Gothalicious With Cheese

A Basic Glossary of Herbal Medicine Effects

juniperwildwalk

Image Credit: Herbal Academy of New England

As a part-two to my glossary of herbal preparation techniques, I decided to make one for some of the effects too! What’s the difference between an emmenagogue and an abortifacient? What’s the fancy word for “cures fevers”? Here’s a list of the most common terms used to describe herbal medication effects.

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Abortifacient - Promotes or induces abortions of foetuses

Adjuvant - A therapy that is used to increase the action of another therapy, rather than as a treatment in and of itself, such as adjuvant chemotherapy for cancer.

Anaesthetic - Causes loss of sensation, and usually unconsciousness, by suppressing nerve function rather than through analgesia.

Analeptic - Stimulates action or restores correct action in the central nervous system

Analgesic - Relieves pain without suppressing functionality of pain-receptive nerves

Anaphrodisiac - Reduces libido or sexual arousal

Androgenic - An agent that mimics the action of, increases the production of, or blocks the reabsorption of androgens (e.g. testosterone). May not actually act as androgens themselves.

Anorectic - An agent that suppresses the appetite; not related to anorexia nervosa, which is a psychological disorder.

Anorexia - Abnormally low appetite, a common symptom of many infections or diseases. This is a physical symptom, unrelated to anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa - A psychological disorder which manifests itself through extreme and abnormal reduction in consumption of food, resulting in extreme weight-loss. Most commonly related to feelings of lack of control, or an obsessive need to maintain thinness. Frequently causes death. Not related to anorexia the physical symptom.

Antianaemic - Reduces symptoms of anaemia

Antibacterial - Kills or otherwise prevents the spread, growth or reproduction of bacteria

Antibilious - Reduces stomach disease, most typically indigestion

Anticatarrh - Reduces inflammation of the mucous membranes of the head and neck

Anticoagulant - Prevents or limits the clotting of blood; colloquially known as “blood-thinning”

Antidepressant - Reduces the effects of or causative agents of psychological depression

Antidiabetic - Reduces, relieves or treats diabetes

Antidiarrhetic - Reduces or cures diarrhea

Antiemetic - Causes the stopping of vomiting (emesis)

Antifungal - Kills or otherwise prevents the spread, growth or reproduction of fungi

Anti-inflammatory - Reduces and controls inflammatory histamine responses

Antimicrobial - Kills or is otherwise destructive to microorganisms generally

Antioxidant - Prevents or inhibits the formation of oxygen radicals within the body; prevents or inhibits the oxidation of molecules, usually proteins

Antipruritic - Reduces, cures or treats itching

Antipyretic - Reduces, cures or treats fevers

Antirheumatic -Reduces pain caused by rheumatic disorders of the joints

Antiseptic - Opposes the actions of sepsis such as the formation of pus; promotes asepsis

Antispasmodic - Causes a reduction in spasms and convulsions of the muscles

Antitussive - Reduces, cures or treats coughing

Antiviral - Kills or is otherwise destructive to viruses or virion particles

Aperient - A form of very mild laxative

Aperitive - Stimulates the appetite; combats anorexia (the symptom)

Aphrodisiac - Promotes an increase in libido and sexual arousal

Asepsis - Sterile, without lifeforms (especially microbial); healthy blood is always aseptic, for example

Astringent - An agent that causes the coagulation or binding of proteins, especially in cell membranes

Bitter (as in medicine) - A form of aperitive; may also stimulate digestive function and metabolism

Cardiac - Of or related to the muscles, structures and extracellular matrices of the heart

Carminative - Causes relaxation of the stomach and its associated sphincters

Catarrhal - Of or related to inflammation of the mucosal membranes of the head and neck

Cathartic - Causing the purging of waste, typically in the faeces or by promoting bowel movements

Cholagogue - Induces the production of bile

Cicatrizant - Aids in the formation of scar tissue; helps heal wounds

Contusion - A subdermal bursting of the capillaries; a bruise

Counterirritant - An agent that produces an inflammatory response in an adjacent region to an area of damage as a means of treating that damage

Demulcent - Soothes, reduces pain and inflammation, or regulates proper mucous production in mucosal membranes

Depressant - An agent that temporarily reduces metabolic and functional activity of the body or a specific organ or tissue

Dermatitis - Inflammation of the skin, producing raised weals, itchiness, redness, or other indications of rash

Diaphoretic - Increases production of sweat

Diuretic - Increasing or promoting urine flow or production

Dysmenorrhea - Painful or abnormal menstruation

Dyspepsia - Painful or abnormal digestion

Ecbolic - Increases uterine contractions, usually used to faciliate or induce labour

Emetic - An agent that causes vomiting (emesis)

Emmenagogue - An agent that induces normal menstruation processes, usually through breakdown of the uterine lining

Emollient - An agent that softens and soothes skin, especially chapped, dried, or damaged skin

Errhine - Inducing sneezing; related to demulcents

Escharotic - A caustic agent that induces destruction of tissues, often causing aseptic necrosis. May induce sloughing.

