Andrew Gaeddert, Herbalist 6/1/05
herbalist@healthconcerns.com
www.healthconcerns.com/pro
he can email you a handout, they are good handouts.
Ways to use Chinese herbs
1. ex: immune herb for immune condition(not optimal use)
2. 5 element only use ancient ways(not optimal either)
3. integrative approach-best way to use herbs.
Chinese herbalists-said that sweat is conscious of it, bad sign if they have night sweat, or
any kind of unregulated sweat. Gau pi tong(Sheng Jem) heart blood tonic because sweat
is a product of the heart.
Helps defensive energy Wei Chi
Astragalus
He introduced this herb to west
Useful for burns because it is used for defensive energy
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy-with ligustrum has been studied in MD cancer
institute in Texas in 80’s. gave it to patients in chemo and radiotherapy, increased
survival in CA patients and increased their QOL.
Yin Chou formula in best way to take it.
Not for active infection
Careful for post transplant
Tonifying- is better way to use the herb
Edema-is one of the ways to use this herb that is not as well known.
Ginseng-3 types and diff ways to process making red ginseng(hotter) white
ginseng(cooler), much of wild ginseng is gone expensive. Or cheap ginseng(much of it is
extracted then the dregs or last part is sold for very cheap and it doesn’t have medicinal
components in it=you get what you pay for)
-ginsenosides-just one constituent doesn’t mean its any better than whole ginseng root.
Asian(panax)
o Warming(cold and tired, blood deficient, feel cold all the time) (lips pale,
skin pale signs of blood def.)
o Case study-pt just finished chemo. had lost hair, cold in 85 degree weather
wore tons of clothes, so asian ginseng in formula.
American
o Cooling function(red faced, get stressed)
Tien Shi(nodo ginseng or pseudoginseng)
o Blood moving or blood circulation
o Stops bleeding
Siberian is a distant relative
o Folk herb in china. Not used in TCM
o 100times weaker than or 10 times weaker than Asian
Licorice-one herb most MD’s know a little about and are concerned about its BP
increasing effects. If they already have high BP it will increase it. Must take 5-10 gm/QD
to have licorice raise their BP. It is very safe, it is considered detoxifying and
harmonizing herb. Can use it with Hypertensive pt in small amounts. Or not use it at all.
He made astra 8,
Case- gave it to his grandfather who had emphysema, his lungs cleared and he felt
better. His MD wanted him to not take it. But there was no risk.
Detoxifying agent
Support adrenals
Extracts are used in hospital setting esp. for Hep. A,B,C because it is epidemic
there. Glycyrrhizin is taken out and injected for people with Hepatitis, and
therefore get more side effects.
Helpful to get people off predinisone even licorice candy
True Licorice candy can even have enough licorice in it to be medicinal
Ligustrum
Powerful immune enhancing activity, Yin tonic, cooling and more moistening. It
balances the warming energy in the Astra -8,
Used with other herbs for chemo and other
Is seeds
Combine ligustrum
Ganoderma
In ancient times it was preserved for emporer and his family and it was expensive, it was
wild picked from remote areas. That is why it is not in traditional material medica. Used
widely in Japan and China.
Benefits the heart, metaphysical and heart conditions(high cholesterol, blood
sugar imbalances, autoimmune disease, CVA’s) natural sedative for heart and
western conditions, Angina.
Allergy to it in some. Ganoderma hive like rash. Pin pricks of heat that are red
and itchy. Esp given as a single. <1% of people who take it get an allergic
reaction. More prevalent with higher doseages. Rash.
Difficult to digest-gas and bloating esp if given in capsule form.
Ganoderma luciderm-red one-stronger and more research done on it.
Ganoderma gyponicum-black one seen china town. And not as strong
Cx-poorly soluble in alcohol so tincture doesn’t do well, tablet or decoction with
other herbs.
Selenium
Mineral-all things have energetic properties- assumed that most minerals have a
cooling function in TCM. Usually to sedate the heart and other applications.
Astragalus contains but not in sufficient to prevent CA
Take it to prevent CA if it runs in your family
200-400mcg
many of large studies were done in China, with selenium enriched rice.
o They had much less CA than those people who didn’t.
80% of Chinese herbs come from CHINA!! Only!!
He has formulas and things. And a company. Heal Concerns
Summary:
These herbs are useful for people with immune disorder
Not for use in first stage of cold or flu
Cx post transplant
In 20 years of practice-never seen the herbs go wrong in immune and
autoimmune disorders
Radiotherapy, viral, autoimmune conditions
Astragalus and ganoderma-antiviral potential as well-ganoderma is not
cooling which is nice with antiviral, because too much cooling causes
digestive problems.
Most of these herbs
Questions:
Glycyrrhiza Glabra vs. other form-two main forms, only increases BP above 5 grams or
low dose in people with High BP. He thinks 2 forms are interchangeable.
-Trivia-licorice is one of most widely used herbs and its mostly used in cigarettes in the
world.
-all cultures use licorice
Quality Control-additives with importing herbs- he started health concerns-when he
started 2 choices. 1. go to China town and buy bulk or 2. patents. Pills are shiny and
round and in glass bottles.
He wanted to make a product that tasted like real herbs.
In China there is lax enforcement, there is no problem making herbs and drugs
side by side. So things are intermingled at factory level.
We want relief now. So anti-histamine get into pan wan. For allergies. PC Spes-
wanted to promote it like a drug prostate CA. Put DES into it which was banned
in U.S. so in China they put it in and added coumadin to offset sideeffects of
hormones.
Careful about products manufactured in China
His company does a lot of testing-heavy metals, fungus and bac, pesticides.
o Herbs that don’t qualify they send them back or are destroyed.
Don’t they spray all herbs coming across the border-no. they have to pass customs
and FDA inspection. If they find rodent droppings, they can destroy, send them
back or gas them. The gas is Carcinogenic and so is banned in California.
They examine herbs, know their sources and do a lot of testing
30-40% of patents they have studied have either dye #5 yellow, or chemicals
banned here or have drugs in them.
Question-Why is sweating bad? –His teacher said that sweat is hurting the heart because
it comes from the heart. What about menopause-use specific herbs to stop that sweating.
Sweating without movement is bad. Obese patients eat a meal and start sweating, or night
sweating., Panic attack in the west. Exercising and sweating is ok.
Energetics of mushroom-more mycelium and less fruiting body used. – his preference is
to use whole body fruiting. He says mycelium is like the peach fuzz. Is more economical
to do mycelium growing. He likes the wild or cultivated(second best) mycelium third best
they still work but not as well.