Healing Modalities                             

ANDROGRAPHIS (Andrographis paniculata) is an Ayurvedic herb.

Actions:  bitter tonic, choleretic, immunostimulant, hepatoprotective, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, possibly adaptogen.

Note:  Andrographis shows a stronger hepatoprotective action than silymarin for chemicals and toxins.

Uses: Acute & chronic infections, weakened immunity, worm infestation (very effective for this), toxic liver damage, liver infections, poor liver function, cardiovascular disease.

Contraindications:  Pregnancy (andrographis is abortifacient and has been proven to be 100% effective in preventing pregnancy in female mice, also has an anti-fertility effect in male rats - so I would definitely not give this herb to breeding birds within months of the breeding season).

However, it is otherwise such a valuable herb that I think it warrants inclusion on the list.
Carole Bryant:
 

WITHANIA (Withania somnifera) is another Ayurvedic herb.

Actions: tonic, adaptogen, nervine sedative, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour (in high doses).

Uses:  Tonic (but is relaxing rather than stimulating - therefore is an excellent herb for stress), nervous exhaustion, convalescence after illness or extreme stress, chronic inflammatory diseases, inhibiting growth of tumours.  Recommended as a general tonic for athletes, elderly and during pregnancy.

The above information taken from "Clinical Applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs - Monographs for the Western Herbal Practitioner" by Kerry Bone BSc (Hons), Dip Phyto, MNIMH, FNHAA, MCPP.  Kerry is the founder of Mediherb (Australia's largest manufacturer of herbal medicines for practitioner use).

Carole 

Body Types

Re ayurveda, I'm no expert--have written on it a couple of times for lay
magazines, but I have seen it work many, many times in India.  The
interesting thing about ayurveda is that it is based on body types, so a
food or herb which is good for one type may be harmful to another.  I've
decided (based on personality and intuition) that Crackers, my cockatiel,
is vata.

Vata is air, so I wonder if a lot of birds might have a lot of vata.
Anyway, for vata types, the best foods are warm and heavy such as grains.
Legumes are not good, since they have lots of air.  Interestingly, warm
grains are Cracker's favorite foods.  Considering the bad rap seed has
gotten, I think we are doing a disservice to the vata bird types. Although
Ayurveda is highly complex and specific, one general rule that I always use
is not to give anything cold.  Cold  food decreases the digestive fire at a
time when it should be its strongest.

Ayurveda, as with most things from India, is complex, but well worth the
time needed to understand it.  I know very little about it, really, but in
answer to your questions: There are 3 main doshas, or subtle forces
governing bodily function. Each individual carries her own unique mixture
of the doshas.  Usually one predominates, with a lesser amount of the others
included in the mix.

Vata is ocomposed of air and ether and is cold, dry,
light, mobile.  Personality of vatas is like air-quick, changeable,
fearful, nervous.

Pitta is fire and water and is hot, moist, light, movable, oily.
Personaity types are fiery, leaders, prone to anger.

Kapha is coild, moist, heavy, stable, soft.  Kaphas are often slow learners (as compared to vata),
but once they learn they hardly forget, easygoing, steady, strong. Ayurveda
says  foods also have characteristics, and balancing foods for doshas are
opposite of dosha characteristics--i.e., good vata foods are heavy and warm
because vata is light and cold.To determine your type, you must get a pulse
reading, plus answer lots of questions regarding physical and emotional
characteristics.
I think Crackers is vata because he is often fearful,
cold, and highly changeable--but again I know so little about all this that Iam
only guessing.   The other thing is that Crackers, if left alone, prefers
vata foods. There are many books about ayurveda now.  The one that inspired
me to learn more about it was Deepak Chopra's Perfect Health.

Cheryl Bentley

Ayurvedic Resources

From: Patrick Thrush <>

There are two different publications of Boericke's Materia Medica.  The
most common one is published by Boericke and Tafel.  The most prolific
publisher of homeopathic/ayurvedic literature in the world however, is
B. Jain Publishers.  Their issue of Boericke's MM contains a section on
the use of many traditional Indian/Ayurvedic drugs in tincture and low
potency (<6X) homeopathic prescribing situations.  My HPI (Homeopathic
Pharmacopoea of India) also lists preparation technique for these.
Because this publication is extremely difficult to find and quite
expensive, if anyone wants to know how to prepare an ayurvedic (or
anything else to tincture), please write me personally.  Jain's
publication catalog lists 65 ayurvedic publications in english,
including several different ayurvedic materia medica's, and a couple
encyclopedias of traditional Indian drugs.  They also offer pubs on
Bach, accupuncture, and magnetotherapy.  To get a Jain catalog call or
write:

B. Jain Publishers
1920, Street No. 10th
Chuna Mandi, Paharganj
Post Box: 5775
New Delhi 110 055 India

Phone numbers:  and
Fax:
Patrick Thrush