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I could be physician, psychiatrist, herbalist, Ayurvedic practitioner, homeopath, and teacher—all in one. Patients continued to seek me out—sometimes, it seemed, too many. At times I was overwhelmed. I remember telling one patient in those early years, "I will try to help you on one condition. If you get better, don't tell anyone." I felt I needed more time to study each case, to investigate techniques that might help, and to explore how they might fit together. But, despite my initial insecurity, over the years the work proved sound.

The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

A shaman might be employed when self-medication or therapy obtained from a trained herbalist proves insufficient to cure or slow an illness. Shamans, also called "medicine men" (although many are women), are trained healers thought to embody special powers in the spirit world. Prayers and ceremonies, important components of healing, usually are led by shamans. They are thought to be capable of invoking the healing powers of the spiritual forces, and also to appease those spirits who, angered by a patient, are believed to have caused the patient's illness.

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Dr. Gary Null See book keywords and concepts

This helps to regulate blood sugar, and in many cases is enough to reduce or eliminate PMS symptoms. herbalist Letha Hadady recommends cool green foods such as salads and the avoidance of hot, spicy, and acidic foods as well as the elimination of coffee. Some people, however, need more help and can benefit from vitamin therapy, exercise, and a stress management program. NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS When symptoms are severe, diet alone may not be enough. These nutrients may prove useful: Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). This has a number of helpful properties for alleviating PMS.

Hadady, an acupuncturist, herbalist, and author trained in New York and China, teaches classes in traditional Chinese herbology. Her latest book is Asian Health Secrets: the Complete Guide to Asian Herbal Medicine. LIN SISTER 18A Elizabeth Street New York, NY 10013 (212) 962-5417 Lin Sister is an herbal shop in Chinatown that is an excellent source for a variety of herbs, and also sells herbs by mail order. HEALTH CONCERNS 8001 Capwell Drive Oakland, CA 94621 (800) 233-9355 A mail-order source for herbs. HOMEOPATHY DR.

The following herbs help to alleviate menstrual problems: Gardenia andphilodendron are popular in Chinese medicine, and can be obtained by prescription from an herbalist. Corn silk tea helps to get rid of the bloating that comes from too many hormones stored in the blood. Women's Rhythm also eliminates bloating. This Ted Kapchuk formula can be found in certain health food stores or ordered from Kahn Herbs. Xiao Yao Wan. This wonderful remedy, which can be purchased at pharmacies in Chinatowns in major cities, such as Pearl River Pharmacy in New York City, helps digestive processes.

Women who have nerve-related menstrual pain can benefit from tofu, but should stay away from too many cold raw salads, hot spicy foods, and even white potatoes. herbalist Letha Hadady suggests this soothing recipe: warm tofu cooked with sweet spices, like pumpkin pie spices or nutmeg. This quiets the nerves and helps a woman feel nurtured and relaxed. FASTING. Dr. Anthony Penepent, a physician who practices natural hygiene, helps patients with painful menses by placing them on a strict hygienic regimen. "I put them on a fast one day before the onset of their period.

HERBS. herbalist Letha Hadady recommends the following plant remedies to break up congestion in the chest, and release phlegm and mucus from the system before they lead to more serious problems: Xiao Yao Wan. This formula is a combination of digestive herbs that increase circulation, build blood, and break apart fibroids. Xiao Yao Wan is available in Chinatowns throughout America. Dandelion. Dandelion tea or capsules can be taken everyday to break apart fibroids. EXTERNAL TREATMENTS CASTOR OIL PACKS. According to medical psychic Edgar Cayce, stimulating liver circulation ends constipation.

Letha Hadady, a herbalist and educator in New York City, visited China to learn why Chinese women had such a low incidence of breast cancer as compared to American women and those in other Western nations. While diet was a big part of the picture, she learned that other factors came into play. In order to prevent breast cancer, Asians build immunity through diet, cleansing herbs, and the avoidance of pollution, stress, negative emotions, smoking, alcohol, and radiation: "They have much cleaner habits than we do.

Optimum Health - A Cardiologist's Prescription for Optimum Health Stephen T., M.D. Sinatra See book keywords and concepts

Consequently, gotu kola has been an important remedy in the ancient Indian medicinal tradition called ayurveda and today is held in high esteem by herbalist physicians all over the world. Ginseng Over the years I have become more comfortable with the medicinal use of ginseng. Ginseng is a small leafy plant with a taproot system. The roots of both wild and cultivated plants contain the ginsenosides—the active ingredients that contain medicinal properties. As ginseng is cultivated all over the world, including the United States and Asia, there has been much confusion about its many varieties.

The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Mark Bricklin See book keywords and concepts

Ask an herbalist in England, and you'll probably get the exact opposite reply. Growing Camomile • If you're going to grow camomile, it is much easier to use Anthemis because it's a perennial and can be easily managed by root division. If you want to grow German camomile, you will have to obtain seeds, which are very tiny and do not have an outstanding germination rate. The instructions we give, therefore, will be for Anthemis, which is the variety most easily available in the United States. In the garden, camomile is perhaps best known for its applelike fragrance and flavor.

