NaturalNews.com
Originally published August 11 2008
How to Use Herbs Safely and Effectively
by Kal Sellers
(NaturalNews) Starting from some time well before man was placed on
earth, or evolved to his present species, the earth was covered with
all manner of plant life. These plants had to deal with
microorganisms, climate variations and all manner of variety.
When man entered this phase of existence, he found himself dependent
on plants for food, shelter, clothing and medicine. Plants were also a
source of aesthetics for man and woman.
As problems arose, holy men, shamans, witches and anyone attuned to
the patterns of nature became renowned members of society. They were
medicine men and women of some sort and who could treat and cure the
problems of that society.
Later, animals were consumed for food and it was discovered that they
could also be used for medicine. Even though this is true, it was
always considered to be more pure and more harmonious with nature's
patterns to use plants. Furthermore, the power in plants went far
beyond healing the mere flesh (anatomy) of man and was capable of
affecting his character, his awareness, his attitude and his ability
to travel freely on his spiritual journey.
To be fair, animals were also sometimes eaten, or certain parts of
them, for the purpose of adopting certain characteristics of that
animal on one's spiritual or other journey.
While this probably seems impossible to the trained so-called
"scientific" mind of today, as usual, the over educated often miss the
obvious. In this case, we know today that the neuropeptides and
hormones of animals work in our bodies and that those neuropeptides
and hormones are not just received by every cell of the body, every
tissue and organ produces some of its own! This is in addition to the
exact ratio of minerals, vitamins and all nutrients needed to make
that tissue healthy for that animal in its life element.
In other words, it probably works fine, at least in most cases, to
adopt some of the life energy of a certain animal by eating it, or a
certain animal part by eating that.
Before you get too excited about eating animals, however, may I
suggest that plants are the higher way.
We have discovered that every known vital chemical in the human body
is found somewhere in the plant kingdom. Some have observed that this
is a good argument for the garden of Eden concept -- the human body as
it is today (mortal) was formed from the dust of this earth, via
plants, which put every element in our bodies that eventually formed
all body processes when, at the appropriate time, a special fruit was
taken which transformed all others and put them into action.
Someone observed that there is some cryptic evidence that the
"forbidden fruit" was some ancestor of the pomegranate, which contains
in it, in usable form, both testosterone and estrogen.
While all of this is very interesting, the practical side of it is
that there are plants in every corner of the globe that will replace
and restore normal functions of every kind. There are plants that will
regenerate every organ.
I had a colleague do some testing for me and my wife for what systems
might need help. When he discovered her adrenal glands were low, he
was quite insistent that to heal them we would absolutely have to use
glandulars (desiccated, or otherwise modified bovine adrenal glands)
and that there was no chance that herbs alone would heal them. After a
few uncomfortable moments, we managed to thank him and extricate
ourselves.
We went home and put her on my adrenal herbal formula which had her
adrenal glands stable and rebuilt within two and a half weeks.
Generally, I keep people on my adrenal formula for at least three
months, however, to keep that system rebuilding the healthiest of
cells for a while so that it will continue to be strong for life. In
addition to my formula, we also used Genesis brand Goji berry juice
(which is a brand that's pure and I find it at least good to very good
in potency and quality).
My colleague apparently did not know that herbs could regenerate at
least as good as glandular medicines. Perhaps, however, in the reality
he was aware of, his point of view was just as valid. Sometimes, the
overall "vibration" or awareness of an individual will dictate what
sort of medicine works best for him or her. If a person is in a lower
state, s/he will need medicines of a secondary sort, unless that
person is willing to raise his or her state while healing.
In this case of being in a lower state, glandulars, refined minerals,
vitamins or chemicals, or even drugs might be the most appropriate
choices.
By lower, I do not mean to condemn anyone, this life is a journey, not
a destination, and it is for individuals, not for their neighbors. It
does no one any sort of good to compare ground with their neighbor and
to find him or herself worse off or better off than the neighbor.
Likewise, if drugs work best for you, or if glandulars do, this is not
my business. I am only here to explore the realities of what I know,
which are herbal -- meaning whole plant -- medicines.
So with that introduction, let's talk about herbs for a few minutes.
