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I have been reading about wild herbs in my country and found out that one of the most common herb is actually Dong-Quai, I just recognize it under a different name. This summer I plan on going herb hunting in the country, not only for NBE reasons but for general health reasons and was wondering if I should use Dong-Quai for NBE. I know some girls have it in their programmes but I also saw a response from Isabelle saying it did absoultly nothing for NBE. In my country this herb is not known for effects for "woman's problems" but I am a little curious to know if it could be beneficial for NBE. Does some of you know anything about this herb that might be beneficial for NBE? I am really curious to know?
Does anyone know the herb Alchemilla vulgaris, aka lady's mantle? This herb is know for helping with woman's problems but I don't know anything about it really. Never used it myself and haven't seen any research on it.
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Hi Cousin Rose,
There is a single publication about a man growing breasts on a TCM dong quai formula in Singapore, but the consensus in the literature is that the formula was adulterated, probably with hormones. Unfortunately, the Singapore article started a lot of NBE myth about dong quai.
The traditional use of dong quai is for menstruation and labor:
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/her...ng-gui.php
Some women use it in the luteal phase to "regulate the cycle", but I don't really know if it contains progestins.
There is a lot of confusion about Alchemillas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemilla_mollis
Alchemilla mollis is the one in the gardens. Alchemilla vulgaris is the most common one in the wild, but the medicinal ones are Alchemilla alpina (Alpine lady's mantle) and Alchemilla xanthoclora. Check what exactly grows in the wild where you go looking: with any luck, it's the alpine one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemilla_alpina
It's for menstruation problems:
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/her...mantle.php
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Thanks Isabelle. There are so many things still unknown about herbs and when I am looking at some lesser known herbs, it is difficult to find information. The alpine lady's mantle grows in my area!
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The "Dong-Quai" I was talking about is actually Angelica archangelica which is obviously not the same thing even though I read it was. Dong-Quai is the chinese "version" and the other one the arctic "version" but they seem to have very different benefits.
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Well, it takes people like you who are willing to invest the effort
This is the literature about dong quai:
http://www.sma.org.sg/smj/4203/4203cr1.pdf
http://www.fugh-berman.com/files/Bust.pdf
The Alchemilla Alpina is really exciting. Let me know how it goes.
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You're right about Dong Quai: it's Angelica Sinensis.
