MEDICINAL PLANT

AYAHUASCA

The mighty Amazon River holds many mysteries and secrets but you wouldn’t think of it as a place where Western visitors go to transform their lives. Along with countless natural herbal remedies, there’s the apparently magical potion known as Ayahuasca. This mind-bending drug draws people from all over the world..

Works for some people to get off alcohol addiction it is said.

Sourcd & published by Henry Sapiecha

SAGE-Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum is a plant that many know as “sage”. But this sage is not the spices you use to cook with. Salvia, as many have shortened it, is a natural plant that has long since been known to create visions in the users mind. This plant is just over a metre high and has incredibly large leaves as well at times. Often, you can find white or purple flowers growing on the stems as well.

2) Damiana

Damiana is a small shrub type plant that has numerous flowers that give off very aromatic smells. This plant is usually mixed into a tea form, but it can also be made into a sugary substance as well. It is said that the aromatic smells caused by these plants give a “relaxed” feeling almost immediately. Another form that this plant can be made into is incense. The incense gives off the smell causing the calming effect as well. Damiana is also be used more and more as a spice blend.

3) Blue Lotus

This plant is also known as “Sacred Blue Lily”. Its origins come from the Nile River and many other areas in East Africa. Many refer to this plant as the “spiked plant”; not just because of its blue and white spiked petals, but because it is said to give the same type of effects as a sedative, yet also increase your conscious awareness. It is said that your sense will be heightened and at the same time you feel a sense of peace and tranquility. These days, the effects & use of blue lotus can be felt through many teas, wines, and cocktails.

4) Wild Dagga [Lion's  Tail]

This particular plant also has the distinction of sometimes being called “Lion’s Tail”. This name definitely comes from the fact that the tips of this plant look exactly like a lion’s tail Drying the leaves and smoking them can cause effects that are very calming and soothing. There are a number of things that can result from smoking Wild Dagga, such as irritation of the lungs and throat, dizziness, euphoria, and calterations to your vision. It is not known just how many side effects can actually result from smoking this plant, but the list appears to keep growing rapidly.

5) Channa

Also known as “Kanna”, this plant originates from South Africa. This is a plant that has been around for many thousands of years. As far back as records indicate, this plant has been used as a mood changing substance. There are many ways in which this plant has been consumed. In earlier times the plant was crushed and then chewed, like a chewing tobacco, and the saliva was then swallowed. These days you can find many forms of this plant with teas and certain gel caps that are predominantly made. This plant like many others, gives you a very calming effect and is said that any presence of stress is eliminated quickly. In higher doses, it is believed that this plant can cause a state of euphoria.

6) Nutmeg

Nutmeg has been a plant that has been around for quite a number of years. This plant is not just used in making foods, but it also has many hallucinogenic qualities when in different forms. The seeds that are produced by this plant are actually the cause of these qualities. Just eating a few of these seeds can almost instantly give you a state of euphoria. While this feeling may seem good at the time, there are some side effects to this that not many people have been able to withstand. Severe cases of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea have all been linked to the consumption of nutmeg seeds, in large quantities. After trying to sleep this one off, you may still feel some effects like extreme tiredness, even if you just woke up from a great nights sleep. In some people, insomnia has manifested itself.

7) Morning Glory [The vine]

Blue Flowered Morning glory, or rather its seeds, have long since been known as hallucinogenic substances. Generally the effects come from simply chewing the seeds, but there are more ways in which they can be ingested. They can be soaked in water for extended periods of time, crushed into a paste and eaten. Soaking them for a few days will cause them to sprout. Many people have said that once they sprout they seem to be more potent.

Hawaiian Baby Woodrose

This is another plant in which the seeds are the ones that give the effects. The seeds are actually contained within pods with thick coatings. There are about five seeds to each pod. Pods from this plant usually require a lot of work to get into them, but once you have opened them, you can chew the seeds found inside. There have been many reports of nausea from this seed, but that is pretty much the only side effect that has been brought to anyone’s attention.