Using herbs safely is a worry that many people have, which I often
scoff at. This is because any truly dangerous herbs were abandoned
many years ago by all responsible herbalists. The "dangerous" herbs in
use today are many times safer than the safest of OTC (over the
counter) drugs. They are safer, statistically speaking, than
strawberries, which kill many people each year due to allergic
reactions.
Still, anyone can be allergic to anything. This includes herbs and an
allergic reaction should be noticed and appropriate action taken in
that event when taking herbs.
People are far less likely to be allergic to herbs, though, because of
the scarceness of those substances in the normal diet and because of
the other actions of herbs that tend to either inhibit allergies or
reduce the cause of allergic responses.
The real questions about herbs in use today are not about overall
safety -- anyone who drinks alcohol or uses aspirin has little
business worrying about the safety of the herbs in use today. The real
questions, instead, revolve around drug interactions with herbs.
This is particularly difficult to answer because little research is
done on the subject. Having said that, far more research has been done
on it than most people think. One of the resources that I use is Dr.
Duke's database of herbs. There you can find nearly all known herb-
drug interactions.
Empirically, however, I have had probably two people re****t actual
drug interference in the last eight years. In both cases the drug got
stronger and less was needed while taking the herb.
Still, if you are taking a drug that might kill you or if you are
taking a drug that your life depends on, you should seek the guidance
of someone who has had plenty of experience and training about herb
and drug interactions to guide you before you start taking this or
that.
For those who are on medications for pain or discomfort, which are not
likely to kill you the first time you miss the recommended dose, there
are probably few to no real concerns over herb use. Of course, if you
notice something, you should talk to someone who can help you.
Generally, herbs (unlike drugs) do not sit around in your body for
weeks or longer after you stop taking them. If you have an
interaction, stop for a few days and see if it goes away. If it does,
you can suspect the herb. If it does not, something else is going on.
Sometimes, there is an overlap that can be confusing. For example, an
herb might clean out the lymphatic system and toxic debris can travel
to the heart and a heart arrhythmia can develop. At home, I would
simply start using a heart herbal formula or maybe just motherwort
tincture, but for some this can be quite upsetting. The herb might get
the blame, though it was really trying to do you a favor.
After all, the herb did not put the toxic debris in your lymphatic
system -- you did that!
This gets us ready for using herbs effectively.
There are three categories of using herbs that we shall discuss here:
1. Allopathy replacement: This means you use an herb to replace a
drug, like using St. John's wort instead of an antidepressant or using
fava beans to prevent breast cancer instead of Tamoxifen.
2. Modulation: This means you are trying to change a pattern or level
of activity in the body. This would be like using burdock root for
skin eruptions or ginkgo to increase circulation to the brain or
Echinacea to activate or normalize the immune system.
3. Regeneration: This is where you actually attempt to rebuild the
tissue in an area or organ or gland that is damaged, malformed or
depleted.
Allopathy mixed with modulation is a very common way to use herbs.
This is what most herbalists do. Using herbs this way requires some
method of establi****ng a dosage. For this reason, many herbalists use
muscle testing. While hugely subjective, muscle testing, when done
prudently, allows the bodies of the practitioner and the client to
communicate some preferences about how the herbs are used.
Another option is to research, as Dr. Duke does (mentioned before)
what percentages usually exist of chemicals in plants and what the
effective dose of that chemical probably is. In his books, Dr. Duke
does a marvelous job of making recommendations based on this kind of
research.
This concern might be easily overstated, however, since when the body
is given larger doses of herbs (which have much food value) the excess
is either easily excreted or the use of it is modified. Indeed, some
herbs become less effective in larger doses because the body will tend
to use the herb differently.
This might not produce the desired result, but it probably will not
hurt you.
Some of my favorite allopathic and modulating herbs are:
* Rosemary for elevating mood and for brain electricity -- I usually
recommend three capsules twice-thrice daily.
* Ginger for nausea or digestive aid -- I usually recommend doses of 5
capsules all the way up to two tablespoons or an ounce of the fresh
juice.
* Ginger for chronic pain -- I usually recommend at least a table
spoon of ginger twice daily, or at least 16 capsules daily. Often this
is an effective cure, as well as a palliative treatment.
