Grow your own drugs...

[Matt Weir]

Coming to BBC2 soon. Looks interesting.

 

[Chris G]

Erm, how do you want us to respond to that?

 

[British Red]

I was a drug dealer for many years so I'll watch with interest

 

[JohnC]

I saw the trailer for that, he was working on a pillow filled with hops for ?sleeplessness. Looked interesting...

 

[Matt Weir]

Don't worry Chris I don't think it's owt dodgy. It looks to be about herbalism and medicinal plants

 

[locum76]

growing drug plant isn't especially difficult. turning the plants into something useful is. i hope the program elaborates on production methods.

i'm really keen to find out a good way of getting the active substance out of valerian.

 

[Sisyphus]

i'm really keen to find out a good way of getting the active substance out of valerian.

The wikipedia page for valerian is quite informative in that respect. It seems most of the valerian preparations you can buy are just roots soaked in cold water, mashed then dehydrated...

"The volatile oils that form the active ingredient are extremely pungent, somewhat reminiscent of well-matured cheese or wet dog" lovely!

I think most traditional preperations of medicinal herbs involve simple extractions like that, sometimes with acidulated water. I'm sure valerian isn't alone in being a plant which has a mix of several different active ingredients which together contribute to it's overall medicinal value - more sophisticated extractions isolating just one could be a waste of time.

Culpeppers Herbal (always good for a laugh) advice on "garden valerian" :

Government and virtues : This is under the influence of Mercury. Dioscorides saith, That the Garden Valerian hath a warming faculty, and that being dried and given to drink it provokes urine, and helps the stranguary. The decoction thereof taken, doth the like also, and takes away pains of the sides, provokes women's courses, and is used in antidotes. Pliny saith, That the powder of the root given in drink, or the decoction thereof taken, helps all stoppings and stranglings in any part of the body, whether they proceed of pains in the chest or sides, and takes them away. The root of Valerian boiled with liquorice, raisins, and anniseed, is singularly good for those that are short-winded, and for those that are troubled with the cough, and helps to open the passages, and to expectorate phlegm easily. It is given to those that are bitten or stung by any venomous creature, being boiled in wine. It is of a special virtue against the plague, the decoction thereof being drank, and the root being used to smell to. It helps to expel the wind in the belly. The green herb with the root taken fresh, being bruised and applied to the head, takes away the pains and prickings there, stays rheum and thin distillation, and being boiled in white wine, and a drop thereof put into the eyes, takes away the dimness of the sight, or any pin or web therein. It is of excellent property to heal any inward sores or wounds, and also for outward hurts or wounds, and drawing away splinters or thorns out of the flesh.

 

[John Fenna]

Valerian does not help you to sleep in the normal way - the stench knocks you cold!
Man that stuff stinks!
But it is actually good for helping you get to sleep realy....

 

[locum76]

yup, valerian really does work. it'd be good to see someone extracting the goodness out of it rather than just reading it from wiki. even PFAF is a bit poor at explaining techniques.

 

[Sisyphus]

yup, valerian really does work. it'd be good to see someone extracting the goodness out of it rather than just reading it from wiki. even PFAF is a bit poor at explaining techniques.

I hadn't seen PFAF before, thanks for the hint. I think there is a lot of value in stuff like culpepper because most of those methods used, like simple alcohol or water extractions have been known about for ages as folk remedies and are relatively safe as long as the plant material is identified 100%. Once you get into more efficient extractions like fractional distilliation of volatile oils / solvent based alkaloid extraction, you're stepping into unknown territory and playing with substances that could be potentially carginogenic, highly toxic in concentrated doses etc.

If a straightforward alcohol extraction of the raw root material provides a therapeutic dose, and has been acknowledged to work for centuries, I find it hard to see any reason to try anything different...

 

[SkogKniv]

On another board a member put up an article about Diabetics and Insulin shortages should there be a need for it due to collapse of society or something similar. The article contained a very crude recipe if you know what I mean to actually making your own insulin. I will look for that article this afternoon maybe I can cut and paste.

Seems like a death injection to me should you screw up, BUT worth a read I suppose.

 

[Toddy]

yup, valerian really does work. it'd be good to see someone extracting the goodness out of it rather than just reading it from wiki. even PFAF is a bit poor at explaining techniques.

