Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Herbs usually are administered in combinations, prepared typically by boiling to create an herbal tea. As a patient's condition changes, the mix of herbs prescribed is altered accordingly.
Beliefs on Which It Is Based
In addition to balance and energy, the concept of yin-yang and the idea of five elements are central to traditional Chinese medical understanding. Yin-yang refers to the interaction between opposite forces, such as male-female, active-passive, and dark-light. |
| They practiced the ancient Asian and Indian tradition of induced vomiting, with the help of an herbal tea preparation called the "Black Drink."
Native Americans also developed a rich knowledge of herbal medicine. The Creek Indians, for example, learned to drink willow tea to ease aching joint pain. It is now known that willow tea contains salicin, the natural form of acetylsalicylic acid, which is the active ingredient in aspirin. Particular herbal preparations vary from tribe to tribe. |
Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 M.
Hot herbal tea according to indications (your constitution, condition, season, etc.)
Note: Best to use organic fruits and vegetables to drink immediately after extraction, and to sip slowly. Once you get a sense of the above recipes, try coming up with your own.
FIGURE 89 about how to do a fast are those who are already as thin as a rail and teetering on the brink of a vatic crisis. Their more rotund friends have already quietly slipped out of the room. This led me to formulate the First Law of Fasting: "Those who need to don't want to; those who want to don't need to. |
Mark Bricklin
See book keywords and concepts |
 A decoction is also an herbal tea but differs from an infusion in that the herbal material is actually boiled or at least simmered. Typically, seeds, pieces of root or bark, or branches, which would not easily release their essence when steeped, are prepared in this way. Begin with cold water, bring to a boil, and keep on the heat for as long as necessary to extract the virtues of the plant material. Keep the pot covered while cooking, and cool and strain before using. |
Judith J. Wurtman and Susan Suffes
See book keywords and concepts |
 If you awaken during the middle of the night craving a cigarette and can't get back to sleep, try drinking a cup of herbal tea with one tablespoon of sugar. If you feel the need to eat, have any sweet or starchy fat-free carbohydrate that is handy; you'll want to get back to sleep as quickly as possible.
RECIPES
Chef's Salad
This is so big and attractive, you probably won't be able to eat it all at once. |
Lesley Tierra
See book keywords and concepts |
 Add a little bit of hot water, herbal tea, tiniment or a tincture to powdered herbs and mix to form a thick paste. If all herbs are not powdered, make them into tea first and add some to rest of powdered herbs.
3. Put paste on skin. Cover right away with gauze bandage and tie or tape in place. Or spread paste on gauze first and then apply to skin area. Leave there several hours or overnight. If needed, replace with another poultice until problem is healed. Keep warm with hot water bottle or heating pad. |
| Foot Soak Method
In this process, the person only removes shoes and socks, sits on a stool or chair and soaks the feet in a pot of hot water or herbal tea, such as ginger. The person is then draped with blankets from head to toe and encompassing the pot of hot water, leaving only an air hole for breathing. These are left in place until sweating is induced; then allow sweating to continue for 5-10 minutes. The person should then disrobe, be sponged off, dressed in clean dry clothes and put to bed.
As with all sweating methods, administer sweating herb teas while sitting on the stool. |
| Take with meals or herbal tea. Whenever a formula calls for using capsules, one may take pills instead, using twice as many pids as capsules to get about the same dose (see section on "Ptils"). Another method is to wrap the powder in rice paper to the appropriate piti size.
Congee
Congee is a well-cooked, soupy grain or type of fortified porridge. It is a very therapeutic food which is perfect during convalescence from sickness, for treating acute diseases, strengthening the digestion and assimilation ability, general debility and low vitality. |
| Make strong herbal tea from chosen herbs.
2. Strain, then cook down the strained liquid to thick, paste-like consistency. Do not burn or overcook (this will alter or destroy its properties).
3. Cool. Scrape mass from bottom of pan. 4-5.Same as above.
Amounts: 1 ounce of powdered herbs makes about 30 pea-sized pills. Dose: Pea-sized pills equal about half the dose of a "00" gelatin capsule. Therefore, for children, use 1 pea-sized pill per "0" capsule, usually taking 1 pill 2-3 times per day; and for adults, use 2 pea-sized pills per "00" capsule, usually taking 4 pills, 2-3 times a day. |
| Add a little bit of hot water, herbal tea, liniment or a tincture to powdered herbs and mix to form a thick paste. If all herbs are not powdered, make them into tea first and add some to rest of powdered herbs.
