Please note that this is in no way meant to take the place of regular
medical advice or treatment. Please see a doctor if conditions
persist or worsen.
Herbology, the study of herbs and their effects on the human body, is
an ancient art that goes back to the beginnings of humankind. Herbs
technically can be ANY part of a plant, not just the leaves or the
flowers, but also can be the roots, seeds, pollen, bark, or sometimes
the entire plant. When we talk about medicine, we are usually
describing how to use a medicant for the relief of symptoms, or the
cure of a disease. However, herbology goes a step further in that we
can also use them to prevent disease. More and more studies are
showing that what we eat, as well as our mindset, and our exercise
habits, strongly influence how likely we are to be struck by various
diseases. The old herbalists knew this. Do you remember the old
saying, “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away.” ? It’s quite true,
the pectin as well as the vitamins found in apples, are very strong
in keeping up the immune system.
There are many herbs, and herbal combinations, that will help to
prevent disease and keep us healthy. Isn’t that what we are really
striving for after all? I would much rather prevent myself from
getting a cold, then worry about treating it once I have it. Many
people use vitamins and take megadoses of them for that reason, so
why use herbs? Why not take a pill when it is so much simpler and it
does the same thing? Ah, but does a pill do the same thing? Your
body’s response to a pill is not the same as your body’s response to
an herbal rememdy. The medicine’s of today have evolved from the
herbal rememdies our great-great-grandmother’s used, and in some ways
they are not an improvement. They force the desired response from the
body, overriding the body’s reaction to the disease. An herbal remedy
works differently. Instead of overcoming the body’s tendencies, the
herbal remedy strengthens them, thereby allowing the body to heal
itself. The response is not forced from the systems, and therefore
puts less strain on them.
Your body is designed to heal itself; it’s a miracle and a wonder of
which we are only really beginning to scratch the surface. Medicines
are mainly given to treat the symptoms, to help soften your misery
while your body is healing itself of the sickness. Unless you are
suffering from a severe trauma where you literally have to be
stitched or operated upon, for the most part, in ordinary, daily
life, your body is simply healing itself. Even commercials do not
argue this point. One commercial I listened carefully to stated that
their product simply made cuts “heal faster”. They did not claim to
make the cut heal, just heal faster. Your body already does the
healing for you. So, in short, the medications that you take when you
have a cold or a flu are not helping you to get better, just feel
better. But are they really helping you?
Your body’s defense mechanisms against disease include such things
as: nausea and vomiting, fever, coughing and sneezing, runny nose,
fatigue, etc. Sound familiar? Well, each of these so called symptoms
are your body’s way of trying to heal itself by expelling the disease
or germs out of it, or by raising the body temperature high enough to
kill off the flu virus. Most flu viruses cannot live for more than 20
minutes at 102.5 degrees. So when your body spikes a fever, it is an
attempt to kill off the virus. The fever breaks when the virus is
dead, the rest of the time is spent recovering your strength.
Coughing, sneezing, runny nose – these are all attempts to get rid of
the annoying cold germs. Nausea and vomiting are also ways the body
fights disease by trying to expel it. Fatigue occurs because this is
hard work, and you need to get more rest than usual in order to
accomplish it. Dry mouth is letting you know that you need to drink a
lot more water to wash the toxins out.
Let’s take a look at how we react these days to a typical cold…
most people will take a pill or medication so that they can sleep at
night – good, you need your rest. But, then we take another pill or
liquid so that we can go to work the next day and not stay home. We
take something for the aches in our muscles (which can be caused by
toxin buildup in the tissue, water will help get rid of that) and we
continue to work, work, work. Even though we feel terrible and are so
fatigued… No wonder the average duration of a cold has gone from 2-
3 days to 2-3 weeks! How can your body heal when you won’t slow down
enough to let it?!!
