Medicinal Plants

These are notes from my research for Winter Queen. Enjoy!

Routes of administration

See also: Drying of herbs and spices

The exact composition of a herbal product is influenced by the method of extraction. A tisane will be rich in polar components because water is a polar solvent. Oil on the other hand is a non-polar solvent and it will absorb non-polar compounds. Alcohol lies somewhere in between. There are many forms in which herbs can be administered, these include:

• Tinctures - Alcoholic extracts of herbs such as echinacea extract. Usually obtained by combining 100% pure ethanol (or a mixture of 100% ethanol with water) with the herb. A completed tincture has a ethanol percentage of at least 40-60% (sometimes up to 90%). ^[67]
• Herbal wine and elixirs - These are alcoholic extract of herbs; usually with an ethanol percentage of 12-38% ^[67] Herbal wine is a maceration of herbs in wine, while an elixir is a maceration of herbs in spirits (e.g., vodka, grappa, etc.)
• Tisanes - Hot water extracts of herb, such as chamomile.
• Decoctions - Long-term boiled extract of usually roots or bark.
• Macerates - Cold infusion of plants with high mucilage-content as sage, thyme, etc. Plants are chopped and added to cold water. They are then left to stand for 7 to 12 hours (depending on herb used). For most macerates 10 hours is used.^[67]
• Vinegars - Prepared at the same way as tinctures, except using a solution of acetic acid as the solvent.
• Topicals:
• Essential oils - Application of essential oil extracts, usually diluted in a carrier oil (many essential oils can burn the skin or are simply too high dose used straight – diluting in olive oil or another food grade oil can allow these to be used safely as a topical).^[68]
• Salves, oils, balms, creams and lotions - Most topical applications are oil extractions of herbs. Taking a food grade oil and soaking herbs in it for anywhere from weeks to months allows certain phytochemicals to be extracted into the oil. This oil can then be made into salves, creams, lotions, or simply used as an oil for topical application. Any massage oils, antibacterial salves and wound healing compounds are made this way.
• Poultices and compresses - One can also make a poultice or compress using whole herb (or the appropriate part of the plant) usually crushed or dried and re-hydrated with a small amount of water and then applied directly in a bandage, cloth or just as is.
• Whole herb consumption - This can occur in either dried form (herbal powder), or fresh juice, (fresh leaves and other plant parts). Just as Hippocrates said "Let food be thy medicine", it has become clear that eating vegetables also easily fits within this category of getting health through consumables (besides medicinal herbs). All of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are phytochemicals that we are accessing through our diet. There are clearly some whole herbs consumed that are more powerful than others. Shiitake mushrooms boost the immune system and are also tasty so they are enjoyed in soups or other food preparations for the cold and flu season. Alfalfa is also considered a health food.^[69]. Garlic lowers cholesterol, improves blood flow, fights bacteria, viruses and yeast.
• Syrups - Extracts of herbs made with syrup or honey. Sixty five parts of sugar are mixed with 35 parts of water and herb. The whole is then boiled and macerated for three weeks.^[67]
• Extracts - Include liquid extracts, dry extracts and nebulisates. Liquid extracts are liquids with a lower ethanol percentage than tinctures. They can (and are usually) made by vacuum distilling tinctures. Dry extracts are extracts of plant material which are evaporated into a dry mass. They can then be further refined to a capsule or tablet. ^[67] A nebulisate is a dry extract created by freeze-drying.
• Inhalation as in aromatherapy can be used as a mood changing treatment^[70][71] to fight a sinus infection or cough ^{[72][citation needed]}, or to cleanse the skin on a deeper level (steam rather than direct inhalation here)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Examples of plants used as medicine

Main article: List of plants used as medicine

Few herbal remedies have conclusively demonstrated any positive effect on humans, mainly because of inadequate testing.^[73] Many of the studies cited refer to animal model investigations or in-vitro assays and therefore cannot provide more than weak supportive evidence.

