Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Pelvis and Herbal Medicine

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Pelvis

  • 1760 Accesses

Abstract

The use of raw plant extracts to cure pelvic problems in males and females does not work. Despite double-blind, randomized studies that clearly show the ineffectiveness of plant extracts like saw palmetto for prostatitis or black cohosh for menopausal women, well-educated people still use these extracts. Herbal medicine was spread over the world among others by slavery. It is remarkable that meta-analyses that appeared after the double-blind, randomized studies keep reporting significant effect of these plant extracts. Attention is given to placebo studies, in which the effect of the psychodynamic component in the overall therapeutic effect is stressed by phytotherapy. A different approach to study the consequences of plant extracts is system biology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Literature

  1. Literature has been grouped in reference lists of several chapters in those cases where arguments are difficult to entangle or published over several articles or books. In cases of citation the article or book involved is indicated by the reference number together with a capital Arabic letter.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Loux F (1993) Folk medicine. In: Bynum WF, Porter R (eds) Companion encyclopedia of the history of medicine, vol I. Routledge, London, pp 661–675

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hegnauer R (1978) Opening lecture: medicinal plants in the past, today and tomorrow. Planta Med 34:1–25. Hegnauer R (1956–1981) Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen, part 1–13, Birkhäuser, Basel

    Google Scholar 

  4. Reynolds T (2007) The evolution of chemosystematics. Phytochemistry 68:2887–2895

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Vincent C, Furnham A (1996) Why do patients turn to complementary medicine? An empirical study. Br J Clin Psychol 35:37–48

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Shorter E (1993) The history of the doctor-patient relationship. In: Bynum WF, Porter R (eds) Companion encyclopedia of the history of medicine, vol II. Routledge, London, pp 783–800

    Google Scholar 

  7. Rafferty AP, McGee HB, Miller CE et al (2002) Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use: State-specific estimates from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Am J Publ Health 92:1598–1600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Fox P, Coughlan B, Butler M, Kelleher C (2010) Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use in Ireland: a secondary analysis of SLAN data. Compl Therap Med 18:95–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nutton V (1991) From medical certainty to medical amulets: Three aspects of ancient therapeutics. Clio Medica 22:13–22

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Schierbeek A (1954) Cruydt-boeck van Rembert Dodoens. De Hofstad. Den Haag, The Netherlands, sec. extended edition. www.Plantaardigheden.nl www.Leesmaar.nl/Cruijdeboeck

  11. Habrich C (1991) Characteristic features of eighteenth-century therapeutics in Germany. Clio Medica 22:39–49

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Gevitz N (1993) Unorthodox medical theories. In: Bynum WF, Porter R (eds) Companion encyclopedia of the history of medicine, vol I. Routledge, London, pp 603–633

    Google Scholar 

  13. Wittern R (1991) The origins of homoeopathy in Germany. Clio Medica 22:51–63

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Fontaine J (1972) Suriname en zijn historie I Zeelandia, de geschiedenis van een fort. Walburg Pers, Zutphen, The Netherlands. Van Stien W (2011) Surinaamse planten met Afrikaanse wortels. In: Detollenaere J (ed) Waar we trots op zijn De ontdekkingen van. Leiden University, Leiden. Van Andel T, Ruysschaert S (2011) Medicinale en rituele planten van Suriname. KIT publ, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  15. van Andel T, Behari-Ramdas J, Havinga R, Groenendijk S (2007) The medicinal plant trade in Suriname. Ethnobotany Res Appl 5:351–372

    Google Scholar 

  16. van Andel T, de Korte S, Koopmans D et al (2008) Dry sex in suriname. J Ethnopharmacol 116:84–88

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Dayenas E, Beauvais F, Amara J et al (1988) Human basophil degranulation triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE. Nature 333:816–818. Maddox J, Randi J, Stewart WW (1988) “High-dilution” experiments a delusion. Nature 334:287–290. Benveniste J (1988) Dr Jacques Benveniste replies. Nature 334:291. See also correspondence: explanation of Benveniste Nature 334:285–286. Camp C (2004) Water what is it? www.watiswater.nl. Ennis M (2010) Basophil models of homeopathy: a sceptical view. Homeopathy 99:51–56. Belon P (2004) Histamine dilutions modulate basophil activation. Inflammation Res 53:181–188. Sainte-Laudy J, Belon P (2006) Inhibition of basophil activation by histamine: a sensitive and reproducible model for the study of the biological activity of high dilutions. Homeopathy 98:186–197. See also: Carlston M (2004) Review of research in homeopathy: theory and methodology. Reprint from Carlston M, Micozzi MS (eds) (2003) Classical homeopathy. Philadelphia, Churchill Livingstone, pp 63–75

