TACHYCARDIA - Abnormally fast heartbeat.

TANNINS - A group of simple and complex phenol, polyphenol, and flavonoid compounds, bound with starches, and often so amorphous that they are classified as tannins simply because at some point in degradation they are astringent and contain variations on gallic acid. Produced by plants, tannins are generally protective substances found in the outer and inner tissues, often breaking down in time to phlebotannins and, finally, humin. All of the tannins are relatively resistant to digestion or fermentation, and either decrease the ability of animals to easily consume the living plant, or, as in deciduous trees, cause shed parts of the plant to decay so slowly that there is little likelihood of infection to the living tree from rotting dead material around its base. All tannins act as astringents, shrinking tissues and contracting structural proteins in the skin and mucosa. Tannin-containing plants can vary a great deal in their physiological effects and should be approached individually.

TENESMUS - The painful expelling cramps of the tubular smooth muscles and ducts. Normal peristalsis of various types produce no pain or sensation (except for the dreaded borborygmies); only the energetic expulsion contraction can induce referred pain. Examples: Nausea, gas pain, uterine cramps, gall bladder pain.

TERNATE - Divided into threes.

TESTOSTERONE - The principal reproductive androgen of males, largely responsible for sexual maturation, some libido, and a range of metabolic reactions that, while supplying short-term strengths, creates a long-term fragility and brittleness if not in balance with less garish but more sustainable metabolic buffers. It is secreted by the Leydig cells of the testes, as well as smaller amounts in the adrenal cortices of both sexes. It is made under the direction of LH from the pituitary, and, if oversecreted, can be inhibited by sperm-producing cells, diminished pituitary support, and a rise in blood levels of its waste-product, stored in adipose tissues...estradiol

TERPENES - Any of a group of hydrocarbons that are made up of building blocks of isoprene (C5H8) or similar five-carbon units, with a monoterpene made up of two units (example: limonene and pinene), a sesquiterpene made up of three units (example: humulene, a Hops aromatic), and a diterpene made up of four units. The terpenes, in our context, are the primary constituents in the aromatic fractions of our scented plants.

T4 - Also termed tetraiodothyronine, the nickname is thyroxine. Secreted by the thyroid along with T3(triiodothyronine...confusingly shortened to thyroxine), this thyroxine is mostly conjugated in the blood by TBG (thyroxine-binding globulin), whereas the more active T3 tends to float free. T4 is broken down to T3 and forms a stable feeder reserve, preventing rapid shifts in its more labile relative

THOMSONIAN MEDICINE - That school of medical philosophy and therapy founded by the American messianic nature therapist Samuel Thomson (b. 1769). Thomson's great axiom was, "Heat is life, and cold is death." He lived in New England, which explains some of this. He and the later Thomsonians made great use of vomiting, sweating, and purging to achieve these ends...crude by present standards, but saner than the standard practice medicine of the times. The Thomsonians split vehemently from the early Eclectics before the Civil War; the latter, larger group preferred to train true professional physicians as M.D.s. The first group disavowed any overt medical training ("physicking") although the small medical sect of Physio-Medicalists, with several medical schools of their own and some east-coast physician converts, used Thomsonian precepts within an otherwise orthodox armamentarium. Their training, however, became less rigorous and more charismatic in time, and, unlike the Eclectic Medical Schools that, with one exception, chose to change to an A.M.A-supported curriculum to stay in business (thereby selling their souls), the Physio-Medicalist schools were too radical and erratic, and faded into history as their graduates were left, finally, with only Michigan allowing them to practice. Many of the practices of Jethro Kloss (Back to Eden) and John Christopher are neo-Thomsonian, and much of what still goes on in the old guard of alternative therapy is what Susun Weed calls the "Heroic Tradition" (no compliment intended). Rule of thumb: If you see Lobelia and Capsicum together in a formula, along with recommendations for colonics, it's probably something Sam Thomson did first.

