Health-and-Fitness online information.

Taxonomic Class

Asteraceae

Common Trade Names

Multi-ingredient preparations: Anthraxiviore, Burdock Blend Extract, Burdock Root, Burdock Sarsaparilla Compound

Common Forms

Available as capsules (425 mg, 475 mg, cream for topical administration, dried root, liquid extract, tea, and tincture (made from crushed seeds).

Source

The crude drug is extracted from the dried root of the great burdock, Arctium lappa, or common burdock, Arctium minus. The seeds and leaves of burdock plants have also been used in folk medicine. Burdock is a large biennial herb grown in China, Europe, and the United States. The plant can be identified in the spring by the round heads of its purple flowers.

Chemical Components

The principal component of burdock root is a carbohydrate, inulin, which can account for up to 50% of the total plant mass. Additional components include anthroquinone glycosides; nonhydroxy acids; a plant hormone, gamma-guanidino-n-butyric acid; polyacetylenes; polyphenolic acids; tannins; and volatile acids. Seeds contain chlorogenic acid, fixed oils, a germacranolide, a glycoside (arctiin), Iignans, and other compounds. Some commercial teas that contain burdock have been prone to contamination with atropine.

Actions

Burdock is claimed to exert antimicrobial, antipyretic, diaphoretic, and diuretic activities. Uterine stimulation has been reported in in vivo studies. In animal studies, burdock extracts have reportedly demonstrated strong hypoglycemic activity and antagonism of platelet activating factor.

Various in vitro and animal studies have found that burdock possesses antimutagenic effects.

Reported Uses

Burdock is claimed to be useful for a wide range of ailments, including arthritis; cystitis; gout; hemorrhoids; lumbar pain; rheumatism; sciatica; skin disorders, such as acne, canker sores, dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis; and ulcers. It has also been used as a blood purifier. In the Far East, burdock is used to treat cancer, impotence, and sterility. Some studies have reported the use of burdock in the treatment of kidney stones and HIV infection.

Dosage

Burdock is taken internally as a tea or used externally as a compress.

Dried root: 2 to 6 g P.O. t.i.d.

Liquid extract (1:1 in 25% alcohol): 2 to 8 ml P.O. t.i.d.

Tea: I cup P.O. t.i.d. or q.i.d.

Tincture (1:10 in 45% alcohol): 8 to 12 ml P.O. t.i.d.

Adverse Reactions

Skin: allergic dermatitis.

Other: allergic reactions.

Interactions

Insulin, oral antidiabetics: May increase hypoglycemic effects. Avoid administration with burdock.

Contraindications And Precautions

Burdock is contraindicated during pregnancy-especially in the first trimester-because of the effects of anthraquinone glycosides found in the roots of burdock plants. It is also contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to the herb or related plant species.

Special Considerations

Allergic reactions have been demonstrated in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family. Other members of this family include chrysanthemum, daisy, mangold, and ragweed.

Alert Poisoning caused by atropine contamination of some commercial burdock teas can occur. Signs and symptoms of toxicity include blurred vision, dilated pupils, and rapid pulse rate. Treatment, if needed, includes physostigmine reversal .

Inform the patient that burdock products may be significantly contaminated with atropine and that toxicity has resulted from this contamination.

Inform the diabetic patient that burdock may increase the risk of hypoglycemia and that insulin or oral antidiabetic drug doses may need to be reduced.

Inform the patient that few scientific data evaluate burdock's effects in humans.

Caution women to avoid using burdock during pregnancy or when breast-feeding.

Points of Interest

Burdock root is commonly eaten in Asia, less often in the United States.

Commentary

Animal and in vitro studies suggest that burdock use might offer therapeutic benefits. Clinical trials are needed to support these claims. Also, data regarding the safety and efficacy of burdock are lacking.

Taxonomic Class

Ranunculaceae

Common Trade Names

Alvita, Dandelion Goldenseal, Golden Seal Extract, Golden Seal Extract 4:1, Golden Seal Glycerin Extract, Golden Seal Power, Golden Seal Root, Nu Veg Golden Seal Herb, Nu Veg Golden Seal Root

Common Forms

Capsules, tablets: 250 mg, 350 mg, 400 mg, 404 mg, 470 mg, 500 mg, 535 mg, 540 mg

Also available as dried ground root powder, ethanol and water extracts, teas, and tinctures.

Source

The rhizome (root stock) of Hydrastis canadensis is commonly used to manufacture the dosage forms. The main chemical components are the alkaloids hydrastine and berberine. Also present are hydrastinine, canadine, berberastine, candaline, canadaline, chlorogenic acid, carbohydrates, fatty acids, volatile oil, resin, and meconin.

Actions

Goldenseal is claimed to have antihemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, laxative, and oxytocic properties. The pharmacologic properties are attributed to berberine and hydrastine, and scientific studies have usually focused on these alkaloids rather than on the herb itself.

