How to Use Herbs

Volatile oils, more commonly known as essential oils in the States have a great aroma. Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plants by a process of steam distillation and so cannot be prepared at home. You can however purchase them. These essential oils are made up of numerous chemical compounds, as such compounds they offer a variety of fragrances, tastes as well as actions. All essential oils have antiseptic , as well as antimicrobial properties, enhancing the body’s ability to fight off a range of infections. These oils can be taken through the body in different pathways. They may enter the bloodstream through the gut when taken in food, drinks, or in herbal medicines, or directly into the bloodstream when placed directly under the tongue. Through massage or inhalation the essential oils can enter the body through the pores of the skin.

During the process of inhalation, the nerve endings in the upper part of the nose are stimulated to carry messages to the brain, in particular the limbic system which relates to our thoughts and emotions. When we take oils in via the skin in baths and massage, they stimulate nerve endings in the skin which in turn send messages to our underlying tissues—muscles, blood, lymphatic vessels and nerves. Their actions are carried to the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the function of all other endocrine glands in the body. This treatment is called aromatherapy.

Botanically, the part of the herb that is used is the non-woody part of the plant, regardless of its flavor, scent or other properties. The therapy associated with botanical herbs is Bach Flower Remedies, where there are 38 flower essences that have been selected for the emotional and spiritual effects for issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, and/or insomnia in both humans, and/or animals. Edward Bach in the early 1930s is responsible for having developed this particular therapy. The remedies consist of a very small amount of flower material, as well as water and brandy (50:50). It is said that the remedy contains the “energetic” part of the flower, which in turn transmits to it’s the human/animal taking the remedy.

The remedies are used alone or with other remedies. Advocates of this therapy believe each flower transmits specific qualities to the remedy. These remedies are usually taken orally.

Such remedies are recommended by either a Naturopathic Doctor or a Bach Flower practitioner. Bach’s theory, which is intuitively derived, as he thought of illness as being the result of "a contradiction between the purposes of the soul and the personality's point of view." Because of this internal war, Bach was said to lead to negative moods and energy blocking, hence causing a lack of "harmony," and therefore leading to physical diseases.

Originally the thought process of creating the remedy was that sunlight from the early morning passed through dew-drops on flower petals transferring the healing power of the flower onto the water, but because Bach was unable to collect a sufficient amount of dew to transfer the plants properties to the water, he then decided to steep the flowers in spring water allowing the sun's rays to pass through them instead. This is so because he found the properties to be more potent on flowers grown in the sun.

There are many uses for dried herbs. They may be used as is, teas, infusion, decoctions, syrups, tinctures, suppositories, tablets and capsules.

Aside from the culinary use of herbs, they can be taken internally as teas, tinctures, or in tablet form.

When making a tea with leafy herbs or flowers, you will want to pour boiling water over the herb and let steep for 30 minutes or so. Strain and use. Do not boil, as this destroys the aromatic properties. In most cases, only one heaping teaspoon to one cup of hot water is all that is necessary. The potency of dry herbs increases when they are made into teas, or when taken in hot water.

Simmer root herbs up to 45 minutes, depending upon the root. Again, never let them boil, in the case of these herbs, they will become bitter by so doing.

There are a few exceptions to this no-boiling rule, as there are some that need to be very potent. Some of the elements will get lost, but the irony is that the needed elements will increase, Lord-willing.

Like making a cup of tea using the soft part of an herb (the leaves, stems, and flowers), so too is this process. The standard dose is 1 oz or 25 grams of dried herbs, or 2 oz (50 g) of fresh herb to 1 pint (600 ml) boiling water. You can alter this according to your taste buds, as it is important to make your tea the way you like it so that you can drink this on a regular basis if necessary. Put the herbs in a warmed teapot, pouring on boiling water, leave covered to infuse for ten minutes, then strain. When dealing with certain illnesses, your practitioner knows exactly how much, as well as how often such teas should be ingested.

