Microdosing guide

Emmanuel NOSSIN

Pharmacist

Ethnopharmacologist

2022

"In the all-encompassing world that is given to us—or imposed upon us—today,
 The poetics of sharing, of embraced difference, of solidarity between natural and cultural developments, ...) draws us toward a coming together of memories, a convergence of generosity, and a surge of knowledge—all of which we all need, as individuals and communities, no matter where we are.

"Bringing memories together and allowing them to liberate one another opens up paths to global connection."

Edouard Glissant “ Speech at the Institut du Tout-Monde “

Disclaimer

The information contained in this document is provided strictly for informational and educational purposes and should in no way be considered personalized medical advice.

It is intended for anyone—healthcare professionals, students, manufacturers of herbal medicines, or ordinary users—who is interested in the use of aromatic and medicinal plants.

Under no circumstances—either directly or indirectly—is it a parallel medical service or an incentive to supplant the conventional medical system.

Any treatment undertaken solely on the basis of the content of this document does not eliminate the need to consult healthcare professionals who are duly licensed by health authorities regarding any issues related to your health and well-being.

It is important to bear in mind that the array of regulations and laws governing the Franco-European academic medical system makes it impossible to use any “unconventional” approaches, and that the charges brought against anyone offering such approaches can range—in the case of healthcare professionals —to a ban on practicing.

Furthermore, although it is based primarily on scientific information and technological packages imported from academic circles in tropical countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and more generally on databases found on international research websites, Some of the proposed therapeutic indications contained in this document are still incomplete because the studies—particularly the clinical studies—have not yet been completed or finalized.

There is a lack of perspective, for example, regarding the potential occurrence of collateral damage, interactions with petroleum-based medications or food, or iatrogenic effects, especially in long-term treatments.

Despite all the care taken in its preparation, this document remains somewhat imperfect. It will be updated regularly as new findings emerge.

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The Ethnopharmacopoeia (or Traditional Pharmacopoeia) of Martinique, with its nearly 1,000 ingredients, has a potential that has yet to be fully realized. There are growing expectations among the general public and small-scale producers in the agromedicinal micro-sector.

Official recognition of our Ethnopharmacopoeia (Lodeom - 2009), and the open discussion on the possibility of passing a law to restore the Herbalist (Senate—2011) hold out the prospect of harnessing our genetic resources.

But at the same time, they have made us aware of our significant structural weakness, and in particular, the lack of a critical mass of personnel capable of generating or utilizing scientific information and the technological tools needed to establish a production line for herbal medicines using these resources.

Training in the production of standardized and decidedly modern herbal medicines aims to strengthen the local community-based healthcare system. This new line of herbal medicines—traditional yet modernized —is better suited to the needs of the times and also represents a prime alternative for reducing healthcare costs—differs fundamentally from those currently sold by informal healthcare providers known as “Creole apothecaries,” those few local traditional herbalists who have managed to “survive” the establishment of a highly organized and, for the most part, effective medical system.

In fact, she must, absolutely benefit from the latest technological advancements and scientific information. Hence their name: Improved Traditional Medicines (MTA). This is the other condition—after legal recognition—for it to be taken into account by the academic medical community and its integration into the care pathway.

A secondary objective of this basic training is to encourage the emergence of this "critical mass" staff capable of performing these simple, basic tasks—such as cultivating, harvesting, and storing medicinal plants or parts of medicinal plants—or more complex ones, such as processing and packaging them. In short, instilling some good production practices.

All species selected for the production of MTAs are well known and have been scientifically validated for their organic property, them safety, as well as the how to use them.

The compilation of this list is also based on the experience of certain Caribbean countries, such as Cuba, Guatemala, Colombia, and Brazil, as well as countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia—primarily China and India.

In these countries, academic medical practice—in which herbal medicines play a central role and have success rates at least equal to those of conventional medicines—has been in place for more than thirty years. This is very important because such a long history of use provides a guarantee of safety—a form of large-scale clinical trials, so to speak—for their use.

