Herbal Reliefe?

[Gary]

Is there any legal or illegal herbs for pain and
spasm control?

I am 54 and have arthritis. Trying to get drugs
that work from an MD is next to impossible.
They say, "We don't want you to get addicted".
An addiction would be easier to live with than
this pain..

Thanks...

[Trent]

Alot of people get relief from Cat's Claw or even Shark Cartilage. There is
a recent study found in Herbs for Health magazine about Shark Claw being
beneficial and just as effected as prescriptions.

HTH

Trent

-- STOP SUFFERING! BEAT STRESS! Have more energy and stamina. Get better
sleep. Improve sports performance and more. Free info and audio @
http://4adaptogens.tripod.com/main.html

[CRS]

I have been drinking an herbal tea called Yerba Mate which is imported from
South America. What I like about it is that is relaxes me and helps me
sleep at night. But it also known to boost the immune system and tone the
nervous system.

Yerba Mate, or Mate as it is often called, is a South American herb that has
won many admirers in wide-ranging parts of the world. In the search for a
natural stimulant devoid of side effects and toxicity, Mate currently holds
the most hope. An invigorator of the mind and body, a natural source of
nutrition, and a health promoter par excellence, Mate deserves the attention
of every person interested in optimum health. Yerba Mate was introduced to
colonizing and modern civilizations by the primitive Guarani Indians of
Paraguay and Argentina. It has seemingly always been the most common
ingredient in household cures of the Guarani. In modern Argentina and
Paraguay, however, Mate tea has become almost pathologically ritualized in a
manner reminiscent of coffee and tea abuse in Western and Eastern countries.
Among the native Guarani, on the other hand, the natural use of Mate for
healthful purposes has persisted. They use it to boost immunity, cleanse and
detoxify the blood, tone the nervous system, restore youthful hair color,
retard aging, combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, control the appetite,
reduce the effects of debilitating disease, reduce stress, and eliminate
insomnia.

Mate (flex paraguariensis) is an evergreen member of the holly family. It
grows wild in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, but is most abundant in
Paraguay where it is also cultivated. The plant is classified vaguely,
according to Western herbal medicine, as aromatic, stimulant, bitter,
aperient (laxative), astringent, diuretic, purgative, sudorific (sweat
inducing), and febrifuge (fever reducing). Mate contains numerous vitamins
and minerals. There is the usual array of resins, fiber, volatile oil, and
tannins that characterize many plant substances. And there is also carotene;
vitamins A. C, E, B-1, B-2 and B-complex; riboflavin; nicotinic acid;
pantothenic acid; biotin; magnesium; calcium; iron; sodium; potassium;
manganese; silicon; phosphates; sulfur; hydrochloric acid; chlorophyll;
choline; and inositol. In 1964 one group of investigators from the Pasteur
Institute and the Paris Scientific Society concluded that Mate contains
practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life.

In addition to the regular nutrients, Mate contains a substance belonging to
a specialized class of chemical compounds called xanthines. Though only
small amounts of these substances occur in Mate, their presence has
generated a huge amount of attention. The primary xanthine in Yerba Mate is
called Mateine. The substance probably contributes little, if anything, to
the overall activity of the plant, but has drawn a disproportionate share of
speculation. Some xanthines are obviously less desirable, such as caffeine.
Others, such as theophylline and theobromine, have specialized action and a
characteristic set of side effects. Although the xanthines have similar
chemistries, each has a unique set of properties. Researchers at the Free
Hygienic Institute of Hamburg, Germany, concluded that even if there were
caffeine in Mate, the amount would be so tiny that it would take 100 tea
bags of Mate in a 6-ounce cup of water to equal the caffeine in a 6-ounce
serving of regular coffee. Consequently, the active principle in Yerba Mate
is not caffeine!

There is only one effect that seems to be shared by all xanthines: smooth
muscle relaxation. It is this action that makes them (with the exception of
caffeine, in which smooth muscle relaxant effects are diminished by other
side effects) good clinical dilators of the bronchi and hence useful in the
treatment of asthma. Mateine appears, then, to possess the best combination
of xanthine properties possible. For example, like other xanthines, it
stimulates the central nervous system; but unlike most, it is not
habituating or addicting. Likewise, unlike caffeine, it induces better, not
worse, attributes of sleep. It is a mild, not a strong, diuretic, as are
many xanthines. It relaxes peripheral blood vessels, thereby reducing blood
pressure, without the strong effects on the medulla oblongata (end part of
the brain connecting to the spine) and heart exhibited by some xanthines. We
also know that it improves psychomotor performance without the typical
xanthine-induced depressant after effects. Dr. Jose Martin, Director of the
National Institute of Technology in Paraguay, writes, "New research and
better technology have shown that while Mateine has a chemical constituency
similar to caffeine, the molecular binding is different. Mateine has none of
the ill effects of caffeine." And Horacio Conesa, professor at the
University of Buenos Aires Medical School, states, "There is not a single
medical contraindication" for ingesting Mate. Clinical studies show, in
fact, that even individuals with caffeine sensitivities can ingest Mate
without adverse reactions.

