Lobelia & Cayenne – The Stimulant Relaxant Par Excellence of The Father of American Herbology
“The famous herbalist Samuel Thomson used two herbs mainly, cayenne & lobelia. And with those two herbs, it is estimated he helped 3.5 million people recover from their illnesses.” Richard M. Schulze
Samuel Thomson has been called “The Father of American Herbology.” He was highly praised in his time…“It must be a matter of national pride, that if Germany produced a Luther and England a Bacon, America has sent up from its humblest walks, a self-taught and gifted Thomson, who has done for medicine what those eminent men achieved for religion and philosophy.”
— Daniel Drake, The People’s Doctors: a review (1830)But being so popular, he also had significant detractors. What follows gives a little bit of history…the history of herbal medicine in the USA before “modern medicine” gained a complete stranglehold.
Leave the Doctoring Up to the People
Thomson’s belief was that “every man could and ought to be his own doctor – intelligently responsible for his own health.”
The following is shared from a historical and philosophical perspective. It is not meant to make medical claims. Of course, you cannot be your own doctor today, unless you go to medical school, contrary to Thomson’s claims. The medical monopoly forbids such foolish thoughts.
As the Story of Medicine in America noted, Thomson “demonstrated to the satisfaction of many that the capacity of Americans to survive between 1630 and 1760 without a medical profession had not been an accident, that a separate class of medical men was a luxury incompatible with sound reasoning or democratic practice.”
Much controversy surrounded Thomson. He was up against the orthodox medicine of his day, the doctors that treated patients with bloodletting, mercury, arsenic, and more. Such “doctoring” killed the first president George Washington for example.
This led Thomson to rail against the medical establishment of the time…“Much of what is now called medicine is a deadly poison and were people to know what is offered them of this kind, they would refuse to ever receive it as a medicine.”
It’s fascinating to see how much the exact words are said by many in “alternative” health circles today.
It cannot be understated how much Thomson’s methods reached the masses.
The success of Thomson’s methods later led to popular herbal medicine groups like the Physiomedicalists and Eclectics.
But very few have ever heard of these American systems of healing. Very few know of the rich history of American herbalism. The medical establishment, with the American Medical Association, and the Carnegie and Rockefeller-funded Flexner Report, transformed the face of medicine forever.
How Lobelia and Cayenne Work According to Thompson
Thomson thought heat was synonymous with vitality, whereas cold “was the cause of disease”. While overly simplistic, this is seen to be similar to the principles of Ayurveda.
Thomson wrote in 1841, “that to restore the heat or animal warmth to its natural standard was the only way that health and strength could be produced.”
The prime remedy to restore the natural heat of the body was Lobelia. This was Number 1 in his patented system. “It is searching, enlivening, quickening, and has great power in removing obstructions”.*
Lobelia is an emetic. It is known by other names, including Indian Tobacco (as it often would be smoked) but also as Pukeweed. An emetic is a vomit-inducing herbal action. It doesn’t always cause this, but it may at large doses.
However, he found that the activity of Lobelia “…soon exhausts itself, and if not followed by some other medicine, to hold the vital heat till nature is able to support itself by digesting the food, it will not be sufficient to remove a disease that has become seated”.*
Enter his Number 2 herb from his patented system, Cayenne pepper.
Thomson wrote that the pepper, “is no doubt the most powerful stimulant ever known; its power is entirely congenial to nature, being powerful only when raising and maintaining the heat, on which life depends. It is extremely pungent, and, when taken, sets the mouth as it were on fire; this lasts, however, but a few minutes, and I consider it essentially a benefit, for its effects on the glands cause the saliva to flow freely, and leaves the mouth clean and moist”.*
The combination of the number 1 and 2 herbs of Thomson’s methods are to help stimulate and relax the body systemically.*
Important: This is a LOW DOSE Tincture
Once again, Lobelia is an emetic. It is traditionally used in just one to five drops. Some people may be more sensitive to its emetic action. Everyone will be at some dose.
And Cayenne is hot. This tincture may be too much for some people.
We recommend starting at one drop and building up from there towards 15 drops. If you want to live more dangerously than that it is up to you.
As such, this tincture will last significantly longer than most of our others.
Modern Science on Lobelia and Cayenne
Little science has been done on Lobelia. Little could be found focused on the alkaloids, lobinaline, and lobeline, investigating their roles in smoking cessation, substance abuse, hyperactivity, depression, and neuroprotection.*8
Meanwhile, there is much more science on Cayenne and its active hot constituent capsicum.
Two reviews found positive benefits for: 6,7
- Blood sugar regulating*
- Cardioprotective*
- Anti-inflammatory*
- Analgesic*
- Thermogenic*
- Weight Loss Inducing*
- And more *
Perhaps most well-known is capsaicin’s role in pain reduction when used topically, which occurs via the TRPV1 nociceptive receptor.
Quality and Processing
The Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) is wildcrafted within the United States.
The Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) is organically grown in India. It is rated at 35K heat units.
These are separately tinctured for over six weeks in a menstruum made with:
- Organic Cane Alcohol 40% ABV
- Filtered Fresh Spring Water
After pressing the ingredients, they’re calcined and ground down into a fine white powder, then further extracted with distilled water and a gentle evaporation process until crystals are formed. These purified “salts” are added back into the tincture to finish the spagyric process.
The two spagyric tinctures are then combined in the ratio of 25% Cayenne with 75% Lobelia to yield the final formula.
Side Effects and Contraindications
Your mouth will burn for a few minutes before it subsides. If you do not like spicy foods this will probably be too much for you.
You may vomit. The Western world looks down upon this act, not realizing the wisdom of the body in causing it to happen, and how in certain circumstances such an act should be supported and cheered on.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.