Can Chronic, Recurrent Inflammations be helped with Homeopathic Teucrium

Teucrium scorodonia, an herb also known as Wood Sage, has been used less than it deserves in homeopathic medicine for chronic and recurrent inflammations especially in the lower abdomen.

The homeopathic literature recommends it, among other uses,  to thin individuals who have bronchitis, nasal or rectal polyps, or in oversensitive children who have been treated with “too much medication”.

Rudolf Steiner, of whose importance and deep wisdom the readers of these blog entries know of well, gives a much deeper picture. His insights have opened a new field of applications of low potency Teucrium of the scorodonia variety.

Let us first give a brief summary of Rudolf Steiner’s views of this herb.

According to him Teucrium scorodonia works on problems of the metabolism, especially of the lower parts of the abdomen, the pelvic region and the reproductive organs, like the uterus, and the prostate, and similar.  When the astral body (the soul) is too deeply involved, too “nervous” and “irritable” in its activity in those areas it leads to chronic infections and inflammations.  Rudolf Steiner specifically mentions that Teucrium scorodonia heals by pushing this astral body back into the head area and thus ultimately alleviates the symptoms in the lower organism and gives a feeling of additional clarity in the head.

When discussing a female patient R. Steiner mentions that the effect of this plant should be so refreshing on the head that one has feeling as though one would walk through a forest and smell the fresh scent of moss (Interestingly the traditional use of potentized Teucrium is for anosmia-lack of smell). The explanation given is that Teucrium scorodonia reconstitutes the plastic, formative forces in the region of the pelvic area in women as well as in men (and thus frees the astral body from its too strong connection there).

Here are some of the indications that Rudolf Steiner gives to the doctors for treating various patients that he was consulted on:

  • Recurrent urinary tract infections with fever
  • Edema of the legs accompanied by generalized fatigue and anxiety
  • Chronic prostatitis
  • Uterine problems, etc.

We can certainly see from the above examples how vital it is to use this remedy in all types of inflammations of the gastro-intestinal/genital/urinary system especially when accompanied with an emotional component (and that happens increasingly frequent these days!).  The generally given indication of “bronchitis” are nevertheless a valuable expansion of the idea that Teucrium scorodonia might help in reestablishing a proper balance between the astral body and the etheric body in inflammatory conditions.

Rudolf Steiner uses low potencies in the range of D3 (3X) to D6 (6X).

You can find a very high quality Teucrium scorodonia 6X (same notation as D6) at True Botanica.

We are including a graph below that shows our so called “Kolisko Validation”.

We expose the wheat seeds to the potency of the Teucrium. If the potency would not be any more active than water there should be no difference in the growth to control (water). But there is! We are happy to be able to demonstrate the quality of an anthroposophic remedy.

Ross Rentea MD

Vitamin D and Light Ether!

Summary:

  • This is a personal and not so personal account;
  • You need minimum 50 ng/ml by laboratory test;
  • We recommend the True Botanica co. Vitamin D Plus

In the course of a general checkup I recently did a blood test on myself. I was more than surprised to find that my Vitamin D 25OH level was only 13.7 ng/ml(!) – with the laboratory range for normal values at 30.0-96.0 ng/ml.

It is probably well known to most how important an abundant supply of vitamin D is. There is essentially no function in the body that is not positively affected by this vitamin (mood improvement, sugar control, bone health, immune support, and more .

Aside from the overwhelming conventional scientific studies this is not surprising also from a spiritual scientific viewpoint since vitamin D is the physical representation of the Light Ether, one of the crucial four ethers of our life body. No wonder that one of the main sources of vitamin D is the effect of sun light on our physiology.

In my case I thought that I had adequate amount of exposure to sun light. I thought that my nutrition contained enough of the vitamin rich foods. And yet still my body demanded more.

How much more of a problem this must be for people who choose to not expose themselves to sun light; who choose to not eat certain foods or do not have the means to do so; or whose life conditions forces them to be physically more in the dark than they would like to be or even whose life’s stresses cause a “darkness” in their soul-ultimately affecting the body.

True Botanica’s Vitamin D Plus ™ supplementation might help!

It contains not only the preferred cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), 2000 IU/serving, , but also the ingredient dioscorea batatas, a plant root of which Rudolf Steiner explained that it is the only plant that can store Light Ether in its root. Additionally, we have also included in the formula a number of essential trace minerals and Bioperine, a black pepper extract, both of which significantly enhance absorption!