3. Spread paste on thin piece of cheesecloth. Wrap up until paste is well-enclosed in cloth. Place on skin where wanted. Keep warm with hot water bottle or heating pad. Change frequently if needed.
Amount: This depends on the area to be covered, and if fresh or powdered herbs are to be used. For an area 4" x 4" use approximately 1/2 ounce powdered herb(s) and 2 tbsp liquid. |
David Brownstein
See book keywords and concepts |
 All sodas should be eliminated. herbal tea is an acceptable beverage, but it is not a substitute for water. Finally, adding a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt per day to the regimen seems to improve the body's utilization of water.
Figure 14: Recommended Water Intake
1. Weight in pounds_12.
2. Result is recommended water intake in ounces.
3. Number of ounces _/8 =_glasses of water per day.
Step 5: Sweating
Sweating is an important physiologic reaction in the body. Sweating allows the body to rid itself of toxic chemicals and clear the lymph system. |
Carol Simontacchi
See book keywords and concepts |
 You'll shun the local coffeehouse and drink herbal tea instead.
Scan familiar packages of prepared foods and put them back on the supermarket shelf if they contain preservatives or flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate. Avoid high-sodium foods and concentrare on high-potassium foods to restore the sodium:potassium rario. Stop grazing on the convenient antifoods you've been indulging in and start planning your menus carefully. Use food to heal your mind instead of filling up an empty space in your midsection. |
David Brownstein
See book keywords and concepts |
 All sodas should be eliminated. herbal tea is an accepted beverage, but it is not a substitute for water. Finally, adding a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt per day to the regimen seems to improve the body's utilization of water. (See Chapter 8 for more information.)
Weight in pounds_12.
Result is recommended water intake in ounces.
Number of ounces _/8 =_glasses of water per day.
Figure 8: Recommended Water Intake
Step 5: Sweating
Sweating is an important physiologic reaction in the body. Sweating allows the body to rid itself of toxic chemicals and clear the lymph system. |
Dr. Richard Schulze and Sam Biser
See book keywords and concepts |
| I often have patients squirt the dosage of tincture in a cup of the herbal tea they are taking.
I had a lady with hives all over her body which weren't getting any better from strong echinacea tincture. So, she wanted to try the tea and in two or three days, boom, it was gone. In all difficult or stubborn cases, you must take the teas as well as the tinctures.
(Note from Sam Biser: If you want to avoid the tiny amount of alcohol in tinctures, drop tincture dosages in a cup of boiling water. The alcohol will evaporate immediately.)
The BONUS HERBS. |
Brenda Davis and Tom Barnard
See book keywords and concepts |
 It comes as no surprise that those who seek a solution, with wallet in hand, will have a few thousand options to choose from. Some offer reasonable support, some are totally useless, and still others are risky.
Prescription Drugs
Swallowing a pill seems so much easier than changing your entire way of life. If only it were that simple! Prescription medications for weight control are not everything most people hope for. The most common prescription medications used for weight loss are appetite suppressants. They work by reducing appetite or increasing feelings of fullness. |
Barnet Meltzer, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Have a salad, a smoothie, a fruit cup, or some herbal tea. Then, even if your natural appetite returns between regularly scheduled meals, hold off until the next designated eating time. This way, you'll stick to your daily agenda.
5. Substitute Intimate Conversation and Good Company for Overindulgence
They say laughter is the best medicine. Companionship at mealtime is good for the soul, and it actually curbs your appetite by shifting the focus from eating to socializing. There are times when it is quite healing to enjoy breakfast or lunch alone, in a relaxed natural environment. |
Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin
See book keywords and concepts |
 If a bagel and coffee is your daily fare, try something else like hot oatmeal and herbal tea. þChange the setting on your radio alarm or tune into a morning TV program you never watch. Sesame Street, for example, may arouse the brain to notice how much of what you take for granted is explored in depth by children. þWalk the dog on a new route. (Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks.)
^ Brain imaging studies show that novel tasks activate large areas of the cortex, indicating increased levels of brain activity in several distinct areas. |
Gale Maleskey
See book keywords and concepts |
 One eighteenth-century herbalist likened it to the urine of cats, so you can imagine that an herbal tea of valerian root is a less-than-exquisite sipping experience. Because of its strong smell, valerian is most commonly taken as pills or tincture.
Nevertheless, "valerian is a wonderful herb for relaxing the body, both the mind and the muscles," says Jill Stansbury, N.D., assistant professor of botanical medicine and chair of the botanical medicine department at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
See book keywords and concepts |
 Smooth Move" (20 mg sennosides per dose); Laxa-Tea™; Get Regular Tea®).
