Female inmates take yoga classes

Female inmates take yoga classes

 

August 19, 2011

OUR STAFF REPORTER

 

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/19-Aug-2011/Female-inmates-take-yoga-classes

 

KARACHI (Reuters) - Behind the high walls and gates of the only prison for women in Pakistans commercial hub, inmates such as Sadaf escape from prison every day - even if its only in her mind.
Small and thin, with friendly eyes set in a weathered face, Sadaf has been an inmate since 1998 after being convicted of kidnapping. But she says shes much calmer and hopeful thanks to an innovative yoga program for the prisons inhabitants.
Though my surroundings havent changed, my life has and I have yoga to be thankful for, she said in an interview with Reuters in the prison courtyard.
Sadaf, along with other inmates, has been taking yoga classes from volunteer instructor Aisha Chapra for almost a year and a half as a way to cope with the rough life of prison.
Prisons have a reputation as brutal holding pens, but wardens and jail administrators praise the program for calming the inmates and preparing them for eventual release. I have seen a great change in the girls since they started doing yoga, said Sheeba Shah, a police official and administrator of the prison. They have become less stressful and you can see a more positive attitude. Yoga helped Chapra heal personally, too, when she felt lost and trapped by life.
Chapra used to be a social worker in Torontos rougher neighbourhoods, where she witnessed gang violence and drug abuse. But following the dissolution of her marriage, she returned to Pakistan in June 2009.
Looking for something to occupy herself, she turned to the ancient art of yoga. Yoga helped me survive and provided me a lot of relief, she said. And because yoga was my way of healing, I figured I should help others learn to heal themselves, especially those who cannot afford to do so.
So in October 2009, she offered to teach yoga to the inmates in Karachi, who have since responded enthusiastically.
Yoga has given me peace of mind, it takes away all my tension, said Yasmeen Arif, who has been in jail for the past three years for kidnapping. Since we started yoga, with time, I have learned to channel my frustration and anger toward being more calm. Chapra also raises funds for the inmates so she can buy them small comforts. She started small, buying them yoga mats. Then she raised funds for items such as soap, shampoo and feminine products. I teach yoga at another location and the money I get from teaching, I divert the funds for what the inmates might need, said Chapra. Chapras students say the program is vital to their present - and future - prospects.
I have become a yoga addict now, said Sadaf, who says she is 24, but looks a decade older, told Reuters. She said she would be released next month and would continue practicing yoga.
I know now when I step outside, I have been enabled with the tools required to cope with everyday life, said Sadaf.

Historical Quotes On Islam

http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Quotations_on_Islam_from_Notable_Non-Muslims

Quotations on Islam from Notable Non-Muslims

Historical Quotes On Islam

In Roughly Chronological Order

http://home.comcast.net/~vincep312/islam.html

Patriarch Cyrus of Alexandria, while negotiating the surrender of Alexandria to the Muslims, 640 AD:

"I am afraid that God has sent these men to lay waste the world".

Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica, 1354:

"For these impious people, hated by God and infamous, boast of having got the better of the Romans by their love of God…they live by the bow, the sword and debauchery, finding pleasure in taking slaves, devoting themselves to murder, pillage, spoil…and not only do they commit these crimes, but even — what an aberration — they believe that God approves of them. This is what I think of them, now that I know precisely about their way of life.".

John Wesley (1703-91) who wrote,

"Ever since the religion of Islam appeared in the world, the espousers of it...have been as wolves and tigers to all other nations, rending and tearing all that fell into their merciless paws, and grinding them with their iron teeth; that numberless cities are raised from the foundation, and only their name remaining; that many countries, which were once as the garden of God, are now a desolate wilderness; and that so many once numerous and powerful nations are vanished from the earth! Such was, and is at this day, the rage, the fury, the revenge, of these destroyers of human kind".

William Eaton, US Consul to Tunis, wrote in 1799:

"Considered as a nation, they are deplorably wretched, because they have no property in the soil to inspire an ambition to cultivate it. They are abject slaves to the despotism of their government, and they are humiliated by tyranny, the worst of all tyrannies, the despotism of priestcraft. They live in more solemn fear of the frowns of a bigot who has been dead and rotten above a thousand years, than of the living despot whose frown would cost them their lives…The ignorance, superstitious tradition and civil and religious tyranny, which depress the human mind here, exclude improvement of every kind…"

Alexis de Tocqueville:

"I studied the Kuran a great deal ... I came away from that study with the conviction that by and large there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammed. As far as I can see, it is the principal cause of the decadence so visible today in the Muslim world, and, though less absurd than the polytheism of old, its social and political tendencies are in my opinion infinitely more to be feared, and I therefore regard it as a form of decadence rather than a form of progress in relation to paganism itself."

