THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503270177
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANE HARPER, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Long : 170 lines
THINK OF MEDICINAL herbs and images of dark, incense-filled little shops, run by Chinese wisemen, often come to mind.
They depict magic, mysticism, quackery, desperation and even fear.
But with the advent of New Age philosophy and a declining faith in modern medicine - given its soaring costs, insurance hassles and cookie-cutter clinics - herbs and plants are fast becoming a mainstream alternative.
Once-quiet aisles of health food stores are now bustling with curious consumers of all ages and backgrounds, each looking for more effective and inexpensive treatments for their aches and ills, according to market studies and local merchants.
``It's been astounding,'' said Annie Miller, herb buyer for the Heritage Store in Virginia Beach, where interest in medicinal plants has surged.
The Heritage Store, the largest retailer of medicinal plants in South Hampton Roads, has seen its herb sales blossom in the past few years, with the greatest expanse coming last year, said Miller, known affectionately as ``Organic Annie'' by friends and customers.
Sales have been so good, she said, that herbs have out-sold vitamins and minerals during some weeks. That's never happened before, Miller said.
So why the sudden interest in medicinal plants? The reasons for this boom, experts say, are as varied as the herbs themselves.
For one, there seems to be a growing desire among many Americans to improve their overall health and to return to nature and its earthly substances.
Also, numerous studies on the potential benefits of herbal drugs have been published at the same time that negative reports have come out about chemically treated foods and synthetic drugs. And then there's hope.
``People are so desperate for the right cure, they have this hope that they'll find it in herbs,'' said Varro Tyler, professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University and author of two books on medicinal plants.
Doctors and pharmacists also are taking note of the trend, said Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas.
Blumenthal, who edits Herbal Gram magazine, said he receives as many as a half-dozen invitations a month to speak at medical and pharmacy schools about herbs.
Because most professionals are not educated about medicinal plants in school, their patients are asking questions they can't answer, he said.
``Consumers have been forcing the medical profession to become interested,'' Blumenthal said.
Treating illness and injury with plants is certainly nothing new. Man has relied on natural cures since ancient times. Indeed, only in the latter half of this century have synthetic drugs taken over the market.
Even today, about one-fourth of modern drugs and medicines are derived from plants. And medical experts continue to look to plants in hope of finding cures for cancer, AIDS and other deadly diseases.
Shirley Reardon, produce buyer for The Heritage Store and a herb enthusiast for 17 years, said many customers use medicinal plants because of side-effects they've suffered from man-made drugs. Many are seeking to prevent illness altogether by ``cleansing'' their bodies and building strength.
``With a proper diet and herbs, they can build their immune systems so they don't have any problems to begin with,'' Reardon said. Immune-system enhancers, such as Echinacea, are among the most popular herbs sold at the store, she said.
Plants shown to enhance endurance and performance, such as Ginsengs, also are popular - especially among men, Reardon said. Most customers, however, continue to be women.
Other common requests: herbs that treat sinus problems, nasal congestion and asthma; relieve cold symptoms and arthritis; induce sleep; and reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.
Health food markets, however, aren't the only places to find medicinal plants. Many a sunny kitchen window contains a pot of aloe, the leaves of which can be rubbed on minor burns. The aloe essence also is used in many ointments for muscular aches and in cosmetics.
Other medicinal plants thrive in the wild or in bedding gardens. Periwinkle, for example, is a popular bedding flower used to treat various forms of cancer, such as childhood leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. Foxglove, a flowering plant that grows along roadsides and in fields, contains digitalis, an important component in treating heart disease.
But experts caution against collecting from the wild, noting that some plants, such as foxglove, are poisonous, while others are easily mistaken for poisonous look-alikes. The strength of a plant can vary depending on when and where it's collected.
Experts also warn that treating yourself or your family can be risky. Some people may be allergic to certain herbs; others can be hazardous to pregnant women. Even if the right plant is collected at the right time and administered for the right ailment, it still can be harmful or ineffective if not used correctly.
One of the major problems comes with self-diagnosis, said Dr. John S. Wagner, a Norfolk orthopedist who has studied herbal cures in recent years.
For example, a person can be suffering form strep throat and think it's the flu. If that person uses herbs meant to combat the flu, the bacterial infection causing the strep throat goes untreated and will get worse, Wagner explained.
Overuse is another pitfall, he said.
``There's the idea that if a little bit is good, then a lot is great.'' Wagner said. ``But some of these plants can be toxic if used in large quantities.''
Also, because the Food and Drug Administration currently forbids herb merchants from making health claims on their labels, consumers often are left in the dark about the benefits of an herb.
As a result, many people rely on clerks in health food stores to recommend herbs for various problems. That can be hazardous if the clerk isn't well-informed, experts agree.
However, Purdue's Tyler, who also serves on the advisory board for the Herb Research Foundation, believes consumers don't have much to worry about if they educate themselves thoroughly and stick to treating simple aches and ailments.
Sybil Kane, education director of Norfolk Botanical Garden, recommends that beginners read a variety of books. She also advises them to take warning when contradictions and discrepancies appear in literature.
The FDA, meanwhile, is developing regulations that likely will determine what kind of information can be included on herb labels. Following much debate, herb products were classified as ``dietary supplements'' in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 passed by Congress in October. As a result, they do not have to be approved the way drugs are by the FDA.
The agency does not test for product safety on herbs, unless safety is believed to be an issue, said Brad Stone, an FDA spokesman in Rockville, Md.
In most cases, the FDA is not going to know if there's safety problem unless there are reports of adverse reactions to a product, he said. And that has only happened a few times.
``Most of the herbal products on the market are safe, as far as we know,'' Stone said.
Herb enthusiasts were so concerned that the FDA was about to restrict herbs as a prescriptive medicine, or even ban them from the marketplace, that they flooded Congress with letters of protest. Stone, however, said the agency never had such plans.
``There was never a question of whether herbal products would be sold,'' he said. ``The issue was as to what kind of claims they could make.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphics
KEN WRIGHT/Staff
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
BOOKS TO READ
Many books on medicinal plants are available at public libraries,
bookstores and health food stores, and herbalists encourage reading
and study as a starting point. Here are a few titles to get you
started:
``Magic and Medicine of Plants,'' Reader's Digest (Reader's
Digest Association Inc.). Its ``Gallery of Medicinal Plants'' has
paintings and descriptions of more than 280 North American species,
their habitats, identifications and uses. Also includes myths,
history and growing information.
``The Good Herb'' by Judith Benn Hurley (William Morrow & Co.,
$25). Profiles 45 of the world's most common herbs. Hurley combines
a potpourri of history, lore, recipes and folk remedies culled from
African ``witch doctors,'' Chinese herbalists, Cheyenne and Chippewa
medicine men and Auryvedic practitioners in India. She notes how
common people used herbs in their everyday lives.
``Just Weeds: History, Myths and Uses,'' by Pamela Jones with
illustrations by Bob Johnson (Chapters Publishing Ltd., $19.95
softcover). Covers 30 common wild plants in North America - their
botanical and common names, features, habitat, history, myths and
practical applications (medicinal, culinary and cosmetic). Includes
an appendix on traditional herbal folk remedies and a glossary of
medical terms and herbal preparations.
``The Healing Garden: A Natural Haven for Body, Senses and
Spirit,'' by Sue Minter (Charles E. Tuttle Co. Inc., $24.95
hardback). Minter is curator of Chelsea Physic Garden in London and
her beautifully written book ``attempts to put plants back at the
forefront of medicine and also to broaden the definition of healing
to include the way that the garden is used for recration[sic],
self-expression and creative interplay with the natural world.''
by CNB