
Johnson County Herb Society Minutes, June 16, 2007 Twelve members and the speaker attended this meeting. Pat Kreiner introduced the guest speaker, Marissa Oppel of Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth (BRIT). BRIT is downtown near the Bass Performance Hall. They have one million plant specimens dried and mounted, a botanical library including old books and herbals, a herbarium, education programs, a continuing education program and distance learning through Connect to Texas in the school districts. Tours of BRIT can be arranged if schedule 24 hours ahead. The website is http://www.brit.org. There is Atrium, an online digital version of the herbarium. BRIT has published several books, including Flora of North Central Texas and Flora of East Texas. These are lists and descriptions of all plants that grow in the regions. They also publish the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute and have a research program. Marissa’s talk included the following facts: There are 250,000 species of plants in the world. Every plant contains phytochemicals. One North Texas plant is the chili pequin, or bird pepper. The capsaicin in the pepper tricks our receptors into thinking they’re burning. Birds have no receptors and love to eat the peppers. Capsaicin on the skin finally depletes your receptors so they can’t transmit pain anymore. Therefore capsaicin is good for joint pain, etc. Eating capsaicin is a stimulant and gets your blood flowing. Eating peppers is a good treatment for gastric ulcers because it kills the H. pylori bacteria. It is being investigated for allergic rhinitis and weight loss. Another North Texas plant, Castor Bean, is highly poisonous. It contains ricin. Long term use of castor oil leads to dependency. An audience member related that castor oil was once used in motor oil of planes. The planes spit out oil onto the pilots, acting as a laxative. "It’s hard to fight a war when you gotta go," he said. The May Apple was used by the Indians as a cancer treatment. The two lignins kill cancer cells in humans but cause bad side effects. It is used to make a cancer drug and is used to treat herpes. Dandelion was once listed in the US Pharmacopoeia as a drug. It is still listed in Chinese medicine. It treats disorders due to malnutrition, congestive heart failure (as a diuretic), liver, gallbladder and kidney problems. It contains inulin, which helps control blood sugar. It is also used to increase immune function, reduce oxidation of lipids (helps atherosclerosis), helps bile flow disturbances, and is an antitumor agent. The Chaste Tree’s dried fruit extract was once used by monks to reduce sexual desire. Actually it lowers prolactin, and can be used to treat PMS, cycle irregularities.E xtract of Vitex is equivalent to Prozac in treating severe PMS. It also treats prostrate cancer. An extract is used in insect repellent. Prickly Pear is on the Mexican flag. The story is that an eagle landed on the nopal plant and showed explorers where to found Mexico City. Medicinal uses include diabetes (regulates blood sugar), lowers triglycerides and bad cholesterol. To cook prickly pear, remove the thorns either by scraping or burning off the spines. (Use tongs to handle.) The fruits, or tunias, are naturally sweet and can be used for jelly and candy. The leaves can be fried with onions and eggs. To cook the fruit, boil and strain with a coffee filter. During drought, cowboys used to burn off the spines with blowtorches so the cattle could eat the prickly pears. Do not eat prickly pears raw. Either boil them for about 15 minutes or fry them. They are available already cooked in the grocery stores. For a quick salad, mix boiled prickly pear with tomatoes and onions and oil. Evening Primrose has edible seeds which can be cooked in muffins. It is also used for PMS and menopause, as an anti-tumor agent, is cardioprotective, reduces blood clotting. Look up the James Duke weight loss muffins. Google his name to find the green pharmacy database he developed for the FDA. There are three kinds of Echinacea here, all with different constituents and levels of activity. E. purpurea has melanin, an immune stimulant. However, commercial tincture contains almost none of this. Elderberry is a cathartic. Use with caution. The Kaufman Group does systematic reviews of herbal medicines. Submitted by Micki Nellis, JCHS Secretary

Johnson County Herb Society Minutes, June 16, 2007

Twelve members and the speaker attended this meeting.

Pat Kreiner introduced the guest speaker, Marissa Oppel of Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth (BRIT). BRIT is downtown near the Bass Performance Hall. They have one million plant specimens dried and mounted, a botanical library including old books and herbals, a herbarium, education programs, a continuing education program and distance learning through Connect to Texas in the school districts. Tours of BRIT can be arranged if schedule 24 hours ahead. The website is http://www.brit.org. There is Atrium, an online digital version of the herbarium.

BRIT has published several books, including Flora of North Central Texas and Flora of East Texas. These are lists and descriptions of all plants that grow in the regions. They also publish the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute and have a research program.

Marissa’s talk included the following facts:
There are 250,000 species of plants in the world. Every plant contains phytochemicals.

One North Texas plant is the chili pequin, or bird pepper. The capsaicin in the pepper tricks our receptors into thinking they’re burning. Birds have no receptors and love to eat the peppers. Capsaicin on the skin finally depletes your receptors so they can’t transmit pain anymore. Therefore capsaicin is good for joint pain, etc.

Eating capsaicin is a stimulant and gets your blood flowing. Eating peppers is a good treatment for gastric ulcers because it kills the H. pylori bacteria. It is being investigated for allergic rhinitis and weight loss.

Another North Texas plant, Castor Bean, is highly poisonous. It contains ricin. Long term use of castor oil leads to dependency. An audience member related that castor oil was once used in motor oil of planes. The planes spit out oil onto the pilots, acting as a laxative. "It’s hard to fight a war when you gotta go," he said.

The May Apple was used by the Indians as a cancer treatment. The two lignins kill cancer cells in humans but cause bad side effects. It is used to make a cancer drug and is used to treat herpes.

Dandelion was once listed in the US Pharmacopoeia as a drug. It is still listed in Chinese medicine. It treats disorders due to malnutrition, congestive heart failure (as a diuretic), liver, gallbladder and kidney problems. It contains inulin, which helps control blood sugar. It is also used to increase immune function, reduce oxidation of lipids (helps atherosclerosis), helps bile flow disturbances, and is an antitumor agent.

The Chaste Tree’s dried fruit extract was once used by monks to reduce sexual desire. Actually it lowers prolactin, and can be used to treat PMS, cycle irregularities.E xtract of Vitex is equivalent to Prozac in treating severe PMS. It also treats prostrate cancer. An extract is used in insect repellent.

Prickly Pear is on the Mexican flag. The story is that an eagle landed on the nopal plant and showed explorers where to found Mexico City. Medicinal uses include diabetes (regulates blood sugar), lowers triglycerides and bad cholesterol.

To cook prickly pear, remove the thorns either by scraping or burning off the spines. (Use tongs to handle.) The fruits, or tunias, are naturally sweet and can be used for jelly and candy. The leaves can be fried with onions and eggs. To cook the fruit, boil and strain with a coffee filter.

During drought, cowboys used to burn off the spines with blowtorches so the cattle could eat the prickly pears.

Do not eat prickly pears raw. Either boil them for about 15 minutes or fry them. They are available already cooked in the grocery stores. For a quick salad, mix boiled prickly pear with tomatoes and onions and oil.

Evening Primrose has edible seeds which can be cooked in muffins. It is also used for PMS and menopause, as an anti-tumor agent, is cardioprotective, reduces blood clotting. Look up the James Duke weight loss muffins. Google his name to find the green pharmacy database he developed for the FDA.

There are three kinds of Echinacea here, all with different constituents and levels of activity. E. purpurea has melanin, an immune stimulant. However, commercial tincture contains almost none of this.

Elderberry is a cathartic. Use with caution.

The Kaufman Group does systematic reviews of herbal medicines.

Submitted by Micki Nellis, JCHS Secretary