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Chapter 22 - Botanical Treatments for Medication-Resistant Epilepsy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2020

By
Steven C. Schachter
Edited by
John M. Stern ,
Raman Sankar  and
Michael Sperling
John M. Stern
Affiliation:
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Raman Sankar
Affiliation:
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Michael Sperling
Affiliation:
Jefferson Hospital for Neurosciences, Philadelphia, PA
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Summary

Botanical treatments have been used by persons with epilepsy, especially for convulsive seizures, dating from 6000 BC in India [1], from 3000 BC in China and in Peru, and for centuries in Africa and South America. In traditional Western medicine, botanical treatments were widely used to treat seizures before the advent of compounds such as bromide and phenobarbital. For instance, Gowers documented his use of Cannabis indica (see also section on Cannabis and its Derivatives) and digitalis, the latter derived from the Foxglove plant (Digitalis purpurea) [2].

Type
Chapter
Information
Medication-Resistant Epilepsy
Diagnosis and Treatment
 , pp. 248 - 255
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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