John Quincy Adams wrote:

In the seventh century of the Christian era, a wandering Arab of the lineage of Hagar [i.e., Muhammad], the Egyptian, combining the powers of transcendent genius, with the preternatural energy of a fanatic, and the fraudulent spirit of an impostor, proclaimed himself as a messenger from Heaven, and spread desolation and delusion over an extensive portion of the earth. Adopting from the sublime conception of the Mosaic law, the doctrine of one omnipotent God; he connected indissolubly with it, the audacious falsehood, that he was himself his prophet and apostle. Adopting from the new Revelation of Jesus, the faith and hope of immortal life, and of future retribution, he humbled it to the dust by adapting all the rewards and sanctions of his religion to the gratification of the sexual passion. He poisoned the sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of the female sex, and the allowance of polygamy; and he declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind. THE ESSENCE OF HIS DOCTRINE WAS VIOLENCE AND LUST: TO EXALT THE BRUTAL OVER THE SPIRITUAL PART OF HUMAN NATURE (Adams's capital letters)… Between these two religions, thus contrasted in their characters, a war of twelve hundred years has already raged. The war is yet flagrant… While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace upon earth, and goodwill towards men."

John Quincy Adams who wrote in 1829:

"The precept of the Koran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that Mahomet is the prophet of God. The vanquished may purchase their lives, by the payment of tribute; the victorious may be appeased by a false and delusive promise of peace; and the faithful follower of the prophet, may submit to the imperious necessities of defeat: but the command to propagate the Moslem creed by the sword is always obligatory, when it can be made effective. The commands of the prophet may be performed alike, by fraud, or by force".

Winston Churchill, wrote in 1899:

“The religion of Islam above all others was founded upon the sword … Moreover it provides incentives to slaughter, and in three continents has produced fighting breeds of men – filled with a wild and merciless fanaticism”.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote:

“The Greeks who triumphed at Marathon and Salamis did a work without which the world would have been deprived of the social value of Plato and Aristotle, of Aeschylus, Herodotus, and Thucydides. The civilization of Europe, America, and Australia exists today at all only because of the victories of civilized man over the enemies of civilization, because the victories stretching through the centuries from the days of Miltiades and Themistocles to those of Charles Martel in the eighth century and those of John Sobieski in the seventeenth century.”

“During the thousand years that included the careers of the Frankish soldier and the Polish king, the Christians of Asia and Africa proved unable to wage successful war with the Moslem conquerors; and in consequence Christianity practically vanished from the two continents; and today nobody can find in them any "social values" whatever, in the sense in which we use the words, so far as the sphere of Mohammedan influence. There are such "social values" today in Europe, America, and Australia only because during those thousand years the Christians of Europe possessed the warlike power to do what the Christians of Asia and Africa had failed to do - that is, to beat back the Moslem invader.”

Winston Churchill:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen; all know how to die; but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."

G.K. Chesterton:

There is in Islam a paradox which is perhaps a permanent menace. The great creed born in the desert creates a kind of ecstasy of the very emptiness of its own land, and even, one may say, out of the emptiness of its own theology. . . . A void is made in the heart of Islam which has to be filled up again and again by a mere repetition of the revolution that founded it. There are no sacraments; the only thing that can happen is a sort of apocalypse, as unique as the end of the world; so the apocalypse can only be repeated and the world end again and again. There are no priests; and yet this equality can only breed a multitude if lawless prophets almost as numerous as priests. The very dogma that there is only one Mahomet produces an endless procession of Mahomets.

Winston Churchill 14 June 1921:

‘The Wahabis profess a life of exceeding austerity, and what they practice themselves they rigorously enforce on others. They hold it as an article of duty, as well as of faith, to kill all who do not share their opinions and to make slaves of their wives and children. Women have been put to death in Wahabi villages for simply appearing in the streets. It is a penal offense to wear a silk garment. Men have been killed for smoking a cigarette, and as for alcohol, the most energetic supporter of the temperance cause in this country falls far behind them. Austere, intolerant, well armed, and bloodthirsty, in their own regions the Wahabis are a distinct factor which must be taken into account, and they have been, and still are, very dangerous to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and to the whole institution of the pilgrimage, in which our Indian fellow-subjects are so deeply concerned….The Emir Bin Saud has shown himself capable of leading and, within considerable limits, of controlling these formidable sectaries.'

