The document summarizes the actions, medicinal uses, side effects, doses, chemistry, functions, toxicity, and drug interactions of four different herbs: Hawthorn, Garlic, Ginger, and Milk Thistle. Hawthorn has cardio-protective properties and is traditionally used for heart problems. Garlic has lipid-lowering and antihypertensive effects and is used to treat infections and prevent cancer/stroke. Ginger has anti-inflammatory and digestive properties and is used for motion sickness and arthritis. Milk Thistle supports liver regeneration and is used for liver damage from toxins, alcohol, or fatty liver.

1. Hawthorn
• Actions: Cardio tonic, cardio
protective, antioxidant,
hypotensive antiarrhytmic
• Medicinal Uses: traditional
drug to treat heart problems,
hypertension, diuretic for
kidney problems
• Side effects: none
• Doses: 1-3g flower leaves or
berry, by infusion fluid extract
3-6 ml, tincture: 1-2 ml (3xd)

2. Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity
• Flavonoids and procyanidins primarily responsible for
action
• cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibition, slowly developing
actions.
• The combined pharmacological effects are positively
inotropic, chronotropic and dromotropic. Its negative
bathmotropic effect makes this herb unique among anti-
arrhythmic drugs, plus antilipidemic.
• No toxicity has been noted

3. Herb –Drug Interaction
• Antiarrhytmics ; the herb action is similar to class
III antiarrhytmics
• Antihypertensive nitrates; increased risk of
hypotension
• Cardiac glycosides; increased risk of cardiac
toxicity.

4. Garlic
• Action: Lipid lowering, Anti-
hypertensive, anti-thrombic,
anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, anti-
bacterial anti-tumor
• Medicinal Uses: lower serum
cholesterol and triglyceride
elevate HDL, treatments of
infections, high blood pressure ,
Stroke and cancer of GI tract
prevention.
• Side effects: low-medium
• Doses: up to 1 g of std ext 2-
5mg allicin.

5. Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity
• alliin, converted by the enzyme alliinase to allicin.
• Functions: Antibacterial/Antifungal
- Antimycotic/Antiviral
- Hypoglycemic
- Anticoagulant (antiplatelet aggregating)
- Fibrinolytic activity enhancement
- Lipid lowering
- Antioxidant/Anticancer
- Hypotensive
- Hepatoprotective
- Immunomodulatory
• Large oral intakes can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms,
changes to intestinal flora and allergic reactions.
• Garlic is contraindicated before surgery

6. Herb –Drug Interaction
• Acetaminophen and other drugs
metabolized by CYP2E1
• Anticoagulants, NSAIDs, prostacyclin
• Antidiabetics
• Herbs exert anticoagulation,
antihyperglycemic effect

7. Ginger
• Actions: Antiemetic, anti-
inflammatory, digestive stimulant,
antiplatelet, spasmolytic,
carminative.
• Medicinal uses: relieving motion
sickness, used in variety of GI
disorder, prevent lipid
peroxidation, treat parasitic
infections, circulatory stimulant
(positive inotropic), arthritis
• Side effects: low
• Doses:0.5-1g of fresh or dried root
500 mg candy, 1-2ml tincture

8. Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity
• volatile oils and nonvolatile pungent compounds
(zingeberene, curcumene, farnesene, and gingerol, shogaol)
• The following functions have been tested experimentally:
• Anti-emetic activity, Antiserotoninergic activity and
gastrointestinal motility effect,
• Muscular contractility in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Ability to neutralize toxins and anti-tumor effect.
• Anti-inflammatory effect.
• Immune system potentiation
• Platelet aggregation ,Fibrinolysis
• No toxicity (at pharmacologic dose) don’t use it for morning
sickness

9. Herb –Drug Interaction
• Large doses may increase bleeding time
• Large doses cardiac arrhythmias, depression

10. Milk thistle
• Actions: hepatoprotective,
antioxidant, cholerectic
• Medicinal Uses: regeneration
of hepatocytes, cirrhosis,
poisonous, alcoholic liver
damage, fatty liver, expelling
gallstone.
• Side effects:none –low
• Doses: 140 mg (2xd std for
sylimarine) 1-5ml tincture

11. Chemistry, Functions, Toxicity
• Silymarin may stimulate the action of nucleolar polymerase A,
resulting in an increase in ribosomal protein synthesis, thereby
stimulating the regenerative ability of the liver and the formation
of new hepatocytes.
• Silybin, the active constituent of silymarin has been reported to
work as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals.

12. Herb –Drug Interaction
• Aspirin: improve clearance in patients with cirrhosis
• Cisplatin: prevent kidney damage
• Disulfiram: drugs containing alcohol may cause disulfiram
like reactions
• Tacrine: reduces adverse cholinergic effects
• Hepatotoxic drugs: prevent liver damage caused by
butyrophenones, phenothiazines, phenytoin,
acetaminophen, and halothane.