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Herbs for cystic fibrosis
am a practitioner looking to help a client with Cystic Fibrosis. In the past I have used the tincture from Bioforce known as 'Petasan' which has now been discontinued so I am looking for something else. Do you know, for example, where I could get a mistletoe and butterbur tincture?
The key active agents in the petasan tincture were, as you will know, butterbur and mistletoe - both of which have in more recent years come under the scrutiny of both UK and European regulators. In the UK, mistletoe has now been deemed as a remedy that can only be prescribed by doctors, herbalists and qualified natural health practitioners so you are unlikely to have much success finding an over-the-counter replacement for the tincture you have used in the past. That said, Herbs of Grace (01638 712123 / 715715; www.herbsofgrace.co.uk) make a mistletoe tincture and, as a practitioner, you can contact that company on to order and prescribe it.
Butterbur too has come under the spotlight following concerns about the presence, in some extracts of chemicals called from pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which, it is suggested, may cause liver problems. According to Dr Jen Tan, managing director of Bioforce in the UK, when the Swiss authorities decided that butterbur should no longer be sold over the counter there, Bioforce adopted the same policy here and not least because the parent company is Swiss.
Butterbur (Pestasites hyridus) is most commonly used, especially in Europe where it is among the best-selling herbal remedies, to help relieve migraine headaches and for anyone already using it for this purpose, the important thing is to make sure the extract they are using is free from PAs.
Linpharma makes a butterbur supplement called Butterbur petasin which does not contain these potentially harmful agents. If not on sale in your local health store, mail order from Revital (0800 252875) where 50 x 50mg capsules cost £19.95.