9) Passion Flower

Passion flowers have, in recent years, been found to create certain mind-altering effects. It is not actually the flower part of the plant that creates these illusions, but the stem and roots. The calming effects by this plant can also come from eating large amounts of the fruit it creates. Passion flowers can have many different color petals like reds and purples and each plant can look completely different from the next. The dried leaves of the passion plant have been known to have calming effects that often result in sleeping states.

10) Wild Lettuce

Wild lettuce is very different from your everyday garden lettuce variety. Wild lettuce has long and thin stems. The stems, themselves, it has been said to have effects that are much like poppies, but not as strong. There may be a calm and slight euphoric state, but the effects do not go much further than this. The chambers in the stem are what actually hold the calming substance.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

The mighty Leaf that gives relief

By Margaret McCartney

Published: January 16 2010 00:04 | Last updated: January 16 2010 00:04

Cannabis and the law have a clear relationship; to take the former is to break the latter. For years, pressure has been mounting on the government to change this position. And not just for recreational reasons, but medical ones too. It is often claimed, for example, that cannabis improves the lives of multiple sclerosis sufferers.

A recent systematic review of the evidence in BMC Neurology found that cannabis did help alleviate spasticity, the uncomfortable cramp that can become constant in MS, making affected limbs hard to use. But while patients reported an improvement following treatment, objective measurements did not show any significant change.

Spasticity may not be affected by cannabis; the drug may instead be treating muscle tension and discomfort. That doesn’t mean cannabis is not useful. Indeed, another review published last year in Pain Medicine found that “cannabis treatment is moderately efficacious for the treatment of chronic pain”. But it also noted that “beneficial effects may be partially (or completely) offset by potentially serious harms”.

We can hardly boast that the legitimate medicine cabinet is untainted by side-effect-free drugs. In cannabis, the most obvious side-effect is sluggishness – more commonly known as being “stoned”. This is a real problem, but it may possibly be no worse than the sedation delivered by strong analgesics  that may be prescribed or administered.

There are more worrying risks with cannabis, notably psychosis. A review in the Lancet in 2007 suggested there was a dose-related risk – the more cannabis, the greater the danger. Some studies have also indicated the risk is highest for young people, and those with a personal or family history of psychosis. So how many people are likely to be affected? A paper in Addiction last year found that the number of men who would have to stop heavy use of cannabis to prevent one case of psychosis would approach 2,800 in the 20-24 age group and 4,700 among those aged 35-39.

For many doctors and potential patients, addiction is an even bigger concern. Should it become available on prescription, cannabis would join other legitimate drugs which have dependence as a potential harm – from diazepam to morphine. The truth is that cannabis may well end up being just as useful as any of these drugs and, just like them, require careful prescription and informed consent.

Margaret McCartney is a GP in Glasgow.
margaret.mccartney@ft.com

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

new blood thinner

from Pfizer, BMS

Associated Press, 05.20.11, 11:27 AM EDT

NEW YORK — Drugmaker Pfizer says European regulators have approved its highly-anticipated blood thinner Eliquis to prevent blood clots in patients who have had hip or knee replacement surgery.

The approval by the European commission means the drug, known as apixaban, will be available in the 27 countries of the European Union.

The drug was approved based on two studies that showed better outcomes for patients taking Eliquis rather than receiving an injection of the typical current treatment.

The drug has been promoted as a potential blockbuster drug for its ability to prevent blood clots with no bleeding side effects of older drugs like warfarin. However, last year the companies halted a 10,000-patient study due to excessive bleeding

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

FDA expands Pfizer drug

approval for rare cancer

Associated Press, 05.20.11, 06:23 PM EDT

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it expanded approval of a Pfizer drug to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer.

The agency said it cleared Sutent to treat cancerous tumors of the pancreas that cannot be surgically removed, or have spread to other parts of the body. Such tumors are slow-growing and rare, affecting less than 1,000 U.S. patients each year, according to an FDA estimate.

