Wellness Learning Center
Diet & Nutrition
Wisdom of the Aging: Herbs and The Elderly
Roger W. Mustalish, MPH, Ph.D.
Sue H. Mustalish, RN, HNC
We are at a crossroads in our ability to provide quality, cost effective health care for the elderly in this country. With birthrate down and life expectancy increasing, people 85 and older now constitute the fastest growing part of our population. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion predicts that by the year 2030, when the last of the 75 million baby boomers turn 65, 8.5 million Americans will be 85 years or older. The impact of these figures is compounded by quality of life issues, given the fact that the elderly are most affected by chronic illnesses. It is estimated that 80% of all seniors have a least one chronic condition and 50% have at least two. Furthermore, the elderly consume one third of all medications being used in this country, in the effort to treat such conditions as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and depression. Eighty-five percent of the elderly take at least one prescription medication with the average older American taking three (Zurlinden). There is no estimate for the incidence and cost of side effects that arise from an elder’s altered and/or compromised ability for drug metabolism, increasing potential toxicity, or the result of polypharmaceutical interactions.
The beauty of a crossroads is the opportunity to change the present course, recognizing that chronic disease and reduced quality of life are not enviable consequences of aging. A concurrent phenomenon associated with the baby boomer generation is their “refusal to age” so to speak, precipitating a redefinition of aging. No longer is chronological age the sole determinant of what it means to be old and the social perception of diminished quality of life and disability in later years is being challenged. What better example of this new image of the elderly is there than Senator John Glenn and his historic return to space at the age of 78? Baby boomers are beginning to realize that the answer to prolonged activity and health in large part lies in a proactive holistic, integrative approach of disease prevention and wellness promotion, emphasizing wise lifestyle choices, nutrition, smoking cessation, exercise, and stress reduction. This would also include botanical medicines that would alleviate and/or reduce the need for reliance on potent medications that have become synonymous with aging such as diuretics, antihypertensives, cardiac glycosides, analgesics and psychotropics.
With a shift of perspective to keeping healthy and active as long as possible, some of our top botanical allies would include:
- Antioxidant rich plants: An astonishing 45,250 publications exist on the health benefits of antioxidants, including stemming the tide of the aging process and in preventing of a wide array of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, macular degeneration, inflammation and diabetes (Naguib). Fresh fruits and vegetables are important sources of the hundreds of known antioxidants in the form of carotenoids (encompassing vitamin A precursors among many others), polyphenols (including flavonoids, flavones, isoflavonoids), Vitamins C and E, Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Coenzyme Q10, to name a just a few.
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba): The subject of more than 400 published studies, Ginkgo is effective in preventing and/or treating circulatory problems, especially cerebral circulation that can cause loss of cognitive function, vertigo, headaches, depression, and disorientation; Alzheimer’s Disease; peripheral vascular insufficiency with resultant intermittent claudication; Raynaud’s syndrome; and impotence. The leaves of the Ginkgo tree contain powerful, unique antioxidants, such as terpenes, which are likely responsible for Gingko’s benefits: enhancing vascular integrity, decreasing platelet aggregation, improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and aiding in the prevention and treatment of strokes and heart disease. Additional information on how to use Ginkgo and dosages can be found in Integrative Medicine Access.
- Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): The flavonoids found in the fruits, flowers and leaves of Hawthorn, particularly the anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, provide Hawthorn’s therapeutic effects: improved blood supply to the heart, enhanced cardiac metabolism, and lowered blood pressure through inhibition of angiotension converting enzyme (ACE). Murry reports that Hawthorn, widely prescribed in Europe, is effective in the treatment of minor arrythmias, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Data also suggest that there are clinical benefits in the treatment of arthritis, periodontal disease, inflammation, and other conditions affecting collagen structure. See Blumenthal, et al. for dosage information.
- Saint John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum): The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) presents a comprehensive review of the therapeutic effects of Hypericum. Although recent attention has focused on its usefulness in treating mild to moderate depression, what is not commonly known is that St. John’s Wort also contains anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, cardiotonic and wound healing activities. Thus, it is useful in helping to address a wide range of ailments, i.e. anxiety, insomnia, irritability, neuralgias, migraines and sciatica. See the AHP for details of how to take St. John’s Wort.
- Saw Palmetto (Seronoa repens): Almost 50% of men over 40 and 75% over 60 experience benign prostatic hyperplasia (McCaleb). Saw Palmetto, evaluated in a meta-analysis, was found to be superior to placebo and comparable to (and with substantially less side effects) finasteride for improving symptomology associated with BPH (Wilt et al.). Effective doses are generally 1-2 g. of dried fruit, or 320 mg of fruit extract daily (McCaleb, Awang).
- Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus): Blumenthal et al., in Herbal Medicine, report Commission E findings and others that bilberry fruit supports the health and integrity of the body’s microcirculation so as to prevent and treat related problems including degeneration of the retina, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, loss of vision acuity in dim light, and visual dysfunctions associated with diabetes. Anthocyanidins are the active constituents. How to use Bilberry can be found in Herbal Medicine.
Aging is inevitable. But “growing old” is not. Botanical medicines, when part of an integrative strategy, can be powerful aids to make our “golden years” ones of wellness, vitality, and continued productivity.
Literature Cited
Awang, D. 1997. Saw Palmetto, African Prune and Stinging Nettle for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal. November: 37-40, 43-44, 62.
Blumenthal, M., A. Goldberg, and J. Brinckmann, eds. 2000. Herbal Medicine. Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications. 519 pp.
Integrative Medicine Access. 2000. Ginkgo Biloba. Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications.
McCaleb, R. 1996. Herbal Help for Prostate Problems. Herbs for Health. March: 27-28.
Murray, M. Hawthorn: Nature’s Cardiotonic. American Journal of Natural Medicine. Vol. 2 (7): 10-13.
Naguib, Y. 1999. Antioxidants: A Technical Overview. Neutraceuticals World. March/April: 40-42, 44.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 1999. Preventing the Diseases of Aging. Chronic Disease Notes and Reports. Vol 12(3): 1-3.
Upton, R., ed. 1997. St. John’s Wort. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Santa Cruz, CA: AHP. pp 3-31.
Wilt, T., et al. 1998. Saw Palmetto Extracts for Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 280(18): 1604-1609.
Zurlinden, J. 1999. New Drugs in Old Bodies-Not Always a Healthy Combination.
Nursing Spectrum June 14: p. 27.
