CHE Standards

Kevin Said:

Who can advise and workwith me in screening the chemical content of traditionally used medicinal plants?

We Answered:

depends where u are, what you know and what you want i suppose. You could try Sandy Gray at Strathclyde Uni.

Kurt Said:

where can i get information about medicinal plants?

We Answered:

Go here:

http://ib.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/pe…

and send him a message. Dr. Carlson was my instructor some years ago, and I think he is pretty much the world's greatest expert on medicinal plants (the technical term is medical ethnobotany, btw). When he came to Cal, he started a course on the topics, and it is currently one of the most popular classes in the biology major. He is incredibly nice, and if you shoot him an email, he'll probably reply with all sorts of resources that we common folk at answers.yahoo.com don't know about. He even wrote a mini-textbook, which you might find to be of outrageous use.

Vivian Said:

What are some good sources for wild and medicinal plants in Northeast USA?

We Answered:

A longer excursion into wilderness needs a lot of planning and preparation and has to include looking for information about dangers and survival strategies. Knowing the travel destination you should read all you can find about environment, climate and how native people live. The traditional way of life developed over hundreds of years and people survived, why not to follow these rules.
The following sites give general directions - might be the same as your book - and an example of a site you should look for knowing the exact place you want to explore.

Some useful sites and their chapters relating to plants:
SURVIVAL USE OF PLANTS
http://www.aircav.com/survival/asch09/as…

Fig. 9-5 "Universal Edibility Test":
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plant…

A specific site for Northeast USA e.g.:
Indigenous Plants & Native Uses in the Northeast.
http://www.nativetech.org/plantgath/plan…

Jessie Said:

Are medicinal plants still valued by pfizer, merck, & other research-based drug companies?

We Answered:

They sure are. Most of our pharmaceuticals were originally derived from plants before they were manufactured artificially. It is not so much a matter of being "weak" as it is a matter of being standardized in strength.

If you are interested, attend a good school of pharmacy and take all the pharmacology courses you can. You might want to do graduate work in pharmacology as well.

Sherri Said:

what are some good books that describe the use of medicinal plants?

We Answered:

A tincture is when you add alcohol to your plants in order to extract/dissolve certain compounds. Then you add the alcohol to tea or other drink.

I'd imagine the reason you're finding difficulty in finding exact methods to prepare herbal medicines is that authors or their publishers are worried about liability if someone tries to make a preparation, and misidentifies a plant, or tries to use a folk remedy rather than medicine prescribed by their doctor. The authors have no control over the identification skill of the persons collecting the plants, or the amounts used, both in preparation or in consumption/use. Or over choices of collecting areas - in some places it may be illegal to collect plants or their parts, or the plant may grow in areas that are exposed to harmful chemicals, anything from road runoff to pesticides. And there's a possibility of differences in sensitivity of the individuals using the plants, and there's always the possibility of an allergic reaction. I think they'd rather have you spend time with an herbalist in your area who can supervise you in learning about herbal remedies than to give you any information that could potentially be harmful.

As a suggestion - repost your question in "Alternative Medicine" in the health category. Someone there may know of a source they can recommend.

Jennifer Said:

what are the medicinal plants in succulent karoo gardens?

We Answered:

i don't know where karoo gardens are ; but aloe Vera's are a medicinal plant that is good for burns --- whether it be from the sun or the stove ; etc; good luck.