THORACIC DUCT - This is the body's main lymph collecting vessel. It starts in the little collecting bladder in the abdomen (the cisterna chyli), moves up the center of the body in front of the spinal chord, alongside the esophagus and aorta to the neck, where it drains into the left subclavian vein. It drains the lymph from the entire body, except the head, right thorax and arm, which collects lymph separately and drains into the right subclavian vein. Lacking the ability to contract and expand, the thoracic duct relies on its valves and the kinetic energy of breathing and nearby arterial pumping to drain lymph upwards.

THROMBOSIS - The formation of a blood clot within the circulatory system. It may form in the roughened vein wall in a varicosity, form around arteriosclerotic plaques, or result from trauma and surgery. The tendency rises with thick blood, age, obesity and in those once physically active and now sedentary.

THYROGLOBULIN - The iodine-containing protein that is stored in the thyroid gland. It is converted into circulating thyroxines when the thyroid is stimulated by TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) from the pituitary (in turn stimulated by the hypothalamus, where thyroxine levels are actually monitored). See: T4

THYROTOXICOSIS - A pathologic thyroid hyperfunction. It is sometimes referred to as exophthalmic goiter. An overt disease, sometimes life-threatening, it is very different from the moderately elevated basal metabolism some constitutional types manifest under stress.

TINCTURE - An extract, usually herbal, and usually made with a mixture of water and alcohol, although there were official tinctures that also used acetic acid, chloroform and glycerin. Only a few tinctures are still official in the U.S., including Tincture of Arnica and Compound Tincture of Benzoin. In herb commerce, the term should really only be appropriate when the extract at least RESEMBLES the formerly official methods for making plant extracts. The strength should be listed, usually as a ratio (1:5 being the most common) or a percentage (20%...the same strength as 1:5). Green Tinctures of fresh plants, are usually appropriate when defined as 1:2 or 50%. The alcohol percentage should be given, and, if below 45%, is made incorrectly. Dry plant tinctures, the norm, are official when percolated (usually), although maceration was and is allowed as an alternative method. The term Tincture is still pharmaceutical in implication, so the FDA periodically objects to its use in the herb industry. Nonetheless, if it is IMPLIED, it should reasonably resemble the former pharmaceutical media. Glycerin, although a very inferior solvent, is used as a substitute for moral reasons by some manufacturers, and others try to make do with low percentages, like 25%...others use Vinegar for making their "tinctures". There are many alternative methods for preparing herbs in concentrated forms, in ours and other cultures (the Unani honeys, the pills used in Ayurveda and TCM), but trying to emulate a tincture with other media results in inferior products...and a moral waste of Plant Energy. Methods and recommended strengths are outlined in my pamphlet HERBAL MATERIA MEDICA See: FLUIDEXTRACT, MENSTRUUM

TINEAS - A dermatomycosis; any number of skin fungus infections, such as ringworm, athlete's foot, and so forth. It is generally slow to acquire and hard to get rid of.

TINEA VERSICOLOR - A chronic skin fungus, often without symptoms...except the light skin splotches of infected surfaces that don't tan. It seems easily transmitted from one part of the body to another or one person to another. It is also called Pityriasis Versicolor.

TINNITIS - A ringing in the ears. It may be caused by viral infections of the middle and inner ear, allergies, stress, even drugs or environmental agents. Tenacious for some people, it often seems to occur when you have lots of things to do and little tolerance anyway.

TMJ - The temporomandibular joint. These are the two joints that connect the jawbone to the skull under the zygomatic arch. TMJ syndrome involves pain in the joint, clicking in the joint from degradation of the sinovial fluids, and sharp, shooting pain when chewing. The two main causes are malocclusion (improper tooth alignment) and tension. Some people grind their teeth, others clench their jaws, perhaps from the inability to say what is felt. Chiropractors and osteopaths love helping these folks, some even specializing in TMJ work.

TOMENTOSE - Having woolly hairs.

