The medicinal properties of medicinal plants used in scientific and folk medicine are due to the presence of biologically active substances in them. Let’s consider the main components of plants that affect biochemical processes in the human body.
The first group includes substances that block biochemical processes in the patient’s body. These include: phytoncides, flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, resins.
Phytoncides are complex nitrogen-containing organic compounds of various chemical compositions that have a blocking effect on both microorganisms and the human immune system. Therefore, phytoncides are used in medical practice to quickly block biochemical processes in acute respiratory diseases, influenza, sore throat, diseases of the oral mucosa and in a number of other cases.
Flavonoids are natural phenolic compounds with two aromatic rings, which, depending on the structure and degree of oxidation, are divided into flavonols, flavones, flavonones, catechins, anthocyanins, etc. In plants, they are found both in the free state and in the form of glycosides, with the exception of catechins. Flavonoids are found in plants quite often, but representatives of the umbelliferae, legumes, Asteraceae, Rosaceae, etc. families are the richest in them.
Flavonoids also have a blocking effect on biochemical processes in the body. They increase the aggregation of molecules, which leads to an increase in capillary strength, have a pronounced antioxidant effect, due to which they can improve the body, have antispasmodic, antisclerotic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic effects, increase the excretion of bile acids from cells, etc.
Unfortunately, flavonoids are extremely unstable compounds, easily oxidized simply by contact with air during storage or processing. This quality must be taken into account when preparing plant materials in order to preserve the natural wealth in an unchanged state, in the formula that is inherent in nature and is able to withstand a serious problem of mankind – mortality from heart disease and oncology.
Coumarins are compounds based on benzo-alpha-pyrone. In medicinal plants, coumarins are found both in the free state and in the bound state, in the form of glycosides. They are most commonly found among representatives of the celery, legume, and mulberry families. Coumarins exhibit anticoagulant, vasodilator, analgesic, bacteriostatic and antispasmodic activity.
Tannins are aromatic nitrogen-free compounds from the polyphenol group. They are also characterized by the ability to form compounds with proteins and metals, which leads to the blocking of certain biochemical processes. However, such blocking occurs under “mild” conditions. Depending on the chemical structure, tannins are divided into condensed and hydrolyzable. They are found in almost all plant families, but the most abundant are the families of rosaceae, buckwheat, willow, etc.
Plants containing tannins are used in astringents, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic and bactericidal agents. They are taken orally mainly for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and poisoning with metal salts and plant poisons.
Resins are complex mixtures of various organic compounds. They are high-molecular-weight amorphous substances, mostly quite soluble in ether, chloroform, acetone, benzene, and insoluble in water. Tropical plants, conifers, birch buds, etc. contain a large amount of resins. Mostly, resins have a blocking effect, which is expressed in bactericidal and antifungal effects on microorganisms.
Mucins are protein-free polysaccharide-based compounds that form thick colloidal solutions in water. They are found in significant quantities in cuckoo’s feet tubers, flax seeds, quince, marshmallow roots, etc. Mucus has a blocking effect, which is manifested in such properties as enveloping and emollient action. Thanks to these properties, they protect the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract from irritation, preventing the absorption of various substances from the digestive tract and thus help the mucus that is synthesized in the gastrointestinal tract.
The second group includes substances that stimulate biochemical processes. These include alkaloids, glycosides, and essential oils.
Alkaloids are organic nitrogen-containing compounds of a basic nature, and there are about 15,000 of them known. Often, several alkaloids are present in one plant at once, of which one or two groups close to each other predominate. The content of alkaloids in plants is mainly measured from thousandths to 1-2%. The largest amount of them was found in the root of the hinna tree (about 16%).
Alkaloids are potent drugs and have a wide range of stimulating effects on the body. They affect the stimulation of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, digestive and respiratory organs, the sensitivity of nerve endings, muscle tone, etc. Currently, many alkaloids have been studied. The most famous of them are morphine, caffeine, codeine, nicotine, etc. Despite the fact that recently many drugs containing synthetic alkaloids have been obtained, alkaloids are still often used in the form of galenic drugs.
