Herbs, Plants, and Other Natural Remedies

[Vajdan]

I would like for this to be a thread where we can all share and discuss natural remedies that we know of, or resources to help with learning and creating them.

Here's a resource to start with: http://www.learningherbs.net/onlinem...w/herbwebinar/

Herbs Demystified: Remedies for Family Health
A FREE webinar with herbalist Rosemary Gladstar
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:30 PM EDT (7:30 Central, 6:30 Mountain, 5:30 Pacific)

Rosemary Gladstar co-founded Sage Mountain Herbs and Traditional Medicinals, a company that I can say from personal experience gives awesome quality to the public, I love their herbal teas and use them all the time, whenever I need them, the website for which can be found here.

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[Vajdan]

Back from the webinar last night, it was quite a good experience. There were some things that I already knew that were reinforced, and other things I learned that I did not know before.

Some notes for those that missed it:

? One thing Rosemary Gladstar kept making a point of was that it is more effective to know and be deeply familiar with a few herbs and plants (about 10 – 15) and their many uses, rather than to know many herbs but only a few uses for each.
? A useful tool for doing this is to make a list – your list – of readily/easily available herbs/plants that you can use. This is your “Materia Medica,” and deeply research and become familiar with the plants in your Materia Medica (be sure to reference at least 3 good herb books), use them, practice and prepare things with them constantly. She also said that, “This is when the essence of the plant truly begins to speak to you.”

Herbs on her personal list that she covered in the webinar were: Burdock, Nettle, Valerian, Peppermint, Dandelion, Goldenseal, Lemon balm, Oats (the tops), and Cayenne.

Other herbs she listed for suggestion were: Echinacea, Hawthorne, S. Ginseng, Turmeric, Lavender, Licorice, Astragalus, Milk Thistle, Ginger, Garlic, Yarrow, and St. John’s wort.

Rosemary Gladstar detailed that there were three different classes of herbs in herbalism:
1) Adaptogenic/tonic herbs: food herbs; herbs with a long history of use. Ex: Chamomile.
2) Medicinal herbs: can cross-over between tonic herbs; for specific ailments. Ex: peppermint, chamomile.
3) Powerful herbs: used in pharmaceuticals; mostly rich in alkaloid and glycosides; marked physiological actions in the body. Ex: goldenseal, tobacco.

Books suggested by Rosemary Gladstar during the webinar:

Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions by Dr. Francis Brinker (Eclectic Medical Publications, Oregon)

Botanical safety Handbook edited by Michael McGuffin, Christopher Hobbs, Roy Upton, and Alicia Goldberg (CRC Press, Washington DC)

Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions Bible by Richard Harkness & Steven Bratman (Prima Publications)

Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants by Andrew Chevalier

The Way of Herbs by Dr. Michael Tierra

Healing with the Herbs of Life by Leslie Tierra

The New Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman

The Herbalist’s Way by Michael and Nancy Phillips


Books by Rosemary Gladstar:

Herbs for the Home Medicine Chest

and

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health (This book has over 175 teas, tonics, oils, salves, tinctures, and other natural remedies).

Website for Rosemary Gladstar, plus lots of excellent information: http://sagemountain.com/


Personal notes from Vajdan?: Burdock and Dandelion are top on my list in my personal “Materia Medica,” as they grow wild everywhere in the area where I live and in my yard, and so are very accessible to me no matter where I am if I need them. Also, plantain (leafy herb), and jewelweed are wild-growing and easily available to me where I live as well.

***POST UPDATE***
Just got a message in my inbox that a replay of the webinar can be watched/listened to at: http://webinar6370.s3.amazonaws.com/rosemary.mp4 Yay!

[Aquarian]

My favourite is Tincture of Garlic.

GARLIC ? is often called the ?Russian penicillin?. It contains an antibiotic factor called allicin. During the 1965 flu outbreak, the Russian Government flew in a 500 ton emergency supply of garlic as a preventative and advised people to put it on everything they ate. Better and far safer than orthodox medical shots!!


Tincture: let 200 gram peeled cloves soak in 300ml brandy for 14 days at a temperature of 26 degrees C in a bottle with an airtight seal. Shake several times a day. Strain when the time is up to get a tincture which will keep for about a year. Take 5 to 25 drops, several times a day, as needed.

The tincture of garlic lowers blood pressure and helps to counteract arteriosclerosis.

Garlic is useful for chronic stomach and intestinal catarrh, as well as for chronic bronchitis. Garlic also regulates the action of the liver and gallbladder. It is helpful for all intestinal infections, such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid fever, and for problems due to putrefactive intestinal bacteria.


