LOBELIA (Lobelia inflata)

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#996600" TEXT="#080000" background="04e785a3.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><IMG SRC="ccb4c550.png" border=0 width="76" height="85" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Complete Writings of</I></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Times New Roman" > Dr. John R. Christopher.</FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. John R. 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It has a yellowish-green color.</div> <div> Leaves             Alternate, ovate-lanceolate (oblong), serrate, veiny, hairy, and pale green in color.</div> <div> Flowers            Numerous, small and pale blue in color, positioned on long, loose racemes with short pedicels.</div> <div> Fruit                 Inflated, two-celled oval capsule, containing a number of small (1/2 to 1/3 inch long), ovate-oblong, light brown seeds. These are coarsely reticulated on the outer surface.</div> <div> Odor               Slight and irritating.</div> <div> Taste               Strongly acrid, resembling tobacco.</div> <div> <I><B>Part used:</B></I></div> <div> Herb and seeds (the latter are much stronger).</div> <div> <I><B>Therapeutic action:</B></I></div> <div> Antispasmodic, emetic, stimulant (in small doses), relaxant (in larger doses); nervine (sedative), expectorant, anti venomous, counter-irritant, emmenagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, cathartic, astringent, and a nauseant.</div> <div> Lobelia is one of the greatest herbs ever given to the world. We concur with Dr. Thomson that "there is no vegetable which the earth produces more harmless in its effect on the human system, and none more powerful in removing disease and promoting health than lobelia."  Lobelia is a general corrector of the whole system, as it is easily diffused and able to influence the entire body. Lobelia is an efficient relaxant, and is believed to be the best counter-irritant known to mankind. Its action is felt immediately on the serious, mucous, muscular and nervous systems, especially the sympathetic nervous systems. As a powerful antispasmodic, lobelia is effective in causing immediate relaxation and expansion of the contracted parts of the respiratory system (bronchial tubes, esophagus, glottis and larynx). This allows the "breath of life" (oxygenized blood) to flow freely to the de-energized tissues. Lobelia's wonderful healing effects are due to the herb's great ability to remove obstruction and congestion within the body, especially the blood vessels. It lessens the depression through the vaso-motor and strengthens the muscular action of the vessel walls which propel the blood, and thus promotes health.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 359</div> <div> Over years of practice, lobelia has been administered many times, and there have been numerous miraculous healings. Time after time, lobelia has helped the very young to the very old, with only positive results. As for lobelia being a poison: this is one of the most ridiculous falsehoods ever foisted upon the public by orthodox allopaths. This myth has been promulgated by allopaths to dissuade potential patients from using this God-given herb and being healed. The author has quickly swallowed as much as four tablespoons of honey sweetened tincture of lobelia at one time, mistaking it for apple cider vinegar. After retching and vomiting profusely from the emetic properties of the herb, he felt nothing but improvement, and suffered no damage whatsoever; only a good cleaning out!</div> <div> Lobelia is a selective herb. When a fetus is dead, or in an extremely weakened condition, lobelia will cause it to abort. However, if the fetus is well and healthy, and the mother is weak, it will cause the mother to heal and strengthen, enabling her to carry the child until the proper time of delivery. Lobelia accurately and intelligently selects which way it is to go. It is truly a "thinking" herb.</div> <div> The belief that lobelia is a dangerous poison (including the statement in Joseph Meyer's The Herbalist, that "lobelia is too dangerous for internal use by the unskilled") has no basis in fact. This misrepresentation began with Dr. Thomson's amazing success as a rustic herbal doctor. His achievements exposed the then-current deceit and fraud in orthodox inorganic theories and practices. This incited professional jealousy, and caused a loss of money and prestige to the "craft." In addition, when Dr. Thomson could not be easily removed from the scene by the usual maneuver of filing "malpractice" charges, the enraged profession vengefully organized to legislate their craft as the only legal medical practice.</div> <div> Dr. Nowell said this concerning the misclassification of lobelia as a "poison":</div> <div> So successfully did he (Dr. Thomson) use it, that the regulars of his day classed it a poison, as some writers said only a poison could bring about the speedy results that Dr. Thomson obtained by its use. If the student goes to buy a one-ounce package of the herb from the drug store, he will find it label led poison, and in practically all the official works such as B.P., the C.P., the U.S.P. and the American Dispensatory, etc., it is classed as a poison.