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| and especially the spleen. I have found it to be a specific for increasing platelet counts that may have dropped as a result of cytotoxic drug use. It is also good for enlarged spleen, liver, and/or lymph nodes, as well as excessive bleeding. |
| Red root will work well with echinacea, baptisia, licorice, thuja, usnea, propolis, and poke for sore throats, inflamed tonsils, and many respiratory tract infections. |
| Red root raises the activity of T-cells and is a good herb to include in a compound to treat low-grade infections such as Epstein-Barr virus. Red root also improves digestion and assimilation, especially when loose stools occur. In Chinese medicine, red root would be classified as a true spleen remedy. |
| My own personal constitutional tonic always contains red root. It is particularly helpful for those who have had their tonsils taken out at a young age. |
| Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) |
| Wild geranium is a powerful astringent, and is used specifically with the cancers that cause excessive bleeding. I have used geranium for this purpose many times and have been very impressed by its ability to assuage this serious problem that plagues so many cancer patients. I usually combine geranium with others herbs such as yarrow or red root, and if I feel the mucous membranes need soothing, I add comfrey. |
| Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) |
| Horse chestnut is traditionally used for diseases of the venom system, including varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, bruises, painful leg cramps that occur at night, brain trauma, edema of the ankles, postoperative edema, and the fluid accumulation caused by cancer. It reduces capillary permeability by acting on the connective tissue barrier between blood vessels and tissue. By increasing the capacity of the inner walls m accept moisture, it enhances the ability of tissues to drain. Horse chestnut, because of its ability to inhibit both increased vascular permeability and collagenase activity, may also act as an angiogenesis inhibitor. |
| The two most active principals found in horse chestnut are aesculin, a coumarin derivative, and aescin, a saponin. It also contains many more constituents, and its medicinal effects are due to the synergy of all these constituents rather than to any single one. |
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