herbs you could start using today
What is the oldest system for healing in the world? Nope, it’s not ObamaCare. It’s herbal medicine. There is archaeological evidence of humans using plants for medicinal purposes approximately 60,000 years ago during the Paleolithic Era.
Through the many centuries that have followed, people have practiced herbal medicine while continuing to find medicinal traits in countless more herbs that we never even knew existed. Even many doctors who used to laugh at herbal remedies now see great value in them.
Herbal medicine can’t replace conventional medicine, especially in life-threatening situations. But it has proven to be highly effective and affordable for dealing with the prevention and treatment of day-to-day, non-emergency health issues including headaches, colds, coughs, aches, bruises and many more ailments.
How do we know which herbs to use for certain conditions? And what is the best way to use those herbs? There have been plenty of great books written on this subject, including ones that show how to plant and harvest these herbs in your garden. You’ll probably find some of these books at your local health food store or library. In the meantime, here are three of my favorites. I’ll mention more in future blogs.
Anise – Works as a diuretic and/or a laxative, and it induces sweating. It’s been used to treat menstrual cramps and flatulence. Anise makes people’s breath fresher and it reduces pain. The oil from the Anise plant has been used as an insecticide against head lice and mites.
Chamomile – Used for a wide variety of ailments and illnesses. It’s effective in controlling nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, nausea, earache, asthma, headaches, fevers, arthritis, hay fever and gout. It also works on indigestion, heartburn, gas, diarrhea, upper respiratory irritation and teething pain in babies. It’s an anti-inflammatory that relieves muscle cramps. It can also be used as a salve for burns and skin irritation.
Lemon Balm – Effective against stress, depression and anxiety. It serves as a decongestant to aid with colds, flu and sore throats, and as a muscle relaxer to help with menstrual cramps. It’s used by allergy sufferers, including those with hay fever, and by those who suffer from shingles. When the leaf is rubbed into the skin, it is a natural insect repellant. It can even stimulate memory in young adults and in Alzheimer’s patients.
Do you use medicinal herbs? If so, which ones? Do you buy them or grow them yourself? What conditions do you treat with them? Are they effective for you? Please chime in with your thoughts.
Lemon balm is a cinch to grow. Comes back every year with no help from me other than watering. An attractive plant. The leaves smell so good! I pick several, slightly crush them, and use to make sun tea. Also good with some slightly crushed mint leaves added in. Oregano is wonderful for managing yeast/fungus overgrowth in your body. My husband was on several antibiotics over a few months and they destroyed most of the beneficial bacteria in his gut – even though I was giving him probiotics at the same time and for a couple of weeks after. Started giving him capsules containing 1 drop oregano oil and the rest of the capsule filled with coconut or olive oil. (Be sure your essential oil is suitable to be taken internally! DoTerra will work.) Also am continuing with good probiotics. (Dr. Mercola’s is good.) Husband is feeling much better – though initially felt badly because the fungus was dying and releasing toxins. I alternated oregano capsules with ones containing 1 drop each of lemon grass, thyme, and melaleuca (tea tree oil) – filling the rest of the capsule with olive or coconut oil. Be aware that most melaleuca oils are not recommended to be taken internally, but doTerra oil is OK.
Honey is a natural sweetener and antibiotic, it also works to treat cuts scrapes and burns. Makes a good cold medicine mixed with lemon juice and a little whisky for sore throat and cough
My blood pressure was beginning to rise and my doctor was about to prescribe medication when I decided to try Hawthorn. Within several weeks, my blood pressure was lower than it had been in my teens (I’m in my 60’s) and I have not had a problem since, and have been taking it for 2 years now. Like many of the other people mention, I use garlic and other natural remedies and am on no prescriptions whatsoever.
My brother and I have learned that Olive Leaf is just about the best all around helpful herb that Mother nature has provided. Read a few good articles about it, it’s amazing.
When my Doc wanted to put me on blood pressure meds nd I said no, he made me agree that if not down in 30 days, I’d take them…used Garlic pills, had it at 120 and we both happy…Use colloid silver for earaches and infections, 6 minutes and it’s over…with antibiotics 3 times a day for 7 days, and if you get water in the ear…you start over! I add a teaspoon of colloidal silver to each gallon of water I store, to prevent all pathogens, bacteria etc.!
Milk Thistle is wonderful for lowering enzymes in the liver and rejuvenating the liver. It has worked for me twice.
being a siscilan i grew up drinking anesta, anise. it’s a root plant. every morning i drink manznita tea Chamomile tea in english. lemmon balm never tried it. and have never seen it at my holistc med store. i just bought a box of Chamolmile tea with anis and it taste great 99cent store!!