* St. John's wort for low s*****onin -- low s*****onin leaves the person
feeling unable to deal with the basic difficulties of life without
feeling overloaded. I usually recommend a high quality St. John's wort
tincture (I like Herb Pharm and Herbs Etc.) taken by the =BD dropper
full three to five times daily.
* Motherwort for heart arrhythmia -- this is usually a tincture (as
above) and is taken in =BC dropper full doses as often as needed,
sometimes in excess of 8 times daily.
* I-Charge (my recipe, found on www.kalsschool.com downloads page;
consists of equal parts habanero, garlic and Echinacea tincture) for
any respiratory congestion or any acute infection -- this formula is
very powerful and it is not uncommon to only need a half-dropper full
to completely manage symptoms of congestion. For stubborn cases, I
recommend 3 droppers full, five times daily.
* Celery seed for gout prevention -- while celery seed might help
allay gout, especially mild cases, it really ****nes for prevention. We
are indebted to Dr. Duke for this very effective remedy. I recommend
2-3 capsules daily.
* Yucca stalk for joint inflammation -- this takes about 10 capsules
to work as well for me as one Aleve, but then again, yucca is not
going to harm me in any way and will actually help improve most
conditions of acute inflammation or even chronic inflammation.
* Milk thistle for liver diseases of all kinds and as an antidote to
liver poisoning (such as from mushrooms) -- this is one place where
you might want to use standardized extracts. Usually, I get a high
quality milk thistle seed (the darker the color of the seed, the
better it is supposed to be) and give it out by the tablespoon one
time daily. Milk thistle also protects the liver.
* Ginkgo biloba for increased circulation to the brain -- this herb
helps keep neural synapses synapsing as they should. In spite of the
amazingly promising research on ginkgo for Alzheimer's and senility,
it still gets overlooked most of the time by practitioners and
physicians. Two capsules per day will probably work for most people as
a prevention or treatment. I like this coupled with two or three
ounces of apple cider vinegar in a gallon of distilled water per day
for Alzheimer's disease.
Regeneration of organs and tissues is another matter. This requires an
understanding of how to combine herbs. For regeneration, the herb that
regenerates the tissue/organ has to be combined with an herb that will
go to that specific area and another herb or multiple herbs that
nourish the tissue specifically as well as sup****t the processes that
tissue is supposed to be doing while the organ heals.
This last part is im****tant in order to give the organ or tissue a
break without causing great distress to the person who is healing. The
body will tend to give the break, whether there is sup****t to replace
the action of that organ or not, whenever the nutrition and medicine
is present to heal a particular organ.
This is traditionally known as a healing crisis. It feels like a
crisis because the body goes on hiatus -- or at least the targeted
part of it does -- while the op****tunity to heal a weak/damaged tissue
is seized by the very wise body.
The combining of herbs is both an art and a science that is too
lengthy to deal with here in any detail, but suffice it to say that if
an organ needs anything more than a kick-start, wise formulation is
indicated.
Often I consult with people using cascara sagrada all by itself for
bowel problems, for example. If the bowel just needs a quick
awakening, that is fine, but otherwise, if the bowel has a long term
problem, a good healing and regenerating herbal formula is needed for
the bowel.
Thank you for reading and sharing this journey with me.
Until next time,
Kal Sellers, MH
About the author
Kal Sellers, MH is a lifelong student and practitioner of the natural
healing arts.
Kal is a Master Herbalist, a Massage Therapist, Technician of the Rolf
Method of Structural Integration, Iridologist, Mind-Body Medicine
Practitioner, Mental Re-programmer, Life Coach, Natural Nutritionist,
Reflexologist and more.
Kal is currently attending Life University in preparation for
chiropractic school.
Kal currently operates and maintains www.KalsSchool.com an on-line
school for natural healing and herbal medicine.
Kal also maintains www.BestFoodist.com as the website for the
distribution of his and his wife's books on natural nutrition and
companion recipe book (Traci's Transformational Kitchen Cookbook and
Traci's Transformational Health Principles).
Kal and Traci have five children, the last three of which were
delivered at home, the last by Kal. They live now in Powder Springs,
GA where they maintain live cl***** on food and medicine for anyone
choosing to master medical independence and life-long optimal health!
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