• Aloe vera has traditionally been used for the healing of burns and wounds.^[74] A systematic review (from 1999) states that the efficacy of aloe vera in promoting wound healing is unclear, while a later review (from 2007) concludes that the cumulative evidence supports the use of aloe vera for the healing of first to second degree burns.^[75][76]
• Agaricus blazei mushrooms may prevent some types of cancer.^[77]
• Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) may reduce production cholesterol levels according to in vitro studies ^[78] and a small clinical study.^[79]
• Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) leaf has drawn the attention of the cosmetology community because it interferes with the metalloproteinases that contribute to skin wrinkling.^[80]
• Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) may have a role in preventing oral cancer.^[81][82][83]
• Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) has been used traditionally for abdominal cramps and constipation.^[84] In animal research an aqueous-ethanol extract of Calendula officinalis flowers was shown to have both spasmolytic and spasmogenic effects, thus providing a scientific rationale for this traditional use.^[85] There is "limited evidence" that calendula cream or ointment is effective in treating radiation dermatitis.^[86][87]
• Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) may be effective in treating urinary tract infections in women with recurrent symptoms.^[88]
• Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida, Echinacea purpurea) extracts may limit the length and severity of rhinovirus colds; however, the appropriate dosage levels, which might be higher than is available over-the-counter, require further research.^[89][90]
• Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) may speed the recovery from type A and B influenza.^[91] However it is possibly risky in the case of avian influenza because the immunostimulatory effects may aggravate the cytokine cascade.^[92]
• Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) is sometimes used to treat migraine headaches.^[93] Although many reviews of Feverfew studies show no or unclear efficacy, a more recent RTC showed favorable results^[94][95][96] Feverfew is not recommended for pregnant women as it may be dangerous to the fetus.^[97][98]
• Gawo (Faidherbia albida), a traditional herbal medicine in West Africa, has shown promise in animal tests ^[99]
• Garlic (Allium sativum) may lower total cholesterol levels^[100]
• German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) has demonstrated antispasmodic, anxiolytic, antiinflammatory and some antimutagenic and cholesterol-lowering effects in animal research.^[101] In vitro chamomile has demonstrated moderate antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and significant antiplatelet activity, as well as preliminary results against cancer.^[102][103] Essential oil of chamomile was shown to be a promising antiviral agent against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in vitro. ^[104]
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale), administered in 250 mg capsules for four days, effectively decreased nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in a human clinical trial.^[105][106]
• Green tea (Camelia sinensis) components may inhibit growth of breast cancer cells^[107] and may heal scars faster.^[108]
• Purified extracts of the seeds of Hibiscus sabdariffa Roselle may have some antihypertensive, antifungal and antibacterial effect. Toxicity tested low except for an isolated case of damage to the testes of a rat after prolonged and excessive consumption.^[109]
• Honey may reduce cholesterol.^[110] May be useful in wound healing.^[111]
• Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), administered daily as an aqueous extract of the fresh leaf, has lowered total cholesterol and fasting plasma glucose levels in rats, as well as increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Lemon grass administration had no effect on triglyceride levels. ^[112]
• Magnolia
• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) extracts have been recognized for many centuries as "liver tonics.".^[113] Research suggests that milk thistle extracts both prevent and repair damage to the liver from toxic chemicals and medications.^[114]
• Nigella sativa (Black cumin) coughing has demonstrated analgesic properties in mice. The mechanism for this effect, however, is unclear. In vitro studies support antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects.^{[115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126]} However few randomized double blind studies have been published.
• Ocimum gratissimum^[127][128] and tea tree oil can be used to treat acne.
• Oregano (Origanum vulgare) may be effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria.^[129]
• Pawpaw can be used as insecticide (killing lice, worms).^[130],^[131]
• Peppermint oil may have benefits for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.^[132][133]
• Phytolacca or Pokeweed is used as a homeopathic remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. It is used to treatment tonsilitis, swollen glands and weight loss.^{[citation needed]}
• Pomegranate contains the highest percentage of ellagitannins of any commonly consumed juice. Punicalagin, an ellagitannin unique to pomegranate, is the highest molecular weight polyphenol known.^[134] Ellagitannins are metabolized into urolithins by gut flora, and have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in mice.^[135][136]
• Rauvolfia Serpentina, high risk of toxicity if improperly used^{[citation needed]}, used extensively in India for sleeplessness, anxiety, and high blood pressure.^[137]
• Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) contains a number of phenolic compounds, including flavanols, flavones, flavanones, flavonols, and dihydrochalcones.^[138] Rooibos has traditionally been used for skin ailments, allergies, asthma and colic in infants.^[139] In an animal study with diabetic mice, aspalathin, a rooibos constituent improved glucose homeostasis by stimulating insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells and glucose uptake in muscle tissue.^[140]
• Rose hips – Small scale studies indicate that hips from Rosa canina may provide benefits in the treatment of osteoarthritis.^{[141][142][143]} Rose hips show anti COX activity.^[144]
• Salvia lavandulaefolia may improve memory^[145]
• Saw Palmetto can be used for BPH. Supported in some studies,^[146] failed to confirm in others.^[147]
• Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) are edible mushrooms that have been reported to have health benefits, including cancer-preventing properties.^[148] In laboratory research a shiitake extract has inhibited the growth of tumor cells through induction of apoptosis.^[149] Both a water extract and fresh juice of shiitake have demonstrated antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi in vitro.^[150][151]
• Soy and other plants that contain phytoestrogens (plant molecules with estrogen activity) (black cohosh probably has serotonin activity) have some benefits for treatment of symptoms resulting from menopause.^[152]
• St. John's wort, has yielded positive results, proving more effective than a placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate depression in some clinical trials^[153] A subsequent, large, controlled trial, however, found St. John's wort to be no better than a placebo in treating depression^[154] However, more recent trials have shown positive results^{[155][156][157]} or positive trends that failed significance.^[158] A 2004 meta-analysis concluded that the positive results can be explained by publication bias^[159] but later analyses have been more favorable.^[160][161] The Cochrane Database cautions that the data on St. John's wort for depression are conflicting and ambiguous.^[162]
• Stinging nettle In some clinical studies effective for enign prostatic hyperplasia^[163] and the pain associated with osteoarthritis.^[164] In-vitro tests show antiinflammatory action.^[165] In a rodent model, stinging nettle reduced LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. ^[166] In another rodent study it reduced platelet aggregation.^[167]
• Valerian root can be used to treat insomnia. Clinical studies show mixed results and researchers note that many trials are of poor quality.^{[168][169][170]}

