Antiandrogenic – Materia Medica

“Saw Palmetto”

Botanical Name: Serenoa repens, S serrulata

Common name: Saw Palmetto, Cabbage Palm

Family: Palmae

Parts Used: Fruit

Active Constituents:

Carbohydrates
Fixed oils
Steroids
Flavonoids
Resin
Tannins
Volatile oil (Barnes et al 2002)

Qualities: Dry, warm

Actions:

Anti-inflammatory
Anti-prostatic
Anti-androgenic
Male tonic
Diuretic
5-alpha-reductase inhibitor – decrease conversion of testosterone to DHT
Prolactin inhibitor
Improves overall tone of reproductive system (Purcell)

Indications:

Mild to moderate BPH
PCOS – due to anti-androgenic action
Reduce ovarian enlargement with chronic irritation – with dull, aching pain – can act as a ‘sedative’ for the ovaries
Inflammation of the genitourinary tract esp cystitis, atrophy of sexual tissues
Aphrodisiac
Sex hormone deficiency
Stubborn acne conditions – due to influence on the liver
Non infectious prostatitis (Bone, 2003) (4-6 weeks for result)
Traditionally used for undeveloped mammary glands, irritative cough, whooping cough, laryngitis, acute catarrh, asthma, nervous system tonic

Contraindications:

Thomsen & Gennat (2009) recommend contraindicated in pregnancy & children under 12 due to hormonal effects

Bone suggests that this is not so.

Cautions: Minor GI complaints such as nausea – usually resolved when the herb is taken with meals

Dosage: 2.9-4.5ml of 1:2LE per day or 15-30ml per week

“Licorice”

Licorice has been used medicinally since at least 500 BC and still features in official pharmacopoeia as a ‘drug’ for stomach ulcers.

Originating in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, this herb has been cultivated in Europe since the 16th Century.

Botanical Name: Glycyrrhiza glabra

Common name: Licorice

Family: Leguminosae

Parts Used: Root and Stolon – Harvest in Autumn

Active Constituents:

Triterpenoid saponins (glycyrrhizin)
Flavonoids
Amines
Polysaccharides
Coumarins
Resin
Volatile oils (Blumenthal et al 2000 p235)

Qualities:

Very sweet, neutral & moist (Ody)

“… it has the property of quenching thirst if one holds it in the mouth…” – Theophrastus of Lesbos, 310 BC

Actions:

Anti inflammatory
Mucoprotective
Demulcent
Antiulcer (peptic)
Adrenal tonic
Expectorant
Antitussive
Mild laxative
Anti cariogenic
Anti androgenic

Indications:

Gastric & duodenal ulcers, gord
PCOS, infertility, muscle cramps, dysmennorrhea
Adrenal insufficiency & withdrawal from corticosteroids
Inflammatory conditions – RA, urinary tract inflammation
Upper respiratory catarrh
Cough, bronchitis
Addison’s disease
Fatigue
Topical – eczema melasma (increased melanin), mouth ulcers, herpetic lesions

Contraindications:

• Cholestatic liver disorders or liver cirrhosis
• Hypertension
• Hypokalaemia
• Severe kidney insufficiency (Commission E)

Cautions:

Px on high glycyrrhizin preps for long periods should be placed on high K low Na diet and monitor BP & weight due to risk of hypodalemia
Care with elderly, those with hypertension, cardiac, renal or hepatic disease

Can be TOO STIMULATING for some fatigued patients.

Dosage:

1:1FE 2-6ml per day or 14-40ml per week
Extracts with quantified levels of Glycyrrhizin not less than 30mg/ml

Combinations:

With white peony for PCOS, dysmenorrhea, infertility

POINTS OF NOTE:

Trophoestorative to the adrenal cortex is indicated in adrenal exhaustion and to aid withdrawal from corticosteroids
A relaxing expectorant and spasmolytic, it is traditionally used in bronchitis, coughs and asthma
An anti inflammatory and demulcent, it is useful with gastritis and ulceration of the digestive tract
Contraindicated in hypertension, anaemia, oedema and hypokalaemia
Also a mild laxative
The glycyrrhizin (a triterpenoid glycoside) provides the sweet taste

OTHER USES:

DECOCTION: Prescribed to reduce stomach acidity in ulceration
SYRUP: Take syrup of decoction as soothing expectorant for asthma & bronchitis

References & Links to Articles:

Ody, Penelope (1998). The Herb Society’s Complete Medicinal Herbal. Milan: Dorling Kindersley