Andre Servier, 1922 wrote:

“Islam was not a torch, as has been claimed, but an extinguisher. Conceived in a barbarous brain for the use of a barbarous people, it was - and it remains - incapable of adapting itself to civilization. Wherever it has dominated, it has broken the impulse towards progress and checked the evolution of society.”

Hilaire Belloc who wrote in 1938:

"Will not perhaps the temporal power of Islam return and with it the menace of an armed Mohammedan world, which will shake off the domination of Europeans -- still nominally Christian -- and reappear as the prime enemy of our civilization? The future always comes as a surprise, but political wisdom consists in attempting at least some partial judgment of what that surprise may be. And for my part I cannot but believe that a main unexpected thing of the future is the return of Islam".

Bishop Fulton J Sheen who wrote in 1950:

"Today (1950), the hatred of the Moslem countries against the West is becoming hatred against Christianity itself. Although the statesmen have not yet taken it into account, there is still grave danger that the temporal power of Islam may return and, with it, the menace that it may shake off a West which has ceased to be Christian, and affirm itself as a great anti-Christian world Power".

Vernon Richards wrote:

"The true Islamic concept of peace goes something like this: "Peace comes through submission to Muhammad and his concept of Allah" (i.e. Islam). As such the Islamic concept of peace, meaning making the whole world Muslim, is actually a mandate for war. It was inevitable and unavoidable that the conflict would eventually reach our borders, and so it has."

David Selbourne – The Losing Battle with Islam:

"Of course, there are distinguished precedents even for the bleakest and coarsest of these judgements. To Montesquieu in 1748, Islam’s ‘destructive spirit’ spoke ‘only by the sword’; to Schopenhauer in 1819, the Koran was a ‘wretched book’ in which he had ‘not been able to discover one single idea of value’; to De Tocqueville in 1843, Islam was ‘deadly’, ‘to be feared’ and a ‘form of decadence’"

Lord Tebbit wrote:

"The Muslim religion is so unreformed since it was created that nowhere in the Muslim world has there been any real advance in science, or art or literature, or technology in the last 500 years"

And how about this quote from Ayatollah Khomeini from 1942:

“Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males, provided they are not disabled and incapacitated, to prepare themselves for the conquest of [other] countries so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world. But those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world…. Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those [who say this] are witless. Islam says Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! Does this mean that Muslims should sit back until they are devoured by [the unbelievers] Islam says Kill them [the non-Muslims], put them to the sword and scatter [their armies]. Does this mean sitting back until [non-Muslims] overcome us Islam says Kill in the service of Allah those who may want to kill you! Does this mean that we should surrender to the enemy Islam says Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for Holy Warriors! There are hundreds of other [Koranic] verses and Hadiths [sayings of the Prophet] urging Muslims to value war and to fight. Does all that mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.”

In defense of the UK, Winston Churchill 1941:

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period - I am addressing myself to the School - surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_herbs_with_known_adverse_effects

List of herbs with known adverse effects

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This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

This is a partial list of herbs and herbal treatments with known or suspected adverse effects, either alone or in interaction with other herbs or drugs. Non-inclusion of an herb in this list does not imply that it is free of adverse effects. In general, the safety and effectiveness of alternative medicines have not been scientifically proven^[1] and remain largely unknown.^[2] Beyond adverse effects from the herb itself, "adulteration, inappropriateformulation, or lack of understanding of plant and drug interactions have led to adverse reactions that are sometimes life threatening or lethal."^[3]
Most of the adverse effects stated in this list are associated with only a small percentage of cases; they should be understood as potential risks rather than as certainties.

Contents

• 1 Herbs, treatments, and constituents with known or suspected adverse effects
• 2 Herbs with adverse drug interactions
• 3 Herbal plants associated with allergic reactions
• 4 See also
• 5 References

Herbs, treatments, and constituents with known or suspected adverse effects[edit]

