What is an Herb?

Any plant that has culinary, medical, cosmetic, veterinary or other use of some kind. The useful part is different with every plant, it can be the leaves, flowers, roots, barks or seeds. The plant can be a tree or shrub, a weed or an exotic flower, or one of the common group of plants known as “herbs.” They come from all over the world, but many effective herbal remedies grow right in most people’s neighborhood. There are many experts that believe the herbs best for you are the ones that grow in your general neighborhood and bioregion.

Do Herbs work for medicines?

They have been human medicine for all of our history and are still the main medicine for much of the world. Some are well researched and proven effective, others have been around for hundreds of years and stand on empirical evidence. Yes, herbs work. However, you must have the right herb for the right situation, for the right body, at the right time. Okay?

Are Herbs safe?

Most common herbs are as safe as food. However, many contain potent chemical constituents that can harm if used carelessly, and some of the most virulent of poisons come from plants. There is also the fact that for every substance in the world, there is someone who is allergic to it. So all herbs should be used with caution and respect.

What about Dosages?

This should be checked out for each herb in a reliable herb book. As a rule of thumb, however, for acute illness, less herbs are used, and they are taken frequently, as much as every couple of hours for a limited amount of days. For chronic problems, often more complicated formulas are used, and they are taken once or twice a day for a fairly long period of time.

Dosage for children and pets: divide their weight by 150 lbs and that will equal the fraction of the adult dosage.

   weight of child or pet
   ---------------------- = fraction of adult dose.
     150 (adult weight)

How to prepare herbs – the basics:

    • Tea: 1 tsp. of dry herb to 1 cup boiling water, steep for 5 or 10 minutes in a covered container.
    • Infusion: 1 pint of boiling water poured over up to 1 ounce of dry leaves or flowers, steep for several hours.
    • Decoction: Simmer up to 1 ounce of root or bark in 1 pint of water for 15 minutes to an hour. There are a few roots or seeds that are very fragrant should only be infused.
    • Syrup: 1 cup sugar or honey
      • 2 c. herbal liquid
        ¼ c. alcohol ethanol
        1 c. glycerine
    • Oil: This is a basis oil infusion and is the basis for any oil preparation: massage or bath oil, salve, lip balm or cosmetic.
      • Put finely chopped herbs into a glass jar and cover with an oil of your choice. Keep in a warm place, preferably in the sun, and shake daily for 2 weeks. Filter and press the oil from the herbs. You can speed this process up by heating the oil and herbs gently, stirring constantly until the herbs are crispy.
      • Salve: Thicken with 1 ounce beeswax to 1 ½ cup oil.
      • Lip balm: Thicken with 1 ounce beeswax to 1 cup oil.

Other preparations include poultices, capsules, pills or liquid extracts.

See How to Prepare Herbs for more complete information.