2013 Conference Poster Abstracts
The following posters were accepted for presentation at the 2013 NIMH conference
Title Medicinal Plants – Communicating Safely and Effectively
Authors
Dr Bob Allkin (Product Manager)
Dr Elizabeth Dauncey (Product Development Officer)
Jens Reinke (Project Manager)
Jason Irving (Sandwich Student)
Medicinal Plant Names Services, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB – mpns@kew.org
Abstract
Professionals working in the herbal or pharmaceutical professions and industries, as well as the wider field of health, pharmacovigilance, and ethnopharmacology all need to access information about plants reliably and to communicate with one another effectively about those plants.
Medicinal plants are used globally and are thus known by different names in different communities, health traditions, generations and languages. Unfortunately, neither trade names nor pharmacopoeia names establish the identity of the species effectively as these names are used inconsistently. Scientific plant names provide our only means of achieving clarity, but there are obstacles to effective communication that currently arise through inappropriate use of such names. A high percentage of the herbal medicine literature, as well as national and international legislation, uses scientific names incorrectly and as a result is ambiguous or misleading.
These confusions and errors come about because:
· there are many more names than plants;
· one name may refer to more than one plant;
· names continue to change; and
· opinions differ.
Medicinal Plant Names Services is working on a new initiative to provide information services in support of professionals and researchers that work in health, pharmacovigilance, the herbal and pharmaceutical industries or for regulatory authorities.
The services build upon Kew Gardens’ botanical resources and are being designed to help these audiences use plant names appropriately and navigate safely the rich information sources that already exist for medicinal plants. Uniquely, the diverse names used for medicinal plants (pharmacopoeia, drug, common, trade) are being mapped onto the scientific plant names, and queries using any type of name will be possible. A beta release of a Medicinal Plant Names Services portal will be available later this year [www.kew.org/mpns].
We seek input from the user community to ensure that the services built meet practical needs.
Keywords: Plant Names, Database, Information, Communication, Kew
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Authors
Dr Bob Allkin (Product Manager)
Dr Elizabeth Dauncey (Product Development Officer)
Jens Reinke (Project Manager)
Jason Irving (Sandwich Student)
Medicinal Plant Names Services, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB – mpns@kew.org
Abstract
Professionals working in the herbal or pharmaceutical professions and industries, as well as the wider field of health, pharmacovigilance, and ethnopharmacology all need to access information about plants reliably and to communicate with one another effectively about those plants.
Medicinal plants are used globally and are thus known by different names in different communities, health traditions, generations and languages. Unfortunately, neither trade names nor pharmacopoeia names establish the identity of the species effectively as these names are used inconsistently. Scientific plant names provide our only means of achieving clarity, but there are obstacles to effective communication that currently arise through inappropriate use of such names. A high percentage of the herbal medicine literature, as well as national and international legislation, uses scientific names incorrectly and as a result is ambiguous or misleading.
These confusions and errors come about because:
· there are many more names than plants;
· one name may refer to more than one plant;
· names continue to change; and
· opinions differ.
Medicinal Plant Names Services is working on a new initiative to provide information services in support of professionals and researchers that work in health, pharmacovigilance, the herbal and pharmaceutical industries or for regulatory authorities.
The services build upon Kew Gardens’ botanical resources and are being designed to help these audiences use plant names appropriately and navigate safely the rich information sources that already exist for medicinal plants. Uniquely, the diverse names used for medicinal plants (pharmacopoeia, drug, common, trade) are being mapped onto the scientific plant names, and queries using any type of name will be possible. A beta release of a Medicinal Plant Names Services portal will be available later this year [www.kew.org/mpns].
We seek input from the user community to ensure that the services built meet practical needs.
Keywords: Plant Names, Database, Information, Communication, Kew
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Title Exploring the therapeutic approaches for the treatment of atopic eczema by western medical herbalists: a qualitative study
Authors: Zoi Maraki and Julia Green
Affiliation: The University of Westminster
Current position: Graduate student -Zoi Maraki, Senior lecturer -Julia Green
Email: zoi.maraki@my.westminster.ac.uk
Abstract
Introduction - Atopic eczema (AE) is a common inflammatory skin disorder, affecting one in five children and one in twelve adults in the UK. Due to the chronic nature of the condition and its poor management by conventional therapies, AE sufferers increasingly resort to complementary and alternative types of treatment.
Aim - The aim of this study was to document, analyse and discuss Western Herbal Medicine (WHM) practitioners’ views on therapeutic approaches for AE.
Methods - Three participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria required participants to be: i) currently practising UK medical herbalists, ii) members of an established WHM professional body iii) in practice for at least 10 years, iv) having treated at least 5 cases of EA during the last year and v) living in or within 2 hours of London. Semi-structured interviews were used, each lasting 30 minutes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results - Five themes emerged from data analysis: Internal herbal therapeutic approach; Topical applications; Importance of dietary therapeutic approach; Emotional/psychological parameters; and Practitioners’ role and patient individuality. Internal use of herbs such as Viola tricolour, Urtica dioica, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Taraxacum officinale appeared to be the preferred way to administer herbal treatment. Even though no standard “eczema cream” was reported, creams containing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and healing herbs were used by all herbalists. The importance of tackling emotional issues and improving diet was stressed, with particular emphasis on ω-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
Conclusions – This research highlighted the holistic, patient-focused therapeutic approach of the participants in treating AE. Both internal and external use of herbs as well as dietary and lifestyle modifications were viewed as important by all herbalists. Further quantitative and qualitative studies are needed to investigate the WHM approach to AE treatment.