This supplement has helped a lot of our patients (and especially a large number of those who saw no increase in their vitamin D blood level even after taking vitamin D from other commercial suppliers.)

I hope it will help me too.

Incidentally, I insist with my patients, and I recommend to the readers of this email the same, that the minimum laboratory level be 50ng/ml not the accepted 30ng/ml. This level needs to be explained in another place. Occasionally patients will come in with levels that are considerably above the normal range. That is not necessarily advantageous or safe either. The guidance of a doctor is important.

Our colleague Dr. Mark Kamsler, pediatrician in faraway Wisconsin, tells us that he is using the same approx. range for children as for adults (in his case he prefers 50-70 ng/ml. Incidentally, apparently in Wisconsin a considerably large children’s population has levels of 20ng/ml or lower.)

Get yourself tested. Take the supplement if you need to. Let us know how it is working for you?!

You can see more info here

In best health yours,

Ross Rentea MD

The Miracle of Tocotrienols

Tocotrienols are a portion of the Vitamin E complex.

They are amazingly beneficial!

When given in sufficient amounts, here are what studies found they can do for us:

Benefits of Tocotrienols :

1.  Reduce atherogenic plaques and plaque ruptures;
2.  Reduce carotid artery stenosis in 4 year human study;
3.  Reduce triglycerides and LDL (potent HMG reductase inhibitor);
4.  Suppress melanoma, prostate, breast, pancreatic cancer cells;
5.  Highly anti-inflammatory;
6.  Important in Eye and nervous system health;
7.  Highly anti-oxidant.

Best source of tocotrienols are the annatto fruits.

Suggested daily dose: 200-250mg

Attention!

1.  Most vitamin E in commerce is synthetic and excludes or minimizes the “good tocotrienols” in favor of the so called tocopherols (“bad vitamin E”);
2.  92% of all Americans do not even get enough of the minimum recommended daily amounts of total vitamin E, let alone enough of the “good tocotrienols.”
3.  Many of the popularized studies are manipulated to show detriments to vitamin E intake in the form of supplements. An example would be retrospective analyses excluding studies where no deaths occurred?!
4.  Tocopherols:
a. block absorption of tocotrienols;
b. block cholesterol reduction;
c. lessen cancer inhibition;

There are multiple sources of tocotreinols. However, we recommend the two True Botanica products:

Breast Protect Plus™

Prostate Complex™

The composition of these formulas is not only containing the mentioned essential tocotreinols but has other ingredients specifically targeting men’s and women’s concerns.

Hawthorn Plus

We want to recommend the new Hawthorn Plus™ from the True Botanica company – now in an easy to swallow capsule format.

Hawthorn benefits:

  • Supports the heart, invigorates the cardiovascular system (an often overlooked cause of fatigue)!
  • Supports a healthy liver;
  • Lessens overall anxiety.

The special features of this formula are:

  • It contains organic Hawthorn berries;
  • It contains the Hawthorn root and the native salts and ashes of the root.
    Including the native salts and ashes of the root into the final product is one of the cardinal enhancements that distinguish the True Botanica formulas. The salts and ashes of the root not only make the preparation truly “full spectrum,” but, according to an indication of Rudolf Steiner, also enhances the spiritual/energetic Sun quality of the preparation.
    Clearly, especially when we are talking about the heart, the “sunny” quality is a much desired quality.
  • More than any other preparation the formulas made from berries and seeds benefit the heart and circulation. This is emphasized by Rudolf Steiner.

Find more information on the True Botanica website www.truebotanica.com

New Algae Product from True Botanica

A new algae product from True Botanica!

This is a significant formula called Algae Plus that we recommend. It contains Spirulina, Astaxanthin and Phycocyanin!

It also contains the only organic Spirulina to be certified by the the US Pharmacopeia.

Please visit the store tab at www.truebotanica.com for a more complete description of the benefits.

Here is just a sample of benefits:

  • For learning challenged children;
  • General low vitality;
  • Detox;
  • Eye, brain, cardio protective;
  • Stem cell growth promotion;
  • Strong antioxidant – 500 times stronger than Vitamin E
  • Accelerates recovery from exercise;
  • Curbs hunger;
  • Kidney health;

#1 of “5 Foods that can add years to your life”
(Ranked by AARP Magazine Sept/Oct 2006 issue)

Berberine and Ageing

Several recent studies seem to suggest that berberine slows down the ageing process. Of course the quality of the formula the individual person is using is  crucial in achieving the same results as those indicated in the studies. We generally recommend formulas that have the berberine ashes together with the main ingredient.

Below are excerpts from one such study.