  18. Demangeat J-L (2009) NMR water proton relaxation in unheated and heated ultrahigh aqueous dilutions of histamine: evidence for an air-dependent supramolecular organization of water. J Mol Liquids 144:32–39

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Chaplin MF (2007) The memory of water: an overview. Homeopathy 96:143–150

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Bean A, van den Berg C, van der Graaff A et al (1995) Natural remedies, (Natuurlijke remedies, Gezond leven). The reader’s digest. ISBN: 9064075557

    Google Scholar 

  21. De Wit HCD (1965) De wereld der planten Part 1 and 2. W. Gaade, Den Haag, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  22. Magner LN (2005) A history of medicine, 2nd edn. Taylor & Francis group, USA

    Google Scholar 

  23. Osmers R, Kraft K (2004) Phytotherapy for menopausal complaints. Pharm Unserer Zeit 33:384–391

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Newton KM (2006) Treatment of vasomotor symptoms of menopause with Black Cohosh, multibotanicals, soy, hormone therapy or placebo. Ann Intern Med 145:869–879

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wright CI, Van-Buren L, Kroner CI, Koning MMG (2007) Herbal medicines as diuretics: a review of the scientific evidence. J Ethnopharmacol 114:1–31

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Veit M, Bauer K, Becket C et al (1995) Phenolic characters of British hybrid taxa in Equisetum Subgenus Equisetum. Biochem Syst Ecol 23:79–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Capodice JL, Bemis DL, Buttyan R, Kaplan SA, Katz AE (2005) Complementary and alternative medicine for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. e-CAM 2:495–501. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh128

    Google Scholar 

  28. Gordon AE, Shaughnessy AF (2003) Saw palmetto for prostate disorders. Am Fam Physician 67:1281–1283

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Trabucco AF (2003) Saw palmetto warning: problems with detecting prostate cancer? http://priory.com/med/saw.htm. Last visited 16-12-2011

  30. Lowe FC, Ku JC (1996) Phytotherapy in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a critical review. Urology 48:12–20

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Schulz V (2000) The psychodynamic and pharmacodynamic effects of drugs: A differentiated evaluation of the efficacy of phytotherapy. Phytomedicine 7:73–81

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Kane CJ, Raheem OA, Bent S, Avins AL (2011) What do I tell patients about saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia? Urol Clin N Am 38:261–277. Bent S et al (2006) Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia. N Engl J Med 354:557–66

    Google Scholar 

  33. Barry MJ, Meleth S, Lee JY et al (2011) Effect of increasing doses of saw palmetto extract on lower urinary tract syndromes: a randomized trial. JAMA 306:1344–1351

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Elterman DS, Lawrentschuk N, Guns E et al (2010) Investigating contamination of Phytotherapy products for benign prostatic hyperplasia with alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. J Urol 183:2085–2089

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Colalto C (2010) Herbal interactions on absorption of drugs: mechanisms of action and clinical risk assessment. Pharmacol Res 62:207–227

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Avins AL, Bent S, Staccone S et al (2008) A detailed safety assessment of saw palmetto extract. Compl Therap Med 16:147–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Dedhia RC, McVary T (2007) Phytotherapy for lower tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 179:2119–2125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Shi R, Xie Q, Gang X et al (2008) Effect of saw palmetto soft gel capsule on lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomized trial in Shanghai, China. J Urol 179:610–615

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Lowe FC (2009) The role of Serenoa repens in the clinical management of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Europ Urol Suppl 8:894–897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Bales GT, Christiano AP, Kirsh EJ, Gerber GS (1999) Phytotherapeutic agents in the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms: a demographic analysis of awareness and use at the University of Chicago. Urology 54:86–93

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Astin JA (1998) Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study. JAMA 279:1548–1550

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. van der Greef J, McBurney RN (2005) Rescuing drug discovery: in vivo systems pathology and systems pharmacology. Nat Rev 4:961–967

    Google Scholar 

  43. van der Greef J (2011) All systems go. Nature 480:S87

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, EWI, MIRA, University Twente, Building Zuidhorst, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Enrico Marani

  2. Medisch Centrum Alkmaar Polikliniek Urologie, Alkmaar, The Netherlands

    Wijnand F.R.M. Koch

Authors
  1. Enrico Marani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wijnand F.R.M. Koch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enrico Marani .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Marani, E., Koch, W.F. (2014). The Pelvis and Herbal Medicine. In: The Pelvis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40006-3_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation