ADHD: Attention deficit hyeractivty disorder is a mental health condition that impacts behaviour. It can be characterised by restlessness, issues with concentration, and impulsive behaviour. These symptoms can vary
Alzheimers disease: A progression condition which causes dementia
Anaemia: A blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be characterised by feelings of tiredness and weakness
Benzodiazepine: A type of sedative medication
Dementia: This is not a specific disease, but rather a general term for symptoms associated with loss of memory, problem solving skills, and other thinking abilities that interfere with daily life
Depression: A mental illness/mood disorder characterised by persistently low moods that affect daily life
Narcolepsy: A medical condition that makes someone go to sleep suddenly at unexpected times. It is often charactered by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
Psychiatry: The part of medicine that studies mental illness
Bottle of Huxley’s ‘Ner-Vigor’, England, 1892-1943. Science Museum, London. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Baldwin’s Nervous Pills : cures nervousness, irritability of temper, want of strength and energy, fear, dread, neuralgia, hysteria, disturbed sleep, melancholy, insomnia, and all nerve pain and diseases. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark
Empty bottle for Ritalin tablets, England, 1954-1970. Science Museum, London. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Ginkgo berry. Macroscopic Solutions. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Ginkgo leaf. Macroscopic Solutions. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi Lamiaceae. Baikal skullcap. Distribution: China. There are several hundred species of Scutellaria, also known as skull caps, so correct identification is important – in particular from Scutellaria lateriflora an American species known as Blue skullcap. The latter is used as an abortifacient and to expel placenta by the Cherokee and for cleaning the throat by the Iroquois (Austin, 2004). Much vaunted as a treatment for rabies with unlikely statistics (1,400 cases cured by one doctor alone). Also as ‘antispasmodic, nervine, [for] chorea, convulsions, tetanus, tremors, delirium tremens, [and as a] diaphoretic and diuretic’. Toxicity symptoms include mental confusion, stupor, headache, vertigo, photophobia, dilated pupils, difficulty in micturition, bradycardia, tremulousness and languor, followed by wakefulness and restlessness (Milspaugh, 1974). Hutchens (1991) reported that it reduces sexual desire and was used for almost every nervous illness. Scutellaria baicalensis contains baicalin, baicalein and wogonin (European Medicines Agency, September 2010). It is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating inflammation, cancer, bacterial and viral infections of the lungs and gut and is one of the ’50 Chinese herbs’ in the lists of some authors. Scutellaria lateriflora (combined with Verbena officinalis, Passiflora incarnata and the seed of Avena sativa (oats) is licensed for use in Britain as a herbal medicine for temporary relief of mild symptoms of stress such as mild anxiety and to aid sleep, based upon traditional use only. Scutellaria baicalensis is not licensed for use in the UK (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London. Dr Henry Oakeley. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)