My wife is a Master Herbalist. She makes her own formulas and our medical pantry is stocked with herbs, tinctures, extracts, ointments and the like. We haven’t been to a conventional doctor in over 25 years and do not plan to go unless hog tied and forced.
Good for her, I LOVE IT! My kind of person! I refuse to go to the doctor. Those prescriptions cause more problems than they are supposed to “cure”…I use mustard powder for pleurisy, I have my herbal books and Healthy Healing book listing herbs for any problem you may have. Also make my own silver water. My friend bought me the generator and silver rods. Glad to know there others who agree!!!!
I agree herbs are wonderful 1st line of defense, but we DO need tests for accurate diagnosis. My dear Dad died because he & my Mom treated his pain as indigestion rather than finding out it was PANCREATIC CANCER!
We, as human beings, are lucky to live in a biosphere where plants help every living creature to survive. Man is unique when compared to other creatures. He has learn the importance of plants from by watching the other animals and creatures and how it affects them. Man records the results so others may learn from his experiences. As you read the blogs of others; you will see that some bloggers expressed how some knowledge has been lost. They have expressed how devastating it has been when this knowledge is lost to the annuals of history. For example, when the Spanish went to the New World in 1500’s, they encountered the Aztec’s and Inca Indian’s. After conquering these South American natives, the Spaniards in their ignorance confiscated their written records that the native priest had written about their culture. Part of their written records were about the native fauna, plant life, the medicinal properties and how it affects various biological functions of the human body. Unfortunately, these records were destroyed because it went against the Christian doctrine of the times and was considered heresy. It was the time of the Great Inquisition and the burning of witches at the stake.
Over the centuries, great civilizations like the Chinese, Greek and Roman, Egyptian cultures realize the great importance in herbal medicine. Even your so called witches were into herbal medicines. All healers dabbled in herbal medicine, if they were worth their reputations as healers to aid the ill, infirm and dying.
Every plant has a distinct way of surviving. Some taste good so they are spread quickly by those animals that eat them. Other plants create a toxin in order to protect it self from being eaten, like the coca leaves or caffeine found in the bark of the cacao tree. It is for this reason the drug companies are so upset at losing the rain forest of Central and South America. There are so many plants species that has yet to be examined for its quantitative and medicinal properties. As the rain forest disappears so does our natural medical treasure trove.
Now the point becomes, which of these plants and herbs do you consider to be the best value to you. Which of these herbs will you use the most? There are a lot of spices and herbs used in cooking. Do you realize that these spices and herbs are not only used for taste, but also used as a remedy to aid in the digestion and the overall health of the body? For example, the uses of garlic. It adds flavor to the foods that we eat; but it also used as a remedy for a cold and other respiratory infections, to relieve gas pains, to rid the body of intestinal worms, lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, aids in reducing hypertension, and it is secreted through the skin via your perspiration; which acts as a mosquito deterrent. Have you ever eaten a strong onion only to smell it as the scent comes from your skin as you perspire?
Modern doctors are realizing now the importance of herbal treatments as well as the dangers that they may cause the body when interacting with prescribed medicines. Too much one one thing can harm the body. That is why it is so important to use herbs with a sense of respect. Know the benefits and harm if you use a particular herb or spice. Use in moderation. It is for this reason I use several books to aid me. I know what I want in my herbal garden and why. To aid me in my decision I have several books that I rely upon. One such book is Magic and Medicine of Plants by Reader’s Digest. It covers a large variety of plants. It provides a picture, description and its medical uses. The book also gives the reader the history of the plant(s) as well as how the plant was used. More importantly, the book tells you about the poisonous plants that you may encounter in your garden. This book will also provide the reader how to make a herb garden and what to put into it.
Some herbs are great companion plants for your garden. They help your vegetables to grow strong and tall by prevents pests insects from feasting on your vegetables plants. For example, Basil is great to plant next to tomato plants as are onions and sage. They prevent insects from eating your tomatoes because these insects think everything there tastes and smells like basil or onions or sage.
Every plant is useful in one way or another. All it takes is a little knowledge, a need, and respect for the plants that you use.
In a similar vein with herbs is the use of essential oils. They are very beneficial, can be quite potent. Some of my favorites are oregano, lavender, peppermint.
Chamomile is ragweed so if one is allergic to weeds one should consider not ingesting this herb.
Excellent advice. Thank-You
Ground cinnamon is also one of my favorites. I put it in my coffee or on plain yoghurt. I use maple syrup for sweetener in the coffee. IN the yoghurt, along with the cinnamon, I also put a little turmeric and a dash of nutmeg. Sweetener is again real maple syrup, not the fake stuff. Cinnamon is said to help control the levels of blood sugar and aid in slow metabolizing of the same, especially helpful for diabetics. The turmeric has many healthful attributes and the nutmeg, because I like it.