An alkaloid component of goldenseal was reported to inhibit muscle contractions in rodent smooth muscle, whereas others have shown an oxytocic effect. Goldenseal extracts reduce hyperphagia and polydipsia associated with streptozocin-induced diabetes in mice.

Berberine was found to decrease the anticoagulant effect of heparin in laboratory tests of heparinated animal and human blood and to act as a cardiac stimulant (at lower doses), increase coronary perfusion, and inhibit cardiac activity (at higher doses) in animals. Antipyretic activity (greater than aspirin) and anthelmintic, antihistaminic, antimicrobial, anti muscarinic, antitumorigenic, and hypotensive effects have also been documented for berberine in animal and laboratory models.

Hydrastinine causes vasoconstriction and can produce significant changes in blood pressure.

Reported Uses

Claims for goldenseal include use for anorexia, cancer, conjunctivitis, dysmenorrhea, eczema, gastritis, GI disorders, mouth ulcers, otorrhea, peptic ulcer disease, postpartum hemorrhage, pruritus, tinnitus, and tuberculosis and as an anti-inflammatory, a diuretic, a laxative, and a wound antiseptic. There are few, if any, clinical trial data available to support these claims.

Goldenseal was found to be less effective than ergot alkaloids when used for postpartum hemorrhage in humans. Berberine has been shown to shorten the duration of acute Vibrio cholera diarrhea and diarrhea caused by some species of Giardia, Salmonella, and Shigella and some Enterobactereciae. Clinical studies in patients with hepatic cirrhosis have shown that berberine may correct some laboratory abnormalities and improve biliary secretion and function.

Dosage

Dried rhizome: 0.5 to 1 g P.O. t.i.d.

Ethanol and water extract: 250 mg P.O. t.i.d.

Adverse Reactions

CNS: CNS depression, paralysis (with high doses), paresthesias, seizures.

CV: asystole, bradycardia, heart block.

EENT: mouth ulcers.

GI: abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.

Respiratory: respiratory depression (with high doses).

Skin: contact dermatitis.

Interactions

Anticoagulants: Beneficial effects of therapeutic anticoagulants may be offset. Avoid administration with goldenseal.

Antihypertensives: Goldenseal or its extracts may interfere with or increase hypotensive effects. Do not use together.

Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, digoxin: May increase or interfere with cardiac effects of these drugs. Do not use together.

CNS depressants (alcoho benzodiazepines): May increase sedative effects. Avoid administration with goldenseal.

Contraindications And Precautions

Goldenseal is contraindicated in patients with CV disease, particularly arrhythmias, heart failure, or hypertension, and in pregnant patients.

Special Considerations

Alert Death can result from the ingestion of large alkaloid doses. Symptoms of overdose include depression, exaggerated reflexes, GI upset, nervousness, and seizures that progress to respiratory paralysis and CV collapse.

Monitor for unusual symptoms.

Monitor for signs of vitamin B deficiency (angular stomatitis, cheilosis, glossitis, infertility, megaloblastic anemia, peripheral neuropathy, seborrheic dermatitis, and seizures).

Caution the patient to avoid hazardous activities until CNS effects of goldenseal are known.

Instruct the patient not to consume goldenseal because of its potential to cause toxicity.

Points of Interest

Chronic use of goldenseal has been reported to decrease the absorption of vitamin B and thereby promote its deficiency.

Tolerance to the herb's pharmacologic effects is thought to develop after only a few weeks of chronic use.

Berberine is also a component of barberry (Berberis vulgaris).

Goldenseal extracts have been a component in sterile eyewashes for many years without supporting evidence for their inclusion. Also, the extracts or their components have been listed in the national pharmacopoeias of several countries.

Goldenseal has been inappropriately used to mask the appearance of illicit drugs on urine drug screens in humans and race horses. This information is false and originates from a fictional literary work that depicts the plant to be useful for hiding opioid ingestion.

Goldenseal has been used as a dye. The rhizome is bright yellow and popular for staining many fabrics and materials.

According to a survey inside a New York City emergency department, goldenseal tea is among the three most commonly cited herbal preparations consumed by patients .

Commentary

The pharmacologic effects of goldenseal have not been adequately studied. Because the risk of toxicity appears excessive for this plant, even some advocacy texts do not support its use for any disorder. Goldenseal and its alkaloids possess some promising pharmacologic properties; additional comprehensive, controlled studies in animals are needed before progressing to human studies.

Hip Rotation

Benefits

Nourishes and opens up the hips fully

Tones the muscles of the waist

Focus

Keep your legs strong, so that you feel steady to rotate your hips as widely as you can without upsetting your balance.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Inhaling, circle your arms overhead, and bring your palms together. Interlock your fingers, with index fingers pointing up.

