Plant contentions

Essential oils
Bitters
Coumarins
Tannic substances
Flavonoides
Saponins
Other groups of compounds

All those contention groups have particular effects in common:

Essential oils (ethereal oils) contain genetic definite mixtures of up to 500 different substances. Essential oils are not soluble in water; they volatilise easily and have aromatic odours.
Essential oils are easily absorbed into the skin and the mucous membranes, and afterwards distributed to all parts of the body. The secretion passes by the kidneys, the gall or the respiratory passage. Following range of practical uses and powers from the 'essential-oils-plants' are the foremost:

• external by itching and by rheumatic and neuralgic pain, by poor bleeding conditions and sport injuries
• by swellings and inflammations, above all by gastritis
• works positively on digestive processes by enhancing mucous secretion
• anti-spasmodic
• restraining cough by stimulating the glandular secretion, which dilutes the mucus;
• trigs reflectively the need for coughing to release the mucus
• diuretic: works directly on the kidneys by activating the kidney parenchyma, which improve the bleeding. By all extensive use of essential oils there occurs degeneration effect on the kidney tissue. That implies that prescribing preparations containing essential oil for people with renal problems are forbidden.
• stimulating the production and drainage of bile
• by occurrence of intestinal worms
• anti-biotical
• anti-sudorific
• sudorific: Some essential oils has a sudorific effect. The cause for this effect is not clearly clarified. It is possible that this effect is due to the hot water used.
• calmative
• analgesic by itching
• Abortifacient - Folk's medicine has traditionally used some of the essential oils as an abortive. The abortive effect occurs on the embryo by toxic doses. The mother can hereby be exposed to poisoning as well. Thujon (from Thuja occidentalis) works specific on the uterus of the pregnant mother; You can find Thujon also for example in The Sage (Salivia officinalis).

Bitters

The plants containing bitters (bitter substances) are exclusively used due to their intensively bitter tastes, which reflectively induce stimulation on the salivary gland and the secretion of gastric juice. The bitter taste recognizes at the very moment of excitation. The taste buds are situated at the root of the tongue, and keep the bitter taste some time afterwards ('after-taste'). These are then sending the signal to the brain, which by reflex than effects the swelling of the secerning mucous membranes.
The bitters have therefore positive influence on the digestive processes, then it lead to an improvement on appetite as well as an amelioration of the food intake, - on the condition of course - that the bitter preparation is consumed 30 minutes before the meal. Topical bitter herbs are Hops, Wormwort and Great Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea), whose effects are useful ingredients in numerous aperitifs and herbal liquors.

Coumarins

The Coumarins form a group of herbal substances, which produces the typical hay scent, which occurs when the grass is drying. Particular coumarin categories were in the past used as perfumes and flavouring additives in food. Because of their toxious side effects, they are not longer used.

The Furanocoumarins have strong photosensitive powerties on skin. Exposed to sunrays those compounds respond with the nucleic acid, thymin, and are thus hindering the reading and procreative powers (mitosis) of skin-DNA. This occurrence results after 7 - 12 hours in blisters and skin eruptions. About 48 hour later starts an increasing production of melanin, which indirectly enhances the tanning effect.
The same phenomenon can be observed, when the skin, before exposition to sun, is come in touch with celery leaves, Eau de Cologne or timothy. The Furanocoumarins are partly used in the treatment of particular pigment anomalies and psoriasis.

As all those contentions having direct powers on the DNA-molecule, one should be aware of the possibilities of cancer producing effects.

Plants containing certain amounts of coumarin, as Angelica, Lovage, Parsnip, etc. are today used as diuretics and digestives.

Tannic agents

The tannic agents (tannic substances) are contentions in plants used in tanneries to process crude deer skin into manufactured skin. During this process are soluble proteins in the skins converted into insoluble proteins.

Used as pharmaceutical agents, those tannic substances build a coagulation membrane in the upper levels of the mucous membrane and the connective tissues. This effects then a tightening of certain parts of the tissue, which on the other hand leads to a reduction of irritation in the cells, reduction of the glandular secretion (dryness in the mouth). It then works a reduction in taste sensitivity because of the tannic effects on the surface. Externally the tannic agents

• hamper the secretion from actual glands
• reduce the sensivity
• have anti-inflammatory effects
• have drying effects on skin and wounds
• Tannic agents are additionally having local analgesic effects by the reduction effect on neural end points work antibiotic (tan, hamper and kill bacteria)
• stop the blood by astringent effect in the capillary system
• One may use tannic agents externally by wounds,
• by haemorrhoids, and
• by inflammations in mouth and throat.

