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Encyclopedia of Vedic Astrology: Remedies: Notable Herbs in Human Welfare, Chapter XV, Part – 11



Continuation…
Dr. Shanker Adawal

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

Common names are brandy mint and lamp mint.

The name menthe comes from a Greek nymph, Minthe, who loved Pluto so much that Persephone became jealous and turned her into a plant.

Peppermint has been used since the early dynasties of China. Roman physicians used it. Nineteenth-century herbalists used it. We still use it. Leaves are sometimes strewn on church floors because the leaves smell so good. In India the herb is used in clumps to freshen rooms. It stops mental lethargy and helps balance metabolism which can deplete one’s mental forces.

Peppermint leaves and flowers are used to treat bronchial disorders. It is mild relaxant. It is spicy, bitter, and slightly cool. It contains an essential oil that is yellow or green with a burning, camphorescent taste: it becomes red with age. Peppermint also contains menthol, menthyl acetate and isovalerate, as well as menthone, cineol, inactive pinene and limonene.

Peppermint is a carminative, cholagogue, refrigerant, stomachic, anodyne, antispasmodic and tonic. The herb is said to be an aphrodisiac when taken in large quantities. Peppermint is also used frequently in combination with other herbs to make them more palatable.

Peppermint tea or oil is useful for poor digestion, nausea, abdominal pains, cramps, migraine headaches and insomnia. The leaves make a cooling external application that relieves slight pain. Made into a salve, the leaves are wonderful for itching skin conditions.

Note: Peppermint may cause minor heart problems if taken for a prolonged period.

Poke Root (Phytolacca decandra)

Its common names are red weed, pokeweed, garget, red ink plant, pigeon berry, Virginia polk, scoke coakum, pocan bush, American nightshade, cancer jalap and red ink berries.

Pokeroot has been used for centuries in France, Germany, Africa and the United States. It was one of the first natural inks in the New World. Voyagers found it here, tried it and promptly took some back to their native countries, where it became very popular.

The early shoots are used, as are roots and berries. It has an extremely strong purge. It is used only when drastic measures are called for and when all other natural methods have failed or are not suitable. It serves as a violent laxative and diuretic to clean the whole system.

The berries contain phytolaccic acid and tannin. The root contains a non-reducing sugar, formic acid and bitter resin. The alkaloid phytolaccin may be present in minute quantities in the root. The herb also contains vitamin C.

Poke root is an alterative, deobstruent, detergent, resolvent, antisphilitic and antiscorbutic. It is good for enlargements of the spleen and glands, especially the thyroid. It is also useful for treating a hard liver, inflammation of the kidneys, biliousness and enlarged lymphatic glands. To treat goiter it is taken internally as well as used as a liniment and poultice. It is effective against enlargements of bone from chronic injuries and for growths. Externally it is applied as a poultice for sores and boils and to relive difficult urination.

Note: Overdoses of pokeroot may produce vomiting, purging, prostration, convulsion and death.

Red Clover (Trifolium pretense)

Its common names are marl grass, cow grass and cleaver grass.

Red clover has been grown in Europe, Central and Northern Asia, Canada and the United States since before written history.

The flowering tops are used. It is sweet, salty, and cool. It is great blood purifier and tonic. Most skin disorders are caused by impurities of the blood and its tea may be taken on a regular basis when one suffers from pimples, boils, or other skin eruptions. Some people are allergic to Red clover.

It has many important nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. It contains blood thinning coumarins, which makes it very effective for many chronic degenerative diseases.

Red clover is an alterative, depurative, detergent and mild stimulant. It is a wonderful blood purifier and is very high in iron. Red clover blossom tea is effective for bronchial troubles, bad nerves, whooping cough and wounds. The herb also may help cancer of the stomach or any part of the body, when combined with chaparral is more effective, bathe parts of the body freely with tea and drink four cups daily on an empty stomach for internal healing.
Continue…


Dr. Shanker Adawal
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