It's easy, you just tincture it in alcohol. Strain and bottle tightly. 20 to 30drops to a teacupful of hot water. The water evaporates the alcohol and the resultant 'tea' is kind of reminincent of fresh peas. Sip slowly over five minutes and ten minutes later you'll find your head nodding

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. vodka will work but I can supply details of where to get the tincturing ethanol.
M

 

[Sisyphus]

The vodka on its own usually does the trick for me!

The only wild plant I've really collected for medicinal purposes has been cammomile, since it's rife here and makes a surprisingly tasty tea which really does settle the stomach and supress nausea...

It would be interesting to compile a "bushcrafters symptomatic relief kit" specific to the UK. Has anyone here used willow bark extract, for example? I usually carry aspirin and paracetemol+codeine tablets with me when out hiking, but are there viable natural alternatives to drugs like loperamide for example?

It's easy, you just tincture it in alcohol. Strain and bottle tightly. 20 to 30drops to a teacupful of hot water. The water evaporates the alcohol and the resultant 'tea' is kind of reminincent of fresh peas. Sip slowly over five minutes and ten minutes later you'll find your head nodding

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. vodka will work but I can supply details of where to get the tincturing ethanol.
M

 

[thomasturnbull]

I was a drug dealer for many years so I'll watch with interest

My skunk plants are doing very well at the moment only joking looks like a good programe

 

[British Red]

My skunk plants are doing very well at the moment only joking looks like a good programe

Aaah - I worked for a pharmaceutical company...but drug dealer, whilst accurate...is much cooler sounding

 

[Toddy]

Aaah - I worked for a pharmaceutical company...but drug dealer, whilst accurate...is much cooler sounding

My Uncle was a surgeon and my brother is an anaesthetist..........my brother calls our Uncle a butcher while he calls his nephew a drug pusher .......... ......there are times I'm glad the only bones I deal with are a long time deid

I ought to have added the usual disclaimer..........I'm not a medical herbalist and it is illegal for me to advise or recommend herbal medicines to anyone else. I can only say what works for me.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[HillBill]

My skunk plants are doing very well at the moment only joking looks like a good programe

Join date 1970???? Must have been an early version of the internet

 

[thomasturnbull]

Join date 1970???? Must have been an early version of the internet

never noticed that before

 

[xylaria]

The vodka on its own usually does the trick for me!

The only wild plant I've really collected for medicinal purposes has been cammomile, since it's rife here and makes a surprisingly tasty tea which really does settle the stomach and supress nausea...

It would be interesting to compile a "bushcrafters symptomatic relief kit" specific to the UK. Has anyone here used willow bark extract, for example? I usually carry aspirin and paracetemol+codeine tablets with me when out hiking, but are there viable natural alternatives to drugs like loperamide for example?

I have used willow bark but I don't bother with any form of extraction, i just chew it until I taste aspirin. Then swallow or spit out on to the affected area.

Dried holly berries are supposed to stop diarrhea, but I am of the school if you have consumed something bad it is better out than in, I smell guelder rose fruit if I feel a bit off, as it acts as gentle emetic.

My home remedy for viral gastric problems is cheese mature enough to vote (stilton brie shopshire blue etc).

Take wild plant medicine at your own risk.

 

[Sisyphus]

I have used willow bark but I don't bother with any form of extraction, i just chew it until I taste aspirin. Then swallow or spit out on to the affected area.

Dried holly berries are supposed to stop diarrhea, but I am of the school if you have consumed something bad it is better out than in, I smell guelder rose fruit if I feel a bit off, as it acts as gentle emetic.

My home remedy for viral gastric problems is cheese mature enough to vote (stilton brie shopshire blue etc).

Take wild plant medicine at your own risk.

Nice tip with the willow, I haven't tried it myself but there is loads of it around here. Amazingly versatile tree!. Personally I find aspirin (and ibuprofen) can bother my stomach so I tend to use paracetemol+codeine if I really need some pain relief.

I'm with you on the "better out than in" school of thought aswell, lots of other cultures don't have the same fear of vomiting that we do for example and some actually drink substances which promote it as part of rituals. I suppose a similar thing happens here, but I suspect the drunken adolescents puking kebab on the main street of town at 2am aren't much concerned with spirituality or their health.

Culpeppers herbal is online here http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/66/113/frameset.html for anyone with an interest, I was lucky enough to have an old harcopy version to pore over when I was a kid but the online version is just as captivating.