What is Herbalism?

There is nothing new about using herbs to promote recovery, health and well-being. Every culture in the world has at some point used healing plants as a basis for its medicine.

The types of plants would vary from area to area depending on the local ecosystem, but the human problems they dealt with were the same.

Herbalism is growing in its popularity. More are discovering every day that it is an effective and comparatively inexpensive form of health care. They appreciate the fact that it draws exclusively from natural products and it is as useful in preventing illness as it is in curing it.

Herbs in the Holistic Context

Herbal does not merely ‘list herbs’-- it looks at the action of the herbs and acknowledges that people have feelings, minds and spirits as well as bodies. Holistic medicine deals with the “whole” person and treats the body as one integrated system, not a collection of isolated parts.

The word ‘healing’ has its roots in the Greek work holos, which is the same word that has given us “whole” and “holistic.” Our emotions and spiritual flow are as important to our health as is the state of our organs and tissues that are within our body.

Whether one is concerned about being healthy, regaining health or moving to better health, the whole of the being, physical, mental and spiritual are involved in the process.

Herbal medicine works ‘synergistically.’ This means that the whole effect of the herbal remedy is greater than the sum of its individual ingredients. Herbs, with their healing power, go beyond the physical level, they can also work on the level of the life-force that empowers us.

Healing the Whole Self

How many times have you heard the saying that? ‘we are what we eat.’ We also need to add to that saying that ‘we are what we breathe, what we think, what we say, what we see.’

In all holistic medicine individuality and responsibility are crucial factors to our well- being. Holistic medicine puts a great emphasis on the uniqueness of the individual and how important it is to tailor treatment to meet each person’s very different needs and circumstances.

The responsibility for healing and health lies with the person who wants to be well, in fact the person who is ‘ill’ is the healer.

Holistic medicine’s therapeutic approaches are aimed at mobilizing a person’s own capacity for self-healing. Herbalism is an ideal way to co-operate with our own innate healing power.

The Herb Index

It seems clear these days that many health issues -- stress, asthma, allergies, heart disease -- are connected with cultural and ecological problems and often reflect our alienation from nature and ‘natural’ lifestyles.

Herbalism can play a major role in bridging this separation and changing our cultural worldview. Wholeness and Prevention

Herbal remedies can be used safely for the alleviation of illness, but there are also other uses for these plants. There are herbal ‘foods’ that nurture our wholeness and well-being. Herbal tonics play a fundamental role in maintenance of health and prevention of disease.

There are three aspects of this vast field that we need to consider:

1. Prevention

2. Detoxification and elimination

3. Support for the body’s immune system

Herbs to Prevent Disease

The plant kingdom is abundant and rich in resources for anyone interested in prevention. The key is to understand the role of herbal actions in maintaining health and in physiological activity.

Modern physiology has provided us with insights about homeostasis, the body’s own process of maintaining a stable environment, it is clear that herbs used in the right way will support this balancing process.

Tonics for the Systems of the Body

Tonics are herbs that strengthen either a specific organ or system, or the whole body itself. The purpose of system tonics are to nourish and tone the systems of the body and this will aid the structural form of the tissues and organs as well as their functional activity.

All herbal tonics share one important characteristic, they are all gently remedies that have a mild yet profound effect on the body. Tonics can play a specific role in ensuring that individuals are at their own particular peak of health and vitality.

The quality of such a state of well-being will vary from person to person, but everyone will feel a sense of improvement in their general experience of life. Tonics can be used to specifically ward off a known health problem.

Each system of the body has plants that are particularly suited to it, some of which are tonics. Below are listed some of the remedies which act as tonics for the major systems of the body.

Infection

Garlic, Echinacea Bearberry for the urinary system

Cardiovascular System

Hawthorn and Garlic The bioflavonoid containing herbs such as Buckwheat and Lime Blossom are especially useful for strengthening blood vessels.

Respiratory System

Mullein, Elecampane and Coltsfoot

Digestive System

The bitter tonics will often be helpful in preventative approaches in health. Examples are Gentian, Agrimony and Dandelion Root.

The Liver

Bitter tonics, especially Milk Thistle, are hepatics (work on the liver).

Urinary System

Buchu, Bearberry and Corn Silk are very useful.

Reproductive System

For women use Raspberry, False Unicorn Root and other uterine tonics, while for men use Saw Palmetto, Damiana or Saraparilla.

Nervous System

Oats, Skullcap, St. John’s Wort, Vervain and Mugwort are all excellent tonic remedies. Ginseng has a toning effect when the person is under stress, because of its effect upon the adrenal glands.