Cloves: for coughs, take grated garlic mixed with a teaspoon of honey. (will also keep vampires and everyone else away )

[Arrow]

Burdock root is one of my favorite.. easy to grow and hard to kill
and you can eat it like a root veggie also..
a blood purifier... with anti cancer properties.

lets not forget dandilions that grow everywhere
the roots detox the liver
the leaves build the blood in anemia

Yarrow for fibrile conditons

sage to decongest the chest along with euculaliptis (sp?) leaves
in a mist inhaled

raspberry leaves for female complaints
and have a handy neti pot around for rinsing sinus

and lets not forget the benefits of clay that may be found locally

and comfrey leaves and root for fracture poultices

and pine needle tea for its powerful antioxidant properties
as well as white pine bark extract for vascular disease
and allergies

[Swami]

EU banned herbal remedies

New EU rules came into force at the weekend banning hundreds of herbal remedies. The laws are aimed at protecting consumers from potentially damaging “traditional” medicines.

Under the directive, herbal medicines will now have to be registered. Products must meet safety, quality and manufacturing standards, and come with information outlining possible side-effects. Herbal practitioners and manufacturers say they fear the new rules could force them out of business.

Research conducted for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2009 showed that 26% of adults in the UK had taken a herbal medicine in the last two years, mostly bought over the counter in health food shops and pharmacies. Commonly used ingredients already registered include echinacea, which is used against colds, St John’s wort, used for depression and anxiety, and valerian, which is claimed to ease insomnia.

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/201...rbal-remedies/

[Mogs]

EU banned herbal remedies



http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/201...rbal-remedies/

looks like its time to plant a medicinal herb garden if you lovely peeps havent already...also many can be found wild

Garlic

"If we were to design a drug that had perfect properties according to what we know about heart disease and associated risk factors, we couldn't improve on garlic," says Amanda McQuade-Crawford, herbalist and director of the Ojai Center of Phytotherapy in Ojai, Calif. Regular use of garlic is associated with the prevention of cardiovascular disease, she explains. Garlic raises protective HDLs (high-density lipoproteins), while it lowers harmful LDLs (low-density lipoproteins) and triglycerides (blood fats). Garlic is also known to help lower high blood pressure, she says. Garlic aids in cancer prevention by raising the body's level of glutathione transferase, a liver enzyme known to detoxify the body of carcinogens, says McQuade-Crawford. In China, researchers found gastric cancer was reduced where garlic intake was high. Other researchers have noted improved helper/suppressor ratios of T-cells in AIDS patients who take garlic. Proven to work against various micro-organisms including bacteria resistant to antibiotics, garlic is known to be antifungal and antiviral, she adds.
Hawthorn

The berries of this flowering shrub are best used for the heart, says McQuade-Crawford. Hawthorn aids the heart's pumping action by opening the coronary arteries to nourish the heart muscle. The herb can also slow a rapid heart rate and strengthen a failing heart. Hawthorn usually lowers high blood pressure, especially a raised diastolic high blood pressure, and it benefits low blood pressure due to weak heart muscles with arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm).

"Hawthorn takes a long time to do its best -- six months or longer. In the style of a true herbal tonic, it can be taken safely and effectively over time for its best effects," notes McQuade-Crawford.
Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba extract from the ginkgo tree has been shown to benefit visual function by improving microcirculation to the eyes especially among patients suffering from senile macular degeneration, a common condition thought to involve free radical damage, says Steven Schechter, N.D., author of Fighting Radiation & Chemical Pollutants With Foods, Herbs &Vitamins (Vitality, Ink).

More than 280 scientific studies indicate standardized ginkgo extract prevents and/or benefits ailments such as vertigo, tinnitus, inner ear disturbances, memory impairment, ability to concentrate, anxiety, depression, neurological disorders, senility, circulatory disorders, edema and Raynaud's disease (a vascular disorder). Ginkgo extract improves the quality and increases the quantity of capillary circulation, thus increasing blood flow to the brain, heart and tissues in organs and glands, Schechter says. In addition, he notes, the flavonoids in ginkgo are potent free radical scavengers.
Ephedra

Also known in Chinese as ma huang, ephedra may be the world's oldest herb cultivated for medicinal purposes, dating back nearly 5,000 years, says McQuade-Crawford. It's commonly used in cold formulas as a decongestant.

"Ephedra is a great bronchial dilator," McQuade-Crawford says. It helps asthma sufferers by opening the sinus passages and has an antihistamine effect which aids chronic and acute allergies. Ephedra also acts as a circulatory stimulant to blood pressure and heart function; it elevates blood pressure. Ephedra's main constituent is ephedrine, which increases adrenaline secretion in our bodies. The boost you get from ephedra stimulates certain glands, muscles and tissue functions, while it suppresses others.

"In the long term, ephedra's adrenaline overdrive can lead to chronic stress and even to degenerative disease," warns McQuade-Crawford. She notes this is important for people using ephedra for dietary weight loss or "pep pill" purposes because the effects of ephedra linger in the body long after the herb is gone. "Ephedra shouldn't be used with drugs for the heart or for the lungs and never with antidepressant drugs. It's not for use with the weak or the ill and when used long term, dosages should be conservative," McQuade-Crawford cautions.
Licorice

Licorice has been most recently researched as an antiviral and in the treatment of gastrointestinal ulceration, explains McQuade-Crawford. Its soothing, anti-inflammatory and relaxing actions help smooth muscles in the gastrointestinal tract on contact. "Licorice gets into a painful, contracted, tight digestive tract and coats the raw places, relaxes the clenched-up muscles and acts as a local anti-inflammatory," she says. Licorice also increases bile secretion. Licorice is indicated for any gastrointestinal ulcers, including mouth ulcers. The root is indicated for chronic coughs and bronchitis as a soothing decongestant. It's also indicated in small amounts to reduce sugar cravings.

The Chinese often use licorice to improve the taste and the effects of other herbs in complex formulas. Japanese research has shown licorice to decrease high testosterone levels in women with ovarian cysts and to increase their fertility. Large amounts of licorice or long-term use raises blood pressure in some people.
Bilberry

A strong antioxidant, bilberry benefits your circulatory system, eyes, heart and brain, and helps generate overall good health, says Schechter. Bilberry fruit contains a type of flavonoid called anthocyanosides, which are responsible for increasing flexibility of capillaries and increasing blood flow.

Research shows that standardized extract of bilberry can enlarge range of vision and improve sharpness of images, enhance ability to focus, and improve blurred vision, eyestrain and nearsightedness. Bilberry extract also helps strengthen coronary arteries and helps prevent atherosclerosis and venous insufficiency, which causes swollen ankles and feet. "Since adding bilberry to my own health program, I've noticed my muscles seem to recover slightly faster, I experience less muscular pain and my vision has improved from 20/100 to approximately 20/50," says Schechter.
Echinacea

Decades of research prove echinacea's value for aiding the immune system, Schechter explains. Studies have determined echinacea's ability to activate white blood cells and stimulate the regeneration of the cellular connective tissue and the epidermis. Schechter notes that echinacea's infection-fighting properties stem from its ability to neutralize a harmful enzyme involved in the infection process. Echinacea also increases two vital components of your immune system that consume and eliminate invading organisms and foreign particles.

German studies have shown echinacea extract contains proteins that help protect noninfected cells against viral infections, one reason why echinacea is regarded as an influenza preventor. Another German study found echinacea effective in allergy treatment because it helps prevent tissue inflammation due to harmful foreign toxins.
Milk Thistle

"I consider standardized milk thistle seed extract the most beneficial herbal product for liver detoxification, regeneration and protection, and, in general, one of the most universally necessary herbal products for the 1990s," says Schechter. He notes that the stress of toxins from chemical pollutants, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco smoke, drugs and different forms of radiation have cumulative side effects that need to be addressed.

More than 120 scientific studies have shown that milk thistle extract regenerates, regulates and strengthens liver functions. Because free radicals attack the liver, primarily the fat tissue in the liver, the antioxidant qualities of milk thistle are extremely beneficial. Milk thistle stimulates your body to produce superoxide dismutase, which is one of two primary antioxidants the body can manufacture.
Astragalus

Astragalus has been used as an immunity booster in China for nearly 4,000 years, according to Rob McCaleb, founder of the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colo. Astragalus extracts can increase immune system efficiency by increasing immune activity. One study found that astragalus extracts could increase the impaired immune function of blood cells up to and sometimes beyond normal cell ability.

According to Planetary Herbology (Lotus Press) by Michael Tierra, N.D., astragalus helps strengthen digestion, raise metabolism, strengthen the immune system and promote wound healing. It can also treat chronic weakness of the lungs, shortness of breath, low energy, prolapse of internal organs, spontaneous sweating, chronic lesions and deficiency edema.
Ginseng

Ginseng is one of the most widely studied herbs, having been the subject of more than 3,000 scientific studies to investigate how ginseng helps improve a person's physical and/or mental performance, notes McCaleb. Studies have shown ginseng helps increase memory and learning by improving circulation. It's also been shown to reduce cholesterol and protect the liver from toxins. Ginseng, according to Tierra, is known to strengthen the lungs, nourish body fluids and calm the spirit. It may be used for shock, collapse and heart weakness, as well as for promoting longevity and increasing resistance to disease.