{For Writers} Guest Post on Crafting Cover Copies by Mark Penny

In the indie world, I'm kinda known for writing good cover copies (back synopsis). A big part of that is trial and error and hundreds of trashed attempts. The other part is Mark Penny. I first met Mark while struggling to write a cover copy for Witch Fall, and he taught me so much about how to write good back matter, that I ended up rewriting most of the cover copies for my other books. 

This first post is the base knowledge you'll need before you start writing your own cover copies. I'm not ashamed (blatant lie) to admit that I have to have a dictionary on hand when conversing with Mark (he's a professor), but I promise it's worth the intellectual squinting. 

How to Write a Peephole, Part One: Function and Qualities

Imagine you’re looking for a house. You’re interested in a new subdivision—

all empty houses and none of them sold yet. You call the agent and she says to help yourself, just walk up to any house you like the front of, take a look through the peephole, note the address if you like the view, and call her for a tour. You pick a few homes you think look promising and you start your round. You walk up onto the porch of the first house and put your eye to the lens. The lens must be in backward, because you’ve got a clear fisheye view of a front room and three doorways leading off it. Through the doorways you can make out the color and quality of the furnishings and décor. When you finish the loop, you’ve got a short list of homes you want to explore and you dial up the agent again.

That’s pretty much what happens when you browse for a book. You look at the title, the cover art, maybe the author’s name. If that all looks okay, you flip the book over to read the back. If the author’s famous, an award-winner, or in good with someone whose opinion you might care about, there’ll be some blurbs about that. But the thing you’re really looking for is that fisheye view of the contents—the cover copy. The question is why? What are we looking for in that tight little peek on the back of the book? What is its function?

All but the weirdest or most incompetent narratives (by which I mean instances of storytelling, as opposed to the stories from which they are drawn) divide nicely into three Acts, four Stages, eight Sequences and nine Milestones. I know this because I’ve read some good books on the subject, developed a Unified Paradigm of Narrative, and tested the Paradigm on scores of stories of various lengths in various genres, including litfic. I’ve also hand-typed around four hundred samples of back cover copy onto my hard drive, so I know another fact: Good BCC (back cover copy) sticks to the Setup.