The authors describe in the abstract to their work that:

Berberine (BRB), a natural alkaloid, has a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and old Chinese medicine. Recently, available as a dietary supplement, Berberine is reported to have application in treatment of variety diseases. The authors tested whether Berberine can affect premature, stress-induced cellular ageing.  All the markers of senescence were distinctly diminished, in a concentration-dependent manner, by Berberine. In view of the evidence that BRB localizes in mitochondria, inhibits respiratory electron chain and activates AMPK, the observed attenuation of the replication stress-induced cellular senescence most likely is mediated by AMPK that leads to inhibition of mTOR signaling.  The present findings reveal that: (a) in cells induced to senescence BRB exhibits gero-suppressive properties by means of mTOR/S6 inhibition; (b) in parallel, BRB reduces the level of constitutive DNA damage response, previously shown to report oxidative DNA damage by endogenous ROS; (c) there appears to a causal linkage between the (a) and (b) activities; (d) the in vitro model of premature stress-induced senescence can be used to assess effectiveness of potential gero-suppressive agents targeting mTOR/S6 and ROS signaling; (e) since most of the reported beneficial effects of BRB are in age-relate diseases, it is likely that gero-suppression is the primary activity of this traditional medicine. Zhao et al, Berberine suppresses gero-conversion from cell cycle arrest to senescence, Aging, Volume 5, Issue 8, 2013, Pages 623-636

Berberine and Heart Failure

An interesting article showing the connection between berberine and congestive heart failure. Note the importance of a good quality supplement in order to achieve relevant blood levels. Here is a portion of the abstract from the study:

It has been reported that berberine is valuable for long-term treatment of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) and leads to a decrease in mortality for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). In order to improve its therapeutic value and reduce its side effects, it is necessary to study the relationship between its activity and plasma concentration in patients with CHF. Patients with CHF were treated with conventional therapy for 2 weeks. Immediately after the data from a dynamic electrocardiogram (DCG) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were obtained, 1.2 g/day of oral berberine was given. After 2 weeks of berberine therapy, the DCG data and LVEF were reassessed and the plasma berberine concentration was measured by HPLC. Plasma samples were pretreated by extraction with chloroform. The decrease in frequency and complexity of VPBs and the increase in LVEF in patients with plasma berberine concentrations higher than 0.11 mg/L (n = 31, group B) were more significant than at concentrations lower than 0.11 mg/L (p < 0.01 vs p < 0.05).

Xiangji et al, Relationship between the clinical effects of berberine on severe congestive heart failure and its concentration in plasma studied by HPLC, Biomed. Chromatogr. 13: 442–444 (1999)

 

Berberine and Diabetes

Berberine is the most studied natural substance showing positive effects on sugar control. Here is an abstract summary from a recent study showing a beneficial effect of berberine in diabetes both as far as the glucose and the blood fats are concerned:

Berberine, a natural  plant  alkaloid,  is usually used as an antibiotic drug. The potential glucose-lowering effect of berberine was noted when it was used for diarrhea in diabetic patients. In vitro and in vivo studies have then showed its effects on hyperglycemia  and dyslipidemia. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of berberine  in the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients with  dyslipidemia. Design: One hundred  sixteen patients with  type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia  were randomly  al- located to receive berberine (1.0 g daily) and the placebo for 3 months. The primary outcomes were changes in plasma glucose and serum lipid concentrations. Glucose disposal rate (GDR) was mea- sured using a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp to assess insulin sensitivity. Results: In the berberine group, fasting and postload plasma glucose decreased from 7.0 ± 0.8 to 5.6 ± 0.9 and from 12.0 ± 2.7 to 8.9 ± 2.8 mM/liter, HbA1c from 7.5 ± 1.0% to 6.6 ± 0.7%, triglyceride from 2.51 ± 2.04 to 1.61 ± 1.10 mM/liter, total cholesterol from 5.31 ± 0.98 to 4.35 ± 0.96 mM/liter, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol from 3.23 ± 0.81 to 2.55 ± 0.77 mM/liter, with  all param- eters differing from placebo significantly (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.001, P < 0.0001, and P <0.0001, respectively). The glucose disposal rate was increased after berberine  treatment (P = 0.037), although no significant change was found between berberine and placebo groups (P = 0.063). Mild to moderate  constipation was observed in five participants in the berberine  group. Conclusions: Berberine is effective and safe in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia.

(Yifei et al, Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia with the Natural Plant Alkaloid Berberine,  J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93: 2559 –2565, 2008)