Internally used

• by diarrhoea.
• It is also possible to use tannic agents by poisoning from alkaloids and heavy metals, related to the effect of reaction between the tannic agent and the poison agent into an adsorbent. These adsorbents are not irreversible, and it is therefore necessary to produce fast draining of the stomach and bowels by use of laxatives.

A tannic agent hampers the resorption of certain agents, like essential oils. It reacts as a tributary agent in many plants yielding substantial service, as in black tea where the effects are milder and later than in coffee.
When using herbs with heavy amounts of tannic agents over a long term with big doses, it may cause liver damages. The folkloristic use in treatment by burns and by diabetes is therefor not recommended. Plants with heavy amount of tannic agents are the leaves of walnut, oak and mountain cranberry.

Flavonoids

Up to now there has been isolated from vegetables more than 300 different flavonoids. The flavonoids are a common group of contentions in all plants, and it plays an important role in the metabolism, because of

• The protective function against infections from fungi and vira
• The control function by the growth processes
• The filter reducing function facing UV-radiation
• Their generic pigments of different colours, having a seductive effect on specific insects

Plants containing 0.5-3% flavonoids are characterized as flavonoid drugs. Among those we can find:

The foremost effects are

• Anti-spasmodic effects
• Diuretic effects
• Sudorific effects

Particular flavonoids are powerful drugs on heart or have astringent effect by increased capillary permeability, and thus prevent the blood from penetrate into the tissue. Specifically these flavonoids are used by

• Increased blood pressure
• Arteriosclerosis
• Diabetes, or as
• delicate heart tonic

Saponines

The saponins make an ordinary product from the plant's metabolic process. The typical foaming response from saponin in water has led to some use for laundry purposes. They have some biological effects, that are mostly identical. They

• make strong cytotoxic drugs
• resolve the red blood cells (except the liquorice root)
• induce irritation on the mucous membrane, which activate the cough and sneeze reflex.

Special saponins, e.g. in some sorts of primulas, have

• strong antibiotic powers by infections from bacteria and fungi.

The saponins work strongly toxic in fish. The gills get permeable and bleeding occurs. Many natural cultures are using the saponin effect of certain plants in their fishing methods.

The saponins improve the solubility in other materials, which effects

• better resorption thought the bowel. This is an important effect by some vegetables as for instance spinach and tomato.

By other saponins there is an opposite effect of

• attracting certain matters out from the blood circulatory system.

It is known that North American Indians (N. Dakota) used certain plants (as Polygala senega that is Snakeroot) against snakebites.

The common use of saponins today is mainly as a cough remedy and for diuretics. Saponins are used in toothpaste as well, and in gurgles, shampoo or for foaming purposes in beverages.

Other groups of compounds

There are some other big groups of plant contentions, among those the big and important group of Alkaloids. Those plants containing alkaloids are partly producing strong and effective agents as

• atropine
• aconite
• codein
• morphine

An other big group of agents is the Glycosides, which conatain a part of sugar joined together with some other chemical substance, for instance aldehyde as in sucrose (cane sugar). Many of our sugar types are related to this group (fructose, glucose, etc.). Glycosides are very varied in structure, and have a vast range of functions, as

• the Digitalis glycoside digitalin, with important medical significance
• Anthocyanins, which contains plant pigments
  

DRUGS: Those parts, which are used for medical treatment, are called drugs. The scientific names are using a Latin nomenclature, built into the names of different plants, according to the system founded by the Swedish biologist Linnaeus.

As the agents oft are concentrated in significant parts of the plant, the precisely defined name of the drug must describe what part of the plants should be used:

 

Flos	flowers
Folium	leaves
Herba	all parts of the plant except the roots
Radix	roots
Fructus	fruits
Semen	seeds
Cortex	bark
Bulbus	leek

 

When using plant medicine it is recommended to buy the drug by the retail pharmacy or as purified extracts in health food stores. Those products there have good and sanitary controlled quality. Ready-made extracts have the great advantage of being standardised with regard to agents and are always having accurate dosage.