Three main dosage forms were selected: alcohol solution, tincture and microdose. Their labels will include, in addition to their scientific (and/or common) name, the use-by date (Best Before (DLU): 24 months after the date of manufacture.

Before examining them one by one, it is worth spending a little time on some general concepts, particularly regarding the preparation of plant samples intended for processing into herbal medicines.

Preparing the plants

Let’s begin by noting that the active compounds found in plants vary considerably depending on the age of the plant, the time of harvest, and the nature of the soil and climate. Depending on where they are harvested, even plants of the same species can exhibit significant differences in the nature and quantity of their active compounds.

Warehouse: The various harvested parts should be placed in newspaper (such as *France-Antilles*) or well-ventilated canvas bags. These batches should be stored in storage cabinets protected from pests, contamination, and other external hazards. Furthermore, care must be taken not to pack the harvest too tightly or to crush fragile plants.

Selected Plants all belong to the Ethnopharmacopoeia of Martinique. However, some of them are also listed in the French Pharmacopoeia (PF). These are therefore intended to be officially prescribed by the academic medical community and will be dispensed only for the indications for which they were listed.

Registration with the PF, in fact, means that the public dispensing of these substances is reserved for pharmacists. Unless there is an immediate “release.” If such a “liberation” has not yet occurred at the time these products are manufactured, it will be impossible for non-pharmacists—that is, users and de facto “Creole apothecaries”—to assign them the therapeutic indications for which they were registered. Unless the law on the practice of herbal medicine—introduced in the Senate in 2011—is reconsidered and enacted by then.

Alcoholic infusions, microdoses, and tinctures

These are preparations resulting from the extraction of ethyl alcohol or ethanol -to varying degrees- on drugs or mixtures of drugs. The French Codex defines them as preparations resulting from mixtures of syrup, sugar, or glycerin with alcohol containing medicinal and aromatic substances. The alcohol content must be at least 20°.

Work drugs are generally of animal or plant origin and are, for the most part, used in the form of fresh for alcohol solutions and dry in the case of dyes.

It is important to keep in mind that alcohol extracts certain active substances from the plant, which can completely alter its pharmacological properties. This is important because the therapeutic profile of the species, when subjected to the selective and extractive action of alcohol, sometimes bears no resemblance to its known properties. Furthermore, the part of the plant used may differ entirely, leading to other potential effects. Coconut alcohol tincture, for example, is used for the antiviral properties of the mesocarp of the green fruit, whereas coconut water is known for its diuretic effect.

Alcohol-based solutions, these preparations—made by dissolving fresh herbs in alcohol, which are easier to prepare—have long been well known to the people of Martinique.

Among the traditional alcohol-based infusions used in Martinique are those made from cola nuts, wormwood (“pété-pié”), clover caterpillars, and so on...

Alcohol Extracts and Tinctures They therefore share the same preparation method. Most of the species used to make tinctures could be processed into alcohol extracts. However, certain parts of species such as the bulb of the Caribbean shallot (Eleutherine bulbosa), aloe gel (Aloe Vera), the pumpkin flower (Cucurbita pepo), the fire vine ((Pyrostegia venusta), or papaya (Carica papaya), which do not withstand drying well, should preferably be prepared as alcohol extracts.

Microdoses are preparations identical to the previous two but highly diluted. They fall halfway between homeopathic remedies and the alcoholic forms described above. They have the same properties as the tinctures or alcoholates from which they are derived. They are administered exclusively by sublingual route.

Most of these alcohol-based preparations are primarily intended for a oral use. This limits their prescription to people for whom alcohol is strictly Contraindicated for: pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with alcohol addiction, or those taking medications that are incompatible with its absorption.

This essential “precaution for use”—which applies to alcohol-based preparations—will always be included on these three types of preparations.

That said, some products offer a topical use. They should then be used undiluted or incorporated into lotions, ointments, creams, or other forms intended for external use.