In my Paradigm, the first quarter of the narrative is Act I, Stage 1, Sequences 1 and 2, and the first three Milestones. Act I I call Country. That’s because it’s where we learn everything we want to know about the story and the people in it before we decide whether to hang around for the parties and cultural displays. Stage 1 I call Setup, because its job is to set up the rest of the narrative by introducing the world, the genre, the characters and the kinds of disruptions the protagonist might have to deal with. Sequence 1 I call Initial State, because this is where we see the protagonist living life as usual. Sequence 2 I call Imminence, because this is where we experience anticipation for a specific predicament. The Hook, which begins on page one, lures us into the narrative with stuff we find cool. It varies with genre and the narrative’s particular focus (think MICE quotient), but its job is the same no matter what. The Inciting Incident, which occurs halfway through the Setup, signals to the reader (and maybe to the protagonist) that the antagonistic force is about to pounce. At Plot Turn 1, which occurs at (or just after) the end of the Setup, it pounces and the story really begins.

All of that is what we want to get a glimpse of through the back cover copy.

In order to fulfill its function, back cover copy has four important qualities: honesty, accuracy, brevity and restraint.

Honesty. Tell the truth about your book. Don’t try to make it look good. Make it look like itself. If that’s not good enough, fix the book and try again.

Accuracy. Know what you’ve really written. The book you’ve run off the printer may not be the one you had in your heard—even if you wrote an outline.

Brevity. Keep it short, sibling. The ratio of words in the BCC to pages in the book is always in favor of the pages.

Restraint. The Setup, the pertinent elements of the Setup, and nothing but the pertinent elements of the Setup—unless it’s for kids or for college. The only reason to give more than the guts of the Setup is to reassure people that the story will or won’t corrupt their minds or damage their psyches. Or that it will do them some kind of good, like teach them correct morals or make them erudite.

Here’s a peephole I threw together for the bedtime story I’ve been telling my children—ages eight, ten and twelve. So far there are seventeen episodes, each about seven minutes long. The word count is in parentheses. In my next post, we’ll see whether this specimen has the four qualities and serves its function. Then we’ll talk about The 11 Ps of Narrative and how this specimen has them all.

When Neb tells his parents he's taking the bus to a neighboring city to attend church with his friend Steven (so he can sneak off to go camping with the beautiful, mysterious Rukalala and her family), he thinks he's only being a little bit deceitful and disobedient. But when Rukalala takes him for a moonlit walk, transforms into a werewolf and bites his neck, Neb knows he's gotten himself in far greater trouble than he'd ever imagined possible. And when Rukalala and her werewolf troops start killing Neb's family to force him to help with a werewolf invasion, he realizes that seemingly harmless errors in judgment can have very harmful consequences. (111)

Mark Penny is the author of one novel in revision, a dozen novels in prewriting, a bunch of short stories and a lot of poems. His poetry has appeared in Sunstone Magazine and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and on Wilderness Interface Zone and Everyday Mormon Writer. His short fiction has appeared on Everyday Mormon Writer and Lowly Seraphim. He is currently working on a collection of his own Mormon literary speculative fiction and three stories for the 2014 Mormon Lit Blitz, which he intends to win with no survivors.

*Layman's translation: you need to pull plot points from your book and deposit them in your cover copy. Got it (And yes, I really do translate our conversations in my head).

Thanks so much for the information, Mark!

{For Authors} How to find an illustrator

Recently, John Brown (Servant of a Dark God) interviewed me about finding an illustrator. Below are my answers (thanks for typing it up for me, John!):

Finding an artist:

• Instead of looking on DeviantArt, Amber will look on Pinterest because this collects "the good stuff" for her. 
• When she finds an artist there she likes, she will Google them to find out contact information. 
• Then she'll contact with specific information about the project and ask for a bid. Some of the artists want payment in installments. 
• If she agrees to the bid, she will write up a contract, and they begin the project. 
• She's found that the artists outside the US are much cheaper 

 Directing the artist

1. The key is to be very specific with the artist. This means you have to do your homework up front. 
2. She goes out to Pinterest and stock photography sites and finds images that show what she wants for: 

• Costume 
• Example: she found the clothing in Witch Fall 
• Background 
• Color scheme (She uses color to make the image pop AND to convey the right mood)
• Example: she found the turquoise and red on images on Pinterest that she thought popped 
• she conveys the personality of characters as well -example: when she was explaining what she wanted for the fairies of Winter Queen, she described their personality, the types of wings she wanted, etc. Very specific.
• Pose 
• Models 
• Example: she found the exact model she wanted the girl in Witch Fall to look like 
• She will also think of the scene to illustrate 
• If she doesn't have a photo, she describes in detail what she wants. -Example: with Witch Fall, she didn't have an image of the woman in the water, so described her there with arms and legs dangling behind her, the hair above her head, the side of her face. 

