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| ment of chronic bronchitis, it is better to take deglycyrrhizined licorice than to drink large quantities of strongly brewed tea. A daily cup of beverage-strength licorice root tea isn't likely to cause problems, but several cups per day could do so in sensitive people. In small doses and for occasional use, adverse side effects are unlikely. |
| Lobelia (Lobelia inflata). |
| In his School of Natural Healing Dr. John Christopher wrote, "Lobelia is an efficient relaxant and is believed to be the best counterirritant known to mankind. Its action is felt immediately on the serous, mucous, muscular and nervous systems, especially the sympathetic nervous system." The herb causes immediate relaxation and expansion of the contracted parts of the respiratory system, such as the bronchial tubes, esophagus, glottis and larynx, making it a specific for nearly every respiratory condition, especially asthma, emphysema and chest congestion. |
| In the early 18th century, lobelia was one of America's most widely used herbs, thanks to Samuel Thomson, a self-educated healer who founded his own school of medicine. Thomsonians, as his followers were called, used lobelia for every type of illness. Its effects were dramatic, for in the large doses they recommended, lobelia causes nausea and vomiting. In fact, one of its common names is pukeweed. |
| In Green Pharmacy, a fascinating history of the evolution of Western herbal medicine, Barbara Griggs described Thomson's therapy in detail. After vomiting, most patients felt better and their condition improved. Fevers, colics, quinsies, dysenteries and chest ailments were medicine's primary complaints then, and the Thomson treatment was outstandingly successful, especially in contrast to the bleeding and other practices of orthodox medicine. Thomson became so popular that the medical establishment of the day brought charges against him and did its best to discredit the man and his theories. A similar fate awaited Dr. Albert Coffin, another lobelia user, in England. More than once, Coffin and lobelia |
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