Historically, the
most important use of herbs was for medical purposes.
The Chinese were using herbal remedies 5000 years ago
and tradition still continues today.
The
medical herbs are considered for their claims of treating end preventing illnesses
and are grown and produced all over the world.
Digitalis is an example of a modern-day medicine manufactured from
herbal extracts. It is made from the foxglove plant and is used to treat
congestive heart failure.
While claims have also been made, that
some herbs have ergogenic properties and can improve athletic performance, most
people believe that herbs offer absolutely no ergogenic
effect.
There are three ways in which herbs are obtained.
The most common is buying tiem
in a retail store, while other people grow their own or collect
tiem from the wild. It is
important to make absolutely certain of the identity of the harvested
plant. Natural variations
in different specimen can be misleading. Plant identification is not an exact science nor is
it
easy. Fatalities have been reported as a result of confusing and
subsequently ingesting one
wild plant for another.
Whether
you purchase herbs or collect them yourself, it is important to remember, that
their active constituents may vary considerably, depending on:
These factors are overcome in the case of crude or unprocessed drugs
used in convential
medicine, by conducting chemical or physiological tests and then
standardizing the product
by adding drug material of greater or lesser potency.
Potential side effects
of some herbs include diarrhea, cramping, blurred vision, dilated
Pupils, dry mouth, disoriatation, liver toxicity, high blood pressure,
tremor and irriability.
Allergic reaction have also been reported. Some of these allergic
reactions may not develop
Immediately, but rather occur after prolonged use of a certain
substance. The more potent
The herb, the more important it is that some sort of control be used in
in order to avoid the
What
do the terms natural and organic mean?
The word “natural” applied
to the product implies, that it contains no artificial
ingredients. In addition natural can be used to identify the source of the
product. It does not indicate a degree of superiority or inferiority.
The term “organic” denotes, that the product was grown
under conditions utilizing only natural fertilizers and no pesticides of any type were used.
Do
herbal products
enhance athletic performance?
The ability of herbal
products to enhance athletic performance has not been adequately
proven or disproven through
acceptably controlled scientific studies. It does appear, however,
that there are some
scientifically sound studies being
conducted.
A major consideration, when evaluating the effectiveness of any ergogenic aid or nutritional supplement is the “placebo
effect “. The placebo effect is a physiological improvement brought about
by a psychological mechanism. Scientific studies have shown, that placebos
actually work about one-third of the time.
Are
herbal products banned for drug testing?
or Chinese Ephedra, ( the naturally occurring plant containing the banned stimulant substance, ephedrine ). Some exsamples of products, that have been known to contain
Ma Huang or Ephedra are Bishop‘s
Tea, Brigham Tea, Chi Powder, Energy
Rice, Ephedra
Excel, Joint Fir, Mexican Tea, Popotillo, Squaw Tea, Super Charge and Teamster‘s Tea.
Many herbal products
also have diuretic actions. Diuretics is
a class of drugs, that is
banned by the CCA end IOC. Common examples of herbs
with diuretic actions include
Lily of the Valley, Sarsaparilla, Uva ursi and Horsetail. Use of such herbals with diuretic
properties can dilute the urine
and results in mandatory detentionfor athletes during drug
testing.
Otakar Dolezel