Musculo/ Skeletal System

Celery Seed, Bogbean and Nettles will help prevent problems from other systems of the body manifest as disease in this system. Comfrey and Horsetail will help strengthen the bones and connective tissue.

The Skin

Cleaves, Nettles, Red Clover and most alterative remedies will help.

Helping the Body Cleanse Itself

The herbal approach to detoxification is based upon the perception that the human body is a self-healing and homeostatic organism. The body has a wonderfully effective and astoundingly complex mechanism for ridding the body of waste and poisons. Using simple and safe herbs will support this natural process, as long as the eliminative processes are addressed as a whole, and not just the colon, as is often the case.

You must ensure that all organs of elimination are being helped at the same time when undertaking a cleansing program. In addition always help the specific are of the body that has been under the most toxic pressure.

Examples of this would be a tobacco smoker would be to cleanse the lungs and an alcohol drinker would cleanse the liver. The herbal approach to detoxification can be summarized as such:

* Support for the whole process of elimination

* Specific support for overly taxed organs

* Alleviation of symptoms and addressing any pathologies that may also be present

Herbal Actions and Elimination

There are herbal actions whose impact makes them especially important for the support of the different pathways of elimination in the body:

* For the digestive system and colon - laxative

* For the kidneys and urinary system - diuretic

* For the liver and blood - hepatic, alterative

* For the lymphatic system - alterative, lymphatic, tonic

* For skin - diaphoretic, alterative

* For the respiratory system - expectorant, anti-catarrhal

* For systemic support in general - tonic, alterative, adaptive, anti-microbial There are potentially many appropriate plants that might be chosen.

Gentle Cleansers

There are many ways in which the medical herbalist would go about the task of selecting the appropriate remedy for any particular individual. However, there is a simple basic guideline to follow. Always use gentle remedies when stimulating elimination.

If overly active plants are used, then the effect may be one of intense elimination. This can be unpleasant and uncomfortable and of no therapeutic benefit. Here are some suggestions for herbs that effectively supply the relevant actions while also being safe and mild.

This is not a comprehensive list but simply gives examples to point the way.

Laxative: An aid to opening the bowels ( Yellow Dock, Dandelion Root )

Diuretic: An aid to promoting the flow of urine. ( Dandelion Leaf )

Hepatic: (as an example Used in the treatment of of a vegetable that will fulfill the same role) disorders of the liver ( Dandelion Root,beetroot )

Alterative: Promotes the restoration of the general well-being ( Nettles, Cleavers )

Lymphatic tonic: Promotes the health of the lymphatic system carrying tissue fluid. ( Cleavers, Echinacea, Marigold )

Diaphoretic: Used to treat the skin and promote perspiration. ( Yellow Dock, Lime Blossom )

Expectorant: Aids the removal of excess mucus from the lungs and facilitates coughing. ( Mullein, Coltsfoot )

Tonic: Used to promote the health of the whole body. Any tonic remedy that has an affinity for the parts of the body under pressure from toxic build-up.

Adaptogen: A substance that regulates the production of hormones. ( Siberian Ginseng )

Anti-microbial: Helps the body fight off the organisms that cause disease. ( Echinacea, Garlic )

Herbs and the Body’s Defense System

In order for the body to defend itself it must make itself resistant to disease, to become immune to attack by virus and bacterium. The immune system has become an important issue in recent years. Having a sound grasp of the new concepts which concern human immunity has become essential in understanding our world and making personal choices.

There has been a statistical explosion of a whole range of auto-immune diseases. The epidemic of AIDS is one example. To understand the effect of the holistic approach, it is important to have some knowledge of the biological basis of immunity and the role it plays in human life.

The Herbal Possibilities

There are many ways to use herbs to enhance the immune system. Herbal medicine is based on an ecological relationship that has gradually evolved through time. Today traditional knowledge is being confirmed by modern pharmacology and a growing number of remedies are being shown to have a remarkable immunological effects in both the laboratory and the clinic.

Some are stimulate the immune system but most of them enable the body’s natural responses to be more flexible in the face of disease. American herbalist Christopher Hobbs has identified three levels of herbal activity:

* Deep immune activity - this describes plants that impact the immunological process within the tissues that mediates its work. These plant that acts as biological wholes have an effect upon the cellular foundation of the human immune response.

* Surface immune activation - this action focuses on the resistance aspect of immunity and addresses the need to help resist pathogenic micro-organisms.

There are many remedies known as anti-microbial and are plants that stimulate the activity and generation of white blood cells.

Some examples of these include Echinacea, Wild Indigo, Myrrh, Thuja, Marigold and Garlic.

* Adaptogens or hormonal modulators - remedies in this group work through a hormonal modulation of immune response. True adaptogens, such as Ginseng, work through the adrenal glands.