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Home › Health › Herbs › Glossary › A

A

Abcess
A localized collection of pus and liquefied tissue in a cavity.

Abortifacient
A substance that has the ability to induce an abortion, or miscarriage, usually by increasing blood flow to the uterus.

Occasionally, a substance can cause fetal deformations inducing the body to abort the fetus.

Absolute
A highly concentrated viscous, semi-solid or solid perfume material, usually obtained by alcohol extraction from the concrete.

Acid
A compound producing hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions with a pH below 7.0.

Acute
Designating disease with a rapid onset, severe symptoms, and brief duration; opposite of chronic.

Adaptogen
An herb that increases resistance and resilience to stress, enabling the body to avoid reaching collapse because it can “adapt” around the problem.

Agar Agar
A polysaccharide derived from seaweed and used to make gels or as a culture medium for growing micro-organisms.

It is also a gelatinous natural laxative.

Alcohols
a) Ethyl alcohol is used in commercial tinctures and perfumery as it is the least irritating to the skin.

b) Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) is second best for topical use only, but has a medicinal scent. Therefore, it is limited for some skin-care products.

c) Vodka and Rum are most frequently used in tinctures.

Algae
Unicellular organisms distinguished from plants by having no true root stem.

Alkaline
Solutions having a pH above 7.0.

Alkaloids
A very mixed but chemically stable group of organic substances found in plants that

a) contain nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon

b) are sensitive to heat

c) are crystalline in structure d) are tasteless and odourless

A few alkaloids also contain oxygen or have colour, like berberine, which is yellow. There are several hundred known alkaloids and the majority of them are extremely toxic. Alkaloids are often alkaline, and hence the name. They react with acids to form soluble salts, after the manner of ammonia, many of which are physiologically active. Most have a limited solubility in alcohol and are relatively insoluble in water.

Alkaloids prevent the overgrowth of yeast in the body, maintaining healthy levels of bacteria in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, and support immune function.

Some are well-known drugs and have a recognized medical use. Vincristine, for example, derived from Madagascar periwinkle, is used to treat some types of cancer. Other alkaloids, like atropine, found in deadly nightshade (belladonna), have a direct effect on the body, reducing spasms, relieving pain, and drying up bodily secretions. While alkaloids and their salts have distinctive therapeutic properties of their own, they do not fully, nor exactly, represent the action of the whole drugs from which they are derived.

Alliaceous
Garlic, or onion-like.

Allopathic
Conventional, modern medicine.

Originally, it consisted of only one of eight or so medical schools of medicine in the US. By 1930, however, through a blend of legislative action, money generated through advertisements in the Journal of the American Medical Association, control over licensing of medical schools, and deceptive conciliation of other medical organizations, allopaths gained complete control over “American” medicine, causing prices to rise and the quality of care to suffer as a result.

Alternative
A substance that gradually restores healthy bodily functions.

It is any substance that has the ability to alter a person’s condition from one state to another. A mono-alternative acts in one direction only, as in raising the blood pressure but not lowering it. A true alternative is capable of producing both effects when required. Ginseng is a classic example, where hypertensive patients will see their b/p (blood pressure) lowered while hypotensive patients will see theirs raised.

Amenorrhoea
An abscence of menses.

Analgesic
A substance that relieves pain.

Angiosperm
A flowering plant.

Annual
A plant that completes its growth cycle in one year.

Anodyne
Any medicine that relieves pain.

Anthelmintic
A substance that destroys parasitic worms or expels them from the body; a vermifuge.

Anther
The part of the stamen of a flower that produces and releases pollen.

Anthilic
A substance that prevents the formation of stones within the urinary tract.

Anthocyanidins
A particular class of flavonoids (phytochemicals or pigments) which gives flowers and fruits a blue, purple, or red colour and helps to keep the blood vessels healthy.

For example, blackberries and red grapes contain high amounts of anthocyanidins. Anthocyanidins fight free radicals (a by-product of metabolic reactions in the body that can lead to such degenerative illnesses as cardiovascular disease and cancer). They also reduce blood-vessel plaque formation, maintain blood flow, and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. In addition, they are known to inhibit edema, fight inflammation, and improve vision.

