Medicinal herbs

PHYTOMANIA : MEDICINAL HERBS


CANNABIS SATIVA

medicinal herbs and plants : cannabis
Family: Cannabaceae
Common name: hemp, cannabis, marijuana, grass, weed

Description: annual bushy plant from 1 to 5 meter, female and male are separate

Parts used: stem (fiber), seed , resin

Constituents: seed (32% lipid, 22% protein), resin (cannabinoids)

Actions: resin: psychodysleptic, interaction with central nervous system (cannabinoid receptors), bronchodilatation, sedative, antiarterioslerosis

Main Indications: treatment of nausea or vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, glaucoma, migraine, pains

Contraindications: risk of panic, paranoia, hallucination, psychosis, schizophrenia. lowering of testosterone production , may be suppress immune system, sometimes gateway to harder drugs.
Possession or consumption of cannabis is illegal in many countries


Drug: dry leave, resin, extract(cannabinol)
 


Back to PLANTS LIST

 

 



CARAPA GUYANENSIS
 
Family: Meliaceae
Common name: andiroba, carapa

Description: tropical tree from northeast Brasil and Guyana; tall tree frequent in primary rain forest

Parts used: wood, bark, fruit : ligneous capsule containing 10 to 12 seeds

Constituents: seed oil, bark

Actions: insecticide, insect repellent, anti-inflammatory, antirhumatoid, anticancer , skin protection

Main indications: skin protection (cosmetology), potential source of new anticancerous drug

Contra indications: some constituents are toxic and potentially allergenic

Drug: seed's oil, bark extract

 
Back to PLANTS LIST

 

 





PHYTOMANIA : MEDICINAL HERBS

CARICA PAPAYA


medicinal plants and herbs : carica papaya, pawpaw
Family: Caricaceae
Common name: papaya, pawpaw

Description: tropical herbaceous plant, with a "palm tree look", reaching 3 to 4 meters, trunk usually single, flowers white , plant male, female or hermaphroditic, fruit melon-like hanging from the trunk at the leaf axis, all the plant's parts contain latex

Parts used: fruit, sap(latex), seeds, leaves

Constituents: fruit (glucid, vitamins), latex (proteolytic enzymes : papain and chemopapain, alkaloid), seeds : sulfur heteroside( glycotropoline), leaves (enzymes, alkaloids)

Actions: protein digestion, antihelmintic heteroside

Main indications: food(delicious dietetic fruit), dyspepsia, to help digestion of proteins, meat tenderizer, intra disc injection for herniated lumbar intervertebra disc, warts and non cancerous skin tumor, food industry, brewery industry

Contra indications: latex irritant to the skin, some people are allergic to various parts of the fruit and to the enzymes, crushed seeds are irritant to the digestive system

Drug: latex, purified enzymes
Copyright 2005 Jean-Michel Hurtel
Copyright photos : imagesud.com
Toute reproduction interdite. All rights reserved
Phytomania home page
Phytothérapy, aromathérapy, medicinals herbs, essential oils,
You are at "Plants and medicine"
http://www.phytomania.com