Key words: Atopic eczema, Western herbal medicine, qualitative
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Authors: Zoi Maraki and Julia Green
Affiliation: The University of Westminster
Current position: Graduate student -Zoi Maraki, Senior lecturer -Julia Green
Email: zoi.maraki@my.westminster.ac.uk
Abstract
Introduction - Atopic eczema (AE) is a common inflammatory skin disorder, affecting one in five children and one in twelve adults in the UK. Due to the chronic nature of the condition and its poor management by conventional therapies, AE sufferers increasingly resort to complementary and alternative types of treatment.
Aim - The aim of this study was to document, analyse and discuss Western Herbal Medicine (WHM) practitioners’ views on therapeutic approaches for AE.
Methods - Three participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria required participants to be: i) currently practising UK medical herbalists, ii) members of an established WHM professional body iii) in practice for at least 10 years, iv) having treated at least 5 cases of EA during the last year and v) living in or within 2 hours of London. Semi-structured interviews were used, each lasting 30 minutes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results - Five themes emerged from data analysis: Internal herbal therapeutic approach; Topical applications; Importance of dietary therapeutic approach; Emotional/psychological parameters; and Practitioners’ role and patient individuality. Internal use of herbs such as Viola tricolour, Urtica dioica, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Taraxacum officinale appeared to be the preferred way to administer herbal treatment. Even though no standard “eczema cream” was reported, creams containing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and healing herbs were used by all herbalists. The importance of tackling emotional issues and improving diet was stressed, with particular emphasis on ω-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
Conclusions – This research highlighted the holistic, patient-focused therapeutic approach of the participants in treating AE. Both internal and external use of herbs as well as dietary and lifestyle modifications were viewed as important by all herbalists. Further quantitative and qualitative studies are needed to investigate the WHM approach to AE treatment.
Key words: Atopic eczema, Western herbal medicine, qualitative
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Title Exploring therapeutic approaches of Western Medical Herbalists to Acne vulgaris using qualitative interviews
Authors: Amparo Aracil-Pujalte, Julia Green
Affiliation: University of Westminster
Current position: Medical herbalist
Email address: amparo@mediciplant.com
ABSTRACT
Background: There is evidence reporting that many people are seeking and receiving herbal treatment for acne vulgaris (acne) in the UK. Acne is a common condition affecting about 80% of people between 11 and 30 years of age. Despite that, there is virtually no research on the common approach of western medical herbalists to treating acne.
Aim: To document, analyse and discuss, using qualitative methods, the practice, strategies, beliefs and clinical reasoning of western medical herbalists in relation to the treatment of acne.
Method: Purposive sampling was used to recruit three participants meeting inclusion criteria: members of a professional body (i.e. NIMH, CPP), had practiced for at least 10 years, having treated at least 20 patients with acne in the last 6 years. Qualitative semi-structured 30-minute one-to-one interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed and checked for accuracy by the researcher. Simple thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The overall summary of the research findings was obtained after comparing and contrasting the summaries of each interview.
Results: The following three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data: i) herbal practice, ii) strategies to treating acne and iii) clinical reasoning and beliefs behind it. All practitioners addressed the eliminatory pathways (liver, lymph nodes, bowels), the diet, and the emotional state of the patient.
Conclusion: This project provides a preliminary exploration of WHM approaches to treating acne and highlights possible new directions for future research. The results demonstrate a consistent approach to treating acne between the three practitioners although there are slight differences in their beliefs and clinical reasoning.
Recommendations: Case studies and questionnaires could be used in a larger sample size that would represent the diversity of the profession. This would allow extrapolation of data and validation of this study’s results. To prove concepts a controlled intervention could be set up.
Key words: Western herbal practice; acne vulgaris.
Authors: Amparo Aracil-Pujalte, Julia Green
Affiliation: University of Westminster
Current position: Medical herbalist
Email address: amparo@mediciplant.com
ABSTRACT
Background: There is evidence reporting that many people are seeking and receiving herbal treatment for acne vulgaris (acne) in the UK. Acne is a common condition affecting about 80% of people between 11 and 30 years of age. Despite that, there is virtually no research on the common approach of western medical herbalists to treating acne.
Aim: To document, analyse and discuss, using qualitative methods, the practice, strategies, beliefs and clinical reasoning of western medical herbalists in relation to the treatment of acne.
Method: Purposive sampling was used to recruit three participants meeting inclusion criteria: members of a professional body (i.e. NIMH, CPP), had practiced for at least 10 years, having treated at least 20 patients with acne in the last 6 years. Qualitative semi-structured 30-minute one-to-one interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed and checked for accuracy by the researcher. Simple thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The overall summary of the research findings was obtained after comparing and contrasting the summaries of each interview.
Results: The following three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data: i) herbal practice, ii) strategies to treating acne and iii) clinical reasoning and beliefs behind it. All practitioners addressed the eliminatory pathways (liver, lymph nodes, bowels), the diet, and the emotional state of the patient.
Conclusion: This project provides a preliminary exploration of WHM approaches to treating acne and highlights possible new directions for future research. The results demonstrate a consistent approach to treating acne between the three practitioners although there are slight differences in their beliefs and clinical reasoning.
Recommendations: Case studies and questionnaires could be used in a larger sample size that would represent the diversity of the profession. This would allow extrapolation of data and validation of this study’s results. To prove concepts a controlled intervention could be set up.
Key words: Western herbal practice; acne vulgaris.
