Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

Aging Gracefully: Skin care in your 20's, 30's, 40's and beyond
Skin care is important at any age. However, as we get older, our skin's micro-anatomy and physiology. The steps you need to take to adjust your skin care regime are outlined in the following article. You can have great looking skin at any age and...

Causes of Hair Loss
The normal cycle of hair growth and loss means that some amount of hair loss will occur in every individual’s life. It is said that at any given point in time, about 10% of the hair on our scalp is in a resting phase which sheds after a couple of...

Clinical Hypnosis
Clinical Hypnosis Did you know that Americans spend as much out-of-pocket for holistic solutions such as hypnosis as they do for inpatient hospitalizations? The Eisenberg studies of 1991 and again in 1997 shocked the mainstream medical community...

Exercising And Your Health
Are you ready to get in shape and get back your health? Lots of people these days are having a hard time staying shape and as a result their health is suffering too. All of this at a time when health care costs have risen dramatically and put...

Reasons For Impotence
There are various reasons for male impotence or erectile dysfunction. Below is a quick list of reasons and pointers. It is important to know what type of ED you may be suffering from to know which treatment is right for you. * What is erectile...

 
Using Herbs

This article is offered for free use in your ezine or on your web site, so long as the author resource box at the end is included, with hyperlinks. Notification of publication would be appreciated.

Using Herbs

From the earliest of times, herbs have been used as medicines, flavourings, colourings. Herbal medicine has developed by intuition and experimentation. Following the doctrine of signatures, wise medicine women and men over the centuries, have been able to develop the knowledge we now have which allows us to use herbs safely. The doctrine of signatures is simple and is helped along with intuition.

An herb may look a certain way; have a certain colour or taste. This leads to the knowledge of what the herb can be used for. For example, ginseng can look like a man, it is found to be an all over tonic for men. Pennywort looks like an ear, and is excellent for soothing ear aches. Herbs with a yellow colouring, eg Dandelion, are perfect for the liver, as are bitter tasting herbs.

Modern medicine has followed the wisdom and knowledge of ancient ways and extracted the healing properties from herbs. The use of herbs in our modern society is just as popular as it has always been.

Herbs can be used in a variety of ways. We use them just for the enjoyment of their taste in cooking and in herbal teas. It is interesting to note that the herbs we use in cooking, generally, have a role in helping digestion. Herbs such as basil, oregano and thyme can all ease the digestive process. Garlic and ginger, used often in our cooking are very beneficial to our health. Both these herbs have many different medicinal qualities about them.

Garlic boosts our immune system, helps to keep the arteries clear and is good for any heart condition. Ginger warms us, by improving the circulation, eases nausea and is great for those suffering with arthritic aches and pains.

Peppermint is another great one we are all familiar with. There is a reason for those after dinner mints! It helps to ease the digestion and relieve after dinner indigestion.

Herbal teas are really popular. Whether you drink them just for the taste or for medicinal purposes, there is one or a combination of herbs that will suit everyone.

Making an herbal infusion (tea) is simple; even in you don't have teabags.

To make herbal infusions or teas, place the desired amount of dried herb (usually 1-2 teaspoons) in a warmed teapot and cover with boiling water. Allow the tea to infuse for about 10 minutes. A tea infuser can be used in place of a teapot or bag, to make just a cup, or for the convenience of taking it with you when you are out. You may like to mix your herbs to make your own special brew.

An herbal infusion can also be used externally, allow them to cool before using. Herbs such as Sage, Thyme and Calendula are great for using on wounds to clean out any germs. We use sage and/or thyme with great success on our cat after he's been in a fight. This stops the infection that often leads to abscesses in cats. Eyebright is great to use on tired sore and/or itchy eyes. Herbs


such as Rosemary, chamomile and sage can be used in the hair. Rosemary is used to fight dandruff and Chamomile and Sage can add shine, chamomile to lighten fair hair and sage for dark hair.

The role of herbs in our lives is endless. From cooking to beauty and health.

Following are some common herbs and their medicinal qualities. You can make some up in teas, mix them together to find your own personal blend or simply use a teabag.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Well known for it's calming effects, it can be used to ease insomnia and anxiety. Also a calmative for digestive complaints.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Best known for its use as a liver tonic, making it ideal for a variety of digestive complaints and skin problems. A complimentary herb for all liver cleansing diets and de-toxifying.

