Deciphering Herbal Information

Why is this now important? Because with rising health care costs we must be proactive about our health, and one segment of this is to use alternative sources for learning to treat ourselves. Vitamins and herbal supplements are readily available, but we need more than faddish promotions of the "latest thing"; we need to be informed of actual alternative and herbal treatments and how those will impact our health.

I've been studying this subject for years, implementing it and using myself as guinea pig. I'm very conservative in approach, because, after all, some very powerful drugs and toxins have their origins in herbs. Digitalis, opium, and belladonna quickly come to mind. The links I list for this subject reflect my prejudice: I like scientific, straightforward facts on medicinal herbs. Claims for medical applications can arise from several sources, which makes the information confusing and potentially mistaken. I sift through and try to discern the category of origination to judge whether the herb is safe and useful.

Common Sources of Herbal Information

Not all sources of information on herbal uses are reliable or trustworthy. Here are a few categories you will come across:

• Doctrine of signatures - this was an idea that if a plant mimicked something human, it was good for it. Example: Hepatica leaf resembled the liver, so..... I'm sorry, I don't trust this.
• Astrological influences - Here, an herb is assigned to a zodiac sign (sort of like the way pagan gods and goddesses were "over" something). What's difficult about this is whether the writer assigned the powers to the herb because of what sign it belonged to or whether it was assigned based on its known effects. Unreliable.
• Folk medicine and native Indian medicine - This combined with whatever scientific studies one can find yields the most promising answers. These older societies looked for what worked, although there was some superstition and shamanism thrown in, no doubt. I give more weight to these claims and along with newer information to find the most likely help.
• Homeopathic Medicine - This is a whole separate category based on specific premises and with a great deal of precision in dosage, preparation, etc. And I think it's best to deal with someone well educated in this if you're taking that route. I'm not even qualified to provide links in this area (it intrigues me, though).

So, what have I tried? For those nasty "adult acne" breakouts (pimples at forty?) a hormone balancing cream with wild yam works well-this is rubbed on the body. A face cream with yeast in it worked well. Evening Primrose capsules seemed helpful, too.

Some essential sandalwood oil mixed into Nivea cream as a carrier was good for the neck area, and it smelled so nice.

For eye pressure and redness, I'm experimenting - and haven't quite figured what exactly is helping me.Here's my combination,so far:

• Exercise (this has to be part of it)
• Herbs of Bilberry, Eyebright, and Gingko Biloba
• Vitamins A, C, B complex, Lecithin with some Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc tablets. A vitamin combination for eyes worked well (it had selenium in it).

I'm not getting older, I'm getting better - so why doesn't my body get the message? Anyway, for increasing attacks of PMS, the Evening Primrose/Wild Yam stuff works well along with increased Vitamin B complex. Sometimes extra Folic acid and B6 thrown in...try these the week before the event.

Also, I should lay off caffeine - my absorption and utilization of B's and calcium would be better. If you can quit coffee and chocolate, you're a better person than I presently am.

My husband has taken Saw Palmetto; information on it indicated that regular use could stave off future prostate trouble.

For relaxation, Chamomile tea is effective and, during pregnancy, red raspberry leaf tea is soothing.

Usually, I err on the side of under using medication of any sort, but two strong herbal remedies which I've used were (1) Blue Cohosh for after delivery. I also used it during the labor, but it was more useful for me afterwards. It's extremely bitter, and I wasn't sure whether it caused some problems with the baby's nursing. Some babies are sensitive to flavors in breast milk. (2) An Ayervedic "de tox" tea. This was strong stuff! It did seem helpful. This tea cleanses the 'everyday living' type of toxins which seem to abound in our modern society.

A word here, about herbs during pregnancy: I think you should always consult with knowledgeable people on this ("in the multitude of counselors..."). Many times an herb is recommended for a certain part, like blue cohosh  during the labor, but not during the pregnancy (it can act as an abortifacient). Also, anythingat the beginning of a pregnancy is taking chances with a crucial development time. Pregnancy is not a sickness to be medicated, it is a time of health awareness -good food, moderate exercise, positive thoughts, good feelings....a valid reason to take extra good care of you.  Herb info

If you are pregnant you may like my  Childbirth Page  -it has loads of important information on Pregnancy and Childbirth.( It is temporarily off line)

Food

One of the most powerful things we can do to keep healthy is to eat right. Eating raw food, whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, are all basic ways to improve our health.

Sometimes we ignore the simplest facets of building a healthy body. I know it is hard to change poor habits... I experience that now, and I know if we just make the small choices every day to pick whole foods that benefit us over the empty foods that drain our resources instead of nourishing us, we are making progress. Don't be discouraged, but be determined to eat better. It will pay off in the long run.