Single-purpose herbs

CRANBERRY

Only relatively recently has conventional medicine studied the time-honoured wisdom of drinking cranberry juice to treat or prevent a urinary tract infection. Bioflavonoids in the tart- tasting berry interfere with the E. coli bacteria’s attempts to cling to the bladder’s interior lining. Some evidence also suggests that cranberries might prevent or deter kidney stones by discouraging calcium excretion.

Many of my patients swear by cranberry therapy as an effective treatment for recurrent bladder infections. I normally recommend taking 6,000-9,000 mg of cranberry extract (four to six capsules), not drinking cranberry juice. The juice usually contains too much sugar, which suppresses the immune system and can encourage a stronger infection. If a patient prefers to use the juice, I insist that it be unsweetened.

FEVERFEW

Migraines are difficult to treat, and I cannot promise that a natural remedy will always be helpful. Nevertheless, feverfew is pleasingly reliable. Take a daily 100-200 mg dosage of the extract in capsules, which should have a guaranteed concentration of parthenolides, the herb’s active compounds. Don’t be impatient. You may not notice a decrease in the number of migraines for several months.

BILBERRY

The military upholds many traditions, sometimes out of habit, sometimes for thoroughly practical reasons. One practice with a purpose is the use of bilberry extract. As long ago as the Second World War and as recently as the Persian Gulf War, American pilots relied on it to enhance night vision.

Bioflavonoids in bilberry, a European relative of the American ‘ huckleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), have an affinity for the retina at the back of the eye. They mend normal wear and tear on this light-sensitive tissue and generate the production of rhodopsin, an eye protein needed for night sight. Exposure to bright light, high-contrast light and computer screens depletes the eyes’ supply of rhodopsin.

Research, done mostly in Italy, has also uncovered bilberry’s potential for treating retinal problems stemming from poor blood circulation, diabetes-caused glaucoma and day blindness. The extract, along with vitamin E, halted cataract formation in 97 per cent of the people who participated in one study. In another experiment, bilberry alone markedly improved nearsightedness for 75 per cent of the people who took it as a supplement. The berry’s flavonoids, called anthocyanosides, are antioxi- dants, so they’re called for when faced with any vascular ailment. They limit calcium deposits and blood clots inside arteries, help dilate blood vessels, relieve circulatory-caused leg swelling and numbness and diminish varicose veins and postpartum haemorrhoids. For people with arthritis, the supplement cools inflamed joints and may help to prevent the deterioration of joint collagen.

The better bilberry extracts are standardized to contain 25 per cent anthocyanosides. At this concentration, an effective dose would be between 250 and 500 mg per day.