Some herbs, especially those with high mucilage content, need to be prepared in the same way but with cold water. Most infusions are taken hot, except when treating the urinary system, when they need to be drunk lukewarm to cold.

These are similar to infusions but made with the hard woody parts of plants, such as the bark, seeds, roots, rhizomes, and nuts, which require greater heat to impart their constituents to water. Use a hammer or break them first with the mortar and pestle, or chop them if fresh, then place in a pan with the water, bringing it to a boil, cover and simmer for ten minutes and strain. Use a little over a pint of water per ounce of herb to make up for any lost in the simmering process, otherwise the dosage is the same as infusions. An infusion will keep for up to two days in a refrigerator

Infusions and/or decoctions can be used in eyebaths, gargles, mouth washes, and lotions generally. Such treatments are given about two to three times daily for chronic problems and every two hours in the case of acute illnesses.

Children prefer these. Generally two teaspoons three or four times daily in chronic problems and twice as much in the case of acute illness. For adults, the dosages would be doubled.

For those of you who still have issues with Candida, this must be disregarded until you are well (Maintenance stage).You can use an infusion or decoction to make a syrup by mixing 12 oz (325 g) Rapunzel Rapadura sugar into a pint (600 ml) of the liquid and heat until the sugar dissolves. Store the syrup in the fridge. Alternatively, you can weigh your infusion or decoction and add a quarter of its weight of honey or agave to it.

Another way to make the syrup is to pour a pint (600 ml) of boiling water over 2 ½ lbs. (1.25 kg) of Rapunzel Rapadura sugar and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the solution starts to boil. Remove from heat. Add one part herbal tincture (we will discuss in the next section Lord-willing) to three parts syrup and this will keep indefinitely Lord-willing.

You’re probably more familiar with alcohol being the main ingredient for making tinctures, but in the case of Candida, I don’t recommend this at all, as it goes against the diet for those of you who wish to observe it. Should you by chance come across some premade tinctures, put the amount needed of the tincture in a glass or stainless steel pot, heat it (wait to see it boil), as this will evaporate the alcohol. As for those of you desiring to make your own tinctures without using alcohol, for a gallon of tincture, you will need to put about two pounds of the desired dried herbs in a gallon bottle; pour over it any vinegar but white as a base. Let set for ten days, so as to macerate shaking two or three times a day. Strain this solution, or use a wine press, pressing out the liquid, discarding the herbs, (using it as compost) bottle it in dark bottles or glass jars, away from heat and light. Don’t forget to label it! This will last indefinitely Lord-willing. There are occasions where a white substance forms, don’t worry, this is a good sign! This just means that the solution hasn’t spoiled. The solution is pure and active! It’s the beginning of a new culture. Strain it out, and use the remainder of the tincture.

These tinctures may be used either internally or externally (we will talk in more detail about it later, Lord-willing). Tinctures are 10 times more potent than teas and herbal extracts, so use them accordingly. Tinctures are recommended for use with the aged or infants who cannot swallow tablets or capsules.

Another alternative is using glycerin as this gives a sweet taste to the extracts and makes them more palatable. Use equal parts of water and glycerin for dried herbs and 80 percent glycerin for watery, fresh herbs like borage so as to ensure they do not deteriorate or become contaminated by infection.

A standard dose is one teaspoon of tincture diluted with a little water with or after food three times daily in chronic conditions, and every two hours in acute illness. Children should be given half of the dosage of that of an adult, and babies a quarter of the adult dose.

Tinctures generally keep well for about two years, and although more time-consuming to prepare than teas, they have the advantages of being easy to store, and one only needs to take them in small amounts. Tinctures can also be used for gargles and mouthwashes, and lotions by using one teaspoon in a cupful of water two or three times daily in chronic problems and every two hours for acute conditions.

Both local, as well as systemic problems can be treated quickly and simply by this method. Suppositories bypass the alimentary canal and are absorbed quickly into the system. The herbal remedy is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the mucosa of the rectum.

You can prepare suppositories easily at home by adding finely powdered dried herbs to a base of melted cocoa butter. Pour into molds, made in the required shape using parchment papers, then freeze. Once frozen, you can place into the refrigerator. You can make several of these by placing them in a row.

