• Herbal remedies have been around for millennia — now science is catching up
• New book explains how plants affect the brain and simple ways you can use them
• They can help boost mood, improve sleep and memory

Herbal remedies have been around for millennia — now science is catching up. In a new book, a leading professor of neuroscience and a pharmacognosist (who studies medicines derived from plants) explain how plants affect the brain and simple ways you can use them to boost mood, improve sleep and memory. . .

We’re all familiar with the idea that plants provide our bodies with nutrition, but less well known is the fact that many plants also contain chemicals that reach our brain cells and affect different pathways linked to being calm, sleeping well and feeling positive.

They do this by increasing or reducing neuron (nerve cell) activity, more specifically mimicking, boosting or blocking transmitter signals between brain cells.

Herbal remedies have been around for millennia — now science is catching up

 

Botanical brain balms — as we call them — work in a different way from conventional medicine because plant extracts are ‘multi-drugs’ which means they contain a range of ingredients, each with different health benefits, unlike single drug medicines. This means they can work on more than one aspect of the brain to beneficial effect. Traditional plant medicines, as long as they are produced, prescribed and used correctly, have a long legacy of safe use simply because they have been taken for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Most plant medicines have fewer side-effects compared with chemical drugs, and some have none at all.

Plant medicines are also generally pleasant to take — certainly more agreeable to make part of your daily life than some prescription drugs for minor ailments, and for long-term use as remedies to protect your health.

Here, we show you how to harness the power of plants — from making soothing teas and a herbal pillow for sleep to a pain-relieving ointment — and reveal the latest science behind why these work.

CHILLI OIL FOR ACHES AND PAINS

You might think of it as something you eat, but chilli oil is a simple but effective skin ointment for aches and pains.

Cayenne pepper — a common, moderately hot type of chilli — is used in herbal medicine for pain and topically for wounds, bruises, burns, sciatica, neuralgia and muscle spasms.

In controlled trials, it has been shown to reduce post-shingles pain, diabetic neuropathy (a complication of the condition, causing nerve damage, often in the feet and legs) and back pain.

[image id=105808

You might think of it as something you eat, but chilli oil is a simple but effective skin ointment for aches and pains

 

The hot pungency of cayenne is due to chemical compounds called capsaicinoids, such as the active capsaicin. This is the key to its painkilling benefits.

In lab tests, cayenne’s capsaicinoids have been found to knock out a receptor in the brain (TRPV1) effectively — normally this receptor releases a chemical called substance P that transmits pain signals to the brain. Capsaicin also depletes substance P itself.

Fresh chilli pods, dried pods and ground cayenne pepper (not chilli powder, which is a mix of cayenne and other spices) can be used in chilli oil. Chop three fresh or dried chillis and stir into 50ml (2 fl oz) olive oil. Add 1 tsp of dried cayenne pepper if you like it hot. You can use as a skin ointment or on food. Keeps in the refrigerator for three to four days.

SPRAY TO BOOST YOUR BRAIN

People reaching middle age begin to notice they don’t remember things quite as well as they used to, so this is the time to start using plants to protect the brain.

Our research has shown that sage (both Salvia officinalis and S.lavandulaefolia) and other well-known household herbs, such as lemon balm, work on certain chemical messengers in the brain to improve memory.

Our research has shown that sage (both Salvia officinalis and S.lavandulaefolia) and other well-known household herbs, such as lemon balm, work on certain chemical messengers in the brain to improve memory

This everyday household cleaning spray uses several plants — sage, pine and mint — that make it a useful household cleaner as well as having brain-boosting properties. For example, in controlled trials — the gold standard for medical evidence, typically involving a placebo for comparison — sage has been found to enhance memory and alertness in healthy people. It also improves attention in the elderly and counters cognitive impairment as well as improving behavioural measures in Alzheimer’s.

WILLOW TREE BARK IS AS GOOD AS ASPIRIN

The most famous anti-inflammatory plant is white willow (Salix alba) — aspirin is derived from the chemical salicin in its bark and is still the world’s most widely used drug.

The bark itself — which is a traditionally used medicine for joint pain, headaches, gout, lumbago, sciatica, inflammation and fevers — could make a comeback on account of its superior safety as pain relief.

The few controlled trials in humans on willow bark show it reduces lower back pain, joint pain and treats osteoarthritis. One study which compared willow bark (at a dose equivalent to around 240mg salicin) to a prescription-only painkiller (a type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) found it was as effective when given for more than six months to people with lower back pain.

Willow bark works for pain the same way as aspirin, by regulating prostaglandins (hormones released when cells are damaged). But the whole bark also lowers multiple inflammatory markers and has been shown to be as good as, if not more effective than, aspirin.

Willow bark takes longer to act but its effects last longer than aspirin. Also, willow bark does not cause internal bleeding — as can sometimes happen with aspirin — because salicin in willow bark is absorbed in the small intestine rather than the stomach.

Fresh or dried bark can be made into a decoction — a concentrated liquid for pain. Use 20g dried (or 40g fresh) finely chopped white willow bark in 750ml water simmered to 500ml water. Take 120ml three times daily.

If you have been prescribed aspirin, you should not switch or stop taking it, or take the two together, without consulting your GP.

In a pilot trial we carried out last year at Dilston Physic Garden (where we collaborated with medical herbalists, universities and other research bodies to widen understanding into medicinal plants), sage taken with lemon balm and rosemary improved the ability to recall a list of words by more than 50 per cent in 63-year-olds.

Add equal amounts of the pure essential oils of sage, pine and mint to an alcohol base such as vodka (it should be about 40 per cent proof). Use 1–2 parts oil per 100 parts base (or adjust proportion to preferred scent). Shake and leave to disperse. Bottle in a dark container with spray attachment. Spray liberally over working surfaces (test a small area first). The spray can be stored for a year.

BANANA BREAD TO CALM YOU DOWN

Calming plants often enhance the activity of a chemical messenger in the brain called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is how anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines also work. GABA prevents brain cells from firing too often and is essentially the brain’s main decelerator.

Bergamot — a citrus fruit that’s a hybrid of bitter orange and lemon — is a key remedy in Italian folk medicine, and gives Earl Grey tea its distinct aroma. A small number of studies in humans confirm that bergamot can relax you when it is used with other calming plants (typically these include lavender and ylang ylang).

Calming bergamot teamed with mood-boosting banana makes a satisfying cake-like bread

 

In preliminary studies, it has been found to lower pulse rate and blood pressure when massaged into the skin with lavender, and is also relaxing when inhaled.

Calming bergamot teamed with mood-boosting banana makes a satisfying cake-like bread.

For the bread

250g (9oz) plain flour

125g (4½oz) light brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

3 medium-ripe bananas

1 tbsp grated zest of bergamot orange

50g (2oz) butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

For the topping:

5 drops bergamot orange essential oil

4tbsp lemon curd

85g (3oz) walnut halves

1 banana, sliced.

Preheat the oven to 190c (375f) and line the base and sides of a 450g (1lb) loaf tin with baking paper. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Place the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork then add the grated zest, melted butter and beaten eggs.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and loosely combine. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin then transfer to a wire rack.

For the topping, add the bergamot oil to the lemon curd and spread thinly on top of the loaf. Decorate with walnut halves and pieces of sliced banana.

For the rest of this article please use source link below