Gelsemium sempervirens (Yellow jasmine), sneaky vine

Family:

Part Used: Rhizome

Active Constituents: Alkaloids – gelsemine, gelsemicine, gelsemoidine, anodyne, anti-spasmodic, bitters, anti-pyretic

Medicinal actions:

1)       Muscle problem related to stress

2)       Pt. Who have heart surgery who have depression after heart surgery

3)       Stimulate the person and then calms then

4)       Balance the catecholemine (get a rush) then clears it and enhance the opiod (calming)

5)       Muscle spasm (oil good for chronic muscle spasm, rubbing it onto the tissue)

6)       Toxicity is not as narrow as expected, if taken too much person gets sleepy

7)       Treat for insomnia

8)       Bath combined w/ lavender (take gelsenium decoction) especially for insomnia

9)       Antidote to chinciona (droopy drowsy since for toxicity)

10)    Antiviral formula for acute onset of illness

11)    Use for paps with women who have been abuse (one drop of the sytobrush) or a drop to the woman to help then relax

12)    Used by midwives

13)    diaphoretic

14)    According to Weiss, Gelsemium reduces sympathetic and parasympathetic irritability thus depressing excessive reactivity in the vascular system. Initial action of Gelsemium is to stimulate, and then it depresses. Gelsemium has more of an anti-spasmodic action on the heart; it does not affect conductivity. Dr. Bastyr used Gelsemium when the eye is deviated to the side or up or down. It is used to treat cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension. It is not indicated for use in patients with severe congestive heart failure.

15)    Antispasmotic dealing w/ vasculature (especially with raynaud’s phenomenone (secondary to atheroscleosis or some sort of narrowing of the arteriols)

16)    Pt. W/ lazy eye (balanc ethe muscle function through out the body , causes the lazy eye less pronounce)

17)    Low dose herb

18)    Gelsemium is also indicated for use with fever. It may be used in either the botanical or homeopathic form. One or more of the following conditions or symptoms should accompany the fever. Those include myalgia, muscular weakness, violent headache, apathy, flu, delirium or hysteria. The fever may be remitting, and may or may not be regularly remitting.

19)    Gelsemium is used as an anti-spasmodic for smooth muscle and for skeletal muscle. Often it is applied topically for myalgia and spasm of skeletal muscle. It may be combined with other herbs for use in spasm of smooth muscle. Bill Mitchell, ND combines 2 parts Belladonna, 1 part Gelsemium, 5 parts Dioscorea, 6 parts Hydrangea for severe smooth muscle spasm and pain. He doses that formula at 20 drops four times daily. I have used it for spasm of the cervical os. When performing a pap, with the os spasm so tightly you cannot insert the cytobrush, touch the os with Gelsemium tincture and place one drop on the patient’s tongue. The patient and the os will relax. Dr. Bastyr used it when a woman’s os was not opening during childbirth.

20)    Gelsemium also can antidote the effects from high quinine doses, according to Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Bastyr. It is also used for treatment of facial neuralgia. Combine with other appropriate herbs and give 3 drops of tincture to offset initial attack, dose at 1-3 drops TID after that.

Toxicity:

Contraindications include hypotension with cardiac failure or extremely weak vital force and pregnancy. Excessive doses may cause slowed respiration, hypotension, hypothermia, it may lead to respiratory and cardiac paralysis. Watch for ptosis, diplopia, and laxity of mandible. According to Dr. Bruce Canvasser, the visual changes may last several days. Antidotes are Aconite, gastric lavage, infusion of strong black tea (tannins) and CPR.

Pharmacy:

Tincture (1:5): 1-10 drops TID

FE (1:1 or 1:2): 1-5 drops

Dr. Bastyr says to dose up to 30 drops a day with severe hypertension. Dr. Mitchell uses 5 drops BID.