how does one investigate if a herbal preparation is suitable as an antimalarial drug?
356927
there are currently 3 major types of malaria in the world. to protect yourself against this serious desease, consult with a qualified medical practioner. This is no joke. Malaria can kill you, destroy your liver and weaken your heart. Your Doctor can tell you what is best to take based on the region of the world you plan to visit.The malaria in that region is specific to that country. Do not forget about Hep A/B vacines and Cholera as well as Diptheria. You also need to get TB shots and Typhoid as well as an updated  Tetnas shot. If you plan on visiting or working in a third world country, do not play around with your health. I worked around the world in some very isolated areas. You do not want to get sick outside of the western world. By the way, there are no known herbal antimalarial compounds and anyone selling you one is a fraud.
607347
This is for your parasitology class, right.\nBasically, resistance to elimination by the plasmodium falciparum parasite is due to giving insufficient doses to the patient, thus helping the parasite build up a resistance to the chloroquine.\n\nThis is something to worry about with any parasite using any anti-parasitic.  \n\nAny person administering anti-parasitics to a patient must calculate the dosage correctly to avoid resistance to treatment.\n\nCorrect weight/%/dose calculation will guarantee the parasite will be erradicated successfully.\n\nInterestingly, we have the same problem with cockroaches in our dwelling places, what?
685526
Please have a look at my references.\nBe aware that 'homeopaths' are not allowed to diagnose nor prescribe, i.e. they are unqualified.\nConsider this when you hear advice about homeopathic remedies and potions.
306413
No, there isn't.\n\nAll other responses are bullsh1t.  But feel free to waste your money buying some crappy herbs which do nothing.
407221
Go to HERBDOC.COM. This site will teach you how to cure any and all diseases using herbs. It is never too late and it will save you time and expense in the long run, without the aid of Doctors who will tell you a bunch of lies.
399090
Is this a question?  It sounds more like a statement and you are correct.  Many herbalists and traditional healers say they use "science", but it really isn't.  \n\nHerbology and homeopaths have their own belief structure... but it is anything but science.  Science has shown that many of their unfounded beliefs are patently ridiculous.\n\nFor the other posters:  Here's why herbalism is wrong.\n1.  You are not just getting one active ingregient.  Herbs have hundreds of ingredients.  How do you know that some of them might not be harmful?\n2.  You might not be getting just that herb.  When a company buys it's herbs from farmers, there is no way to test to make sure that weeds and other foreign vegetation weren't accidently (or purposely) included.\n3.  What was the original theory for why certain herbs worked?  Most herbs have not been scientifically tested.  Instead, centuries ago, many herbs were chosen as "beneficial" because of how they appeared.  Asparagus is a long straight stalk... therefore, it was thought to be good against impotence.  Yeah, that's scientific.  \n4.  You cannot measure out the active ingredient.  Prescription drugs are tightly controlled for the amount of active ingredient each pill contains.  You can't do that with herbs.  Any stoner can tell you that one plant of marijuana might have more THC than another.  You cannot tell how much of an active ingredient it would have.  \n5.  Many herbs have been shown to NOT be beneficial.  Yes, there are some studies that show herbs like St. John's Wort to be beneficial.  How many studies actually show other herbs to be beneficial?  Very, very few.\n6.  Side effects and drug interactions have not been identified.  Prescription drugs are carefully tested to find out their side effects and their drug interactions.  Yet, sometimes we here in the news that a drug might have problems that weren't known.  This being the case, why would a herb be any better?  Because they'd be used for centuries?  Just because something has been done for a long time doesn't mean that it's the smart thing to do.\n7.  Information about herbs is frequently wrong.  Echineacea was shown to increase white blood cells.  Herbalists immediately jumped on a "echineacea is good for the immune system" platform.  However, the WBCs were malformed.  Later testing revealed that long term use actually lowered a person's WBC's count below normal.  Further testing revealed that the malformed WBCs initially formed did not help fight off viruses or bacteria.  What does this mean?  It meant that echineacea is actually BAD for you!  Yet, herbalists continue to tout it's supposed beneficial effects!
717122
there is very little documentation on contraindications, side effects, etc for natural medicine stuff like this because they arent widely used and few studies have been done. i looked up in my school's natural medicine bc id never even heard of "papaya enzyme" before and i couldnt even find such a product listed anywhere. if you use it do so with caution, especially if you are on many other prescription drugs.
160086
not used as herbal med that i know of nor can find in any of my natural medicines books or software \ni've been doing herbal meds for about 15 years and never heard of it as a med
707554
I have found great success with herbal supplements and they are cheaper than prescription meds. But you should talk to your doctor about free samples, they usually have some on hand, even if it is for only a portion it would help. Good Luck!
185102
You need to admistrate the drug to the patients. You need to have a control group, which will have a sugar pill and the experimental group which will have the actual pill. Depending on drug and conditions, you need to use a single-blind or a double-blind technique to do the research. Then examine the patients look for the side effects, long term problems that the drug is causing vs the gain of the drug, process of healing, relative speed of healing process and so on. But it is not as easy as it sounds in the real life and it costs millions of dollars to do that kind of experiments with drugs. You also need FDA approval for the experiment of calculating the risk-benefit ratio.
946822
I personally wouldn't use anything that your doctor doesn't okay.  Herbs/supplements aren't FDA regulated, and most probably aren't tested especially on breastfeeding women.
271493
I'm not sure I understand your question.  Are you looking for the native plants which are the source of synthesized pharmaceuticals?  Are you looking for natural remedies, as opposed to pharmaceuticals?\n\nMaybe you want to know if certain plants are effective as medication?  Or perhaps you want to know where to get tinctures or other natural plant remedies.
1082878
Here is two that might help.  I sorry if they don't come across like they should. i used the copy and paste method.\nhttp:// www.health.ivillage.com/holostic/hherbal/        iVillage\nhttp:// www.ncnm.edu                                     National collage of naturepathic medicine
606767
yes, and its a great alternative to todays medicines.\ngo to an herb store and ask about it. there willing to help in anyway. good luck
66629
This is an interesting question. You cannot "treat" HIV with natural products but you can use alternative medicine to complement traditional treatment. I've done a lot of work with HIV patients and this approach seemed to provide the best outcome. In my practice, we use a lot of accupuncture, nutritional intervention, bio-feedback and counseling in addition to modern medicine. Our patients do very well. As for when to start the drugs, that's still a debate. You need to sit down with your health care provider to discuss this (prefably with an HIV specialist). Let me know if you have any more questions...Priscilla
337616
in most cases yes. i'm an herbalist and you can contact me direct for info about herbs and treatments with them. my info is free. widowmaker54@yahoo.com
329457
Before taking any herbs, you really need to see your doctor for a proper diagnosis, and to make sure an herb or medication is right for you.