That Changed the World
(Colchicum autumnale) has been called "vegetable arsenic."
The active ingredient is the alkaloid colchicines. It is a standard
treatment for gout, but applied to plant cells when they are
dividing, chromosome numbers can be manipulated, rendering sterile
hybrids fertile and making food plants bigger and more vigorous.
(Erythroxylum coca) The alkaloid cocaine was isolated
in 1860 and used as a local anesthetic in 1884 in the first
painless cataract operation. During Prohibition in the US, an
alcohol free coca wine imitation became a craze and was sold
as the "Intellectual Beverage and Temperance Drink," aka Coca
Cola. Until 1902 when it was banned, this popular soft drink
Ergot (Claviceps purpurea), a fungus on rye, was
the cause of a disease called St. Anthony's Fire whose symptoms
were intense, firelike pain in the limbs, delirium, and hallucinations.
Limbs turned gangrenous and many died from it. Outbreaks have
been recorded throughout history. The active ingredients ergonovine
and ergotamine, isolated between 1906 and 1920, aids childbirth.
Another derivative isolated in 1943, lysergic acid diethylamide
(LSD), attracted attention in the '70s as a potent hallucinogenic.
(Filipendula ulmaria) The active ingredient is salicylic
acid. This is the plant that gave us aspirin.
Yam (Dioscorea species) The active ingredient is
diosgenin, which yields steroidal drugs-corticosteroids, oral
contraceptives, and sex hormones.
Poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the world's greatest
painkiller. There are 20 or more alkaloids in opium-morphine,
(first alkaloid to be isolated in the history of chemistry in
1806) codeine, and methadone.
(Chondrodendron tomentosum) Curare, extract from the
stems of this plant, causes instantaneous muscular paralysis.
South American native people used it to hunt. It was first used
in 1942 and is now essential in all surgical procedures. It
cannot be synthesized.
(Cinchona species) is the drug used in curing malaria.
(Rauvolfia serpentina) was first mentioned in a Hindu
medical treatise written in 600 B.C. The active ingredient reserpine
was isolated in 1952, and the term "tranquilizer" was coined
the following year. Alkaloids from this plant have revolutionized
the management of psychotic patients and led to advances in
Fido and Fluffy deserve the benefits of herbal remedies as much
as humans. There are two basic uses for herbs for pets-as a
flea deterrent and as a nutritional support. If you feel your
pet has a problem, please see a veterinarian, but for minor
problems, use natural means.
infestations are not pleasant for you or your pet. A healthy,
vibrant animal with a strong immune system will not be bothered
by fleas. Accordingly, excellent nutrition is a must. You can
add garlic, parsley, carrots, and fresh
herbs to the pet's food. Chop up fresh herbs such as basil,
sage, sorrel, dandelion, and couch grass.
Add 1 to 2 tsp. to food every day.
following mixture is an excellent food supplement for your pet.
Mix it up and keep it close to your pet's dish so you can sprinkle
it on the food.
cup nutritional yeast
1 TBS spirulina
½ cup powdered milk
2 TBS kelp powder
2 TBS stinging nettles powder
2 TBS comfrey root powder
2 TBS comfrey leaf powder
1 TBS garlic powder
your pet has dry skin, add omega-3 oil (flax seed oil) to the
stimulates digestion and helps with joint pain and urinary problems.
Give 1 to 3 TBS (depending on the size of your pet), powdered
and mixed with food.
your pet has fleas, use ¼ tsp. citronella or eucalyptus oil
in water as a rinse after shampooing. A natural flea powder
can be made from dried powdered herbs such as rosemary, wormwood,
tansy, eucalyptus, pennyroyal, fleabane, and rue. You can also
add these to the pet's bedding. Sew a small square pouch, add
herbs and tuck the pouch in the pet's bed. For cats, omit the
rue and add crushed valerian root and chamomile
all-purpose ointment can be made by combining 1 oz. olive oil,
4 drops calendula oil, 10 drops comfrey oil, and a few drops
of vitamin E.
mixture of equal parts raw honey, almond oil, and raw linseed
oil, warmed and massaged into nail beds and foot pads is very
accidents on rugs-clean the spot with rug shampoo, then sponge
with white vinegar. If your pet returns to the same spot, repeat
the process, but this time sprinkle generously with powdered
ginger or cayenne pepper .