TONIC - A substance taken to strengthen and prevent disease, especially chronic disease. Formerly, tonics were widely available both as over-the-counter and prescription formulas. Unfortunately, the increased sophistication of medicine has led to the abandonment of preventative or strengthening approaches that utilize the innate abilities of an organism (like ourselves) to right itself with a little prodding in the correct direction. The last several decades have seen increased focus on disease-at-a-time medicine, with more and more patients receiving treatment at acute care facilities like hospitals and clinics, circumstances that delegate against preventative or tonic approaches. Tonics tend to stimulate deficient functions, therefore are best suited for functional disorders, not organic ones.

TRACHEA - The cartilage tube that brings air from the larynx to the two bronchi that enter the lungs. It is lined with mucus membranes and ciliated epithelia.

TRIFOLIATE - Having three leaflets in a compound leaf, like a clover.

TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA - Facial neuralgia or tic doulourex. This is pain of the gasserian ganglion or one or more branches of the trigeminal nerves. It is felt as pain along the side or top of the head, the scalp and around the eyes...a skin headache...and sometimes accompanied by facial muscle cramps. It is usually initiated by trigger points, with blood sugar irregularities and substance sensitivities often lowering their threshold of irritation.

TRIGONE - This is the triangular basement muscle of the urinary bladder. It differs in structure and nerves from the top of the bladder, the detrusor muscle, which expands as the bladder fills, and contracts during urination under parasympathetic nerve stimulus. The trigone does not expand, is under sympathetic nerve stimulus, and supplies the rigidity and sphincter support for the urethra in front and the ureters in back.

TRIMESTER - The three three-month sections of a pregnancy.

TRIPINNATE - Thrice pinnately compound leaf.

TUBER - A short, fleshy, underground part of a stem or root. Example: potato, Paeonia.

TURBINATES - The three nasal conchae, bone ridges that help spiral and flutter inhaled air, increasing the efficiency of heating, moistening and cleansing

UMBEL - A flowering head where the pedicels (individual flower stems) all spring from one point, usually the end of the peduncle. Compound umbels, found in some Umbelliferae, have umbels branching from peduncle umbels that themselves are branching from the main stem.

UNIPOLAR - Having only one polarity; primarily in reference to individuals who only manifest a manic or depressive phase in personality or thyroid bipolarity.

URATE - The salts of uric acid, found in the urine, some kidney stones, and (unfortunately) in gouty joints.

URETERALGIA - Spasm or pain of the ureters, the ducts that milk urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

URETHRITIS - Any inflammation of the urethra, whether from external irritation, overly acidic or scalding urine, passage of stones, or an active infection of the canal. (See CYSTITIS.)

URIC ACID - The final end product of certain native or dietary proteins, especially the nucleoproteins found in the nucleus of cells. Unlike the much smaller nitrogenous waste product urea, which is mostly recycled to form many amino acids, uric acid is an unrecyclable metabolite. It is a bent nail that won't restraighten, and it must be excreted: nucleoprotein to purine to uric acid to the outside in the urine or the sweat. (See GOUT, PURINES.)

URINARY TRACT (UT) - The kidneys and the lower urinary tract, which includes the ureters, bladder, and urethra.

U.S.P.-N.F - United States Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary. The U.S.P. was first published in 1820 and ever ten years thereafter until the Second World War, after which it has been revised every five years. It has always been meant to define the physical, chemical, and pharmaceutical characteristics of the most accepted and widely used drugs of the time, and to set the standards for purity. The N.F was first published in 1888, and, up until 1980, in the same year as the United States Pharmacopoeia. Since 1980, both have been issued in the same volume. The National Formulary was originally intended as a list of the official recipes for pharmaceutical formulas; characteristics of those drugs or plants used in the formulas or that were still recognized as secondary drugs; and the substances needed for the manufacturing of drugs but that were not active, like gelatin or pill binders. With the decreased use of tonics and less invasive medications after the Second World War, the National Formulary became primarily a text defining the inactive substances used in drug manufacturing; the United States Pharmacopoeia now lists the active substances; and all the rich heritage of tonics, elixirs, bitters, syrups, and alternate preparations has disappeared from the short memory span of Standard Practice Medicine. If an herbalist wanted to practice as a pharmaceutical antiquarian, the U.S.P.s and N.F.s of the years between 1890 and 1950 would supply virtually every needed formula and herbal preparation that a Western herbalist would ever need-it's all there (-and all forgotten). To a great degree, the contemporary herbal renaissance is reinventing the wheel.