Tips:

1. If ever anything bugs her, she brings it up immediately so it can be fixed.  She will collaborate.

•  For example, with Witch Fall she wanted dragons but didn't know where to put them. The artist came up with the placement. The artist also said she thought the girl needed some plants around her. 

•  The process can go back and forth many times 
• There's a rough sketch 
• Then various layers 
• Then, because the file size is getting too large, they will flatten the picture. 

2. You will want approval before they flatten. To make adjustments after that, they have to go back to a layered version.

• She has gone back and forth with adjustments up to 20 times with Winter Queen because it was so complex with the figure and the fairies 

3. The piece is not done until it is printed!

• A lot of the artists don't understand that printed images are darker than those on the computer screen. On the screen you can lighten or darken because everything is backlit. You don't have that on the page. 
•  So you MUST print out an ARC first. Once you're satisfied with that, the job is done (DON'T SEND FINAL PAYMENT UNTIL THEN). 

Other Tips ·
 Image

1. The image needs to pop. So think about color, contrast, silhouette, etc. 
2. Think simple over complex. Too much detail ends up looking messy and distracting. Especially in thumbnail size. Simple usually shows up the best in small images. 
3. You need alpha and beta readers for the image just like you do the book to give you feedback. Are they seeing anything weird? What feeling does the image give? Are there artistic things that could be changed? 
4.  Make sure the tone of the cover reflects the tone of the story. It has to communicate the type of story the book is. ie-Winter Queen was too feminine and fairy and didn't convey the dark side of the book. 

Text

• Leave space for displaying text  
•  Don't have the artist add the display text. Just have them provide the image (hire graphic designer to do the text-it's a different discipline). 
• Have you graphic designer look at the initial sketch for approval.
• Make sure the text is readable in thumbnail.
• Textured font usually means it's darker and harder to read. Trad Pub books usually don't use textured fonts. 

Deliverables

• The final wraparound without text (this way you can make changes to the text if needed. ie-if your trilogy becomes a series). 
• A jpeg and a compressed file she can use on websites 
• A very high resolution tif file so changes can be made later. 
• Parts of the image 
• Example: she wanted to use the fairies on her site or for a bookmark or for chapter headings 
• Example: she used the pendant on her copyright page. She also used it for her short story. 
• Come up with a common symbol or object for a series 
• She recommends having something that can be used for the whole series.
• Example: she used the pendant in Witch Sing on each book and on the title page.
• Example: note Jason Chan's burning, magic hand in the Phillipa Ballantine Geist series

Travel Time Per Horseback, Foot, Wagon, Etc

By Horseback:

Distances a horse can travel vary depending on the size and condition of the riders, mounts, weather, terrain, and road condition. Medieval people traveled with everything they needed following in carts behind them. A train of this sort wouldn't move fast. Mounted knights-- all on well-conditioned destriers or palfreys -- could move fairly fast and cover upwards of 50 or 60 miles per day. However, traveling 20 to 30 miles a day would be considered a good day's journey.

For more info, go here: http://www.wwwestra.com/horses/history_travel.htm

On Foot:

People in very good condition can sustain 30 miles per day on well-maintained, flat roads--although 20 miles is more reasonable/sustainable (Troops in WWII were expected to march 20 miles per day).

However, troops have been known to move 40 miles in a day, but they are so exhausted upon arriving they are nearly useless. General Patton marched his men about 25 miles per day during their famous march, maintaining this for 3-4 days. 

By Wagon:

Depends on the load size. Assuming it's a pioneer type wagon, 10-15 miles on average. In bad conditions, they might only make a mile. On the best of days, more like 20 miles.