Let's talk Herbs

[Stina]

What kind of herbal teas are part of your healthy lifestyle?

Are there some you love enough or are important enough to your health that you buy in bulk?

Do you feel any herbal combinations have been an important part of healing a certain ailment?

Any herbal stories appreciated.

Please, let's not debate rawness on this. Whether or not you get the water tepid or use sun-brewed or full-blast boiling, can we please rise above that and just discuss the herbs. Thanks

[Stina]

Oh, can anyone recommend any really good websites to check up different herbal combinations? :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

i love love love my yogi teas...

i adore parsley in my juices and use it a lot. i also really like basil in tomato juice.

mmm herbs... they do a body good!

[RawKnitster]

One of my favorite subjects. :) I've been experimenting with my own blends of herbs for teas. It started when I was given a "prescription" by an herbalist for a special blend. To get my prescription filled I went to a new herb shop. (Herban Wellness (http://www.herbanwellness.net/)) The shop has hundreds of herbs. The owner, Katya, will mix them for you, or you can serve yourself.

I finished several months of my prescription blend without enjoying it, and it was not the cure I was hoping for. I went back to the shop and let myself wander through the herbs and choose all that I was drawn to. It was a wonderful experience. I bought very small amounts of nettle, dandelion, spearmint, peppermint, rose petals, burdock root, red clover, rooibos, stevia, horsetail, and pau d'arco.

I started trying to blend my own combinations. My blends didn't taste very good and I was getting discouraged. Finally, I mixed all the herbs together in one blend. To my surprise, it made a delightful cup of tea. It tastes great, feels clean, and is a pleasure to drink.

My point is, perhaps it is best if we can get our hands on the herbs, go somewhere to see and smell them. Following our own instincts about what is the right herb or combination may be better than taking advice from others.

I'd like to find the cheapest source, but I really want to give this local herb shop my business to help her keep the doors open. And I know she cares about the quality of everything she sells. Perhaps she will give me a bulk deal. :) I'm also thinking I can find or grow some of those herbs and dry them myself. Doesn't get any cheaper than that. :)

When someone in my house is sick I drink a rooibos based Elderberry/Echinacea tea by BIJA. That combo is good protection against viruses and less expensive than a tincture. I hope to learn more about tinctures this coming year so I can make my own.

[Stina]

Yeah, RawKnitster, I think I'll go wander around the Herb Shop in Portland before I make any bulk orders. There is something to the power of our intuition.

[Stina]

so far I"ve found 1st Chinese herbs and moutain rose herbs to be great sources for mail ordering.

[kaybee]

nettle. mountain rose herbs is great. check susun weeds herbal forums for LOADS of info on herbs.

[streetsurfer]

http://www.botanical.com/

[Stina]

nettle. mountain rose herbs is great. check susun weeds herbal forums for LOADS of info on herbs.

Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me about Susun Weed.

[kaybee]

yeah no prob. i dont agree with her approach (and the approach of alot of others on that site) to diet, but there are alot of people on there that really know about herbs (on the forums), and theres alot of good info there (see the "plant at a time series"... i think its in the healingwise and plant allies section....LadyB seems really knowledgeable and some others too) :)

also, ELEUTHERO for trashed adrenal glands...though i buy it already prepared..if you did it as a tea you would have to boil for about 15 mn to get the goodness out of the roots.
holy basil (tulsi) is also an adaptogen and good for stuff like thyroid and adrenals i think

and horsetail has silica in it which is good for skin and i think teeth/gums?

[myssi]

Greetings! Here are a few of my teachers and some other recommendations. Herbs are often gentle, but are also incredibly powerful and can even cause a lot of problems when used incorrectly. Please keep that in mind. Know what you are putting into your body and why (not to mention where it came from and how it was processed).

In my own practice, I would never randomly say "this herb treats _____." You must have the whole picture. However several people make generalizations without knowing the energetics of the herbs or that of the conditions they're trying to treat. Dandelion root, milk thistle, and burdock root for the liver (for example) - they all have different properties and treat different types of people and issues. They're not just "liver" herbs. OK, not to keep rambling. . . I just hope you will honor yourself by educating yourself.

