During the Middle Ages, English herbalists preferred burdock root over sarsaparilla in treating boils, scurvy, and rheumatism. Native American healers were quite fond of burdock as a medicinal plant. American herbalists have used the roots and seeds as a blood purifier and pain reliever for more than two centuries. Both the burdock root and leaves are [...]

Green tea is not usually prescribed as a remedy for diseases. But people all over the world have noticed that drinking green tea daily has many health benefits. Green tea is an important preventative against cancer, elevated blood fats, hardening of the arteries, and dental cavities. Green Tea also protects against bacterial dysentery. Green tea can [...]

Goldenseal was originally introduced to early American settlers by Native American tribes, who used it as a yellow dye, as well as a wash for skin diseases, sore eyes, and various forms of “catarrh” (colds and flu, for example). Goldenseal may help the symptoms of sore mouth, sore throat, canker sores, gingivitis (infected gums); stomachache, diarrhea, [...]

Pet Wellness Care Alternative veterinary medicine is following in the footsteps of human medicine and complementary medicine. Holistic veterinarians have long held that the diet, for example, should be wholesome, and the pet or animal would stay healthy as a result. Now, acupuncture is routinely performed on animals and pets for treatment of arthritis, allergies, and [...]

More than 400 published studies have been done on Ginkgo Biloba extract (GBE), making it one of the best researched of all herbal medicines. In Germany and France it is the most frequently prescribed herbal medicine and is in the top five of all prescriptions written in those countries. Ginkgo Biloba is a powerful aid to [...]

Feverfew has been used for centuries in European folk medicine for headache, arthritis, and fever. Feverfew comes from the Latin word, febrifuge, which means fever-reducing. This herb was traditionally used for insect bites, irregular menstruation, stomachaches, and toothache, although modern herbalists do not usually use it for these conditions. Herbalists today use feverfew to treat [...]

Welcome to the blog of AlternativeDr.com’s founder, Dr. Lloyd May. Be sure to check back to see regular postings by Dr. May on a range of alternative medicine and health topics.

Cayenne, also known as red pepper, was first introduced to the world outside the Americas by the Caribbean Indians, who gave it to Columbus. Since then its popularity has spread, and it has become an important spice, particularly in Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of southeast Asia, China, southern Italy, and Mexico. Capsaicin [...]

Obesity is excess body fat. Approximately 33 percent of Americans 20 to 75 years of age are overweight, and of these, approximately one third are severely obese. Signs and Symptoms of Obesity A person whose BMI is greater than 30 (your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters) is considered an [...]

Celery seed, whose sharp, refreshing flavor you may have tasted in pickles or sauerkraut, is also a useful herbal medicine. Celery seed has had varied uses around the world for thousands of years. Recent scientific studies have shown that certain chemicals in celery seed may actually help problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, and anxiety. [...]

Native Americans used echinacea since at least the 1600s. They used the plant to treat snakebite, gum and mouth disease, colds, coughs, blood poisoning, sore throat, stomach and intestinal pain. Echinacea was also historically used for scarlet fever, syphilis, malaria, blood poisoning, and diphtheria. Through the 1800s, Echinacea was the most widely used plant drug in [...]

Aloe vera has a long history of use as a medicinal plant, with written records of its use going back to 1750 BC. Today it is grown in most subtropical and tropical locations, including the Caribbean, southern United States, Latin America, and the Middle East. Many people also grow a small potted version indoors for use [...]

Acupuncture is part of an ancient medical system, traditional chinese medicine. In China, the practice of acupuncture can perhaps be traced as far back as the Stone Age, with the Bian shi, or sharpened stones. Rather than a cure, it is used as only one part of a comprehensive medical system of health maintenance and preventive [...]

Asthma is chronic inflammation of the airways resulting from swelling and excessive mucus. The airways may be further blocked when an irritant, or trigger, causes spasms of the bronchial passage. This can cause coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Signs and Symptoms of Asthma – Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or wheezing – Chest tightness or constriction [...]

Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. It is a normal biological event (except with surgery). Women begin menopause at the average age of 51. Although women now live longer, the age at which menopause begins has not changed. This means most women will live a third of their lives after menopause. Signs and Symptoms [...]

Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. It is a normal biological event (except with surgery). Women begin menopause at the average age of 51. Although women now live longer, the age at which menopause begins has not changed. This means most women will live a third of their lives after menopause. Signs and Symptoms [...]

Prescription for Men: Walk for Sexual Health Daily Walking, not Viagra! A brisk 2 mile walk each day can reduce men’s risk of impotence according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, from Boston University School of Medicine in a study published in Urology. His 9-year study of 600 men who at the start of the study had no impotence [...]

A study of more than 4,000 Danish men indicates that regular joggers are not only unlikely to experience a fatal heart attack during their runs, they also are less likely than non-runners to die of any cause. During the last 30 years, jogging has become a popular form of aerobic exercise, and many runners train [...]