AUGUST 3, 2011 QUEEN OF THE RAIN FOREST

"When you forget about caring what everyone thinks of you, you can reach a place where YOU are happy with who you are."

I should have recited this quote years ago and followed what it said. So it took better than 30 years to stop caring what people think of me. I feel if people have that much time to discuss what they think of me- then they are certainly not working on themselves. I am over this 'caring phase' in my life. I care about me and the healing arts which means I care about the well being of others--my patients, friends and family. I have reached a point that even if a family member doesn't care, then why bother continuing that family bond. It may not always be true that blood (family) is thinker than water. I have an extended family comprised of the most special people in the world.

Many herbalists use botanicals for cardiac arrhythmias. I think we all use Hawthorne. I have used a combination of Hawthorne, Motherwort, Scotch Broom and the "Queen of the Rainforest"- night blooming cactus. I titled it this because usually you think of cacti in the desert, not in the rainforest. Not much is written about Night-blooming cactus. It was formerly known as Cactus grandiflora but now known as Selenicereus grandiflorus. I have had the pleasure of smelling this plant in the Rain Forest and its fragrance is unforgettable. It is a dainty white flower that yields this smell.

It is a gentle flower so it is used for gentle arrhythmias. It is not a cardiac glycoside like the foxglove (digitalis) but does have regulating factors for the conduction system of the heart.

I use it mainly for tachyarrhythmias but I have heard some use it for bradyarrhythmias. I have never used Night Blooming for slow heart rates, only fast heart rates. I have used it on patients with mild congestive heart failure (CHF). I usually use it with motherwort and scotch broom. If the patient wants a fast acting herb, THIS IS NOT THE ONE. Its actions are slow. This is why I use it because you see the beneficial results over time. Night blooming cactus is great for CHF because it contains tyrosine. This is a positive inotropic agent (which means it increases the force of the contraction of the heart).

Also another metabolite of night blooming cactus is cactine (this is also known as hordenine). It is supposedly an indirectly acting adrenergic compound that liberates epinephrine (a stress hormone) from its stores. It therefore can have a positive inotropic action. I would like to see more studies done.

I use Night blooming as a tincture. I use it already prepared, but I know fresh would be better. I have never used too much night blooming.

Until tomorrow...