NeuroTalk Support Groups - Green Pharmacy for Parkinson's Disease

Hi Imad,
I took Ginko Biloba for a couple of years prior to diagnosis, It helped with memory and concentration, and circulation, and took away some of the twitchiness that I had before going on sinemet. There were a lot of things it did not touch.

St John's Wort should be used sparingly and only for short periods of time. It can be very helpful for depression, but can also mask more serious mental health problems, and is not suitable for clinical depression. There are studies that relate to this, but I know this from watching someone desperate to escape depression, who would not use it within recommended limits, and for whom it really did not help matters.

Evening primrose is an old staple that does not do any harm, very useful for women.

Mucuna and velvet bean are used almost interchangeably, but do comprise different variants, they have been used as a green manure for a long time and grow all over the worldl. The Fava bean is one that needs to be researched carefully before it is used as people can be very allergic to it, there is a condition called Favism, and the reaction can be quite extreme. You can get tested for it, and if it come clear there is no problem using it. I would not advise anyone to use them without having the test done. Aunt Bean would agree, I think.

Herbal medicine is very useful when used well and with caution, preferably under supervision by a trained herbalist. Unfortunately there are not that many of them around, and a lot of self taught people profess to be what they are not.