Subject: Re: Swertia or Gentax?

From: Michael Moore <[email-masked]>
Date: 12 Aug 1995 03:24:29 GMT

>From: Maryann Gnys <[email-masked]>
>Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
>Subject: Swertia or Gentax?
>Date: 7 Aug 1995 23:28:35 GMT
>
>I have been trying to find a number of products.  One I wrote of before 
>(and thankfully received some helpful hints) is "Chiang huo."  Another 
>which I have had no luck in tracking is made up of an herb called 
>"Swertia."  

The Swertia genus (as well as its closely genus of Frasera) is a
member of the Gentian Family (Gentianeae), and includes such older
crude drugs as Chiretta and American Colombo.  All the Swertias or
Fraseras I have encountered or used are pure bitter tonics...that
is, they stimulate by reflex gastric and oral secretions when taken
shortly before meals...in those with DEFICIENT SECRETIONS.

As "pure bitters" they are considered as lacking in any pronounced
systemic physiologic response...they work by tasting REAAALLY bad,
and not by any overt drug effect.

Michael Moore ([email-masked])

(FTP and WWW)
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine/
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http://www.crl.com/~robbee/herbal.html
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