Herbs in tablet or capsule form can often be bought from herb suppliers or health food stores. You can also make your own capsules using vegetarian capsules filling them with the herbs you want/require. The process is made easier by using a capsule maker which enables you to make up a large quantity at a time. The two standard capsule sizes are 0 and 00. Size 0 holds about 0.35 g of powder, so that three capsules should be taken three times daily to achieve the standard dose. Size 00 holds about 0.5 g of powder, requiring two capsules to be taken three times a day.

The skin being the largest organ of the human body, is highly absorbent; constituents of any herbal preparation applied to it will be carried by tiny capillaries under the surface of the skin into the bloodstream and then around the body. There are a variety of ways one can employ this pathway into the body.

By taking a warm fragrant bath is the most luxurious and relaxing way to take herbal medicines, as well as a very easy way to treat children. You simply use a muslin bag filled with fresh or dried herbs under the hot tap. Another alternative to add strong herbal infusions to the bath water. Soak in the water for 15-30 minutes. Another method, would be to add a few drops of your chosen essential oils to the bathwater (always dilute the oils first for babies and children, or for those of you with sensitive skin).

As you bathe in the warm water, your pores will open enabling you to absorb the plant constituents. Essential oils are carried on the steam to be inhaled through the nose and mouth into the lungs and from there into the bloodstream. From the nose, the oils send messages through the nerve receptors rapidly releasing and soothing, easing the mental and emotional strain.

Our hand and feet are very sensitive areas, with plenty of nerve endings (the feet having the most). Despite the thickness of our skin (seven layers), herbal constituents pass easily from these areas directly into the bloodstream.

An old English remedy for all afflictions of cold and damp, from colds and flu to poor circulation and arthritis was treated with foot baths. Many herbalists recommend foot baths for eight minutes in the evening and hand baths for eight minutes in the morning.

Such baths are great for babies and children as well, as they only need to be in the water half the time as that of an adult.

In making a simple salve, herbs are macerated in oil. Put 16 oz (450 ml) of expeller cold pressed olive oil and 2 oz (50 g) of beeswax into a heatproof dish, add as much of the herb as the mixture will cover, and let it heat gently for a few hours in a bain-marie. This allows time for the constituents of the remedy to be absorbed into the oil. Press out through a muslin bag, discarding the herb (adding to your compost), and pour the warm oil into jars where it will quickly solidify.

If you’d like, you can also make up creams very easily by stirring tinctures, infusions, decoctions or a few drops of essential oil into a base of water-based cream from your local pharmacist.

A poultice is a soft, damp mixture applied to part of the body. You can use fresh or dried herbs or vegetables as a poultice, placed between two pieces of gauze. When using fresh leaves, stems or roots, make sure to bruise or crush them first. When using dried herbs, add a little hot water to the powdered or finely chopped herbs to make a paste to spread over the gauze. Then bind the gauze poultice to the affected part using a light cotton bandage, tape so as to keep the air out. You can keep it warm with a hot-water bottle.

All poultices should be left on between 12 to 14 hours. This treatment is also good for cuts, bruises, infections, even blood poisoning. This can even be used to take the place of stitches.

Take a clean cloth or towel, and soak it either in hot or cold herbal infusion or decoction, or in water to which a few drops of essential oil have been added. Then wring it out and apply to the affected area, like in the case of headaches, pain from your menses, back aches, inflamed joints, or varicose veins. This must repeated many times for good results.

Liniments, also known as embrocations, are the process of rubbing oils used in massage to relax or stimulate muscles and ligaments or soothe away pain from inflammation or injury. They consist of extracts of herbs in an oil or alcohol base, or a mixture of herbal oils and alcohol tinctures. They are intended to be absorbed quickly through the skin to the affected part and for this reason often contain stimulating oils or cayenne to increase local circulation. Again in the case of Candida, it is best to avoid alcohol.

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Herbs and Their Usage

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