Glycosides are organic compounds consisting of a sugar (glycone) and a non-sugar (aglycone) part. In most cases, in their pure form, they are crystalline substances that are highly soluble in water and less so in alcohol.
The stimulating effect of glycosides on the patient’s body is due to the presence of aglycones, the chemical structure and properties of which are very diverse. They most often include aldehydes, terpenes, flavones and other compounds. The sugar content provides them with better solubility and absorption. According to the stimulating effect on certain organs, glycosides are divided into cardiac glycosides, anthraglycosides, bitternesses, and saponins.
Cardiac glycosides are unstable chemical compounds that selectively affect the stimulation of biochemical processes in the heart. Under their influence, they improve the processes of sugar transport across the cell membrane, activate tissue respiration and normalize enzymatic processes in the myocardium, improve its uptake of ATP, which allows building new cells for the muscle tissue of the heart, etc. Certain cardiac glycosides (digoxin, strophanthin, etc.) can be isolated from medicinal plants in pure form, or in the form of galenic preparations from spring adonis, May lily of the valley, digitalis.
Anthraglycosides usually contain anthraquinone compounds that have a laxative effect. Disintegrating in the gastrointestinal tract, they cause stimulation and increased peristalsis of the lower intestine, which leads to the excretion of feces. Unlike saline laxatives, anthraglycosides have a stimulating effect 8-9 hours after administration.
Bitters are nitrogen-free organic compounds with a very bitter taste. They are distinguished from other similar natural substances by the absence of a pronounced general stimulant effect. They are used as a general appetite enhancer and digestive aid.
Saponins are complex compounds consisting of sterol or triterpene aglycones with various sugars. They are highly soluble in water and produce a rich and stable foam when shaken, due to their high surface activity. In addition, saponins are highly soluble in alcohol and alkaline solutions. Plants containing saponins are used mainly as a stimulant for expectoration, as well as a choleretic and diuretic.
Essential oils are complex mixtures of various organic substances volatile at high temperatures, the main components of which are sesquiterpenes, terpenoids and their derivatives, hydrocarbon alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and many others. They are colorless, rarely colored liquids, well soluble in alcohol, ether, oils and practically insoluble in water. Essential oils are found in plants of the cypress, pine, umbrella and other families.
Depending on the chemical composition of the essential oils contained in plants, they are used as a general stimulant – bitter-aromatic, or to stimulate certain biochemical processes – choleretic, expectorant, diuretic.
The third group of substances is actively involved in the synthesis of cellular and extracellular structures of the human body. These include compounds required by the body in small quantities: classical vitamins, vitamin-like substances, organic acids, pectins, minerals.
Vitamins are organic compounds that are not synthesized by the body itself, and therefore must be administered either with food or with medicinal plants. They are usually used for the synthesis of higher molecular weight substances (primarily enzymes) that play an important role in the management of biochemical processes. About 30 vitamins are known, the daily requirement of which is about 120-150 mg. The absence or lack of vitamins in food, impaired absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as a number of other factors lead to the development of hypo- or avitaminosis, which can be eliminated with the use of herbal medicine. As it has been found, only natural vitamins from food or medicinal plants are fully absorbed by the body and actively participate in biochemical processes, while synthetic vitamins are absorbed by only 10-25%.
We consider the following compounds to be classical vitamins: Ascorbic acid (vitamin C); retinol (vitamin A); thiamine (vitamin B1); riboflavin (vitamin B2); pyridoxine (vitamin B6); nicotinic acid (vitamin PP); pantothenic acid (vitamin B3); biotin (vitamin H); folic acid (vitamin B9); phylloquinine (vitamin K); tocopherol (vitamin E); calciferol (vitamin D) and others. So much has been written about these compounds that we will not dwell on their consideration.
