Download Lec no. 9 Achillea-Allium cepa

Lec. No. 9
Selected Medicinal Plants
1-Achillea fragrantissima
Family (Compositae) Asteraceae
Yarrow
‫القيصوم أخيليا‬
Plant Descriptions:
-Aromatic herb, growing to 30-60 cm, many-stemmed from a woody
base.
- Leaves small simple. Flowers discoid heads. Flowering from AprilOctober.
-Has strong smell and bitter taste
Habitat:
Dry areas, steppe, and desert.
-Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt
Active Constituents:
Achilleine (alkaloids)
Inulin
essential oil
resin
tannin.
Part used: aerial parts (dry or fresh)
1
Medicinal Uses:
Used to treat diabetes (flowers)
antiseptic for the urinary tract
lowers the glycosides in the blood
carminative
tonic
chest complaints
insect repellent
poisoning from snake's or scorpion's bites
Aching joints and fever.
Research:
Essential oils extracted from Achillea fragrantissima has an antimicrobial
activity.
2
2-Allium cepa
Family Liliaceae
Onion ‫البصل‬
Plant Description:
 Bulbous perennial growing to 1 m.
 Has hollow stems and leaves, and white or purple flowers.
Habitat and Cultivation:
 Native to the northern hemisphere.
 Onion has been cultivated in the Middle East for millennia.
 It is now grown worldwide as a vegetable.
Part Used: bulb.
Active Constituents:
 Onion contains a volatile oil with sulfur-containing compounds such
as allicin (an antibiotic) and alliin.
 Flavonoids.
 Phenolic acids.
 Sterols.
History and Folklore:
 Onion was recommended for a variety of health problems in the
ancient world.
 Bunches were hung on doors to ward off the plague in medieval
Europe.
3
 Wild onion (A. sibiricum) was used extensively by Native North
American people to treat stings and help relieve colds.
Medicinal Actions and Uses:
 Onion boasts a long list of medicinal actions:
-Diuretic.
-Antibiotic.
-Anti-inflammatory.
-Analgesic (‫)مسكن‬.
-Expectorant.
-Antirheumatic (‫)مضاد للروماتيزم‬.
-Beneficial to the circulation
 Onions are taken the world over for colds ,flu, and coughs.( onion juice
is mixed with honey as a remedy for colds)
 Like garlic (A. sativum), onion offsets tendencies to angina ( ‫النوبة‬
‫)القلبي‬, arteriosclerosis (‫)تصلب الشرايين‬, and heart attack.
 It is also useful in preventing oral infection and tooth decay.
 The warmed juice can be dropped into the ear for earache (‫)آالم األذن‬,
and baked onion is used as a poultice to drain pus from sores ( ‫إلخراج‬
‫)القيح من القرح الجلدي‬.
 Onion has a longstanding reputation as an aphrodisiac, and it is also
used cosmetically to stimulate hair growth.
4
3-Allium sativum
Family Liliaceae
Garlic ‫الثوم‬
Introduction
 It has a pungent odor and taste.
 Garlic is an ideal herbal medicine, being completely safe for home use
and a powerful treatment for many health problems.
 It counters many infections, including those of the nose, throat, and
chest.
 It reduces cholesterol, helps circulatory disorders, such as high blood
pressure, and lowers blood sugar levels, making it a useful dietary
addition in late-onset diabetes.
Plant Descriptions:
 A bulbous perennial growing to 30 cm-1 m with pale pink or greenwhite flowers.
Habitat and Cultivation:
 Originally from central Asia
 Now: grown worldwide, widely cultivated
 .It is grown by dividing the bulb and is harvested late the following
summer.
5
Active Constituents:
 Volatile oil (alliin, alliinase, allicin) which is antiseptic and
antibiotics.
 Scordinins
 Selenium
 Vitamins A, B, C, and E
Parts used: fresh plant, cloves.
-Garlic whole, chopped or crushed, has been used as a medicine and a
tonic food.
Medicinal Actions and Uses (Traditional and current):








Antibiotic
Expectorant (‫)مقشع‬.
Increases sweating
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces blood clotting
Antidiabetic
Expels worms
Traditional remedy:
- Garlic has always been esteemed for its healing powers and before
the development of antibiotics it was a treatment for all manner of
infections, from tuberculosis to typhoid.
- It was also used to dress wounds in the First World War.
 Bronchial infections:
- Garlic is an excellent remedy for all types of chest infections.
- It is good for colds, flu, and ear infections, and it helps to reduce
mucus.
 Digestive tract:
-Digestive infections respond well to garlic .
The herb can also rid the body of intestinal parasites.
 Circulatory remedy:
-Garlic prevents circulatory problems and strokes by keeping the
blood thin.
6
-It lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
 Other uses:
-Garlic is used for infections, and may be taken to support
conventional antibiotics.
-It also reduces blood sugar levels and can help in late-onset diabetes
Research:
 Over 1,000 research papers have been published on the medicinal
effects of garlic.
 They show that it helps:
-To lower high blood fat levels, including cholesterol,
-To keep the blood thin and protect against blood clots,
-To lower high blood pressure,
-To lower high blood sugar levels, and to have antibiotic activity.
 Unknown action:
-While it is understood that when the fresh clove is crushed, alliin is
broken down by alliinase into allicin )which has strong antiseptic
activity), authorities still disagree on precisely how garlic achieves its
medicinal effects.
Remedies using Garlic:
-Chopped cloves: use regularly in cooking to help reduce cholesterol
levels and stimulate the immune system.
-General remedies for colds, flu and fevers: crush a medium-sized garlic
clove, grate a similarly sized piece of fresh ginger and squeeze the juice
from one lemon. Mix together with 1 tsp of honey. Add one cup of warm
water and stir. Drink up to 3 cups a day while symptoms last.
Cautions:
-Consult a professional practitioner before giving garlic as a medicine to
children under 12.
- Take on professional advice if taking antihypertensive or blood-thinning
medication.
7