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Home › Health › Herbs › Glossary › S

S

Saccharide
A sugar molecule.

Salicylates
A group of chemicals found naturally in numerous plants.

They have an anti-inflammatory action. The drug aspirin is a type of salicylate.

Salin (or Salicin)
A natural compound found in some plants, especially that of white willow bark. It helps reduce inflammation, relieves pain and fever, and fights the flu virus.

Salve
A medicinal ointment used to soothe or heal skin irritations, burns, or wounds; an ointment; an unguent.

Saponins
Naturally occurring plant compounds that are similar in chemistry to glycosides which produce a “lather” when irritated under water.

They can irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive tract which, by reflex, has an expectorant action. Saponins are comprised of two types: triterpenoids and steroidal saponins. The latter was named from their similarity to the human body’s own naturally occurring steroid hormones which seem to mimic the precursors of female sex hormones, while the tri-terpenoid saponins mimic the adrenal hormone, ACTH.

Triterpenoid saponins, for example, those in cowslip roots, are often strong expectorants and may also aid in the absorption of nutrients. However, many are extremely poisonous and will rapidly cause hemolysis or the breaking down of red blood cells in the circulatory system. Despite this, many common vegetables contain only small amounts, which are poorly absorbed by the human digestive system. Many saponins are known to fight cancer formation, enhance wound healing, and reduce cholesterol levels. They are also known to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

Saprophyte
A free-living organism that lives on dead or putrefying tissues.

Scarify
To cut or soften the wall of a hard seed to hasten germination; to make superficial cuts, as in surgery.

Scleroderma
A disease in which all layers of the skin become hardened and rigid.

Scopolamine
A belladonna derivative.

Scorbutic
Pertaining to or affected by scurvy.

Scrofula
Tuberculosis of the lymph nodes characterized chiefly by swelling and degeneration of the lymphatic glands.

Scrofulous
Having an ulcerous or diseased appearance on the surface.

Scurfy
Resembling or covered with scaly matter or encrustations.

Seed
A fertilized plant ovule containing the embryo and capable of germinating to produce a new plant.

Sepal
Leaflike; one of the segments, usually green, that form the outer protective covering of a flower.

Sessile
Lacking a stalk; a leaf or flower with no obvious stalk.

Sialogogue
A substance causing salivary flow.

Caraway is a popular sialogogue.

SIDA
Sindromoinmuno-deficiencia adquirido (Spanish) or syndrome immuno-deficitaire acquis (French); the common name for AIDS outside the US.

Silique
A term applied to the peculiar seedpod structure of plants in the mustard family.

Silymarin
The active component of milk thistle.




It is an antioxidant and protects the liver.

Simple
An herbal preparation made from one herb only.

Soporific
A substance that produces sleep.

Spadix
A thick, fleshy flower spike usually enveloped by a spathe.

Spasmolytic
Relating to or bringing relief from a muscle spasm.

Spathe
A modified, leaflike structure surrounding a spadix.

Species
The basic unit of biological classification, ranking below a genus, that include similar organisms capable of interbreeding.

Spike
The inflorescence in which flowers bloom along the entire length of a single stalk.

Stamen
The pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; the pollen-bearing anthers with attached filaments (sometimes without).

Sternutatory
Any substance that causes sneezing.

Steroid
Any of a large family of chemical compounds, including hormones produced by adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes; medication used for immunosuppression and hormone replacement.

Stimulant
Any substance that increases the flow of adrenalin or increases the body’s basal metabolism rate or that increases the production of gastric juices.

Stipule
Appendages resembling small leaves at the base of leaves of certain plants.

Stolen
Stem that takes root at intervals along the ground, forming new plants.

Stomatic
Any substance that promotes funtional activity of the stomach, improving appetite and digestion; any herb that relieves the symptoms of one or more gastric disorders.

Strangury:
Slow painful urination with spasms of the urethra and bladder.

Stratification:
The process of storing seeds in a cold, moist environment to promote germination.

Styptic
An astringent agent which stops or reduces external bleeding; hemostatic.

Succulent
A plant with thick, fleshy tissues that store starch.

Sudorific
An agent that causes or increases sweat; diaphoretic.

Surfactant
A compound which reduces the surface tension in water, between water and another liquid, or between liquid and a solid.

Sycosis
The inflammation and itching of hair follicles.

Syrup
An herbal infusion or decoction combined with honey and boiled to thicken.

Syrups are particularly useful for sore throats or coughs as it will coat the area.

Systolic
The first number in a blood pressure reading that registers the pressure in the arteries during the contraction phase of the heart beat.




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