</div> <div> That it has no poisonous properties we very definitely affirm. Much has been said and written on this point, and it is because of this that we devote a special lesson to this herb. Dr. H. Nowell has used it for nearly thirty years, in all manner of cases, and at all ages. We have friends who have likewise used it freely, and if half that is said against it by the medical world were true, thousands should have been dead from its use.</div> <div> Throughout all the prosecutions, there has never been a single instance of harm resulting from the use of lobelia. For further information, we quote the late Prof. W. (William) Tully of Yale College, in a letter written to Dr. H. Lee of Middletown, Conn., dated March 22nd, 1838:</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 360</div> <div> "Lobelia Inflata is entirely destitute of any narcotic powers. I have been in the habit of employing this article for twenty-seven years, in large quantities and for a long period, without the least trace of any narcotic effect. I have used the very best official tincture in the quantity of three fluid ounces in twenty-four hours, and for four and seven days in succession, and I have likewise given three large tablespoonfuls of it within half an hour, without the least indication of any narcotic operation.</div> <div> I have known four and five tobacco pipes full of it smoked in immediate succession and without any narcosis, and I have also known it to be given by enema with the same result .  Dr. Bigelow, of Boston, was the first person who ascribed narcotic powers to this agent, and he did this in 1817, but not from his own observation. I am confident (the old women's stories in the books are to the contrary notwithstanding) that Lobelia Inflata is a valuable, a safe, and a sufficiently gentle article of medicine, and I think the time will come when it will be much better appreciated."</div> <div> The final absurdity of this whole issue is the alternative--the deadly poison, inorganic antidotes that are offered by orthodoxy in most official publications as "remedies" against purported lobelia "poisoning." The following is a good example:</div> <div> Place in recumbent position, empty stomach if vomiting has not been free, give tannin, cardiac and respiratory stimulants, strychnine, , thebaine, alcohol, digitalis, atropine or belladonna, digitalis (sic), morphine, artificial heat, ergot or castor oil.</div> <div> <I><B>Medicinal uses of lobelia:</B></I></div> <div> Abscesses, adynamia (weakness), angina pectoris (heart excitability), asthma, blood poisoning, blood circulation problems, boils, bronchial problems, bruises, catarrh, chicken pox, cold sweats, colds, colic, congestion, constipation, convulsions, cough, cramps, croup, digestive disturbances (nervous dyspepsia, acute indigestion, etc.), drowning, dyspnea, diphtheria, earache, eczema, epilepsy, fainting, febrile troubles (fevers), felons, female problems, heart weakness, hepatitis, hydrophobia (mad dog bites), hysteria, inflammations, insect stings and bites, laryngitis, measles, meningitis, nephritis, nervousness, palpitation, peritonitis, periostitis, phrenitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, poison ivy, poison oak, rheumatism, ringworm, scarlet fever, smallpox, spasms (spine, muscles, chest, or genital organs), sprains, stomach irritation (small doses), tetanus (lock jaw), vomiting (small doses), whooping cough, and zymotic diseases.</div> <div> Lobelia will allay and regulate violent pains in the loins during labor, which are due to the rigidity of the passages.</div> <div> Thomson writes: In cases where the spasms are so violent that they are stiff, and the jaws become set, by pouring some of this liquid into the mouth between the cheek and teeth, as soon as it touches the glands roots of the tongue, the spasms will relax, and the jaw will become loosened so that the mouth will open; then give a dose of it, and as soon as the spasms have abated, repeat it. . . .</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 361</div> <div> After this, administer appropriate restorative or tonic herbs.</div> <div> <I><B>Preparation:</B></I></div> <div> Decoction, fluid extract, infusion, pills, poultice, powder, syrup, and/or tincture. Do not use lobelia tincture from drug stores, as it is extracted with an etheric menstruum.</div> <div> Infusion:      The seed is best used when crushed.</div> <div> Powder:      Use the leaves, stems, flowers and/or pods.</div> <div> Tincture:      Use the green or dried herb.</div> <div> <I><B>Dosage:</B></I></div> <div> Lobelia may be given in either small or large doses, at shorter or longer intervals, and without any fear of harm to the system.</div> <div> Decoction         1/2 cupful.</div> <div> Fluid Extract     10 to 30 drops.</div> <div> Infusion             1 cupful.</div> <div> Powder             200-650 milligrams</div> <div> Solid Extract     100-300 milligrams</div> <div> Syrup                1 to 4 teaspoons</div> <div> Tincture            1/2 to 1 teaspoonful, or 10 to 30 drops</div> <div> <I><B>Administration:</B></I></div> <div> Lobelia rapidly influences all parts of the body. However, due to its highly diffusible nature, it should always be used with a more permanent stimulant such as cayenne or peppermint.