Review of Schizonepeta for Stress and Pain

In my search for legal, medicinal herbs which help with pain, I've found that some help and some make the pain worse, even if they relieve stress.

Schizonepeta (Japanese Catnip) has been used for thousands of years by the Chinese for a variety of conditions. When brewed into tea, the effects are very mild, and slightly calming at best. However, when it is brewed (more like steeped) at cold or room temperature with the addition of alcohol, propylene glycol, glycerine or with lecithin dissolved in water, the fat soluble compounds with the most medicinal benefit are properly absorbed. 

Vaporizing (ok) or smoking it (not recommended due to health hazards of smoking anything) also releases these medicinal compounds in an absorbable form. I imagine a tincture using oil, propylene glycol, glycerine or alcohol would also work well.

A word of caution must be given before continuing, that one of the medicinal compounds of Schizonepeta is Pulegone (and it's metabolite Menthofuran), which while helpful for pain and stress, is "supposedly" toxic to the liver. How much stress it places on the liver in comparison to acetaminophen (ie. Tylenol), alcohol, or any of the numerous toxic food additives that are rampant throughout society today, has been hard to find data on, but it does seem likely to be safe when used on occasion rather than daily. 

Also, one must recognize that these possibly liver-toxic compounds are only present as a small part of a large mixture of terpenes and other medicinal compounds in the plant. In my personal opinion (not legal medical advice) this herb would thus be best suited for use no more than 2 days per week, and consumption multiple times per day may increase risk of liver "strain". 

I say "strain", rather than damage, because the liver can recover quickly and occasional stimulation of the liver through the use of this herbal medicine may help in the same way that one beer per day is supposed to help the liver. For those who use this product 1-2 times per week continually, I would recommend also taking Milk Thistle to help protect the liver. This may sound like overkill but it's better to be overly cautious.  

Ok, now, on to the review of my experience with Schizonepeta. 

The herb, in it's clean, unadulterated state, still has a smell reminiscent of gasoline, though this is not actually anything to worry about. It also has a strong minty, camphor-like smell. The herb buds crush easily between the fingers and there are plenty of tiny, black seeds.

When vaporized in a convection-based herb vaporizer (the method I use most often, very safe), it has a smooth, moderate flavor. The effects are noticeable within less than a minute, and the effects bear a striking resemblance to the feeling produced by Cannabis, albeit much less potent. Approximately 1 gram of Schizonepeta vaporized or smoked feels similar to 2-3 inhalations of low-grade Cannabis. The addition of 1 drop of 100% pure food-grade orange oil will help enhance the pain and stress relieving effects of the Schizonepeta.

This product and review is NOT intended or promoted as a "legal high" or intended to be like "fake marijuana", "legal weed", or any other FDA Non-Compliant term. I simply recognize that Cannabis has medicinal properties and psychoactive properties, and that there are other, legal herbs which share similar qualities, and must be used with care and responsibility.

I'm not trying to get people high, I'm trying to help people get the pain and stress relief they need. There are many other, much milder medicinal herbs which I will be reviewing, but bear in mind that some people need stronger medicines or dosages than others, depending on the severity of their health problems.

The effects of Schizonepeta consumption through any method usually last around 1 hour, but more subtle effects may linger for hours afterward. If sufficient quantities are consumed, significant relaxation, euphoria, a low to medium strength buzz, as well as sleepiness and slowed thinking may occur, so this medicine is best used in the evenings when you have little or no responsibilities left to take care of. Before bed would be optimal.

Consumption of a much smaller amount (100mg to 250mg) vaporized should be much more mild and not intoxicating, simply calming with mild pain relieving ability. This could probably be tolerated during the day by most people, so at these low of dosages, ability to function normally in day to day activities should not be hindered.

Final words:

The addition of Waltheria Americana or Waltheria Indica was noted to help increase the pain and stress relieving properies of Schizonepeta, and the Waltherias are active medicinal herbs themselves. While less potent (dose wise) than Schizonepeta, Waltheria's have many helpful medicinal qualities which I will share with you next time.

Expect a new review soon.

Take care,

- J,

Christian, Husband, Father, and Apothecarian

Welcome!

Welcome to my Herbal Products Review Blog! I'm J, and I've been studying natural medicine for a long time, as well as pharmacology, psychology and other medical things. I have been using completely or mostly natural medicines for many years to help with different health issues that I couldn't get adequate treatment from the Doctor for. Standard, Western Allopathic medicine has it's place but there are many places where it falls short and that is where the herbs step in.

I will be reviewing herbal products that I've bought from various companies, as well as reviewing products that I have made for myself and will also be making available to you in the near future. While I have smoked some of these things in the past, I now use only either a dry herb vaporizer, a liquid-vaporizer or oral/sublingual consumption depending on which herbs or extracts I am using, the needed onset of duration, needed length of effect, and which therapeutic effect is needed at the time. I will be reviewing relaxants and stimulants, with pain killing products lumped in with the relaxants most of the time.

I will review products that are good, as well as ones which were either a rip off, didn't work or gave me a bad reaction (ie. toxic or too strong). That way, you can make an informed choice on how to better manage your own health.

I look forward to sharing this information with you folks and I look forward to the feedback and comments we will share with each other.

Love and Peace from a humble servant of the Holy Trio (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit)!

Until next time,

- J