VANILLA VANILLA PLANIFOLIA JACKS

VANILLA (Vanilla planifolia Jacks.) +++

Synonyms :
Myrobroma fragrans Salisb., Vanilla fragrans auct.

Activities (Vanilla) :
Allergenic (1; LAF); Anticancer (1; FNF); Antioxidant (f; JAD); Antipyretic (f; DAD; JFM); Antisickling (1; FNF); Antispasmodic (f; DAD; JFM); Aphrodisiac (f; CRC; DAD; HHB; JFM); Carminative (f; DAD; EFS); Choleretic (1; CRC; DAD; HHB; RIN); Emmenagogue (f; DAD; JFM); Stimulant (1; DAD; JFM); Vulnerary (1; DAD).

Indications (Vanilla) :
Cancer (1; FNF); Caries (1; CRC; DAD); Cramp (1; DAD; FNF; JFM); Dysmenorrhea (f; CRC; DAD; HHB); Fever (f; CRC; DAD; JFM); Gas (f; DAD; EFS); Hysteria (f; CRC; DAD; HHB); Polyp (f; JLH); Rhinosis (f; JLH); Sickle-Cell Anemia (1; FNF).

Dosages (Vanilla) :
Few located. Cover 4 - 6 pods with alcohol and steep 21 days, take 24 drops/day with sweetened water as stimulant (JFM); steep 8 g 8 days in alcohol, take 5 - 20 drops/day as aphrodisiac (JFM). Mom used to give me a half teaspoon of vanilla extract for upset stomach when she was out of Castoria, which also smelled, to me, of vanilla. I thoroughly enjoyed both, perhaps contributing to my latent love for herbal tinctures (hence my book, Living Liqueurs) (JAD).

Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Vanilla) :
Class 1 (AHP). Not treated (KOM; PHR). The folk emmenagogue activity will no doubt trigger nitpickologists to warn pregnant women against using this spice. And the plant does contain allergenic compounds, as do most plants.