Terms and conditions

Drugs intended for the preparation of alcohol extracts and tinctures must first be properly ground so that the alcohol can act effectively, and, in the case of tinctures, dried in an oven to ensure that residual moisture does not weaken the alcohol’s dissolving action. The contact time must be long enough for the herbal material to release its active substances. In France, in the vast majority of cases, the maceration period is set at 10 days (Codex). However, in many other tropical countries, a period of 20 days is preferred.

Alcohol The stock solution must be pure. It is used as the basis for preparing the various dilutions, which are made with distilled water (not tap water):

• 60° alcohol is reserved for drugs containing readily soluble active ingredients,
• 70° alcohol is primarily intended for drugs containing highly active substances,
• 80° alcohol is used for resins and volatile substances (oils),
• As for 90° alcohol, it is suitable for resinous substances, as well as balsamic products and turpentines.

Procedure

Alcohol’s dissolving action occurs through four processes: maceration, digestion, decoction, and percolation (or leaching). These can be carried out using either hot or cold methods. For this course, we have chosen cold maceration as the primary method. This method is used for herbal remedies whose active ingredients are not fully soluble. The procedure involves triturating the finely divided herbal remedy with alcohol, mixing it thoroughly by shaking vigorously, and repeating this process regularly for 20 days.

Weigh 20 g of fresh plant material (for an alcohol extract) or 10 g of dried plant material (if making a tincture) and place it in an amber-colored glass bottle. Add 100 ml of alcohol and seal the bottle tightly. Be sure to shake the bottle daily, then strain the mixture.

The preparation method for alcohol extracts is the same as that for tinctures except for the amount of drugs and the alcohol content: it involves placing 20 g drug in an amber-colored glass bottle, and add 100 ml of alcohol to 75°, and to let to macerate during 20 days, in waving regularly every day for 2 to 3 minutes..

We filter it, then adjust the alcohol content, if necessary, by adding water or alcohol,

Storage

It is very important to follow the storage instructions. Keep them in a cool place and, above all, the darkness, alcohol-based solutions and tinctures keep very well.

The bottles of glass and amber color are preferable to protect them from light. Plastic must be strictly excluded. Glass bottles with a snap-on cap must be used. Alcohol solutions and tinctures must be dispensed to the public in 30-, 60-, or 100-ml bottles.

The validity period of the preparation is valid for 2 years after bottling. However, for certain alcohol solutions and tinctures containing unstable ingredients, the shelf life must be limited to 12 months, and in some cases even less (3 months).

Instructions for use and dosage

Oral use

Drink 3–5 ml of alcohol solution or tincture in half a cup of water (50 ml), or place 2 drops under the tongue for an adult or 1 drop for a child, in microdoses 3 times a day.

Topical use

Apply compresses soaked in alcohol solution or a 1/8° diluted tincture, or rub the area to be treated with a mixture of the solution and a cream, lotion, or gel several times a day. For gargling and mouthwash, dilute 3–5 ml of the alcoholic solution in half a glass of lukewarm water. For rhinitis and sinusitis, dilute the preparation in saline solution or clean seawater and instill 1 drop into each nostril 2 to 3 times a day.

Veterinary use

Dilute 10 ml of the alcohol-based solution in 5 liters of water and mix it into the food or spray it on the infested area.

Any harmful pharmacological effects of the preparation alcoholic by oral route This means that, when treating an acute condition, the course of treatment should be limited—it should not exceed 2 to 3 weeks—and, in the case of a chronic condition (diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, etc.)—to conduct regular monitoring of serum parameters as well as histopathological and pathophysiological examinations of organs likely to be affected. Discontinue treatment in the event of an adverse reaction.

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Contents after activation:

• WHAT IS MICRODOSIS THERAPY?
• THE ORIGINS OF MICRODOSIS THERAPY
• MECHANISM OF ACTION
• STEPS IN THE MICRODOSING PROCEDURE
• DURATION OF TREATMENT
• SIDE EFFECTS
• PRECAUTIONS FOR USE
• STORAGE
• THE BENEFITS OF MICRODOSIS THERAPY
• INFORMATION ABOUT ESSENTIAL OILS
• INFORMATION REGARDING ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT