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People everywhere are hungry for clear, practical, scientifically-validated information about how to make safe and simple use of herbs in their day to day lives. I too was once hungry for this kind of information. I discovered that working (and playing) with herbs did not need to be complex and confusing. It could be sheer pleasure. For me it was like walking down a path where a wonderful surprise is revealed at every turn. |
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With a few exceptions - like poppies and evening primroses - herbs are not glitzy and glamorous. Their flowers tend to be small and, unless you look at them very close up, not very special. The full flown beauty and power of their life-giving energy is hidden deep within just waiting for someone with a little vision to call it forth.
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GINGERAccording to both traditional practices and recent scientific experiments, the right plants can work wonders on the human body.
Ginger soothes. A core remedy in the Chinese pharmacopoeia for nausea and gentle cleansing, the deliciously hot ginger plant has been used for more than 1500 years by wise women healers in Europe for tummy upsets. Several scientific studies confirm that it helps travel sickness. Some even show it helps morning sickness in pregnancy - in part because it has the ability to neutralize excess acid in the stomach. |
Make a friend of gingerNausea. Vomiting is your body’s way of getting rid of something it really doesn’t want. Suppressing it is not always the best thing to do. But you can feel shaky and uncomfortable during and after a bout of vomiting and there are many herbs that will make you feel much better. It’s fine to use ginger when you are pregnant, but avoid using any of the other herbal teas below, especially peppermint when carrying a baby as they may stimulate the uterus.Ginger it Up. Sipping ginger tea can relieve nausea quickly and gently. But there are times when you can’t keep anything down at all. You can actually absorb enough ginger through your skin to settle your stomach without it having to pass your lips. Use it fresh if you have a root in the fridge. Or use dry powdered ginger root. Into a bowl of warm water put a tablespoon of grated fresh root or 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger (stir it in well). Rest your hands in the ginger water until you feel better. You can also do this in a foot bath.Alternatively, put 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger or 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger into a bath bag or tie it in the middle of a square of muslin - pull up the corners and secure the lot with an elastic band. Run yourself a soothing bath and drop the bag under the taps. Relax in the water for 20 minutes. You should feel much better. You can also make ginger tea. Grate enough fresh ginger root to fill a tablespoon. Put it into a tea pot and pour a cup of boiling water over it. Sip it ever so slowly. A teaspoon of tincture of ginger in a cup of water sipped slowly will also do the trick. |
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The classic definition of a herb is a non-woody plant which dies down to its roots each winter. This definition is far too limiting. It was probably made up by 19th Century European botanists who had never seen the rainforest in which, of course there is no winter to die back in. Neither had they ever heard of woody trees and shrubs such as hawthorn and ginko and elder which are some of the best selling herbs on the market these days. I define a herb as a medicinal plant. It can come from any climate and be a leaf, a bark, a flower or a root. It can be home-grown or wild, a weed, a spice, a plant which is used for its healing or culinary or beautifying properties. Once you discover the power of herbs it is easy to become so enthusiastic about them you go overboard trying to use them for everything. It is not wise to take lots of different plants all at the same time. Or you might start to think that since a small amount of something is good for you, taking twice or three times that amount will be even better. It isn’t. If you want safe and sane herbal help here are a few guidelines to follow:
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