A Japanese study showed cancerous liver cells could be reverted to normal cells in a Petri dish culture when treated with Panax ginseng extract. Siberian ginseng has also been shown to stimulate the immune system.

http://www.all-natural.com/top-ten.html

ps folks i have just passed my herbology diploma

[Ammit]

Grated root ginger,

placed in a bowl of boiling water and stirred, place a damp towel over your head and inhale the steam.
This I have used for helping to unblock sinuses and help relieve head colds. This has been tried by some non believing friends and root ginger has now become part of their medicine cabinet.

Cayenne pepper tea,

Mug of boiled water and add cayenne pepper to this in quantities that you can handle. Usually 1/4 tsp to start with 4 times a day will dry a runny nose and help with a cold. It will also help with haemorrhoids and has been said to feed the heart.

ammit

[Mogs]

my cure all ammit is garlic, ginger and tumaric.......spoon of each in hot water and drunk when cooled.
it works a treat

tastes bloody awful tho lol

[Vajdan]

Notes from another webinar Janos and I were privy to tonight. http://webinar6370.s3.amazonaws.com/...it-webinar.pdf

Replay of the webinar here: http://webinar6370.s3.amazonaws.com/KivaRoseWebinar.mp4

[Warponies]

4 ozs of thyme, 2 ozs coltsfoot, 4 oz of mullein, 2 ozs of coltsfoot. Get a big heaping two tablespoons of the mix and bruse it up with a mortar ane pestle. Then let it steep into a strong solution for about twenty minutes. Doesn't taste bad sort of savory. Best ever cough remedy. Throw some vicks vapor rub on the bottom of your feet to stop a cough immediately while your waiting for the tea to kick in--about an hour or so. The thyme is better than anything OTC or prescription for cleaning out congestion in sinuses and lungs.

Oil of Elemi--a couple drops a night on wherever takes wrinkles away within a few weeks. Lemon oil (not polish...lol) and Lavendar oil combined will do the same thing. All three together is even better. Improves the overall look of your skin too.


I use a lot of cinnamon and garlic with collidial silver when I feel something coming on. Cinnamon caplets , 4 taken every four hours of so will reduce the duration of intestinal bugs by 2/3's.

I usually write PX (plant scripts) for specific ailments and try to use herbal companions whenever possible they work better together than singularly.

Plaintain . Fresh leaves thrown in a blender with a little water make a good poultice for skin burns, scars, sunburns--any skin damage and abrasions. One of my chickens had about a palm sized peice of skin torn off her back, right down to the muscle and the plaintain healed it up in about a week. Good stuff. Abundant free weed grows all over.

When my spearmint comes in this year in yards and droves I'll dry some up and ship in bulk to you where ever you may be because I grow more than I can ever use.

[Janos]

4 ozs of thyme, 2 ozs coltsfoot, 4 oz of mullein, 2 ozs of coltsfoot.

Ye said 'coltsfoot' twice.

And that would be dried coltsfoot LEAF, yes? Also, you are referring to dried mullein leaf as well here? (The flowers and roots are also used for different qualities.)

I've used just the dried mullein leaves for the same effect for years. Haven't ever added coltsfoot to it however. I just recently identified a whole bunch that grows locally that had been growing under so much burdock every year that I'd never really noticed it, as at a glance and from a distance, it just looks like smaller first year burdock plants. Closer examination however, revealed that they were coltsfoot, and I'm waiting for the leaves to get a bit bigger before I collect and dry some. Mullein also grows within 100 yards of the coltsfoot, so it's a double win there.

[Warponies]

Yep mullein leaves, I start posting making the assumption everyone knows that I'm talking about because everyone is so smart....lol. Mullein is good for a cough all on it's own.

One of the doubles of coltsfoot should have been wild cherry bark.

Most of all those grow wild all over the place that's whats so kewl about them.

Coltsfoot is sort of salty , I 'm going to try it as food seasoner.

Ye said 'coltsfoot' twice.

And that would be dried coltsfoot LEAF, yes? Also, you are referring to dried mullein leaf as well here? (The flowers and roots are also used for different qualities.)

I've used just the dried mullein leaves for the same effect for years. Haven't ever added coltsfoot to it however. I just recently identified a whole bunch that grows locally that had been growing under so much burdock every year that I'd never really noticed it, as at a glance and from a distance, it just looks like smaller first year burdock plants. Closer examination however, revealed that they were coltsfoot, and I'm waiting for the leaves to get a bit bigger before I collect and dry some. Mullein also grows within 100 yards of the coltsfoot, so it's a double win there.