</div> <div> <I><B>Anal</B></I></div> <div> <I>For fevers, pneumonia, pleurisy, nephritis, hepatitis, meningitis, etc.:</I></div> <div> Add lobelia to a catnip enema.</div> <div> <I><B>Oral</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Asthma:</B></I></div> <div> <I>Lobelia tincture is excellent as an emetic to free breathing and promote healing.</I></div> <div> <I>Hepatitis:</I></div> <div> See "<A HREF="#formulas" TITLE="LOBELIA (Lobelia inflata)">Formulas</A>."</div> <div> <I>Hydrophobia:</I></div> <div> Steep 1 tablespoonful of lobelia in 1 pint of boiling water and drink as much as possible to induce vomiting and cleansing of the stomach. Follow this mixture with a high enema of lobelia and catnip.</div> <div> <I>Pleurisy:</I></div> <div> Give lobelia and pleurisy root in an infusion.</div> <div> <I>Typhoid, typhus, spotted fever, scarlet fever, etc.:</I></div> <div> Give 1 teaspoonful of Antispasmodic tincture (see <A HREF="#formulas" TITLE="LOBELIA (Lobelia inflata)">Formulas</A>) in a little warm water every 1/2 hour. Wash the body daily, with 2 parts of hot water and 1 part apple cider vinegar. Change bedclothes and sheets daily, and give the patient warm water every 2 hours.</div> <div> <I>Baby convulsions:</I></div> <div> Place a drop or two of the Antispasmodic tincture on the tip of the finger and thrust it into the baby's mouth. This will stop the problem immediately.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 362</div> <div> <I>Painful cramps and spasms:</I></div> <div> Give one teaspoonful of Antispasmodic tincture in 1/2 cup of sweetened warm water. This action will take about 15 seconds.</div> <div> <I><B>Skin</B></I></div> <div> <I>Earache:</I></div> <div> Place a few drops of warm lobelia tincture in the ear and plug it with cotton.</div> <div> <I>Mucus and spasmodic congestion (especially babies):</I></div> <div> Rub lobelia tincture into the neck, chest, and between the shoulders.</div> <div> <I>For any external problems:</I></div> <div> Apply a poultice consisting of 1 part lobelia and 2 parts slippery elm.</div> <div> <I>Swellings, pneumonia, pleurisy, boils, etc.:</I></div> <div> Make a compress or plaster of lobelia, of hops, bran, or lard.</div> <div> <I>Rheumatic fever:</I></div> <div> Rub the whole body from the neck to the toes with Antispasmodic tincture. In bad cases (where the patient cannot sit up or move the arms or legs), give 1 teaspoonful of Antispasmodic tincture in a little hot water every 1/2 hour until the patient perspires freely. Keep the patient in bed and allow him to cool down; then wash him with apple cider vinegar and hot water. Give the patient 1 teaspoonful of Antispasmodic tincture in hot water every 2 hours during the first day, and every 3 hours for a few days thereafter. When the case demands, rub some Antispasmodic tincture externally, and be sure to sponge the patient with apple cider vinegar and hot water.</div> <div> <I><B> <A NAME="formulas"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></I><I><B>Formulas:</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Antispasmodic tincture; (epilepsy, convulsions, lockjaw, delirium tremors, fainting, hysteria, cramps, suspended animation, etc):</B></I></div> <div> 1 ounce        Lobelia seed, crushed (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 1 ounce        Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)</div> <div> 1 ounce        Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)</div> <div> 1 ounce        Gum myrrh (commiphora molmol)</div> <div> 1 ounce        Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)</div> <div> 1/2 ounce     Cayenne (Capsicum annuum; C. frutescens)</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Infuse 1 pint of alcohol for 1 week in a closely stoppered vessel, and shake well at least once a day. After 10 to 14 days, strain, squeeze or press out the clear liquid.</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 1 to several drops.</div> <div> <I><B>Liver problems, jaundiced skin:</B></I></div> <div> 1 part     Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 1 part     Pleurisy root (Asclepias tube Rosa)</div> <div> 1 part     Catnip (Nepeta Cataria)</div> <div> 1 part     Bitter root (Apocynum androsaemifolium)</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 363</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Steep 1 teaspoonful of this combination in 1 cup of boiling water.</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 2 tablespoonfuls every 2 hours, hot.</div> <div> <I><B>Tincture of lobelia:</B></I></div> <div> 2 ounces     Lobelia herb (stem, flowers, and leaves)</div> <div> 2 ounces     Crushed lobelia seed</div> <div> 1 pint          Apple cider vinegar</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Macerate in a closely stoppered bottle for 10 to 14 days. Shake every time you walk by it, or at least once a day. Strain off the liquid, and bottle it for use.</div> <div> <I><B>Acid tincture of lobelia:</B></I></div> <div> 2 ounces      Crushed lobelia seed (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 1/2 ounce     Lobelia herb (stems, flowers, and leaves)</div> <div> 1 tsp            Cayenne (Capsicum annuum; C. frutescens)</div> <div> 1 pint           Apple cider vinegar</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Same as tincture of lobelia.