Hamamelis virginiana Hamameliadaceae Habitat: Indigenous to N. America and Canada. Collection: The leaves can be gathered throughout the summer and driedquickly to ensure that they do not become discoloured. The bark is gathered inthe spring after...
Pulmonaria officinalis Boraginaceae Habitat: Shady places throughout Europe including Britain, cultivated in gardens. Part used: Leaves. Collection: The leavres should be gathered during and after flowering, between March and September...
Aesculus hippocastanum Hippocastanaceae Names: Do not confuse with its North American relative Aesculusglabra, Buckeye. Habitat: Native to Northern Asia but widely cultivated, common in Britain. Collection: The ripe chestnuts should be gathered as...
Geranium maculatum Part Used: The rhizome. Constituents: Tannins including gallic acid, with the level being highest just before flowering. Actions: Astringent, anti–haemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary. Indications: American Cranesbill...
Haemorrhoids (piles) is a very painful and uncomfortable condition, often caused by straining, a low fibre diet or as a result of childbirth. Unfortunately, there is very little available at the ...
Reader's Corner
Mr W.G., a 28-year-old chef with a penchant for pickled chillies, came to see me complaining of an intermittent dull ache in his lower back and coccyx (tail bone). The pain, which had begun three years ago, seemed to extend up inside him, in front...
Received wisdom tells us that hemorrhoids improve with a high fibre diet of unrefined foods, and that what brings them on is constipation, and work that involves a great deal of sitting or standin ...
Q I’ve been experiencing pain after going to the toilet, and I’ve also noticed blood on the toilet paper. A friend thinks I could have anal fissures. Can you tell me what these are, and how they might be treated? - MS, Huddersfield
A haemorrhoidectomy (removal of the engorged vein around the anus) may 'cure' haemorrhoids, but it may also be the cause of even more painful problems. ...
David L. Hoffmann BSc Hons MNIMH
What Doctors Don't Tell You