Name	Other common names	Scientific name	Adverse effects
Aconite	monkshood, wolfsbane, aconitum[4]	Aconitum spp.	Heart palpitations and arrhythmias, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, respiratory system paralysis, death[4][5]
Aloe vera juice	medicinal aloe	Aloe vera	"abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic, with others can potentiate cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic agents"[3]
Anthroid laxatives			"abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic, with others can potentiate cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic agents"[3]
Areca nut	Betel nut	Areca catechu	"deterioration of psychosis in patients with preexisting psychiatric disorders";[5] known carcinogen contributing to cancer of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus and stomach when chewed.[6]
Aristolochic acid (contained in herbs in the genusAristolochia e.g. Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot), Aristolochia reticulata (Texas snakeroot) and in Chinese herbs such as Aristolochia fangchi andAristolochia mandshurensis (banned in China and withdrawn from Chinese Pharmacopoea 2005; Stephania tetrandra and Magnolia officinalis do not contain aristolochic acid).			Kidney toxicity[5] associated with kidney failure; associated with development of cancer, particularly of the urinary tract, known carcinogen[7][8]
Atractylate		Atractylis gummifera	Liver damage,[3] nausea, vomiting, epigastric and abdominal pain, diarrhoea, anxiety, headache and convulsions, often followed by coma[9]
Ayurvedic remedies			Heavy metal poisoning[5]
Bitter orange			'Fainting, arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke, death'[4]
Broom	Broom Flower, Dyers Broom, Dyer's Greenwood, Dyer's Weed, Dyer's Whin, Furze, Green Broom, Greenweed, Wood Waxen[10]	Genista tinctoria[10]	Uterotonic properties,[5] nausea vomiting, and diarrhea,[10] contraindicated for pregnancy and breast feeding[10]
Buckthorn bark and berry		Rhamnus frangula	"abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic, with others can potentiate cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic agents"[3]
Cascara Sagrada bark		Rhamnus purshiana	"abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic, with others can potentiate cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic agents"[3]
Chaparral	creosote bush, gobernadora, larreastat[4]	Larrea tridentata, Larrea divaricata[4]	Liver damage,[3][4][5] kidney problems,[4] Hypotension in cancer patients[3]
Chinese herbal mixtures			Heavy metal poisoning[5]
Coltsfoot	coughwort, farfarae folium leaf, foalswort[4]	Tussilago farfara	Liver damage, cancer[4]
Comfrey	comphrey, blackwort, common comfrey, slippery root[4]		Liver damage,[4][5] cancer[4]
Country mallow	heartleaf, silky white mallow	Sida cordifolia	"Heart attack, heart arrhythmia, stroke, death"[4]
Dan Shen	Red sage, Chinese sage, tan shen	Salvia miltiorrhiza	Potentiates warfarin activity, leading to excessive anticoagulation and bleeding[3][11]
European Mistletoe		Viscum album	Toxic to cardio and central nervous systems, gastrointestinal bleeding[3]
Ephedra	ma huang	Ephedra sinica	Agitation and palpitations,[3] "hypertension, irregular heart rate, insomnia, nervousness,tremors and seizures, paranoid psychoses, heart attacks, strokes, and death",[1][12] kidney stones[12]
Flavonoids (contained in many medicinal plants)[5]	Vitamin P, citrin	Flavonoids, bioflavonoids	Hemolytic anemia, kidney damage[5]
Germander		Teucrium	Liver damage[3][5]
Ginger			May alter bleeding time[13]
Ginkgo biloba			Bleeding[12][13]
American Ginseng	American Ginseng, Canadian Ginseng, Ginseng, Ginseng Root, North American Ginseng, Occidental Ginseng, Ontario Ginseng, Panax quinquefolium, Panax quinquefolius, Red Berry, Ren Shen, Sang, Shang, Shi Yang Seng, Wisconsin Ginseng[14]	Panax quinquefolius	"Hypertensive and chronotropic activities, may increase digoxin levels",[3] diarrhea, itching, insomnia, headaches, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, hypertension or hypotension, breast tenderness, vaginal bleeding. Very rarely Stevens–Johnson syndrome, liver damage, severe allergy has been reported[14] May lower blood sugar excessivley in combination with diabetes medication.[14] Contains a chemical linked to possible birth defects.[14] May worsen hormone sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids.[14] Insomnia.[14]
Goldenseal	Orange-root, Orangeroot,	Hydrastis canadensis	Uterotonic[3]
Greater celandine	celandine	Chelidonium majus	Liver damage[4]
Guarana		Paullinia cupana	Agitation and insomnia[3]
Guar gum	guaran		Obstruction of gastrointestinal tract[5]
Gugulipid	Guggal, Guggul, Mukul myrrh tree	Commiphora mukul	"Headache, nausea, hiccups, diminished efficacy of other cardiovascular drugs including diltiazem and proranolol"[3]
Hawthorn	Common hawthorn, may, mayblossom, maythorn, quickthorn, whitethorn, motherdie, haw	Crataegus monogyna	"Potentiates digitalis activity, increases coronary dilation effects of theophylline, caffeine, papaverine, sodium nitrate, adenosine and epinephrine, increase barbituate induced sleeping times"[3]
Horse chestnut	Conker	Aesculus hippocastanum	Liver toxicity, allergic reaction, anaphylaxis[3]
Kava	awa, kava-kava[4]	Piper methysticum	Potentates CNS sedatives,[3] "sedation, oral and lingual dyskinesia, torticollis, oculogyric crisis, exacerbation of Parkinson's disease, painful twisting movements of the trunk, rash",[12] liver toxicity[4][13]
Khat		Catha edulis	Chronic liver dysfunction[3]
Liquorice root		Glycyrrhiza glabra	Hypokalemia, hypertension, arrhythmias, edema[5]
Lobelia	asthma weed, pukeweed, vomit wort	Lobelia Inflata	Toxicity, rapid heartbeat, hypotension, coma, death[4]
Milk thistle		Silybum marianum	Mild laxative, allergy[5]
Pennyroyal		Mentha pulegium	Liver damage[3][5]
Peony	Bai Shao, Chi Shao, Chinese Peony, Common Peony, Coral Peony, Cortex Moutan, European Peony, Jiu Chao Bai Shao, Moutan, Mu Dan PI, Peony Flower, Peony Root, Piney, Radix Peony, Red Peony, Shakuyaku, Shao Yao, Tree Peony, Ud Saleeb, Udsalam, Udsalap, White Peony[15]	Radix Paeoniae, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Paeonia, Paeonia alba, Paeonia lactiflora, Paeonia mascula; Paeonia obovata; Paeonia officinalis; Paeonia suffruticosa, Paeonia veitchii, Paeoniae Flos, Paeoniae Radix[15]	May slow clotting; contraindicated for people with bleeding disorders and before and after surgery. May induce uterine contractions; contraindicated when pregnant or nursing.[15]
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (contained in comfrey, borage, senecio, coltsfoot, and others)			Liver damage[5]
Reserpine		Rauvolfia serpentina	"Sedation, inability to complete tasks, mental depression, nasal congestion, increased gastric secretion and mild diarrhea"[3]
Safrole		Sassafras albidum	Liver damage[3]
Saw palmetto		Serenoa repens	"rare and mild gastrointestinal upset, headaches, diarrhea, gynecomastia, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, ventricular rupture and death in one patient"[3]
Senna		Senna alexandrina (Cassia senna)	"abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic, with others can potentiate cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic agents",[3] liver damage[3]
St John's wort	Tipton's weed, Klamath weed	Hypericum perforatum	Photosensitization,[3][12] GI disturbances, "allergic reactions, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, dry mouth"[12]
Valerian	garden valerian, garden heliotrope, all-heal	Valeriana officinalis	"drowsiness, GI upset, headache, palpitations, insomnia",[3] oversedation, overstimulation[13]
Vasambu	sweet flag	Acorus calamus	Vomiting and nausea[16]
Yohimbe	yohimbine	Corynanthe yohimbe	rapid heart rate, hypertension, hypotension, heart problems, death[4]

