Research Paper Part C

HRB 605

Maryland University of Integrative Health

Whitney Palacios

Reflections

I. Treatment Plans

A. Mr. Drake:

Mr. Drake’s treatment protocol is focused as on helping him manage his anxiety and supporting his health, with the hopes of alleviating his impotence problems. His herbal protocol is designed to be as convenient as possible. He is taking several capsules of powdered herbs for ease of use and to avoid some of the strong bitter tastes (i.e. valerian). The intention is to give him a treatment protocol that he can easily follow and incorporate into his life without too much additional effort, reducing the likelihood that he will prematurely stop treatment.

The passiflora incarnata is in infusion form and should be taken 3 times a day with his meals. I thought it was important to incorporate an infusion as it is additional water intake and often the ritual of taking tea is relaxing in and of itself. Mr. Drake will take a capsule of powdered valerian root thirty minutes before bed. This will help with the anxiety and may promote better sleep for him. Sufficient quality sleep is an integral part of any wellness routine.

Breakfast Infusion, passiflora incarnata 8 oz

1 capsule: 1000 mgarctostaphylos uva ursi

1 capsule: 1,000 mg of vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree)

Lunch Infusion, passiflora incarnata 8 oz

1 capsule: 1000 mgarctostaphylos uva ursi

1 capsule: 1,000 mg of vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree)

Dinner Infusion, passiflora incarnata 8 oz

1 capsule: 1000 mgarctostaphylos uva ursi

1 capsule: 1,000 mg of vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree)

Before Bed 1 capsule: valeriana officinalis 500 mg

B. Julia:

For Julia, primary consideration was focused on best delivery mechanism for the herb for maximum efficacy, however the protocol has to be one that Julia will follow. She will only be following this protocol while PMS symptoms are present. She can make

her infusions in bulk to drink later in the day or brew a new batch with each meal, depending on her preference.

Julia will brew an infusion of passiflora incarnata passionflower and matricaria recutita chamomile (equal parts), three times a day. While ganoderma lucidum reishi is best used in decoctions, it may not be feasible to expect Julia to have time to decoct the reishi or the inclination to drink 6 cups of tea a day. As such, Julia will take 3 ml of the tincture of the reishi powder three times a day. Julia will take a capsule with each infusion (three times a day). She will take a formula of vitex agnus-castus chaste (1000 mg) and dong quai/ angelica sinensis capsule (500 mg). Finally, 30 minutes before bed, Julia will take a capsule of valeriana officinalis valerian root, 500 mg.

Breakfast Infusion of passiflora incarnata and matricaria recutita (1 tbsp each per cup of water)

3 ml tincture of reishi powder

1 capsule of: 1000 mg vitex agnus-castus chaste tree,, 500 mg dong quai/ angelica sinensis

Lunch Infusion of passiflora incarnata and matricaria recutita (1 tbsp each per cup of water)

3 ml tincture of reishi powder

1 capsule of: 1000 mg vitex agnus-castus chaste tree, 500 mg dong quai/ angelica sinensis

Dinner Infusion of passiflora incarnata and matricaria recutita (1 tbsp each per cup of water)

3 ml tincture of reishi powder

1 capsule of: 1000 mg vitex agnus-castus chaste tree,, 500 mg dong quai/ angelica sinensis

Before Bed 1 capsule: valeriana officinalis 500 mg

II. Personal experience with formulations: I have tried each of these formulations and will speak to what I can below. Regrettably, I

have not developed a sense of the energetics and fear that I may be missing out on a huge part of the herbal experience. Also, in the base of Julia, at least, I personally would have used an essential for her some of her symptoms, however that wasn’t really in the scope of this course.

Infusions: I have used infusions of passiflora incarnata and matricaria recutita individually, as well as together (see photo to the right). I find them to be pleasant for leisurely cup of tea. They are also quite

effective on those evenings when I have needed additional help quieting my mind. I have not experienced any negative or unintended reactions but would not recommend the combination prior to operating a motor vehicle as they do put me into a state of relaxation, which inevitably leads to sleep.

Capsules: I often use encapsulated herbal powders in cases where the herb is unpleasant to taste. While I believe that it is important to experience all of the tastes, including bitter, not all clients will do this. This is one of the areas where I feel I may have more experience than some of my peers. I had previous training in Herbal Retail Management and Natural Products Manufacturing with a different institution so I have experience making capsules for myself and others. My education was more tailored to followed GMP guidelines than the synergy of the blend. I tend to approach treatments in a scientific fashion, and sometimes miss the harmony that we should be looking for. To put it another way, I am often better at creating a product than treating a patient. This is an area for future focus for growth.

I’ve attached photos to illustrate my process for creating the capsules. The first step is always the herbal formulation. After it is all measured I grind into a powder.

This is my capsule machine. (“The Capsule Machine”). The capsules are “00” sized, meaning they are designed to hold approximately 1140 mg of herbal material. For a 1500 mg supplement, a “000” capsule is needed.

This is how I scrape the powdered herbal material into the empty capsules.

On the right side of the photo you can see the pressed and sealed capsules in the white container.

Tinctures: Tinctures are a fast and efficient way to intake herbal material. I avoid them as much as possible because I strongly dislike the taste of the alcohol. I would have preferred to use a decoction to extract the desired constituents from the reishi, however many clients will not have the time or desire to make decoctions on a daily basis. I have also used Reishi powder in herbal balls (peanut butter, chocolate, etc), however I learned that the nutrients are not absorbed properly unless they are extracted from the powder, making that method of administration basically useless. For this reason only, I went with the tincture.

III. Knowledge gained

I did not realize there was such an existing contradiction for indicated usage and safety for some of the herbs. I also found that many of the therapeutic actions are sufficiently vague to be useless, i.e. emmenagogue.

I also learned that all reference material is not created equally. I own various herbal textbooks and books for personal use and found that some of them are better suited for research than others. Some of the books are arranged by bodily system or illness type, making research on a particular herb burdensome.

IV. Recommendations for changes that I would make:I recommended chaste tree for Mr. Drake to assist with his impotence. I would likely

change that to Roseroot. I recommended chaste tree based on our lesson on Male and Female Health, where we learned that chaste tree is used for infertility and impotence. After all of the research I have read, I believe that adding an adaptogen, such as roseroot, may be a better choice for Mr. Drake.

V. Conclusion

This assignment was far more detailed than I originally thought. The research on the herbs was not just focused on summarizing research or writing a new monograph, it was tailored to a specific case. This added a layer of complexity to the analysis since much of the research was contradictory or did not meet stringent standards for research reliability. In many cases it was my interpretation of the traditional knowledge and wisdom that informed my decisions.

After examining researching and reviewing my herbal selections, I believe that the selections could have helped support wellness for each client. I am not certain that my selections for Mr. Drake could have helped with his impotence, however I do believe his anxiety and sleep issues could be improved. I suppose this assignment is much like real world practice; constantly evolving.

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