cardio digestive herbs

Hawthorn

• Actions: Cardio tonic, cardio protective, antioxidant, hypotensive antiarrhytmic

• Medicinal Uses: traditional drug to treat heart problems, hypertension, diuretic for kidney problems

• Side effects: none

• Doses: 1-3g flower leaves or berry, by infusion fluid extract 3-6 ml, tincture: 1-2 ml (3xd)

Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity

• Flavonoids and procyanidins primarily responsible for action

• cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibition, slowly developing actions.

• The combined pharmacological effects are positively inotropic, chronotropic and dromotropic. Its negative bathmotropic effect makes this herb unique among anti-

arrhythmic drugs, plus antilipidemic. • No toxicity has been noted

Herb –Drug Interaction

• Antiarrhytmics ; the herb action is similar to class III antiarrhytmics

• Antihypertensive nitrates; increased risk of hypotension

• Cardiac glycosides; increased risk of cardiac toxicity.

Garlic

• Action: Lipid lowering, Anti-hypertensive, anti-thrombic, anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial anti-tumor

• Medicinal Uses: lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride elevate HDL, treatments of infections, high blood pressure ,

Stroke and cancer of GI tract prevention.

• Side effects: low-medium

• Doses: up to 1 g of std ext 2-5mg allicin.

Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity

• alliin, converted by the enzyme alliinase to allicin. • Functions: Antibacterial/Antifungal

- Antimycotic/Antiviral- Hypoglycemic - Anticoagulant (antiplatelet aggregating) - Fibrinolytic activity enhancement - Lipid lowering- Antioxidant/Anticancer - Hypotensive - Hepatoprotective- Immunomodulatory

• Large oral intakes can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, changes to intestinal flora and allergic reactions.

• Garlic is contraindicated before surgery

Herb –Drug Interaction

• Acetaminophen and other drugs metabolized by CYP2E1

• Anticoagulants, NSAIDs, prostacyclin

• Antidiabetics

• Herbs exert anticoagulation, antihyperglycemic effect

Ginger

• Actions: Antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, digestive stimulant, antiplatelet, spasmolytic, carminative.

• Medicinal uses: relieving motion sickness, used in variety of GI disorder, prevent lipid peroxidation, treat parasitic infections, circulatory stimulant (positive inotropic), arthritis

• Side effects: low

• Doses:0.5-1g of fresh or dried root

500 mg candy, 1-2ml tincture

Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity

• volatile oils and nonvolatile pungent compounds (zingeberene, curcumene, farnesene, and gingerol, shogaol)

• The following functions have been tested experimentally:

• Anti-emetic activity, Antiserotoninergic activity and gastrointestinal motility effect,

• Muscular contractility in the gastrointestinal tract.

• Ability to neutralize toxins and anti-tumor effect.

• Anti-inflammatory effect.

• Immune system potentiation

• Platelet aggregation ,Fibrinolysis

• No toxicity (at pharmacologic dose) don’t use it for morning sickness

Herb –Drug Interaction

• Large doses may increase bleeding time• Large doses cardiac arrhythmias, depression

Milk thistle

• Actions: hepatoprotective, antioxidant, cholerectic

• Medicinal Uses: regeneration of hepatocytes, cirrhosis, poisonous, alcoholic liver damage, fatty liver, expelling gallstone.

• Side effects:none –low

• Doses: 140 mg (2xd std for sylimarine) 1-5ml tincture

Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity

• Silymarin may stimulate the action of nucleolar polymerase A, resulting in an increase in ribosomal protein synthesis, thereby stimulating the regenerative ability of the liver and the

formation of new hepatocytes. • Silybin, the active constituent of silymarin has been reported to

work as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals.

Herb –Drug Interaction

• Aspirin: improve clearance in patients with cirrhosis

• Cisplatin: prevent kidney damage

• Disulfiram: drugs containing alcohol may cause disulfiram like reactions

• Tacrine: reduces adverse cholinergic effects

• Hepatotoxic drugs: prevent liver damage caused by butyrophenones, phenothiazines, phenytoin, acetaminophen, and halothane.