Herbs with adverse drug interactions[edit]

Name	Other common names	Scientific name	Drug	Adverse effects
Cinchona bark		Cinchona pubescens	Warfarin	Possibly addictive[3]
Devil's Claw	grapple plant, wood spider	Harpagophytum	Warfarin	Addictive effects[3]
Ephedra			Caffeine, decongestants, stimulants[12]
Feverfew		Tanacetum parthenium	Aspirin	Addictive effects[3]
Garlic		Allium sativum	Warfarin	Addictive effects[3]
Ginger		Zingiber officinale	Warfarin	Addictive effect, causes iris bleeding[3]
Ginkgo biloba			Aspirin, warfarin, ticlopidine, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, garlic, vitamin E[12]	With aspirin - retards aspirin absorption[3]
Ginseng		Panax ginseng	Warfarin[12]
Papayaextract		Carica papaya	Warfarin	Damage to GI tract mucous membranes, Possibly addictive, purpura[3]
Kava			Sedatives, sleeping pills, antipsychotics, alcohol[12]
Pineappleenzyme		Ananas comosus	Bromelain	"Diarrhea, increased tendency for bleeding if used simultaneously with anticoagulants and inhibitors of thrombocytic aggregation due to modulation of the arachidonate cascade"[3]
Psylliumseed		Plantago spp	Coumarin derivates	Retards absorption of drug[3]
St John's wort	Tipton's weed, Klamath weed	Hypericum perforatum	Antidepressants,[12][13] warfarin, protease inhibitors for HIV, birth control, some asthma drugs, and many other medications[13]

Herbal plants associated with allergic reactions[edit]

Agnus Castus[5] Angelica[5] Aniseed[5] Apricot[5] Arnica[5] Artichoke[5] Asafoetida[5] Boneset[5] Cassia[5] Celery[5] Cinnamon[5] Cowslip[5]