Earlier this month the FDA approved Novartis ( NVS – news – people )’ Afinitor for the same disease.

Sutent is a pill-based drug that blocks molecules involved in the growth and spread of tumors. It is already approved as a treatment for kidney cancer and for tumors of the stomach, esophagus, and bowels that do not respond to other treatment. The drug was first cleared by the FDA in 2006.

The FDA approved the drug based on a study of 171 patients in which those taking Sutent lived about five months longer without their disease spreading than patients taking a placebo.

Side effects with the drug include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, high blood pressure, energy loss, stomach pain and changes in hair color.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Holy Shit, Really?

Salvia divinorum is a member of the Lamiaceae family, which makes it a cousin of the mint plant. When properly prepared, salvia can be smoked in order to bring on incredibly intense, at times paralyzing, hallucinations. Most salvia trips are short in duration, but very powerful and jarring. All side effects of salvia are gone within an hour, and it doesn’t show up on standard drug tests.

Depending on the amount of smoke inhaled, users of salvia may experience hallucinations on par in intensity with those caused by drugs like LSD or DMT. Since most users lose consciousness and drift off into a world of fractal shapes and green women as soon as they hit the pipe, it has not gained much popularity as a ‘party’ drug.

It kind of makes the world look like this for about six minutes.

Where Can I Get One?

Salvia is still legal in most US states. You can pick it up at most well-stocked ‘head’ shops, but the cheapest and highest quality salvia is usually found online. Make sure to check your local laws to see if you can legally purchase and possess it in your state. If not, at least you still have your flamethrower.

What Should I do With it?

Here at Cracked, the only “high” we’re interested in is the natural high we get from bringing comedy to the world (and sometimes crystal meth), so we have no advice here. However there are a number of educational videos that recommend gardening, writing letters to congressmen, and driving while on salvia.

Also, we do not recommend teaching while on salvia.

Holy Balls, Why is it Legal?

Salvia is actually pretty harmless, as intoxicants go. There have been a few accusations of its involvement in causing a suicidal mindset, but evidence is spurious at best. In fact a number of scientists believe that salvia may act as an anti-depressant, and its effective use in ending cocaine addiction has been noticed as well. Dr. Bryan Roth believes the drug has the potential to help those suffering from schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s and has urged the government not to ban salvia. With the potential to cure depression, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and cocaine addictions, it’s a wonder salvia isn’t a mandatory side dish in high school cafeterias across America. We’re going to go ahead and say that last one is a bad idea.

On this day in 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co.

Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19thcentury, it was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to damage the stomach.

In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffman found a way to create a stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take. (Some evidence shows that Hoffman’s work was really done by a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were covered up during the Nazi era.) After obtaining the patent rights, Bayer began distributing aspirin in powder form to physicians to give to their patients one gram at a time. The brand name came from “a” for acetyl, “spir” from the spirea plant (a source of salicin) and the suffix “in,” commonly used for medications. It quickly became the number-one drug worldwide.

Aspirin was made available in tablet form and without a prescription in 1915. Two years later, when Bayer’s patent expired during the First World War, the company lost the trademark rights to aspirin in various countries. After the United States entered the war against Germany in April 1917, the Alien Property Custodian, a government agency that administers foreign property, seized Bayer’s U.S. assets. Two years later, the Bayer company name and trademarks for the United States and Canada were auctioned off and purchased by Sterling Products Company, later Sterling Winthrop, for $5.3 million.

Bayer became part of IG Farben, the conglomerate of German chemical industries that formed the financial heart of the Nazi regime. After World War II, the Allies split apart IG Farben, and Bayer again emerged as an individual company. Its purchase of Miles Laboratories in 1978 gave it a product line including Alka-Seltzer and Flintstones and One-A-Day Vitamins. In 1994, Bayer bought Sterling Winthrop’s over-the-counter business, gaining back rights to the Bayer name and logo and allowing the company once again to profit from American sales of its most famous product.

