Guest guest Posted June 11, 2002 Report Share Posted June 11, 2002 Hi : The original request was for a substance to relieve pain for a person with cancer. Valarian is classified as a hypnotic herb, and nowhere have I found it to be used for pain. It IS addictive over long-term use, and it does have withdrawal symptoms, some of which are dysfunctional heart conditions. Long-term use also leads to depression, even while using it. There are dosage recommendations from 200 mg to 500 mg per dose. How many mg are there in a " handful? " Costco has as large an herbal selection that any non-health-food-store retailer has, and they quit selling valerian a couple of years ago due to the problems of addiction, depression, and withdrawal that it has. << Herbs are herbs and herbs are foods. The are not medicines and not owned by anyone or any corporation or company. Thus they don't need to be measured out in dosages or capsules or grains or need a prescription. When they become classified as medicines they will no longer be herbs and they will no longer have the effectiveness that herbs do.>> They don't need to be measured out in dosages? Really? That's a rather strange view of herbs. The herb Fox Glove (beautiful flower) is seeped as a pick-me-up or energizer and still kills many people today who think they know herbs. Its main ingredient, digitalis, IS a medicine and IS available by prescription. The opium poppy is an herb and it is still regarded as one of the best painkillers available to modern medicine (morphine is an opiate) and is given to cancer patients. It is by prescription only. Valerian was available in the U. S. by prescription until 1942 when it was replaced with other drugs. Ephedra (Ma Huang) is an herb that has been used for centuries, yet it is known to cause strokes, and why it is still allowed to be used in over-the-counter products shows just one of the inconsistencies of the FDA. Just because something is an herb doesn't make it either a food or beneficial. Dosage is important for all herbs. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Thanks for the cancer suggestions. It is my understanding that there are two classes of herbs. Food herbs which you can eat just like any vegetable and they will not hurt you. Garlic comes to mind and red raspberry (which in my opinion every woman should take on a regular basis). Then there are medicinal herbs like digitalis, comfrey, etc. They should be used with wisdom and knowledge. That is my two cents. Dawn > > << Herbs are herbs and herbs are foods. The are not medicines and not owned > by anyone or any corporation or company. Thus they don't need to be measured > out in dosages or capsules or > grains or need a prescription. When they become classified as medicines they > will no longer be herbs and they will no longer have the effectiveness that > herbs do.>> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2002 Report Share Posted June 16, 2002 > From: JayTownsend@a... > Preparations recommend dosages ranging from 200 mg to several grams per day taken at bedtime or in divided doses. Jay, Thanks for your response. See the thing is you keep talking about " recommended dosages " , " preparations " and 200 mg and such which once they've been messed with, concentrated and adultered by monsanto and dupont it is no longer a herb or a food. So, sure in the sense you are talking about it I would never take anything prescribed by a medical doctor... but you see that is exactly what I am not talking about. I am talking about eating natural foods and herbs as they occur in nature. In this manner valerian is a food and a herb. Not a drug. The source you quoted is the medical definition of a drug. Not a food. > The only drug I was on was valarian. Perhaps you mean valium? Valium is an extremely toxic drug. But it is totally NOT related to valerian, the herb. > The supplement was Met RX, which is a food, Supplements are chemicals. Supplements, drugs, medicines, chemicals, pesticides are not foods. Foods are alive and full of enzymes and other life giving qualities. Valerian is a food. > My statement was to the effect that the alternative medicine community has tremendous political clout. If you are talking about the giant chemical companies, I agree. > Trying to keep the public blind to detrimental side effects while at the same time trying to make huge profits is simply greed. I agree. And add that side effects are not side effects, they are primary effects and are virtually always not disclosed with the drugs, so that people will keep buying and using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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