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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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Find yourself a reputable supplier. I have listed a few under Leslie Recommends, but you may have a good local supplier who is even better. Personally, I am wary of buying herbs in health food stores or pharmacies unless they are from a manufacturer or supplier I know. With a supplier you trust and with whom you can discuss your needs you can be sure you are getting a good potency and that the herbs have not been sitting in a cupboard somewhere for years.
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BUY THE BEST It is up to us to make sure that the herbs we choose - like everything else we buy - are the very best quality. This is especially important now since the growth in herbal products in recent years has been so fast that everybody wants to get in on the act. As a result on shop shelves you will find good guy herbs - skillfully prepared tinctures, extracts, and encapsulated herbs that are clean, fresh and brimming with life-enhancing properties - next to very poor quality products. These – the bad guy herbs - include plants which have been irradiated, which have been ‘cut’ with inert fillers to make them go further, or contaminated by herbicides and pesticides. Herbs that are too old will have lost their potency. Look for well-tested products whose brand names have been around for a long time. Although this is by no means a guarantee of excellence, herbal suppliers have their reputation to consider and those with a good name have usually earned it. It can sometimes be a good plan to go for single herb products, as complex mixtures from mediocre suppliers often contain inadequate doses of each plant. You can also write direct to any herb supplier whose products you want to check out and ask a few pointed questions:
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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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