Dandelion[5] Elecampane[5] Euphorbia[5] Feverfew[5] Fucus[5] Gravel root[5] Guaiacum[5] Holy Thistle[5] Hops[5] Hydrangea[5] Hydrocotyle[5] Juniper[5]

Lady's Slipper[5] Meadowsweet[5] Milk Thistle[3] Motherwort[5] Parsley[5] Pilewort[5] Plantain[5] Pulsatilla[5] Rosemary[5] Royal jelly[5] Tansy[5] Wild carrot[5]

Yarrow[5]

See also[edit]

• Alternative medicine
• Chinese classic herbal formula
• Herbalism
• Kampo herb list
• Medicinal mushrooms
• Medicinal plants of the American West
• List of branches of alternative medicine
• List of culinary herbs and spices
• List of plants used in herbalism

Gymnema Sylvestre - Rare Herb of Patalkot: India

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/gymnema.shtml

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnema_sylvestre‎

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2170951/

By Dr Deepak Acharya, Garima Sancheti, Dr Anshu Shrivastava, Dr Sanjay Pawar - 2006-10-21

Chhindwara district lies between latitude 21 Deg 23' and 22 Deg 49' north and longitude 78 Deg 10' and 79 Deg 24' east. Mostly, the dense forest covers most of the area of the district. Patalkot is a lovely landscape located at a depth of 1200-1500 feet in a valley near Tamia in the north of the district.

* * *

Introduction:

Chhindwara district lies between latitude 21 Deg 23' and 22 Deg 49' north and longitude 78 Deg 10' and 79 Deg 24' east. Mostly, the dense forest covers most of the area of the district.

Patalkot is a lovely landscape located at a depth of 1200-1500 feet in a valley near Tamia in the north of the district. Because of the great depth at which it is located, this place is christened as 'Patalkot' (Patal means very deep, in Sanskrit). Patalkot is spread over an area of 79 Sq.Km. at an average height of 2750-3250 feet above Mean Sea Level. It is a treasure of forest and herbal wealth.

There are 12 villages and 13 hamlets in this valley, with a total population of nearly 2000. Because of the inaccessibility of this area, the tribals of this region were totally cut off from the civilized world. Most of the people in Patalkot belong to 'Bharia' and 'Gond' tribes. This valley is situated on the Satpura plateau in the southern central part of the Madhya Pradesh.

During the survey which carried out from 1997 to 2004, Dr Acharya explored the area of Patalkot valley that included- Gaildubbha, Karayam Rathed, Ghatlinga, Gudichhathri, Karrapani, Tamia Bharia Dhana, Bijauri, Pandu Piparia, Sajkui, Lahgadua, karrapani, Sidhouli.

All the co-authors of this article were involved in gathering information from various resources like, Internet, University libraries and oral information by traditional healers of their respective regions.

Why we select this plant?

Plants have been source of medicine for the ancient time. Thousands of books and articles have been written so far. Several thousands medicinal plants are discussed and used to cure various health disorders in India and abroad also. In India, almost 45000 plant species are growing naturally or being cultivated. There are so many popular Indian herbs used in traditional practices to cure diabetes. Gymnema sylvestre is having an important place in such antidiabetic medicinal herbs. It has shown experimental or clinical anti-diabetic activity (ENVISBSI, 2004) and it boosts your insulin level (Gent et al., 1999).

During the early 1990's, this marvelous herb was found in abundance in Patalkot valley. It's a climber and it could not survive well after the deforestation and cutting down of the big trees.

Nowadays, this herb is becoming rare in this valley. It evokes us to write an article and make it an issue so that, conservationist, botanist and NGO's come forward to rescue and save this plant in the valley.

Plant Profile:

Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) Schultes in Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. 6: 57. 1820; Wight, Ic. 2 (1): 3. t. 349. 1840; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 4: 29. 1883; Duthie, Fl. Upper Gang. Pl. 2: 53. 1911; Jagtap & Singh in Fl. India Fasc. 24: 89. 1999. Periploca sylvestris Retz. Obs. Bot. 2: 15. 1781.

Synonyms: Periploca sylvestris Willd., Gymnema melicida Edgew.

Family: Asclepiadaceae

English Name: Suger destroyer, Periploca of the the woods.

Sanskrit names: Ajaballi, Ajagandini, Ajashringi, Bahalchakshu, Chakshurabahala, Grihadruma, Karnika, Kshinavartta, Madhunasini, Medhasingi, Meshashringi, Meshavishanika, Netaushadhi, Putrashringi, Sarpadanshtrika, Tiktadughdha, Vishani.

