The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [159]
ABSORBABILITY OF HERBAL MEDICINES
Medicines, in order to be systemically effective, must be soluble in some absorbable menstruum, or dissolvable in a body fluid. Medicines are commonly considered most readily absorbed when in solution.
Some folks believe that alcoholic solutions (tinctures) are generally more easily taken up by the body than water solutions (teas); as an herbal vehicle, tinctures are definitely more preservative. For these reasons, alcohol menstrua might be considered preferable to water except for the possible complications inherent with alcohol use. It can cause inebriation and can be habit-forming to some individuals. However, usual therapeutic dosage is well below a harmful level even in the long-term use (see “Alcohol,” Chapter Six, for more details).
Water is harmless and readily absorbable, but has no preservative effect and can fail to dissolve and extract some desirable medicinal components (the latter is true for alcohol as well). When making an extract of dry plant material, a menstruum that combines alcohol and water is quite practical for tincturing. If a person is extremely alcohol-intolerant and doesn’t want to chance taking any alcohol at all, it is advisable to use tinctures prepared with glycerin or vinegar menstrua or use herbal teas.
The administration of hard and difficult-to-digest medicines should be avoided because of their slow and uncertain rate of disintegration and absorption and their consequent unreliability. Certain compressed tablets, and, often, encapsulated, powdered whole herbs may pass completely through the intestinal tract without effect. It is very difficult to determine the quality or authenticity of commercially powdered and capped herbal ingredients, for the powdered herb which is encapsulated in a gelatin capsule is generally never touched, smelled, or tasted by the consumer.
Systemic medicines can act only when absorbed by the blood or lymphatics, so it follows that conditions must be right to obtain the most efficient results. Medicines administered by mouth act most readily when the stomach is empty, and slowly (sometimes not at all) when diluted by the contents of the stomach. A full stomach may greatly reduce absorption. However, if nausea or stomach upset occurs while taking herbal medicines on an empty stomach, a small amount of food can be eaten.
Syrups, mucilages, and resins are useful where a prolonged contact with the tissues is intended, provided they do not lessen the efficiency of the medicinal ingredients. Syrups are valued chiefly for their agreeable taste and the fact that the sugar content has a preservative action, provided the sugar is present in a 2:1 w/v proportion. However, a sick patient’s stomach might rebel against a sweet or aromatized medicine.
Most medicines are best given at short intervals, and no matter what the stomach conditions the general American trend is in favor of administering herbal medicines in small and often-repeated doses (i.e., 10 to 30 drops of 1:5 w/v tincture, three to four times a day).
Medicines most likely act fastest when the circulation is active, and slowest when the circulation is depressed. When the stomach and/or the intestines are sluggish, medicines act more quickly when local stimulants such as Cayenne or Ginger are given with them. When diarrhea or vomiting occur during administration of medicines, certainly less is absorbed and a portion is lost through this