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Gentian species with medicinal properties
Chiretta in Nepal

There are many health-related products that contain gentian extracts.  Gentian extracts from some species have been shown to be anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-hepatic (against diabetes), lower fevers, and are used for a wide variety of purposes.  They are also added to diet pills, hair-loss products, homeopathic medicines, body cleansing products, and many others. Gentian violet is not derived from gentians.

	Product	Contents	Country, notes
	Allenru Laxative Pills
	American Calumba [Colombo]	Frasera carolinensis	United States
	Bach's Extract	Gentianella amarella	sold around year 2003
	Bee Dee	Senna and gentian, sulfur	for poultry, horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, from Tennessee, USA
	Bitter gentian root	Gentianella campestris	England, herbal
	Bioforce	Centaurium	fresh herb extract
	Bliss Native Herbs		"purifying, kidney and liver regulator", USA
	S. H. Boyd Gentian Elixir	gentian, iron chloride, 20% alcohol	produced in Wooster, Ohio, USA
	Colden's Liquid Beef Tonic		from NY, USA
	Conway's Arrowhead	Gentian with Sacred Bark	California, USA, laxative
	Dr. David Robert's Horse Tonic		for 'toning and conditioning" of horses, from Wisconsin, USA
	Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery	mix of gentian, Berberis, and Sanguinaria	United States, 1900s
	Dr. Pierce's Favorite Medical Prescription
	Dr. Thacher Vegetable Syrup
	Electric Brand Laxative	mixed herbs, incl. gentian	laxative
	Ferro - China - Berner Tonic	includes iron, Cinchona, arsenic, sodium formate, gentian, phosphoric acid syrup and aromatics	made by the Ferro-China-Berner Company in New York, USA
	gentian root	Gentiana sp., most commonly Gentiana lutea	herbal
	Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix	Gentiana macrophylla	herbal listed in Pharmacopeia
	Gentiana Radix, Gentianae Radix	Gentiana lutea	herbal listed in Pharmacopeia
	Gray's Compound
	Gray's Glycerine Tonic, by John F. Gray	Glycerine, gentian, Taraxacum (dandelion), sherry wine, phosphoric acid	"digestion aid, stimulates the appetitie"
	Hall's Two-Method Treatment
	Hillier's Gentian Root
	Hood's Compound	Gentian, Sarsaparilla, and Bitter Orange	USA
	Hostetter's Stomachic bitter		highly successful tonic sold in USA in the late 1800s, often earning over $1 million a year, sales reduced by the Depression in the 1930s, created by Dr. Jacob Hostetter from Lancaster, PA, USA
	Hodson's Gentian Tonic	gentian, sarsaparilla, and iron
	International Condition Powder		for horses
	Immortal Monk		China, liniment
	Invigorol		homeopathic
	Jayne's P-W treatment		"against pinworms"
	Kodol Liquid		"to increase the appetite"
	Locher's relief
	Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound	Black Haw and Cramp Bark (Viburnum), Gentian, Iron
	Mayets		"laxative and cathartic"
	Nervine Sedative Compound	with Valeriana and Gentian
	NutraBiotics LipoLean		"fat-burning, for weight loss", USA, around year 2003
	NutraBody Collatine		"fat-burning for weight loss", USA, around year 2003
	NYAL Vegetable Laxative
	Penslar Blood & Liver Pills
	Purge		"parasite cleanser", sold around year 2003
	Quick-Detox	16 herbs and many vitamins, including 'gentian'	commonly sold on ebay 2003, for "drug detoxification"
	Radix Colombo Americanae	Frasera carolinensis
	Retonga
	Sharpei Ear Cleaner	with alcohol, gentian, and boric	for "cleaning dog ears", sold on ebay 2004 from UK
	Solaray Goldenseal-Gentian		sold around year 2003
	Stella Vitae (Dr. Thacher's)
	Tanlac Tonic	with alcohol, gentian, buckthorn, rhubarb, licorice, glycerin, wild cherry	US prohibition era "system purifier", was popular due to its 15% alcohol content
	Tinctura Chiratae (chirayta)	Swertia chirata (link1, link2)	listed in United States Pharmacopeia
	Yellow gentian root (herbal)	Gentiana lutea	England

sp. = any species

References and publications: 

Bisset, N.G., ed. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Stuttgart: medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers, 1994.

Blumenthal, M., J. Gruenwald, T. Hall, and R.S. Rister, eds. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicine. Boston: Integrative Medicine Communications, 1998.

Bradley, P.C., ed. British Herbal Compendium: A Handbook of Scientific Information on Widely Used Plant Drugs, vol. 1. Bournemouth (Dorset), England: British Herbal Medicine Association, 1992.

Castleman, M. The Healing Herbs: The Ultimate Guide to the Curative Power of Nature's Medicines. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.

Grossmann, J. (1920) Gesundheitsschadliche Holzarten. Der Holzkaufer (Leipzig) 17: 529, 535, 540 and 545.

Hon, L.Y. (1967) Skin irritation caused by Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans). Malayan Forester 30: 274.

Jensen, S. R. & J. Shripsema. 2002. Chemotaxonomy and pharmacology of Gentianaceae. Pp. 573- 632. In: L. Struwe & V. A. Albert, editors. Gentianaceae – systematics and natural history. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Lawrence Review of Natural Products. St. Louis: Facts and Comparisons, April 1993.

Leung, A.Y., and S. Foster. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Morimoto I, Nozaka T, Watanabe F, et al. Mutagenic activities of gentisin and isogentisin from Gentianae radix (Gentianaceae). Mutat Res. 1983;116:103–117.

Newall, C.A., et al. Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-Care Professionals. London: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.

Tyler, V.E. Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press/Pharmaceutical Products Press, 1994.

Tyler, V.E. The Honest Herbal. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press/Pharmaceutical Products Press, 1993.

Weiss, R.F. Herbal Medicine, trans. A.R. Meuss, from the 6th German edition. Beaconsfield, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd., 1988.

Links:

Botanical.com [old herbal information]

Gentians - bitter pill to swallow [medicinal history of gentians on HealthWorld Online]

Ebay is a good source to find gentian products, both antique and current.

Herbmed [links and references regarding medicinal uses of gentians]

© Lena Struwe, 2002-2004

Note:  The GENTIAN RESEARCH NETWORK does not endorse or encourage the use of gentians or gentian-derived products for any medicinal purposes or as a cure for specific diseases and ailments.  The information is listed here for educational purposes only. The health value and safety of any of these plants and products has not been evaluated by us and we do not recommend any of them for medicinal use.