Where do herbs fit into this? Well, in addition to treating your
symptoms, herbs can help you NOT to get sick in the first place. When
cold season starts, take echinaccea and goldenseal to boost the
body’s immune system, and also eat lots of garlic, and fresh fruit
and vegetables to boost your vitamin C and A. If you can’t eat enough
of them, then it’s ok to use a vitamin pill as a supplement. But do
eat as healthy as you can, and exercise, and make sure you get enough
sleep. You will get sick much less often because your immune system
will be able to fight off diseases before they can get strong in the
body. You may be the only one at work NOT to get the flu that’s going
around this year!
Now, if you are presently under a doctor’s care for an ongoing
condition, please seek his/her opinion before taking anything. You
need to know how the medication you are on will “mix” with whatever
you intend to take. Normally vitamins are completely safe, but since
you are under the care of a physician, you aren’t normal – so be safe
and find out if it’s ok for you.
None of these rememdies are “guaranteed” to work for everyone the
same way, or even the same way everytime for each person. Your body
is an ever changing vehicle for your soul, and as such, it can change
it’s response. For example, taking “megadoses” of vitamins works, in
the short run, perhaps only for flu season. But if you continue to
take these constantly, your own immune system will actually end up
weaker. Because you are flooding your body with an unnatural amount
of these vitamins, you are forcing your body to eliminate them in
your urine and sweat so that they don’t build up in the tissues and
cause harm. People who think that if a little of something is good,
then a lot more should be better are wrong when it comes to such
things as vitamins and medications. Any vitamin regime or herbal
program that you are on, you should give yourself a break from every
so often. Perhaps several days in the month, stop taking them, or
maybe for one week in every three months, just to give your body a
chance to regulate itself without it.
One more comparison needs to be noted between medications and herbal
remedies. As mentioned before, the medications have evolved from the
original herbal remedies, and are usually much stronger doses. In
addition, when then herbal remedies were analyzed, the drug companies
isolated what they believed to be what is called the active
ingredient and mostly left out the rest of the enzymes or ingredients
in the plants. It is now being discovered by the drug companies that
by doing this, they have missed the point so to speak. You see, many
of the herbs contain ingredients that aid the active ingredient in
some way – such as making it absorb more quickly into the system, or
perhaps by buffering the stomach against the harsher effects. For
example it is still believed by many that eggs are bad for you
because the yolk causes elevated cholesterol levels, however now food
biologists are discovering that the white part of the egg contains
enzymes and amino acids that transform that cholesterol into “good”
cholesterol which is something the body needs. But this only happens
if the egg is eaten WHOLE. This holistic approach to eggs also is a
good example of why I like to choose herbs over medicines whenever
possible.
Rule #1
DONT TAKE ANY HERB WITHOUT CONSULTING AT LEAST THREE SEPARATE SOURCES
FOR USAGE, DOSAGE, AND POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS.
If you can’t find a given herb in at least three different sources,
don’t use the herb. The following list of herbs and herbal
combinations can be taken as a tea for the most part. Leaves should
be steeped in water that has already been brought to boiling
temperature. Roots and barks will need to be boiled for several
minutes to extract the healing oils from them. Some of these can be
found as capsules already made up, and some can be purchased as bulk
teas in your local health foods store, or on line. Check expiration
dates!!! Herbs do not last forever on the shelf, and if you open a
box and it looks or smells moldy, don’t use it.
Many people ask about dosage, and mostly you can drink 1-2 cups of
these teas daily, unless otherwise noted. I would start with one and
see how you feel. If you have no allergies or other untoward effects,
then take a second cup. Whatever your body doesn’t need, it will
eliminate, so don’t worry about taking too much – short term of
course. Some of these will have warnings that go along with them,
please read those and abide by them. Safety and your health should be
your primary concern.
This page has the following sub pages.
- Here are 20 reasons to add turmeric to your diet:
- Black Pepper – The Virtuous Condiment
- The acai berry
- HERBAL TIPS FOR HEALTHY COMPLEXION:
- The 15 Most Powerful Healing Herbs in Your Kitchen
- INDIGESTION—SIMPLE REMEDIES
- Ayurveda
- Sinus Infection (Sinusitis)
- Mountain Rose Herbs | Bulk organic herbs, spices & essential oils
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