Local Names in India:

Hindi- Gur-mar, merasingi; Bengali- Mera-singi; Marathi- Kavali, kalikardori, vakundi; Gujarati- Dhuleti, mardashingi; Telugu- Podapatri; Tamil- Adigam, cherukurinja; Kannada- Sannager-asehambu; Malyalam-Cakkarakkolli, Madhunashini.

Taxonomic Description:

Extensive, much-branched, twining shrubs. Leaves 3-6 x 2-3 cm, ovate or elliptic-oblong, apiculate, rounded at base, sub-coriaceous. Flowers minute, greenish-yellow, spirally arranged in lateral pedunculate or nearly sessile cymes. Corolla lobes imbricate. Follicles solitary, upto 8 x 0.7 cm, terete, lanceolate, straight or slightly curved, glabrous. Seeds ovate-oblong, glabrous, winged, brown. Flowering: August-March; Fruiting: Winter.

Habitat:

Grows wild in forest as a climber also found in the plains from the coast, in scrub jungles and in thickets; wild.

Distribution in India:

It is occurring in Bihar, Central India, Western Ghats, and Konkan.

Distribution in Patalkot:

Gaildubba, Harra-ka-Char, Kareyam, Raja khoh, Sajkui etc.

Medicinal Property:

The plant is stomachic, stimulant, laxative and diuretic. It is good in cough, biliousness and sore eyes. If the leaves of the plant are chewed, the sense of taste for sweet and bitter substances is suppressed (Gent, 1999, Persaud et al., 1999, Intelegen, 2004). The leaves are said to be used as a remedy for diabetes (Prakash et al., 1986; Shanmugasundaram et al., 1990; Grover et al., 2002; Gholap & Kar, 2003}. It has been included among the most important herbs for all doshas (Mhasker & Caius, 1930; Holistic, 2004). It has shown effective activity against Bacillus pumilis, B. subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (Satdive et al., 2003). Tribals in Chhindi rub the leaves on infected body parts to cure infections.

The leaf powder is tasteless with a faint pleasant aromatic odour. It stimulates the heart and the circulatory system, increases the secretion of urine, and activates the uterus. Tribals of Central India prepare decoctions of Methi/ fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Gudmar (Gymnema sylvestre), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Ajwan (Trachyspermum ammi), gokshura (Tribulus terrestris), vayu-vidanga (Embelia ribes), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Harra (Terminalia chebula), and chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica) to cure diabetes and stress related disorders.

Traditional healers from various states of India use this plant in various ailments. Leaf is given in gastric troubles in Rajasthan. Traditional healers of Maharastra prescribe it in urinary problems and stomachache whereas in Madhya Pradesh, tribals and local healers apply the leaf extract in cornea opacity and other eye diseases. In Andhra Pradesh it is used in glycosuria.

Gymnema in Vedas:

According to Charak Samhita, it removes bad odour from breast milk. It is aperitive. This plant is useful as purgative, in eye troubles. Leaf extract and flower is beneficial for eyes. Bark is given in the diseases caused by vitiated kapha (phlegm). According the Bagbhat, rootbark useful in piles. Ayurveda tells that it is acrid, alexipharmic, anodyne, anthelmintic, antipyretic, astringent, bitter, cardiotonic, digestive, diuretic, emetic,expectorant, laxative, stimulant, stomachic, uterine tonic; useful in amennorrhoea, asthma, bronchitis, cardiopathy, conjunctivitis, constipation, cough, dyspepsia, haemorroids, hepatosplenomegaly, inflammations, intermittant fever, jaundice and leucoderma. Root emetic and removes phlegm; external application is useful in insect bite (ENVISBSI, 2004).

Chemical Composition:

The leaves contain hentriacontane, pentatriacontane, a-and �-chlorophylls, phytin, resins, tartaric acid, formic acid, butyric acid, anthraqui-none derivatives, inositol, d -quercitol and "gymnemic acid". The leaves give positive tests for alkaloids. Flavonol glycosides, kaempferol and quercetin have been isolated from the aerial parts of the plant (Liu et al., 2004). Three new oleanane-type triterpene glycosides were isolated from the leaves of the plant. Six oleanane-type saponins (Ye et al., 2000, 2001). Few new tritepenoid saponins, gymnemasins A, B, C and D were also isolated from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre (Suttisri et al., 1995, Sahu et al., 1996).

Few important companies in Product Manufacturing:

Active Ingredients Group., Inc., China

Amitco International Botanical & Nutritional Division, USA

Camden-Grey Essential Oils, Miami, USA.