Euphoriant - Induces feelings of euphoria, pleasure, or enjoyment. Frequently associated with narcotics and other drugs of addiction.

Expectorant - Causes the removal of or facilitates the removal of fluids, usually mucous, from the body.

Febrifuge - See antipyretic

Galactagogue - An agent that acts to increase production of breast milk. Please note, this may not automatically mean the milk is safe for infants to drink.

Haemogogue -An agent that promotes the flow of blood. Not necessarily synonymous with anticoagulant.

Haemostatic - An agent that halts or staunches the flow of blood, especially through inducing rapid clotting. Usually but not always the same as a procoagulant.

Hepatic - Of or related to the liver and its function

Hypercalcaemia - A state of having too much calcium in the body

Hyperkalaemia - A state of having too much potassium in the body

Hypertensive - Increases blood pressure

Hypoglycaemant - Lowers levels of blood sugar , usually by acting on insulin receptors

Hypotensive - Decreases blood pressure

Insomniac - Prevents or reduces ability to sleep; does not imply a reduction in fatigue levels

Ketoacidosis - Uncontrolled ketosis resulting in too many ketones in the blood, causing acidification of the blood. A life-threatening medical emergency, must be seen by emergency medical professionals.

Ketosis - A state in which the body preferentially metabolises fats and fatty tissues over other sources of energy, producing ketones as waste

Lactifuge - Reduces the production of or expression of breast milk

Laxative - An agent that causes the loosening of faeces, by many possible methods

Masticatory - Induces production of saliva

Narcotic - Induces drowsiness, sleep, torpor, stupor, and lessens or totally deadens sensations of pain. Often related to euphoriants, all narcotics are highly addictive and many are used both medicinally and recreationally.

Nervine - Of or related to the function of the nerves; almost exclusively used in the context of tonics; when general reference must be made to the function of the nerves, “nervous” is more common.

Neuralgia - Sensations of pain, usually severe and acute, that are related to direct damage, abnormal structuring, or abnormal influences upon nerves.

Oestrogenic - An agent that mimics the action of, increases the production of, or blocks the reabsorption of oestrogens. May not actually act as oestrogens themselves.

Parturfaciant - Induces contractions associated with labour

Procoagulant - An agent that induces the clotting of the blood

Purgative - A form of strong laxative, one that causes evacuation of all intestinal contents

Resorbent - An agent that aids in the reabsorption of blood after contusions

Rheumatism - A general term used to refer to pains associated with the joints and (less commonly) the muscles, which most usually implies imflammation of the joints (arthritis)

Rubefacient - An agent that causes the reddening of the skin through the dilation of subdermal blood vessels; often induces pyresis, frequently used as a means of reducing inflammation

Sedative - An agent that causes relaxation of the body, usually inducing torpor, stupor, or sleep.

Soporific - An agent that induces natural sleep

Stimulant - An agent that temporarily increases metabolic and functional activity of the body or a specific organ or tissue

Stupor - A state of near-unconsciousness, but not complete loss of awareness

Subdermal - Beneath or below the level of the skin (dermis)

Sudorific - See diaphoretic

Tonic - An agent for increasing the strength, tone or potency of some aspect of the body. This is usually specified (e.g. nervine tonic), if not then refers to systemic increase.

Torpor - A state of inactivity, lethargy, relaxation, and reduced metabolic function

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OK, so there are 93 terms here, and whilst I tried by absolutely hardest I may have got one or two partly or wholly wrong. If you think you’ve spotted a term that could be more completely defined, please do either send me an ask to clarify, or reblog it and add it on yourself.

Reblog with any additions you think should be included! I tried to include all the ones that come up most frequently in herbalism texts, but I might have missed a couple!

I sourced most of the terms in this list and tweaked many of the definitions from the American Botanical Council, which is a great little resource. However, I tried to rephrase things wherever possible (there’s a limit to how much you can change a definition, after all).

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Thanks lovelies!

– Juniper Wildwalk