I live in Japan and have learned to pick herbs from the old timers. Trouble is, I don’t know the name of most of them in English. One of my favorites is called ‘senfuri’, Its a short plant with small leaves, about 4 to 6 inches tall, and the leaves are a little hard, deep green on top, lighter green underneath, and a little pointy, all emanating from a central stem, and in the fall there is usually a small white flower on top that makes it easier to find them. Dried, they make an extremely bitter tea, like drinking alum, but it is a great cure for ulcers and acid reflux, and in a weaker tea, good for upset stomach. The name is a local one so I can’t find it in a dictionary but when I do find out what it is, I’ll let you know. I’ll even send a photo when I pick some this fall.
I had ulcers for many, many years. My older son read that drinking aloe juice would help. It did, however, it didn’t rid them. Then, about 5 years later, I read about the benefits of raw honey so I began taking 1 tablespoon of raw honey, by itself, 3 times a day. After 2 weeks of this treatment, my ulcers were gone. It’s been about 20 years now and my stomach is just fine.
I recently discovered Pau d’arco, I have been using the tea and capsules in unison and it has successfully brought a stubborn virus under control.
HERBS ARE ALSO GOOD, I HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE THIS GOV AND OTHERS WHO HAVE NO INTENT ON HELPING PEOPLE BUT ARE IN IT FOR THEMSELVES. AT THIS POINT, I AM SLOWLY DEVELOPING AND SETTING UP AN OFF GRID SYSTEM, AND I WILL ADDRESS FOOD, WATER, ELECTRIC [SMALL], AND THE HERBAL APPROACH TO MEDICINE SOUND REASONED AND GOOD, AND GET A GREEN THUMB TOO. THANKS FRANK.
let me know when you get your system set up
I have several favorite herbs but one in particular is cilantro/coriander. It is very effective in beaching the blood/brain barrier to remove heavy metals from the brain; and from the body as well.
My Great-Grandpa pioneered a ranch in a high, (7,000 feet +) valley in the western U.S. during the mid 1800’s. One of the first things he did was to befriend and help the local Indians in any way he could. Every fall the local tribe would come to the valley and prepare for their move to the lower, warmer, valleys for the winter. Much of this preparation consisted of making potions, teas, elixers, dried fruits, etc. from the plants native to the place. They had a name for the valley — “The Valley Of The Herbs.” Some of the plants they used were Sage leaves, Willow bark, Wild garlic, Juniper berries, Choke cherries, Elderberries, Cottonwood leaves & sap, Wild mushrooms, Mullien leaves, Bull thistle blooms and sap, horse hair plants, and many, many more that were never recorded. I only wish there was a complete list somewhere, and also the formulas for some of their prized concoctions. I find it fascinating that “modern medicine” is now starting to recognize and use some of these good old time natural cures that have been around for centuries. My grandson-in-law is doing an internship for his medical degree. He has decided to go into general practice. He also has expressed a sense of loss, in that we don’t have more recorded information about how the Native Americans used these great natural resources.
Since I was a little girl I was plagued by bronchitis, pneumonia, tonsilitis… Over ten years ago I had pneumonia for several weeks if not over a month. I was beginning to feel like I was not going to make it. The doctors weren’t helping, I turned to a friend who contacted someone who had alot of knowledge of herbs. They brought over the most nasty tasting herb and brewed tea for me to drink. I threw it up. Then I learned to encapsulate the organic powder. I am 63 years old now and have not had a case of pneumonia or bronchitis. This herb is a natural antibiotic and I was told it is also good for virus’s but I only take it for the serious stuff. GOLDEN SEAL! Some people have warned me to be careful of taking it for too long, but I take it only as long as it takes to get rid of the illness. Don’t take it like a vitamin, it is an herb. If you are not sick don’t take it.
Pepperment oil is one of the best. It works as an antibiotic and to lower a fever. It also works on toothaches
I am a strong believer in supplementing my diet with herbs, vitamins and minerals and have been doing so for the past 20+ years. I don’t grow my own herbs (there’s so many that are beneficial!) but purchase them from a supplier like Bell Lifestyle Products, Golden Pride and Herbalife. They are all guaranteed and all natural products. I personally swear on consuming trace minerals, they have done wonders for my nervous system and literally have cured my back ailments. The nervous system is a very complicated part of our body and takes more complicated elements than what vitamins do for our bones and muscles.
Iodine deficiency causes hyperthyroidism, which causes all the mental illnesses, Garlic gives you a strong immune system, to keep you from colds and the flu , and a host of other illness, like the black plague, and maybe Ebola, and all nutrients will be depleted out of your body, so you need a little of these about every other day .