Anthraquinones
Glycoside compounds that produce dyes and purgatives and the main active constituents in such herbs as senna and Chinese rhubarb, which are taken to relieve constipation.

These compounds have an irritant laxative effect on the large intestine, causing contractions of the intestinal walls and stimulating a bowel movement approximately ten hours after being taken. They also make the stool more liquid, easing the movements.

Antiallergenic
Relieves allergy symptoms.

Antibacterial
Destroys or inhibits the growth of bacteria.




Antibiotic
A substance that selectively depresses or destroys bacteria; literally meaning “anti-life”.

The top fifteen antibiotic herbs are: Acacia, Aloe, Cryptolepsis, Echinacea, Eucalyptus, Garlic, Ginger, Goldenseal, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Honey, Juniper, Licorice, Sage, Usnea, Wormwood.

Some common spices have antibacterial effects. The following are according to the findings at Cornell University:

  • Those that kill 100% of bacteria: garlic, onions, allspice, and oregano.
  • Those that kill 75-90%: thyme, cinnamon, tarragon, cumin, cloves, lemongrass, bay leaf, capsicums (chilis), rosemary, marjoram, and mustard.
  • Those that kill 50-72%: mint, caraway, sage, fennel, coriander, dill, nutmeg, basil, parsley.
  • Those that kill 25-48%: cardamom, pepper, ginger, anise seed, celery seed, and lemon or lime juice.

    Anticatarrhal
    Reduces the production of mucus.

    Anticoagulant
    Substances that prevent clotting or clumptin of platelets to form blood clots.

    Antidiarrheal
    A substance which stops diarrhea or soothes bowel irritation.

    Antifebrile (same as antipyretic)
    A substance that reduces fever.

    Antiemetic
    A substance that counters, or prevents, vomiting (emesis) and nausea.

    Antifungal
    Destroys or inhibits the growth of fungi.

    Antihidrotic
    Reduces sweating.

    Anti-inflammatory
    A substance that has the ability to reduce inflammation.

    Antileptic
    A substance that has the ability to reduce or prevent seizures.

    Antimicrobial
    Destroys or inhibits the growth of micro-organisms.

    Antinociceptive
    A substance that has the ability to reduce sensitivity to painful stimuli or has an analgesic effect.

    Antioxidant
    Prevents or slows the natural deterioration of ageing cells due to oxidation, and in herbalism, one that specifically slows the formation of free radicals.

    Antiperiodic
    A substance that prevents the return or the chronic reoccurrence of an illness.

    Antiphlogistic
    A substance that prevents or counteracts inflammation and fever.

    Antipruritic
    Relieves intense itching.

    Antipyretic
    Reduces fevers.

    Antiscorbutent
    A substance used in the prevention of scurvy or some other illness that causes skin delamination.

    Antiseptic
    A substance that prevents or destroys the development of microbes.

    Antisialagogue
    A substance that prevents or counters the formation or flow of saliva.

    Antispasmodic
    A substance the relieves or prevents smooth muscle spasms.

    Antitussive
    A substance that inhibits the cough reflex by affecting the brain’s cough center and depressing respiration.

    Anitviral
    A substance which inhibits the growth of a virus.

    Aperient
    Any food or medicine that is mildly laxative, but not as potent as a cathartic.

    Aperitif
    A stimulant of the appetite.

    Aromatic
    A strong, usually pleasant, smell characteristic of many herbs containing volatile oils.

    Asepsis
    The complete absence of disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi, or micro-organisms.

    Astringent
    A substance that has a contracting or constricting effect on bodily tissues; a term used to describe the action of precipitating proteins from the surface of cells or membranes causing tissues to contract and tighten, forming a protective barrier which stops bleeding and discharges.

    Athraquinones
    Glycoside compounds that produce dyes and purgatives.

    Atonic
    Having to do with insufficient muscular tone.

    Atropine
    A belladonna extract that inhibits activity of the autonomic nervous system and relaxes smooth muscle.

    Axil
    The upper angle between a stem and leaf or bract.

    Ayurveda
    A highly developed system of therapeutics developed in the Hindu and Buddhist cultures of the Indian subcontinent.



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