</div> <div> <I><B>Syrup of lobelia:</B></I></div> <div> 2 1/2 ounces     Lobelia herb (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 2 pints               D-cell or distilled water</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Simmer this mixture down to 1 pint. Strain and dissolve 2 pounds of raw sugar into it.</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 1 teaspoonful (for coughs); 1/2 to 1 cupful as an emetic.</div> <div> <I><B>Puerperal convulsions:</B></I></div> <div> 2 teaspoons       Lobelia; fluid extract (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 4 teaspoons       Lady's slipper; fluid extract (Cypripedium pubescens)</div> <div> 1/2 teaspoon     Cayenne; tincture (Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens)</div> <div> 6 ounces            Simple syrup</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 1 teaspoonful every 1/2 hour.</div> <div> <I><B>Compound lobelia capsules (dyspepsia, rheumatism, inflammation, asthma, consumption, chills, jaundice and fevers):</B></I></div> <div> 1 ounce       Lobelia herb; powder (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 1 ounce       Lobelia seed; powder (Lobelia inflata)</div> <div> 1 ounce       Cayenne, powder (Capsicum annum; C. frutescens)</div> <div> 2 ounces     Acacia vera or Gum arabic; powder (Acacia Senegal)</div> <div> 1 ounce      Anise seed, powdered (Pimpinella anisum)</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Mix and fill into #0 capsules.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 364</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 4 to 10 capsules per day, as the case requires.</div> <div> <I><B>Congenial combinations:</B></I></div> <div> In parturition lobelia allays pain and regulates the muscular action of the birth channel. For menstrual disorders, when lobelia is used with agents such as pennyroyal, the pain and contraction are relieved and normalcy is established. As a general rule, lobelia should always be preceded by or given in combination with a stimulant. When used as a relaxant, do not combine with cayenne or golden seal, but with a more diffusive agent, such as ginger. When used as an emetic, lobelia should be preceded with a stimulating tea such as peppermint or cayenne.</div> <div> The great healing and relieving agent.</div> <div> There have been numerous cases in which individuals have learned the great value of lobelia. Students at the author's school, suffering from some damage to a limb (such as hitting a finger with a hammer), have immediately soaked the injured part in tincture of lobelia. This removed the pain at once.</div> <div> Lobelia, in combination with other herbs, quickly draws out both pain and congested blood. Just a few drops of tincture of lobelia in the ear speedily relieves earache. Convulsing babies have been instantly calmed by rubbing a few drops of lobelia into the gums or mouth. Terrific pain from muscle over-exertion has been abated by massaging lobelia into the affected muscles. This relief has been so quick, patients have called it "blessed." Tincture of lobelia is also very useful in combating blood poisoning.</div> <div> Many births have been markedly eased by the use of lobelia, despite the mother's past history of difficult deliveries. With the use of lobelia, a dead fetus will be passed in abortion, rather than remaining inside the mother's body, as is usually the case. People writhing in pain and rolling on the floor have been immediately calmed with the administering of one half-teaspoonful of tincture of lobelia. There are so many cases of miraculous healings with the use of lobelia that it would take pages to cite the details. There is truly no end to the ways in which lobelia may be used to heal and regenerate the body. It is absolutely harmless.</div> <div> <I><B>A specific for asthma.</B></I></div> <div> Lobelia is well known for its great value in curing asthma. I had an interesting experience during my practice in Evanston, Wyoming more than twenty years ago. One night, after getting up for night calls and finally retiring at 2 a.m., I heard a knock at the door. There stood two young fellows carrying a wizened little gentleman between them. They asked, "Can you help Dad? We can't reach his regular doctor, who has cared for him all these years, and he needs help." We brought him in and gave him a cup of peppermint tea. He had to sit up, because he had not been able to lay in bed for over twenty years. He had suffered severe asthma attacks for twenty-six years, and for twenty of those years, had been propped up at night and could sleep for only short spells of thirty minutes or so. He had been under heavy medication during all those years, with no hope of ever getting well. After the peppermint tea had been down fifteen minutes or so, I gave him a teaspoonful of tincture of lobelia, followed ten minutes later with a second teaspoonful. He started to throw up phlegm from his lungs. During the time that the emetic principle was working and bringing up phlegm from his lungs and bronchial cavities, he ejected over a teacupful of varicolored materials, ranging from light to dark, plus other liquids. At five o'clock, we released him, and the boys took him home. Two days later, I heard the results. Instead of being propped up as usual in the chair, he said to his boys: "I'm going to lie in a bed; I can sleep tonight." For the first time in twenty years, he slept the full night in a bed, and he has slept in a bed from that day on. As a result of his asthma, he had never been able to hold a job for over twenty years; but that same week he went out and got a job as a gardener.