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South American Medicinal Herbs and Hormonal Health: An Interview with Dr. Viana

Talking about Thyroid Disease and Symptoms, and Effects of Herbs

By Mary Shomon, About.com

Created: December 14, 2003

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

According to Dr. Muller, some key points on the use of medicinal herbs include:
  • Herbs are powerful substances and many at the wrong dose or taken for too long a time without a break can be harmful.
  • People often discard an herb because they think it's "not working" when really they are at the wrong dosage level for them: there is no "standard dose. he right dose differs according to individual sensitivity, gender, age, weight, and individual biochemical differences.
  • Maca, a cruciferous root (same botanical family as the turnip and broccoli) which grows in the high Andean plateaus of central Peru could positively affect thyroid function. Some doctors feel that maca may be able to serve as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy [HRT], because it appears to be stimulating the body to produce its own hormones more adequately rather than supplying hormones from an outside source.
  • Men taking maca have noticed more frequent erections, stronger erections which lasted longer and more sexual desire. But maca will work better for them if they have enough zinc. If they don't the man's body will tend to convert the progesterone it makes into estrogen.
  • There are two herbs when alternated on a weekly basis over a period of several months that can be helpful with weight loss. One is chanca piedra and the other is cat's claw tea. And maca can be very helpful in reducing the fluctuations of insulin levels and therefore help reduce eating binges and overindulgence in sweets.
More detailed information on Dr. Muller's perspectives is featured in a detailed interview.

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