Herbal Medicine - Herbal Applications
By helping to maintain health, to treat spinal-cord-dysfunction (SCD) aggravated ailments, and to reduce exposure to drug side effects, people with SCD can benefit greatly from herbal medicine. Furthermore, the use of infection-fighting herbal remedies that enhance the body’s inherent healing potential will help preserve the effectiveness of life-saving antibiotics over time. A sampling of the more popular remedies is highlighted in the attached table.
Many herbs specifically support and nourish the nervous system, and, in turn, some of then may be especially relevant to spinal cord dysfunction. For example, studies suggest that the popular ginkgo biloba may alleviate multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms by interfering with the disease’s inflammatory process.
In another example, the Ayurvedic herb Mimosa pudica (sensitive plant) has been shown to promote neuronal regeneration in animal studies and may benefit some people with spinal cord dysfunction as indicated by a small pilot study carried out by the author.
In addition, Feather Jones, Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies (Boulder, Colo.) director has suggested that several other nerve-nourishing herbs may potentially help in spinal cord dysfunction. For example, she has indicated that a fresh plant extract of skullcap (a member of the mint family) reduces nerve inflammation; a tincture of milky oats (i.e., immature oat seeds) can rebuild the neuronal myelin sheath that is often damaged in both multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury; an external liniment of Cow Parsnip, (a common weed that is a member of the parsley family) is a traditional Southwestern Hispanic remedy for treating injured nerves and stimulating regeneration; external application of St. John’s Wort can treat neural inflammation; and hawthorn helps to hold collagen fibers in place along the spinal cord.
Given such effects, the potential for these remedies to treat people in the acute phase of spinal cord injury seems especially intriguing and deserving of further research.