Christina's Body & Fitness, USA

Dabur, India

Himalaya Herbals, India

Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd. India

Philly Pharmacy, USA

S&D Chemicals (Canada) Ltd. Canada

(*Names arranged alphabetically)

Concluding Remarks:

It is the need of the hour to save this highly important medicinal plant of Patalkot valley. If proper initiatives would not be taken in time, there would not be single Gymnema plant in the valley. It is urged to the scientists, conservationists, researchers, NGO's and other bodies to come forward and take moves to protect this important herb. Local farmers should be encouraged to cultivate this herb. Government and policy makers are having lots of plans/ ideas but they find problems in proper implementations. It is the youth and people from literate world who should come forward to take this task in their hands.

Acknowledgement:

Author (DA) is grateful to Dr S A Brown, Principal, Danielson College, Chhinwara for kind counsel time to time. Thanks are due to Dr MK Rai, Head, Department of Biotechnology, Amaravati University, Amaravati for supporting and encouraging me all the way. Thanks are due to all the tribals of Patalkot valley for sharing their indigenous knowledge with us.

References:

ENVISBSI, 2004.

Gent JF, Hettinger TP, Frank ME, Marks LE. 1999. Taste confusions following gymnemic acid rinse. Chem Senses;24:393-403.

Gholap S, Kar A. Effects of Inula racemosa root and Gymnema sylvestre leaf extracts in the regulation of corticosteroid induced diabetes mellitus: involvement of thyroid hormones. Pharmazie 2003;58:413-5.

Grover JK, Yadav S, Vats V. 2002. Medicinal plants of India with anti-diabetic potential. J Ethnopharmacol. 81(1):81-100.

Persaud SJ, Al-Majed H, Raman A, Jones PM. 1999. Gymnema sylvestre stimulates insulin release in vitro by increased membrane permeability. 1999. J Endocrinol. 163(2):207-212.

Shanmugasundaram ER, Rajeswari G, Baskaran K, Rajesh Kumar BR, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Kizar Ahmath B. 1990. Use of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract in the control of blood glucose in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Ethnopharmacol. 30(3): 281-94.

Holistic, 2004. holisticonline.com/Remedies/Diabetes/diabetes_ayurveda.htm (viewed on 28/10/04)

Intelegen, 2004. intelegen.com/nutrients/gymnema_sylvestre_for_diabetes.htm (viewed on 28/10/04)

Satdive RK, Abhilash P, Fulzele DP. 2003. Antimicrobial activity of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract. Fitoterapia. 74(7-8): 699-701.

Liu X, Ye W, Yu B, Zhao S, Wu H, Che C. 2004. Two new flavonol glycosides from Gymnema sylvestre and Euphorbia ebracteolata. Carbohydr Res. 339 (4):891-895.

Mhasker KS, Caius JF. 1930. A study of Indian medicinal plants. II. Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. Indian J Med Res Memoirs. 16:2-75.

Prakash AO, Mather S, Mather R. 1986. Effect of feeding Gymnema sylvestre leaves on blood glucose in beryllium nitrate treated rats. J Ethnopharmacol 18:143-144.

Ye W, Liu X, Zhang Q, Che CT, Zhao S. 2001. Antisweet saponins from Gymnema sylvestre. J Nat Prod. 64(2): 232-235.

Ye WC, Zhang QW, Liu X, Che CT, Zhao SX. 2000. Oleanane saponins from Gymnema sylvestre. Phytochemistry. 53(8):893-899.

Sahu NP, Mahato SB, Sarkar SK, Poddar G. 1996. Triterpenoid saponins from Gymnema sylvestre. Phytochemistry. 41(4):1181-1185.

Suttisri R, Lee IS, Kinghorn AD. 1995. Plant-derived triterpenoid sweetness inhibitors. J Ethnopharmacol. 47(1):9-26.

About the Authors:

Dr Deepak Acharya: He is the Director of a herbal formulation company in Ahmedabad, India. He has been documenting ethnobotanical knowledge of tribals of Central and Western India. He has written 30 research papers in National and International journals of repute. He writes popular articles for web and magazines. Meet him on his homepage dracharya.tripod.com or contact via email on deep_acharya@rediffmail.com

Ms Garima Sancheti: She is a research scholar, working in the field of Radiation and Cancer Biology from Department of Zoology (University of Rajasthan, India). She has to her credit various research papers in scientific journals as well as articles on web. Contact her on garimasancheti@rediffmail.com

Dr Anshu Shrivastava: He is a Botanist and PhD from BSI- Jodhpur, currently working as Research Associate in SRISTI- Ahmedabad. He can be contacted on ansh24@gmail.com

Dr Sanjay Pawar: He is a botanist in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. Contact him on drpawar@rediffmail.com