Herbs for Home Treatment

A Guide to Using Herbs for First Aid and Common Health Problems

Anna Newton

• Publisher: Green Books
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781900322423
• eBook ISBN: 9781907448775
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

Herbs for Home Treatment is a comprehensive guide to the use of herbal remedies to cure common ailments and improve your general health. It includes advice on: preventing and treating common illnesses, creating your own tinctures, oils and ointments, maintaining your energy levels and increasing your mental and physical stamina, basic herbs to have at home, and those that are useful but not essential, assembling a first-aid kit for travelling, both in Europe and more remote areas, where to buy good-quality herbal products and find a professional herbalist. There are detailed sections on the common problems of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems, as well as chapters on slowing down the ageing process, reviving libido and recovering from a serious illness. If you want to look after your own health, Herbs for Home Treatment gives you all you need to do so in a user-friendly way and will inspire you to create your own medicines from your own herbs.

Chapter 1

Why herbs?

Herbs have been used as medicines around the world for millennia: they were the original medicine in all cultures and major civilisations. It is sad that, in many Western countries, the twentieth century saw herbal medicine being degraded to a complementary or alternative therapy, for it deserves a place in mainstream health care. Indeed Eastern countries, such as China, recognise the value of traditional medicine and incorporate it into their health care alongside their orthodox medicine.

So why should we go back to using herbs medicinally?

EFFECTIVENESS

In many instances herbs are as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, conventional pharmaceuticals in treating many common health problems. Did you know, for instance, that clinical trials¹ have shown St John’s wort to be more effective than SSRI drugs in treating mild to moderate depression? Medicinal plants can often treat problems that defy modern medicine, including the common cold and chronic fatigue syndrome. They are equally applicable for ailments that arise suddenly, for instance heartburn, and for long-standing conditions, such as joint pain.

EVIDENCE BASE

The effectiveness of herbal treatment is backed up by many clinical trials. Therefore herbal medicine is an evidence-based treatment according to modern scientific standards.

Personally, I believe that the records we have of traditional use constitute valid evidence as well: our ancestors were quite skilled at treating everyday illnesses with herbs, even though they did not understand the nature of the disease. Today, we have the enormous advantage of being able to use the best of both worlds and combine modern understanding of what causes a particular ailment with traditional insight into which herbs best treat that ailment. A good example of this is the elderflower, which has been used for centuries by country folk in Britain and Austria alike to treat the common cold, but only relatively recently has it been shown to exhibit antiviral properties.² See the References for details of clinical trials.

LOW RISK OF SIDE EFFECTS

The majority of herbs carry an extremely low risk of side effects when compared with pharmaceuticals. But, although all plant medicines are natural, it would be naive to assume that they are all equally safe – some should be taken only with the guidance of a qualified medical herbalist. You must treat herbs with respect as you would any medicine: stick to the recommended dosage and make sure your information comes from suitably qualified professionals.

The herbs that I recommend in this book have an exceptionally good safety record and, as long as you follow the guidance for usage and pay attention to the cautionary advice, you are unlikely to experience any serious problems. Many herbs carry warnings, which normally means that they are not suitable for a very small proportion of people. For instance, in my practice I have come across one person allergic to echinacea and one to chamomile, yet these herbs are commonly used by a lot of people every day.

Some people may be allergic to certain herbs, and that is no different from being allergic to certain foods or to conventional medicines, and on very rare occasions some may experience a headache or a digestive upset. It is important to buy from reputable suppliers and rely as far as possible on native herbs to be safe, as some imported rare herbs have been known to be adulterated with potentially harmful species.

I would like to point out that the low risk of side effects applies to herbal products that have undergone minimal processing. Dry herbs and ordinary-strength tinctures are in that category. Highly concentrated products, for instance essential oils, are not safe to be used internally and should be reserved only for external treatment. All highly concentrated herbal extracts, which well exceed the concentrations traditionally used in the past, should be treated with circumspection. See Chapter 6 for more on the safety of specific preparations.

HELPING THE BODY TO HEAL ITSELF

Herbs help the body to heal itself, rather than just suppressing the symptoms. A classic example is the treatment of high blood pressure. The appropriate herbal treatment can not only bring blood pressure down but will also restore the healthy function of the circulatory system, so that after a period of treatment your blood pressure should remain normal without any medication. Similarly, taking echinacea will improve the function of your immune system, which will then be better at fighting off disease.

COMPLEX MEDICINE FOR COMPLEX BODIES

Medicinal herbs are complex mixtures of many constituents, which mirror the complexity of our bodies. Many of these constituents improve the function of a specific organ or bodily system so that the body can fight the disease more effectively. Herbs can harness our natural ability to heal: working along with our immune system, they gently nudge our bodies towards recovery. The constituents of herbs also have high bioavailability, which means that we absorb them well and therefore do not need large doses. Our bodies are adapted to digesting and absorbing plants, while many constituents of herbs are similar to those of fruit and vegetables and equally beneficial for our health.

Plants that are used medicinally can be viewed as a category of healing substances that sit somewhere between pharmaceuticals and food. Many have proven medicinal properties but are akin to food in their biochemical composition and the way in which they are absorbed. Some herbs are very familiar in the kitchen: garlic, thyme or blueberries, for example. Most are strictly medicinal yet gentle enough to be taken every day. Modern living has meant that people have grown so detached from nature that they can sometimes perceive the most natural medicine in the world as alien and hazardous.

The complexity of the biochemical composition of each herb is crucial to its effectiveness and safety. It is a modern misconception favoured by many scientists that a single substance makes better medicine than a complex mixture. It is easier to research, but is it better for our health?

Medicinal herbs are often referred to as crude medicines, and attempts are continually made to isolate the individual components to try to convert these into pharmaceuticals. Many medicinal plants have yielded or inspired useful drugs such as ephedrine, digoxin or aspirin. But considering the huge number of medicinal plants that are known, the quantity of single-component pharmaceuticals that have been derived from plants is relatively small. It seems that the active constituents of herbs rarely perform better in isolation. The reason is that plant constituents work in a synergistic way: the combined effect of many components is stronger than that of any individual component. Moreover, medicinal plants often display a curious combination of strong-acting constituents – which have potential side effects – with the protective constituents that moderate this potential. For instance, using dandelion leaf tea as a diuretic could lead to depleting potassium levels in the body if it wasn’t for the fact that dandelion leaf contains enough potassium to compensate for the loss.

NON-ADDICTIVE

Another important point is that herbs that are used medicinally are non-addictive: you can stop using them at any time without risking the onset of withdrawal symptoms. This is especially important for people who suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia, as they often become dependent on conventional medication. Most herbs can also be used alongside orthodox medication, although this is best done under the supervision of a trained medical herbalist.

AFFORDABLE

Herbs have the advantage of being cheap and easily available – you can grow some in your garden or in plant pots for your domestic use. Growing your own medicine is immensely satisfyi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Content
• Acknowledgements
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Part One Opting For Herbs
• Part Two Ailments And Treatments
• Part Three Improving Your Vitality
• Part Four Creating Your Own Home Apothecary
• Part Five Herbal First-Aid Kit For Travelling
• Appendix1 List of common and Latin herb names
• Appendix2 Glossary of actions
• References
• Bibliography
• Resources
• Index