GASTROINTESTINAL PROPERTIES
Perhaps the main area to benefit from Mate is the gastrointestinal tract.
Reported effects range from immediate improvement in digestion to the
ability to repair damaged and diseased gastrointestinal tissues.
Constipation, acute or chronic, can easily be overcome through the use of
Mate. Mate appears to work mainly by softening the fecal mass, but it also
appears to stimulate normal movement of the intestines to some degree.

EFFECTS ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Better than any other xanthine alkaloid, Mate has the ability to increase
mental alertness and acuity and to do it without any side effects such as
nervousness and jitters. It seems to act like a tonic, stimulating a
weakened and depressed nervous system and sedating an overexcited one. Our
knowledge of Mate's effects is currently limited to observations of behavior
changes such as more energy and vitality; better ability to concentrate;
less nervousness, agitation, and anxiety; and increased resistance to both
physical and mental fatigue. Improvement in mood, especially in cases of
depression, often follows drinking the tea. This may be a direct or indirect
result of increased energy. One of the remarkable aspects of Mate is that it
does not interfere with sleep cycles; in fact, it has a tendency to balance
the cycles, inducing more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep when necessary, or
increasing the amount of time spent in delta states (deep sleep).

CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS
Heart Ailments of all kinds have been treated or prevented through Yerba
Mate use. Yerba Mate supplies many of the nutrients required by the heart
for growth and repair. In addition, it increases the supply of oxygen to the
heart, especially during periods of stress or exercise. Mate has become a
favorite of body builders and anyone interested in the health benefits of
exercise. The metabolic effects of Mate appear to include the ability to
maintain aerobic glycolysis (breakdown of carbohydrates) during exercise for
longer periods of time. This results in burning more calories, increasing
cardiac efficiency, and delaying anaerobic glycolysis and the resulting
buildup of lactic acid during exercise. Reports of Mate reducing blood
pressure are not uncommon.

EFFECTS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
A consistent observation in most South American literature on Mate is that
it increases the immune response of the body, stimulating natural resistance
to disease. This results in a nourishing and strengthening effect on the ill
person, both during the course of the illness and during convalescence,
sometimes dramatically accelerating recovery times. Exact mechanisms of
Mate's action have not been worked out, but they involve both a direct
action against infectious organisms, and an effect on overall resistance to
disease. The nutritional content of the plant probably plays a major role
here, but it is also probable that other constituents contribute to the
action by stimulating the activity of white blood cells.

NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES
The interaction of the many nutrients in Mate have never been systematically
studied. But the stories surrounding the nutritional application of Mate tea
are nothing short of amazing. Mate is often used as a staple food, sometimes
substituting for such important foods as bread and vegetables. It easily
eliminates the sensation of hunger and can impart as much invigoration as a
full meal, according to the well-known Chilean herbalists J. Zin and R.
Weiss. Peace Corps workers have reported cases in which large groups of
natives remain in good health for extended periods of drought and famine,
even though they eat only one small meal per day. How so? By drinking
copious amounts of Yerba Mate tea. Some natives spend their entire lives on
such a diet and live to very advanced ages, sometimes in excess of 100
years. South American governments have adopted the practice of encouraging
mothers, especially in the poorer regions, to include Yerba Mate in the diet
of their school-age children.

Order your Yerba Mate' today and discover why it is referred to as nature's
most perfect beverage at http://www.yerbamateforhealth.com

[K Shelton]

Been there....

You have to find other ways because pain pills kill as much of you as they
do your
pain. I have 12 vertebrae in my back fused together and sciatica on top of
that.
I tried prescribed morphine for 3 months. Couldn't live with having my
motivation for life at a halt.
Then I tried SAM-e about 2 years ago and take it most of the time since...
after a month the morphine did not seem necessary. Its not a cure all by any
means but it makes the difference between not wanting to move and being
functional. And I don't have to spend hours a month sitting in pain clinic
waiting rooms with ten other people in pain, talk about depressing! In my
opinion doctors are useless when it comes to chronic pain. Never let them
give you nerve block shots either, they don't always get the right target.
My experience is that SAM_e should be taken first thing in the morning on
empty stomach, along with a Vitamin B supplement, then hold off eating
breakfast for an hour. Coffee doesn't seem to hurt or affect it adversely.

MSM is also supposed to be helpful but I do not have long term experience
with it as I do SAM-e. It is less expensive. You can write me if you have
questions, I have no commercial ties to anyone who sells SAM-e I get it at
Wal-Mart.

Karen Shelton
Alternative Nature Herbal and Online Photo Gallery
Amazing Jewelweed Soap for Poison Ivy
http://altnature.com

"Gary" <ga...@sirinet.net> wrote in message
news:trgn4b3...@corp.supernews.com...

[Patricia Williams]

I used yerba mate tea for about a week and developed a tic in my eye.
It took a month after discontinuing yerba mate for the twitching to
stop.