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 365</div> <div> <I><B>Growth characteristics:</B></I></div> <div> Lobelia is an annual plant in warm latitudes and a biennial in moderate and northern latitudes. Lobelia is found in meadows, pastures, woods, and grassy places in nearly all parts of the United States. It flowers from July to September.</div> <div> Thomson writes:</div> <div> The emetic herb may be found in the first stages of its growth at all times through the summer. It ranges from the size of a six-cent piece to that of a dollar and larger, lying flat on the ground in a round form, like a rose pressed flat. This is to bear the weight of the snow which covers it during the winter, as it is subject to be winterkilled, like wheat. In the spring, it appears yellow and pale, like other things suffering from wet and cold; but when the returning summer spreads enlivening rays upon it, it lifts up its leaves and shoots forth a stalk to the height of twelve to fifteen inches, with a number of branches carrying its leaves with its growth. In July, it puts forth small, pointed, pale blue blossoms, which are followed by small pods about the size of a white bean. These contain numerous very small seeds. This pod exactly resembles the human stomach, having an inlet and outlet higher than the middle; from the inlet, it receives nourishment, and by the outlet, it discharges the seeds.</div> <div> This plant is common in all parts of this country, wherever the land is fertile enough to yield support for its inhabitants. It is found on every variety of soil which is used for cultivation; from the highest mountains, to the lowest valleys. In hot and wet seasons, it is most plentiful on dry and warm lands; in hot and dry seasons, on clayey and heavy lands. When the season is cold (either wet or dry), it rarely makes its appearance; and if the summer and fall are very dry, the seeds do not come up, and of course, there will be very little of this herb to be found the next season . .   In season when the herb is plentiful, it may be found growing in highways and pastures; by the sides of old turnpikes, and in stubble land; particularly when it has been laid down to grass the year before. When grass is scarce, it is eaten by cattle, and it is hard to be found when full grown. It is a wild plant and a native of this country; but there is no doubt of its being common to other countries. It may he transplanted and cultivated in gardens, and it will be much larger and more vigorous than when growing wild. If some stalks are left, it sows itself, and probably may be produced from the seed ....</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 366</div> <div> <I><B>Collection:</B></I></div> <div> The whole lobelia plant is active, and should be gathered from the last part of July to the middle of October.</div> <div> Thomson writes:</div> <div> It comes to maturity about the first of September, when the leaves and pods turn a little yellow; this is the best time to gather it I have been in search of this herb from Boston to Canada, and was not able to collect more than two pounds; and in some seasons, I have not been able to collect any. I mention this to show the uncertainty of its growth, and to warn people to be careful and lay up a good stock of it when plenty. In the year 1807, if I had offered a reward of a thousand dollars for a pound of this herb, I should not have been able to have obtained it. I have seen times that I would have given two dollars for an ounce of the powder, but there was none to be had, and this necessity taught me to lay up all I could obtain when it was plenty.</div> <div> This plant is different in one very important particular from all others that l have a knowledge of; that is, the same quantity will produce the same effect in all stages of its growth, from the first appearance till it comes to maturity; but the best time for gathering it, as before mentioned, is when the leaves and pods begin to turn yellow; for then the seeds are ripe, and you have all there can be of it. It should then be cut and kept clean, and spread in a chamber or loft to dry, where it can be open to the air in the day time, and shut from the damp air during the night.</div> <div> <I><B>Drying and preserving:</B></I></div> <div> The best form in which to preserve lobelia is the tincture form. It should not be stored in paper, as both the herb and the seeds contain a volatile oil that can be readily absorbed and lost.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 367</div> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=24 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="cc203181eearkz.gif"> <div>                                                              < Previous  |  Next >                                                 </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>