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): A delicious tea which is a soothing digestive remedy, for the relief of colic, gastric ulcerations, inflammations and diarrhoea. Useful for bronchial problems, such as catarrh, bronchitis and dry, asthmatic like coughs

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) For anxiety and nervous states, great for mild cases of insomnia, especially for those who wake during the night and can't get back to sleep. Great for children or adults. Useful for indigestion and diarrhoea that is anxiety or nerve related. Mild nerve pain such as neuralgia or sciatica may be relieved.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita): A relaxing and refreshing drink. Stimulates digestive juices, calms stomach and digestive tract. Relieves nausea and vomiting, great for morning sickness. Valuable in the treatment of fevers especially with a cold or flu. Can relieve headaches, painful periods and eases anxiety and tension.

Raspberry Leaf (Rubus ideaus) Known as a pregnancy herb. Raspberry leaf tea helps to tone and prepare the womb for labour and helps relieve heavy periods. Also useful as a mouth gargle for sore throats, mouth ulcers, bleeding gums and inflammations

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) One of the most useful herbs for children with skin problems, such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and allergy type rashes. An expectorant for temporary relief of dry spasmodic coughs and bronchitis. Red Clover is also used for menopausal conditions, such as hot flushes.

St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) The number one anti-depression herb. Used in depression and anxiety, in many circumstances. Has a sedative and pain reducing effect, especially where nerves are involved. Can also be useful during some viral infections, such as cold sores, chicken pox and shingles, both internally and externally.


About the Author

Andrea Putting N.D., Naturopath, Writer and creator/owner of several health sites including, http://www.naturopathsresourcefile.info, Explore the world of Natural Medicine, take your health into your own hands. Know how to be healthy and stay healthy. Covered in detail are nutrients, herbs, flower essences, homoeopathy and aromatherapy. Visit Andrea’s other sites. http://www.puttingitright.com.au, http://www.naturalhealth4cats.info

 

National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine offers access to health information for consumer, patient, and physicians ...
www.nlm.nih.gov
 
Health and Medical Information produced by doctors - MedicineNet.com
Doctor-produced health and medical information written for you to make informed decisions about your health concerns.
www.medicinenet.com
 
Medicine in the Yahoo! Directory
Collection of sites for health professionals, with sections on specific disciplines, organizations, continuing education, conferences, publications, ...
dir.yahoo.com
 
MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine
Health information from the National Library of Medicine. Easy access to Medline and Health topics, medical dictionaries, directories and publications.
medlineplus.gov
 
Medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Medicine is a branch of health science and the sector of public life ... The practice of medicine combines both science as the evidence base and art in the ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Journal Home - Nature Medicine
Nature Medicine has a vacancy for a Locum Assistant Editor for six months. The position involves working in all aspects of the editorial process, ...
www.nature.com
 
The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on ...
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial ...
content.nejm.org
 
eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base
eMedicine features up-to-date, searchable, peer-reviewed medical journals, online physician reference textbooks, and a full-text article database in 62 ...
www.emedicine.com
 
Open Directory - Health: Medicine
the entire directory, only in Health/Medicine. Top: Health: Medicine (11429). Description · Medical Specialties (4888); Surgery (2265) ...
dmoz.org
 
the www virtual library biosciences medicine
www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/wwwvl/ - Similar pages
 
Medicine - home
Bimonthly journal covering the latest results in clinical investigation relevant to hospital and office practice.
www.md-journal.com
 
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health.
www.iom.edu
 
ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News
Medical Research News. Health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. Full-text, images, updated daily.
www.sciencedaily.com
 
Google Directory - Health > Medicine
Search only in Medicine Search the Web. Medicine. Health > Medicine, Go to Directory Home. Categories. Alternative Medicine (6308) Basic Sciences (66) ...
www.google.com
 
the world wide web virtual library biosciences medicine
www.mcb.harvard.edu/biopages/medicine.html - Similar pages
 
PLoS Medicine - A Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journal
PLoS Medicine is a peer-reviewed, international, open-access journal published ... Every issue of PLoS Medicine contains a selection of readers' responses. ...
medicine.plosjournals.org
 
Medicine On-Line - Medicine Online -The International Medical Journal
Medicine Online - independent and peer reviewed journal published by Priory Medical Journals - priory.com.
www.priory.com
 
Entrez PubMed
PubMed is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
Stanford University School of Medicine
Home Page of the Stanford University School of Medicine.
med.stanford.edu
 
Medicine OnLine
Meds.com offers medical information and education on cancer (lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia) and HIV / AIDS for patients, ...
www.meds.com