Vitamin-like sugars are involved in the synthesis of cell receptors and cellular structures, proteoglycans, glycoproteins and glycolipids, and many other high-molecular weight compounds in the human body. Lack of vitamin-like sugars leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of specific and nonspecific immunity, disruption of the reception system of some hormones (insulin, tyrosine, thyroxine, etc.), disruption of the synthesis of chondroitin sulfates, keratan sulfates, mucopolysaccharides, etc. This, in turn, contributes to the formation of diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, osteochondrosis, cataracts, and many others.
The daily requirement for vitamin-like sugars (mannose, fucose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, deoxyribose, etc.) is about 300 mg.
Many medicinal plants contain vitamin-like sugars in free or bound form (licorice root, legumes, beans, etc.), which are widely used to treat these particular diseases.
Vitamin-like fatty acids are involved in the synthesis of human adipose tissue, as the body is unable to synthesize them on its own. Vitamin-like fatty acids include oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Vegetable oils are rich in these fatty acids, especially corn, sea buckthorn, olive, and other oils. In their pure form, oils are used in medicine as a basis for the manufacture of various oils, rubs, and for the production of a number of medicines in a mixture with fat-soluble vitamins.
Organic acids are polybasic oxyacids found in plants both in free form and in the form of salts or esters. The most common are acetic, malic, citric, tartaric, oxalic, and other acids. They accumulate in all parts of plants, but in most cases free organic acids prevail in fruits, and bound acids in leaves and other parts. They are present in almost all plants, but the fruits of rose hips, raspberries, currants, etc. are richer in them.
Organic acids, which are involved in the biochemical processes of plants, are also actively involved in the biochemical processes of the human body. They are involved in metabolic processes, maintain normal acid-base balance, increase bile and pancreatic juice secretion, improve digestion, etc.
Pectins are polymeric sugar-containing compounds that form cellular and intercellular structures in plants. When boiled in water, they form thick colloidal solutions. Pectins enhance digestion, promote the growth and vital activity of normal microflora in the large intestine, including bifidobacteria, and also contribute to the excretion of toxic substances from the body.
Minerals are essential for our body in very small quantities, but play an important role in biochemical processes for the synthesis of essential cellular and extracellular structures. They are contained in the cells of all organs and tissues of the human body, and are also part of many hormones and enzymes. Every mineral substance necessary for the human body, as it participates in biochemical processes, contributes to the formation of a healthy body. For example, iron, manganese, copper, and cobalt are involved in hematopoiesis, zinc reduces inflammation in the prostate gland, silver has an antiseptic effect, and zirconium stimulates tissue growth and development.
Since medicinal plants, as a rule, contain substances that exhibit blocking, stimulating and restorative properties, it is necessary, first of all, to identify which of these properties in a given plant has the greatest effect on the human body in a given disease.
At the same time, we must take into account that by using a large set of medicinal plants, we get a medicine that exhibits primarily restorative properties. That is why herbal preparations, which often have no therapeutic effect on the course of acute diseases, show positive dynamics in the treatment of chronic diseases. Since biochemical processes in chronic diseases, especially those associated with immune system disorders, are disturbed when medicinal plants are used in the form of herbal preparations, they begin to gradually recover until complete recovery.
Medicinal plants are an effective means of treating and preventing many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and enterocolitis, intestinal atony, hemorrhoids. Herbal remedies are very effective in diseases of the genitourinary system: pyelonephritis, cystitis, inflammatory diseases of the genitals, prostatitis. Many plants have a diuretic effect, but unlike synthetic drugs, their use does not cause depletion of the glomerular apparatus of the kidneys and hyperkalemia. The use of phytotherapy is quite effective in neurocirculatory dystonia of hypertensive and hypotensive type, in neuroses and asthenia. Treatment with medicinal plants helps to restore impaired metabolism, lipid metabolism, enhances the excretion of toxic metabolites from the body, which slows down the development of atherosclerosis and related complications, normalizes the nervous system and stabilizes blood pressure, improves coronary circulation and blood supply to the brain, eliminates insomnia and increases efficiency. Endocrine and female genital diseases, menopausal disorders are effectively treated. Phytopreparations are successfully used in pediatrics, gynecology, urology, traumatology, gastroenterology, cardiology and even oncology and help maintain the health of patients of any age!