Herbal Defense Robyn Landis See book keywords and concepts

In herbalism, historical and traditional use is highly respected and valued. An herbalist works with botanicals based on everything from traditional to empirical to controlled scientific evidence. Any presentation of herbs with any scope will reflect that. However, nothing recommended in this book is untested; it's just that some of it has not (yet) been tested to one particular standard: that of conventional science. Nothing we recommend has only been used by one or two, or even fifty or one hundred people.

The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook James Green See book keywords and concepts

Of course these international standards, though excellent, are not sacrosanct and a lay herbalist can make his or her tinctures in any strength desired. I usually make my dried Nettle extract at 1:4, my fresh St. John's Wort at 1:1.5, and my fresh Mullein flowers at a 1:1.1 often start out using the suggested standards, but frequently alter them as I prepare successive batches. My current preferences have evolved based on my experience with these plant extracts.

As a budding herbalist, don't accept false limitations.To do so only betrays your human potential. Break from the ordinary; as you collect common bottles for practical use, seek wild, colorful, whimsically shaped bottles and other types of bizarre containers as well. Use these to house and transport your herbal preparations. Render your herbal craft unique and fascinating. Why not? It's all part of the enthusiasm and charisma of an herbal medicine show.

Using this method, I recently made a syrup from a decoction of "Redwood Chai," a non-caffeine blend of herbs (Carob, Ginger, Cinnamon, Orange Peel, Clove, Chicory, Licorice, Cardamom, and Fennel) which was formulated by Julie Rothman, herbalist, and owner of Flower Power Teas in Santa Cruz, California. The consequent: Chai syrup quickly attained a "nectar for the gods" status in my community; misty-eyed recurrent tasters revered it as El Dorado, liquid Elysium, Formicidae heaven...the Kingdom had definitely come by spoonfuls—I highly recommend it.

The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine: How to Remedy and Prevent Disease with Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutrients Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

But in every good herbalist's cabinet one can find Blue Vervain. It is added to many blends to impart its own special stimulant properties. During convalescence, one should be sure to include this herb in the diet. One medical study, carried out in Japan, found that Blue Vervain possessed noticeable anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties (24). Those properties are extremely useful to curb infectious swelling and pain.

The effects of capsicum, gotu kola and ginseng on activity: further evidence." The herbalist, 1(1), 51-54, 1976. 3. Molnar, E., Baraz, LA. & Khayutin, V.M. "Irritating and depressing effect of capsaicin on receptors and afferent fibers of the small intestine." Tr. Inst. Norm. Patol. Fiziol. Akad. Med. Nauk SSSR, 10, 22-24, 1967. 4. Roquebert, J., Canellas, J., Demichel, P. & Dufour, Ph. "Study on vasculotropic properties of Capsicum annuum." Annales Pharmaceutiques Francaises, 36(7-8), 361-368, 1978 5. Baubrin, Y.F.

The Great Burdock." The herbalist, June, 1978, 32-33. 12 Felter, H W The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, Oregon, 1983 (first published 1922). 13. Millspaugh, C. F. American Medicinal Plants. Dover Publications, Inc. New York, 1974 (first published 1892). 14. Train, P., Henricks, J.R., & Archer, W.A. "Medicinal Uses of Plants by Indian Tribes of Nevada." U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture, _ Washington, D.C., 1941, 96. 15. Bergel, M. "Nordihydroquaiaretic acid in therapy." Semana Medical, (Buenos Aires), II, 123-131, 1955. 16.

The old herbalist term for agents that clean up the blood is "alterative," a term that implies that the properties of the blood are gradually being changed from unhealthy to healthy. However, that may be an oversimplification of what is actually transpiring. In reality, toxins and wastes are being filtered out, microbial poisons are being killed, vital salts are being adjusted and balanced, nutrients are being furnished, and important plasma substances are being strengthened and enhanced.

Priddy Meeks, an early American herbalist is credited with removing "a bunch" growing on the upper lip of a young girl, with a treatment consisting of equal parts of Burdock and two other herbs in this blend, Dandelion and Yellow Dock (12). This case is just one of thousands that testify to the herb's effectiveness. See Also blood purification/detoxification; detoxify/nurture; bone-flesh-cartilage LICORICE ROOT, until this century, was overlooked by Western cultures as a cure or treatment for skin conditions. But the Chinese have relied on its alterative properties for centuries (13).

The Top Ten Herbs to Cure Big Diseases Dr. Richard Schulze and Sam Biser See book keywords and concepts

I have tested bottles of commercial herbal tinctures, even ones with an herbalist's name on the label, and found that even a whole bottle of such tincture gave less healing benefit than a few drops of a tincture I made myself. I am not talking about dosages of tinctures and formulas made to industry standards. These people never cured anyone. Neither did many of my herbal colleagues who write books. I was on the front lines curing the people no one else wanted to talk to — they were too sick. Sol know what it takes to get cures from herbs. Others are clueless!