The Japanese eat garlic a lot, saying it prevents colds and also cancer. For the past few years, ‘black garlic’ has been a popular natural food fad. They make it by packing cured garlic cloves info a sealed container and keeping it in a dark place at a temperature below boiling but much hotter than body heat for about two weeks. The garlic turns a dark black like licorice and has a tasty nutty flavor that tastes a little sweet and it is easy to chew not crunchy, and does not burn the stomach or esophagus like raw garlic does. They say eating a clove a day wards off many diseases including cancer. Many people make this black garlic at home but it is also sold in health food stores.
Lemon balm is also a good anti viral and works better on cold sores better than anything over the counter
I love lavender. I add it to my tea sometimes, I have two lavender bushes. I just need to know when to harvest the lavender flowers for tea. I also have lavender oil on hand and I use that topically for muscle pain sometimes and for other things.
I also have tea tree oil on hand and I have used that in my laundry. I was having a problem with my feet having an odor and just adding it when I washed my socks took care of the problem. It can be used diluted with olive oil or coconut oil for a host of problems.
I like to combine chamomile and peppermint to make a soothing tea for stomach upset or just as a nice eventing tea to relax with.
Ginger is good for the stomach and is also an anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is also an anti-inflammatory as well.
There are so many wonderful herbs out there that are culinary additions and also have healing properties. Each continent has herbs specific for the needs of the people living there. Because of so much travel now, herbs are available from other lands that can enhance the local herbs. We do need to be careful because herbs are potent. A little goes a long way sometimes.
I eat powdered turmeric mixed with olive oil every day with my morning coffee. I put in some variety of Mrs. Dash and some dark vinegar for flavoring, and then eat it by dipping toasted bread into the dish. About 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. It is delicious and much healthier than buttering the toast. The turmeric is said to have many good health qualities and the olive oil helps raise the HDL and lower the LDL.
My favorite herb is rhodiola. Adaptagenic, gives great, focused energy, gets rid of headaches and migraines, brings hyper/hypo conditions to normal, is used for lymes disease. The list of positive uses goes on and on. The list of negatives is short….don’t use if you have bi-polar disorder.
My second favorite is the cure for the common cold: cherry bark.
Dear Franks,
You are so right! Herbal medicine has been the core of all human medical advancements for time immemorial. Natural herbs and complex extracts were the bread and butter of ancient society “Apothecaries” and still are today. Look at all the people in the Orient who rely on herbalist doctors and clinics, where modern medicines are considered a last resort.
Heck, even animals have learned to eat certain plants to solve particular minor ailments. Example: Ever see your pet dog “Butch” or your cat “Fluffy” eating grass.
Vet’s tell me predators of all sorts do that as a cure for upset stomach, abdominal pains and to slow nausea and throwing up. They chew or eat mallow, dandelion and other lawn weed and plants to ease other ailments.
Here in the West although not really edible while green for them or us deer, elk and wild horses chew blue sage to relieve sore mouth and toothaches. We’ve made and used a sage tea as a mouth rinse for the same thing.
For us humans, when in the high country making herbal teas from things like dandelion, mustard grasses, yucca flowers, pine needle sprigs, juniper berries, and many more relieve things like; headaches, muscle cramps, upset stomach and on and on.
Decades ago my mother (Native American) made and stored all kinds of things from Mother Natures medicine cabinet. Two multi-use products she made that were always in our home were Cottonwood Oil and Balm and a wound/burn antibiotic and pain relief salve she cooked up from wild cattail, cactus, arrow root and other herbs.
As you say there are lots of books and DIY educational DVD’s on herbal medicine.
Keep up the good work my friend.
God Bless,
Orrin
The government not only hold those patents. Look up human experiments in china. The war in syria is nothing that has been told in news nor what you have said. The war has been going on well before Hitler. Hitler, Saddam, act the US government has had them in thier pocket. Just like now. Government continue to withhold information because it will fall we citizen know there’s no real control. Natural gases burning in PA! Water car inventor killed! Cure for everything! Medicine industry would crumble. Population control has been established before the civil war. Weather control been in affect way before the CIA was call the CIA. We have been lied to more then think Frank. It coming and it coming fast. I hope I’ll be ok since I brought this to a congressman’s attention my business has failed, the courts are against me, and we’re losing our home. All we need is each other I tell my family. Tell the truth it must be heard. Protect your family!!!
Dear Swanzetta,
This has nothing to do with the topic at hand … herbal medicines. I’m sympathetic to your plight, but please share your ranting and conspiracy theory woes when such things are Frank’s blog topic.
Respectfully,
OMK