UTI - Urinary Tract Infection.

VAGINITIS - An inflammation of the vagina, either from simple tissue irritation or from an infection

VAGINOSIS - A vaginal infection characterized by a smelly discharge and the presence of Gardnerella, Mycoplasma, and other anaerobic bacteria, with the lack of Lactobacillus species.

VAGUS NERVE - Also called the pneumogastric nerve, this is the tenth cranial nerve, with many fibers leading to parasympathetic ganglia in internal organs, and can be considered the presynapse starter for the upper parts of the parasympathetic functions.

VARICOSITIES - Enlarged veins or an engorged complex of smaller vessels.

VASCULAR - Pertaining to blood vessels

VASCULITIS - Inflammation of one or more blood vessels

VASOCHOLINERGIC - An agent that stimulates blood flow to the viscera, and more closely mimicking the balance of circulation induced by parasympathetic states. This is one way to oppose excessive adrenergic circulatory states.

VASOCONSTRICTOR - A nerve, agent or substance that narrows blood vessels.

VASODILATION, PERIPHERAL - The increase of blood into the skin, resulting from the relaxation of the small arterioles that lead into the capillary beads at the edges of the body. This is a gentle way to lessen early high blood pressure, decreasing the difficulty of pushing columns of arterial blood through miles of capillaries.

VASODILATOR - Nerves, hormones or substances (like herbs) that induce the relaxation of blood vessels.

VASONEUROSIS - Spasms and cramps of blood vessels that are caused by neurologic factors. Also called angioneurosis

VENEREAL WARTS - Caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) and also known as condylomata acuminata, anal warts, and genital warts. It is nearly always transmitted from person to person by sexual contact, can increase the risk for women of cervical cancer, and occurs in near epidemic proportions in sexually active teenage women.

VENOSITY - An area where there is a buildup of excess venous blood, with enlarged veins and tissue congestion

VENOUS - Pertaining to the veins, or more broadly to include both venous AND lymphatic circulation.

VENOUS STASIS - Having congested venous blood and lymph. Usually a larger condition effecting tissue or organ function, as opposed to the more vascular implications of venosities and varicosities.

VESICAL IRRITATION - In my context, irritation of the bladder and urethra.

VINCENTS INFECTION - Trench Mouth or NUGS. It is usually a symptom of extreme physical stress, nutritional deficiencies and heavy metal poisoning (but not of the type accrued from excess exposure to Metallica or Scorpion)

VLDL - Very Low Density Lipids. These are blood transport fats, consisting mainly of triglycerides (made from sugar by the liver) and loosely covered in specialized proteins and phospholipids so they don't dissolve in the blood and the target tissues can recognize them. Chronic elevation occurs when the tissues cannot absorb them or the liver is overwhelmed by carbohydrates...such as in alcoholism, some hepatitis, and diabetes.

WBC White Blood Cells, - including those of innate immunity, including basophils, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, macrophages (and others) and those of acquired immunity, the various types of lymphocytes. Also called leukocytes.

WHEAL - An inflammatory response to mild skin irritation, with a well-defined, raised redness, lasting for perhaps an hour and then disappearing. The cause is usually atopic allergies in an IgE-excess person, although mild, subclinical
adrenocortical deficiency can be another factor.

XEROPHYTE - A plant that is adapted to, and needs, dry desert climate or is particularly hardy in periodic droughts.

This page is brought to you by Bosom Naturale, the natural breast enhancement, breast enlargement and breast augmentation supplement. For more information on breast enhancement, breast enlargement or breast augmentation, please visit our website at www.bosomnaturale.com the Pharmaceutical strength breast enhancement supplement.