The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Mark Bricklin See book keywords and concepts

Three hundred years ago, the great Elizabethan herbalist Nicholas Culpeper listed comfrey among the most effective natural healing agents. About three years ago, a women in Veneta, Oregon, decided to apply a comfrey dressing to painful varicose veins that had troubled her for 13 years, threatening to immobilize her. Where countless doctors and remedies had failed, the herb succeeded. Happily back on her feet, the woman told Prevention that comfrey truly "worked wonders." During the Middle Ages, comfrey was a popular remedy for mending broken bones and battle wounds.

The Top Ten Herbs to Cure Big Diseases Dr. Richard Schulze and Sam Biser See book keywords and concepts

Schulze is the only herbalist who uses large doses of lobelia, and he is also the only one who gets the results he does from it. But the lobelia tincture must be strong. Commercial lobelia tinctures are so weak and useless you could drink the whole bottle and feel nothing. Best Species: There are many types and species of garden lobelia. This is not one of them. This herb is a weed that has inflated seed pods, hence the name. Therapeutic Benefits: Antispasmodic, Emetic and Whole Body Purgative in high doses. Major Benefit: Seizures, Fits, Convulsions, Spasms, Asthma, Bronchial Dilator.

The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Mark Bricklin See book keywords and concepts

Simmonite, a twentieth century herbalist, and which sections by Culpeper, the famed astrologer-physician of the early seventeenth century. That destroys whatever value the book may have as an historical document. Worst of all, there are no cautions given after recommending such potentially dangerous herbs as celandine, rue or even squill, an herb so powerful that it's still used today to kill rats. Spoerke, David G. Herbal Medications. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Woodbridge Press, 1980.

At various times in his life, he seems to have been not only an herbalist, but a medical assistant as well. There is virtually no disease he did not tackle with utter confidence that he would cure it. And if you believe him, he rarely failed. To make the best use of the wisdom of Kloss, I would suggest consulting him along with several more modern authors. That would help to keep you from getting carried away with Kloss's sometimes excessive exuberance. Kordel, Lelord. Natural Folk Remedies. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974.

Written in consultation with herbalist N. G. Tretchikoff, and Natalie K. Tretchikoff, who contributed the Russian material and bibliography, this is one of the best books on herbal medicine available, with entires on over 200 herbs. The type is large and easy to read and the illustrations well defined. There are clear instructions on how each herb is used, and even a notation for each herb on its solubility in water, boiling water or alcohol. The information on how herbs that grow in North America are also used in parts of Asia adds color and interest to the book.

The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki See book keywords and concepts

This kind of discovery comes as no surprise to Seikichi Shimoji, an herbalist who grew up in the rain forests of Miyako Island in southern Okinawa and has spent the last fifty-five years of his life studying and cultivating herbs. His interest in herbs and plants was fostered by his grandmother, who taught him about traditional medicines derived from locally grown herbs, such as aloe, guava, huchiba (mugworf), kandaba, and unjana. His grandmother knew exactly which herb healed a wound, brought down a fever, lowered high blood pressure, or cured an ailing stomach.

Herbs of Life: Health & Healing Using Western & Chinese Techniques Lesley Tierra See book keywords and concepts

The traditional wholistic herbalist treats not only the primary symptom, but the underlying causes which precipitate it. The Herbs of Life takes this second approach—recommending herbs and other foods which tend to strengthen underlying deficiencies as well as clear the body of toxic wastes. By following the simple guidance which this book provides, the reader can discover the true healing power of herbs and foods with absolutely no risk of the insidious long-term side effects of many, if not most, Western drugs.

It clearly sets forth the way an herbalist thinks about herbs, foods and disease and unites them with various methods that, while presently used as part of the practice of acupuncture, were once and still continue in many places of the world to be the domain of the folk healer. These include such techniques as cupping, moxibustion, meditation and breathing practices along with other simple home remedies that are bound to support one's quest for greater health and wellness.

Enema Therapy Enemas are important because of their ability to help eliminate many varieties of disease. The herbalist often sees the colon as the organ which must ultimately take the brunt of aU our dietary excesses and deficiencies. Toxic wastes, when improperly eliminated from the colon, wUl accumulate along the inner lining and possibly harden to form gas pockets, becoming a natural breeding ground for the cultivation of undesirable parasites and bacteria.

Finally, the book invites the reader to share the experience of an herbalist and healer in the process of furthering the integration of the ancient healing wisdom of the East with the West as we evolve towards a more global awareness. Through this process, it is hoped that the reader will feel empowered to further continue to explore on his or her own the beautiful world of herbalism. Introduction I felt invulnerable to disease as a teenager and in my early twenties. I experienced illness, like a cold or flu, as a normal life experience from which I quickly healed.

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