Drugs used in non-orthodox medicine

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This chapter discusses drugs used in non-orthodox medicine. Seatone (also called Aquatone) is said to be a crude, freeze-dried extract of the New Zealand Green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus). It is stated by the manufacturers that the extract is made of a substance taken from the mussel in a specific phase of the yearly development cycle. The product is, like many other remedies of this kind, extensively promoted for the public as being a cure for arthritis or at least beneficial for patients suffering from arthritis. Animal studies indicated that the extract showed some modest anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenin paw edema assay. The chapter provides an overview of herbal remedies. Several herbal medicines appear to include parts or extracts of plants containing hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Comfrey in particular is widely used. Other important herbs are: Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum Nyman), coltzfoot (Tussilago farfara), petasites (Petasites japonicas Maxim) and Senecio longilobus. Eucalyptus oil is a traditional remedy for a variety of common ailments, particularly of the respiratory tract.

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