Best wishes!

http://www.woodherbs.com/
http://www.herbalistlisewolff.com/
http://www.partnereartheducationcenter.com/book.htm
http://www.herbcraft.org/
http://www.grianherbs.com/
http://www.sagemountain.com/
http://www.planetherbs.com/
http://www.numenfilm.com/ (especially check out the video clips)!

[Mary Kay]

I don't want to debate at all, but am wondering for those of you knowledgeable about herbs do you heat/boil/use tepid water etc?

Would certain herbs require really hot /boiling water to release the tannins for example, whereas others are frequently just warm water?

I have a cold and was wondering if goldenseal would be most beneficial if just added to my room temp drinking water, for example.

Mary Kay

[myssi]

For herbal decoctions and most teas, yes. I always use boiling water. I use a lot of tinctures myself though. I'll leave it at that.

I know it's been a while since your post, but I personally would never take or advise anyone to take goldenseal for a cold - not just because it's overused and being extremely depleted from nature, but also because there are many other herbs that are much better suited to help with colds. Next time maybe you'd like to try elderberry? If I could only use one cold/flu herb, that would be the one I'd pick.

Hope you're better now!

[lovenlife]

A girl I deliver raw food to is an alchemist I think! I walked in and she has these beakers and tubes and cylinders all set up and connected together.
I guess one would call it a distiller for essential oils. She had her herbs in a bigger container and apparantly the water or whatever draws off the oils out of the herbs. Then when it gets to the end, it is oil and she drains off the water it had seperated from

A genius I called her. SHe makes her own herbal teas and is now making face products and lotions. She has essential oil combos for certain conditions. SHe is amazing.

I want to learn a whole lot more about herbs.

[busybees]

I haven't gone through the replies so forgive me if I repeat!

I have been studying herbs for about 13 years ... using them longer but finally really started studying them to get away from allopathic medicines as much as possible. I mean even when in great raw health, sometimes you get an infection after all.

My absolute favorites on herbal knowledge that I have learned oh so much from are:
Susun Weed (www.susunweed.com)
Aviva Jill Romm (www.avivaromm.com)
Rosemary Gladstar (http://www.sagemountain.com/rosemary-gladstar.html)

I remember when Aviva was a midwife and herbalist here in the Atlanta area but now she's gone on to get a medical degree and is doing integrative medicine at Yale... actually was instrumental in getting the first integrative medicine curriculum written!

Anyway, I love herbs, and I use them often for a multitude of reasons including just cause they taste good! I have jars and jars full of herbs lining my cabinets and I make tinctures and stuff for herbal medicine chests and first aid kits. It's a lot of fun and I enjoy it a lot.

Herbal stories are many here ... I've got a laundry list of things I've used herbs for successfully.... impetigo, chicken pox, poison sumac, ear infections, sinus infections, respiratory infections, headaches, coughs, sore throats, cuts and scrapes, abcesses, ulcers, pre-menstrual and menstrual symptoms, during pregnancy and birth and nursing, etc, etc, etc.

[green jeanie]

for those in the northwest, check out the group blog i write for local herbs

wildcrafting, identification, uses, experiences etc...

medicinewomen.wordpress.com

much love green jeanie (EKG) ;)

[Mary Kay]

Thanks Myssi....

for your info. Actually, I'm taking goldenseal for candida...not for a cold. don't know why I posted that!
But I'm just using the powdered form and putting it in room temp water. It's the berberine I'm after (at least that's what I've read), and here's a quote I found:

Berberine and hydrastine act as quaternary bases and are poorly soluble in water but freely soluble in alcohol.

So am I not getting all the berberine when it's only in water? Should I be putting it in alcohol?

Thanks again,

Mary Kay

[Rawcstacy]

A girl I deliver raw food to is an alchemist I think!

Can she do lead into gold ?? (wizard smiley here) If so, put me in contact with her IMMEDIATELY:D