Herbal Medicine

To learn more about herbal medicine, visit the HerbMed site. They have a great database of many popular herbal medicines.

Joke

1)What did the sick banana tell its mommy?
Click for answer

Joke

2) What nut is like a sneeze?
Click for answer

3)Mother: How do you want to take your cough syrup?
Child: With a fork.

Herbal medicine goes back to human infancy (no not when you were born silly, when the human race was just beginning). Ancient people discovered that some plants were poisonous while others helped them stay healthy. About ¼ of all prescription pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S. have one or more active ingredients directly extracted from plants.

Here are some historic herbal events:

2800 BC: The Pen Ts’ao, written by Shen Nung, is the first written document on herbal medicine .

100AD: Rome spread herbal medicine throughout its empire.

800AD: Monks are winning the herbal development race with privet herb gardens.

1100s AD: Arab world now has major influence on herbal world.

1200s AD: Black Death hits! “Qualified” hospitals try herbs, bleeding, and much more but to no avail.

Here are some old herbs that passed new tests (but don't take any of these without talking to your parents and doctors):

Hawthorn improves heart function.

Echinacea will make the length of a cold shorter if taken within 24 hours of symptoms' appearance.

Garlic lowers blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Carnitine is helpful to people with angina, heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease.

Passionflower may lower anxiety.

Bitter melon may lower blood glucose levels, but it shouldn’t be used to treat diabetes.

Green tea may help protect against certain cancers.

Ginger will prevent nausea and vomiting in some people. It is relatively safe to use.

Credits

Web Sites

The Nemours Foundation. "KidsHealth for Kids" 1995-2004. <http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/> (January-February, 2004).

Wikipedia "The Free Encyclopedia" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>(December 2003).

Images

Images of garlic, and pills from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1> Images free for non-profit and personal use. (October-February, 2003-2004).

Book

Bernstein, Joanne E. and Paul Cohen. Dizzy Doctor Riddles. Niles, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. 1989.

Joke Answers

1) I don't peel good. Return

2)Cashew! Return