Look up at your hands. With your pointed fingers, "draw" a small, imaginary circle on the ceiling in a clockwise direction. Move your hips at the same time, also in a clockwise direction.

Make a slightly larger circle, with your arm and hip movements still coordinated.

Make progressively larger circles until you have completed 7 circles. With each rotation, stretch and lengthen through your arms and fingers as you bend forward, sideways, and backward. Bend fully in each direction until you feel your waist and back muscles begin to work. On the last rotation, your interlocked fingers should come low to the floor as you bend forward.

Pause and rest.

Start "drawing" large circles, close to the ground, in a counterclockwise direction. Make progressively smaller circles as you come back to the starting position, with your arms directly above your head.

Repeat the sequence in reverse, starting with small counterclockwise circles that get progressively larger, then making large clockwise circles that get progressively smaller.

Drop your arms to your sides, shrug your shoulders, and relax.

Liver-Stimulating Exercise

Benefit Increases the circulation and flow of prana to the liver to improve its function

Focus Firmly massage your abdomen.

Stage 1 Stand with your feet hip-width part. Place the palm of your right hand on your right upper abdomen, at the base of your rib cage.

Stage 2 Press your palm across the middle of your abdomen along your lower rib bones.

Push your palm up to your breastbone, to the left about 6 inches, down your lower rib bones, and back across to the right lower rib bones. (This pushing from right to left and back again constitutes one repetition.)

Repeat this movement firmly 36 times.

Kidneys This simple Chinese exercise should be done in the morning.

Benefits Stimulates the adrenal glands and the kidneys by increasing circulation and the flow of prana

Improves eyesight

Keeps the skin smooth

Strengthens libido

Focs Imagine the heat and energy flowing from your hands into your kidneys to promote healing.

Kidney Massage Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and lean forward a little. Rub the palms of your hands vigorously together to bring warmth into your hands and fingers, then place your hands over the small of your back.

Massage the small of your back by rubbing up and down, then in a circular motion around your lower back for 1 minute.

Pummel Kidneys Clench your fists, and pummel the small of your back for approximately 1 minute.

Repeat this alternating massaging and pummeling action for 1 minute at a time until you have completed 5 minutes, total, of both movements.

Benefits Forcibly gets rid of stale air and toxins in the bottom of the lungs

Focus Keep your chest as low to the ground as you can for as long as you can before arching your body. Hiss as loudly as you can for maximum benefit. Once in the extended forward position with your arms locked, keep lengthening and stretching through your abdominal muscles as you hiss.

Sit on your heels on the floor. Lean forward and stretch your arms out in front of you, palms flat on the floor. Inhale.

Exhaling strongly through your mouth (making a hissing sound), slide your chin and chest forward along the floor. Keep your hips low.

Push up with your arms, and support your body on locked elbows; drop your head backward, arch your back, and stretch through your abdomen. Continue hissing until you empty your lungs completely.

When you run out of breath, inhale while you sit back on your heels, arms extended in front of you, palms flat on the floor.

Repeat Hissing Cobra 6 more times, hissing as you slide forward and inhaling as you sit back on your heels. Do not take any extra breaths in between.

Sit back on your heels with your arms outstretched and your head on the floor. Rest, and notice how clean your lungs feel.

Star Stretch- Improves Circulation to the Abdominal Area

The act of consciously tensing and releasing your muscles makes you more aware of the difference between the two and of how good relaxation can feel.

Benefits Improves circulation to the abdominal area

Releases tension across the abdomen, chest, and back to make breathing easier and deeper

Focus Focus on extending and tensing every muscle, even those of your face. As you tense your muscles, visualize your body as being as taut as a guitar string. As you release the tension, visualize yourself as being as soft as a rag doll.

Lie on the floor on your back with your arms and legs spread wide, palms facing up your body should resemble the shape of a starfish.

Inhale deeply, then exhale. Hold your breath for 7 counts as you stretch and lengthen through your arms, pressing the backs of your hands into the floor. Leave your legs soft.

Release and relax.

Inhale, then exhale. Hold your breath for a count of 7 as you stretch and lengthen through your legs while pointing your toes to the floor. Leave your upper body soft. Press your lower back to the floor, and tighten your abdominal muscles and buttocks.

Release and relax.

Inhale, then exhale. Hold your breath for 7 counts as you stretch through your right arm and left leg diagonally through your body, pointing your toes and fingers.

Release and relax.

Inhale, then exhale. Hold your breath for 7 counts as you stretch through your left arm and right leg diagonally through your body, pointing your toes and fingers. Exhale and relax.

Inhale, then exhale. Hold your breath for 7 counts, as you stretch through your arms and legs. Flatten the backs of your hands and your back to the floor, and tighten every muscle in your body, including those of your face.

Relax by practicing 3 Full Yoga Breaths.