

Chemical compounds or chemical constituents formed in the plant's normal metabolic processes.

Ayurvedic Medicine

Combines natural therapies with a highly personalized, holistic approach to the treatment of disease alternative medicine practice, "science of life"

DSHEA

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 ("DSHEA"), is a 1994 statute of United States Federal legislation which defines and regulates dietary supplements. Under the act, supplements are effectively regulated by the FDA for Good Manufacturing Practices

Flower Essences

Essences are used internally or topically to balance emotional states

Aetheroleum

Essential or volatile oil as a distinct aromatic product obtained from the plant.

Commission E

Expert Committee --- Associations of Health Professionals (24 members) • Physicians, pharmacists, non-medical practitioners, pharmacologists, toxicologists, biostatisticians, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry

Liniment

Extract of a plant added to either alcohol or vinegar and applied topically to employ the therapeutic benefits.

Homeopathy

Funded in the late 18th century Based on the theory "like cures like." Consist of remedies of diluted substances from plants, minerals and animals Remedies specifically match different symptom pattern profiles of illness to stimulate the body's natural healing process.

Indigenous or Tribal Medicine

Incorporates various methods of botanical and animal medicines as well as specific ceremonial rituals of a culture to cure a disease. It passes medicinal knowledge from generation to generation, primarily through oral traditions. The system tends to be unique to each tribe.

Poultice

It is a therapeutic topical application of a soft moist mass of plant material (such as bruised fresh herbs), usually wrapped in a fine woven cloth.

Aromatherapy

It uses essential oils extracted from medicinal plants to treat various health conditions. The oils are generally diluted, then used topically, internally, or to stimulate olfactory senses.

Herbal Medicine

It uses plant or plant-derived preparations to treat, prevent, or cure various health conditions and ailments.

Curanderismo

Latin-American, community-based folk system of medicine consists of two components. The first, humor model, classifies activity, food, drugs, and illness as having characteristics of hot or cold, and dry or moist. Good health is maintained by achieving a balance between these characteristics. The second component involves the treatment of folk illnesses.

Infusion

Made by pouring water over plant material (usually dried flowers, fruit, leaves, and other parts, though fresh plant material may also be used), then allowed to steep. The water is usually boiling, but cold infusions are also an option. May be used therapeutically (as hot tea is an excellent way to administer herbs).

Tincture

Made by soaking herbs in a dark place with a desired amount of either glycerine, alcohol, or vinegar for two to six weeks. The liquid is strained from the plant material and then may be used therapeutically.

Decoction

Made from boiling plant material in water (usually bark, rhizomes, roots or other woody plant parts). May be used therapeutically. Natural dyes are often made this way.

Phytomedicinals

Medicinal substances that originate from plants, including certain phytochemicals as well as whole plants or herbal preparations.

Crude drug

Natural products, which are not pure compounds (i.e., plants or parts of plants, extracts, or exudes).

NLEA

Nutrition, Labeling and Education Act 1990 - improve labeling and education to consumers about food products and dietary substances including dietary supplements

Traditional Medicine

Old herbal products - do not meet Commission E standards

Acupuncture

Piercing specific areas of the body with needles to relieve discomfort associated with painful disorders, to induce surgical anesthesia, or for therapeutic purposes

Pharmacognosy

Study of natural products (i.e., plant, animal, organism, or mineral in nature) used as drugs or for the preparation of drugs. Derived from the Greek pharmakon meaning drug and gnosis meaning knowledge.

Herb

The aerial parts or the aboveground parts of plants which may include the flower, leaf, and the stem of the plant, and occasionally fruits too.

Cortex

The bark of the plant. Bark can be collected from the root, stem, or branches.

Bulbus

The bulb or an underground bud (specialized stem structure) of a plant, from which both a shoot and roots may extend.

Oleum

The fixed oil preparation pressed or squeezed from the plant material.

Flos

The flowers of plant usually consisting of a single flower or the entire inflorescences (i.e., head, umbel, panicle, spike, etc.).

Fructus

The fruit (the ripened ovary of the flower-bearing seeds) or berry of the plant. In pharmacognosy, fructus is not always synonymous with the botanical definition.

Folium

The leaf of plant. Usually the middle leaves of plants are collected.

Pericarpium

The peel or rind of fruit.

Tai chi (an ancient Chinese system of exercise or an "art for life")

The practice stimulates the nervous system, increases blood circulation and glandular activity, strengthens muscles, and exercises the joints. -The movements are circular and gentle, done in an even, slow tempo, synchronized with the breath.

Resina

The resin that is secreted by the plant or by distillation of the balsamum.

Rhizoma

The rhizome or a creeping horizontal stem, generally bearing roots on its underside.

Radix

The root of a plant, though radix is sometimes synonomous with rhizome.

Semen

The seed of a plant, usually removed from the fruit, and may or may not contain the seed coat.

Pyroleum

The tar from dry distilled plant material.

Lignum

The wood or the secondary thickening of the stem. This may or may not contain the bark as well.

Naturopathy

Treats health conditions based on what is believed to be the body's innate ability to heal

Yoga (orthodox system of Hindu philosophy)

includes exercise for attaining bodily or mental control and well-being

Alexander therapy

increase awareness and voluntary inhibition of personal habitual patterns of rigid musculoskeletal constrictions

Reflexology

manual stimulation of points on the foot thought to correspond to the organs and structures of the body

Therapeutic touch (developed by Dora Kunz and Dolores Krieger, 1970's)

the healer's hands are placed, in a systematic way, on or near the patient to facilitate palliative relief or cure

Biofeedback

use of instrumentation to give immediate and continuing signals of change in bodily function of which a person is usually unaware

Chiropractic

use the recuperative powers of the body and the relationship between musculoskeletal structures and functions of the body, particularly of the spinal column and the nervous system, in the restoration and maintenance of health