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

‘key’ to solving cancer

Researchers are closing in on a cure for cancer.

Scientists leading the battle against cancer say they are on the verge of acquiring their most valuable weapon yet.

Leading international cancer researcher Michael Stratton said obtaining the genetic make-up of the disease, expected in the next five to seven years, would give scientists the key to unlocking the secrets of what causes it.

He said they may even be able to determine the influence of outside effects, such as the environment and occupational impacts, on the development of cancer.

Professor Stratton, who has made international headlines for his cancer discoveries, said such insights could help solve several mysterious cancer clusters in Queensland, including the 18 cases of breast cancer at the former ABC site in Toowong.

“The sequencing [will be] like a new microscope being applied to cancer,” he told brisbanetimes.com.au.

“With the much deeper understanding of the genes that are abnormal … and actual DNA abnormalities of these genes, we’re anticipating that over the next few years we will acquire a better understanding of what those outside factors might be that are implicated in causing individual clusters.”

Despite numerous environmental tests of the Toowong site, scientists have not been able to link anything between the high number of breast cancer cases there.

The ABC abandoned the site in 2006 and is struggling to sell the riverfront property.

Professor Stratton said there were unexplained cancer clusters all over the world, including on Long Island in New York.

He said while the disease was common and such clusters may be coincidence, it was possible there were hidden environmental factors – “something we don’t know about”.

Such cases could be re-examined following the expected breakthrough on cancer genomics, Professor Stratton said.

“When these clusters occur we have to document them carefully, we have to collect as much information about them as we can … and then keep these materials for later on when we have new ways of looking at these clusters,” he said.

Professor Stratton is in Queensland as part of an International Cancer Genome Consortium workshop and delivered a speech at the University of Queensland last night.

He leads a research team that recently developed a pill that rapidly shrinks skin cancer tumours – the first cancer drug to harness knowledge from the full decoding of human DNA.

Professor Stratton said cancer research had come a long way in the past century.

“Go back 100 years or more, before they applied a microscope to cancer, all they knew was cancer was lumps that appeared to spread [in the body],” he said.

“There’s plenty more to be done … but the fact that we have succeeded in part for those cancers [with a cure] … should give us hope that we’d be able to do more in the future.”

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Here’s one from the wacko-science files: Some nut actually thinks drinking alcohol is more dangerous than crack or meth.

Not only that, this nut actually claims you can have a “safe” heroin habit.

The nut in question is Dr. David Nutt, a man obsessed with living up to his name by trying to prove that illicit and dangerous drugs are far safer than a good booze habit.

And his latest “study” is an absolute masterpiece — not from a scientific point of view, of course, but from a public relations standpoint: The work earned him headlines around the world.

Too bad for him it’s a work of fiction.

Nutt created a list of 20 “drugs” and ranked them based on 16 measures of harm to both individual users and society as a whole.

Who assigned those rankings? Why, it was Dr. Nutt and his friends, of course. Nutt & Company.

And they “found” that alcohol — more widely used and therefore more widely abused — does far more overall harm than heroin, crack, meth, coke, pot and so on. What’s more, Nutt actually claims that heroin, for example, is safe if you use it in the form of a prescription opiate.

“Heroin itself is a medicine,” he said in a TV interview with the BBC. “All medicines are safe if used appropriately.”

Really? All of them?

I’d like to say that this Nutt has finally cracked — it’s a pretty good pun — but it’s clear this man lost it years ago.

He was fired from a government position last year for making similar claims about booze and drugs, and once even tried to develop an “antidote” to alcohol — which is kind of like creating an antidote to chicken.

But I don’t care what this Nutt says — a couple of drinks a day is not just acceptable for most people, it’s healthy. Moderate booze can boost heart and brain health, and even increase longevity.

I guess Dr. Nutt will not be enjoying those benefits.

Published by Henry Sapiecha