Phytomedicines: Senna leaves and preparations thereof are offered as stimulant laxative monopreparations in various dosage forms including dragees, drops, granules, powders, and tablets.
Combination products contain extracts, standardized to a fixed sennoside content (between 12-22 mg sennoside B per dose). Non-standardized senna preparations are no longer relevant. There are some combination products that mix senna leaf extracts with bulk-forming laxatives or with other. anthracene glycoside drugs, e.g. |
Lesley Tierra
See book keywords and concepts |
| When a diaphoretic or tonic effect is desired, take the herbal tea warm. When a diuretic effect is wanted, take it cool.
Dosages are calculated for a person weighing about 150 pounds. However, even if weighing this, each body responds differendy to herbs; and therefore, a particular dosage given may be either too high or too low for your own needs and reactions. Start with the dosage given and then increase or decrease according to how your body responds.
For children, there is a convenient rule of thumb for figuring herb dosages from ages birth to 12. |
Christian Ratsch
See book keywords and concepts |
 Cocaine in herbal tea. Journal of the American Medical Association 255 (1): 40.
Uscategui M., Nestor. 1954. Contribucion al estudio de la masticacion de las hojas de coca. Revista Colombiana de Antropologia 3:209-89. von Hagen, Victor W. 1979. Die Wustenkbnigreiche Perus. Bergisch Gladbach, Germany: Bastei-Liibbe. von Wedemeyer, Inge. 1969. "Cultura cefalica" in Alt-Peru: Ein Beitrag zur Bedeutung der Schadelbehandlungen. Antaios 10:298-312. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 But sipping herbal tea isn't the only way to protect yourself from heartburn pain. These lifestyle strategies can help, too.
Give up cigarettes. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to experience heartburn.
Watch your weight. Those extra pounds press down on your stomach, and that pressure can open your lower esophageal sphincter. That's why women who are pregnant often report problems with heartburn.
Loosen your belt a notch or two. Anything that presses on your abdomen can contribute to heartburn, including a too tight belt or waistband.
Eat small meals. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
See book keywords and concepts |
| Flora Diulaxa Tea; Kneipp Bile and Liver Tea; Thuna Liver and Kidney Tea).
Phytomedicines: A few monopreparations contain the pressed juice, tincture, or fluidextract. A dry extract is rarely used, for example in the product Detox® feban (300 mg per capsule, drug-to-extract ratio range 4—5:1, solvent:-water). Numerous combination products (drops, tonics, tablets, dragees) contain extracts of dandelion in the cholagogue, hepatic, stomachic, and ur-ological therapeutic categories.
Regulatory status,:
Canada: Approved active ingredient in over 100 Schedule OTC Traditional Herbal Medicines (e.g. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Start with a Little Lift
Personally, when I'm dragging a little and in need of a pick-me-up, but I want something milder than the caffeine in coffee, I'll brew myself a pot of herbal tea. A number of herbs contain pleasantly aromatic stimulant compounds such as carveol, carvone, cineole, cinnamalde-hyde, menthol, piperine, and verbenalin.
Of these, my favorite by far is cineole. It not only enhances physical energy but also seems to boost mental alertness. In laboratory studies, cineole improved the ability of rats to find their way around mazes. |
| Now that it's legal, maybe some enterprising manufacturer will pick up on an idea that I've promoted for years: Use stevia to make presweetened herbal tea bags.
You can buy powdered stevia in most health food stores. Because it's so sweet, you need only a pinch or two to replace a teaspoon of sugar. Experiment with it until you get the sweetness that suits you.
THYME {THYMUS VULGARIS). You've certainly heard of Listerine antiseptic mouthwash. Guess where it gets its antiseptic properties? From or. |
| Other good sources of citric acid include lime, pomegranate, tangerine, strawberry, purslane, potatoes, soy, and roselle, a major ingredient in Red Zinger herbal tea.
Citric acid also helps treat kidney stones. In a study at the University of California, San Francisco, researchers worked with kidney stone patients who could not tolerate conventional pharmaceuticals. The study participants were instructed to supplement their diets with 4 ounces of reconstituted lemon juice a day. The treatment worked very well.
Adopt a plant-based Paleolithic diet. |
Ruth Winter, M.S.
See book keywords and concepts |
 White horehound, native to Europe and imported to the United States, was used in an herbal tea for sore throat and bronchitis. Black horehound is used occasionally by herbalists to get rid of lice, and when soaked in boiling water, it is applied to the skin to relieve gout and arthritis. It is also used by herbalists to treat chronic hepatitis, cancer, tuberculosis, leukemia, malaria, and hysteria. White horehound, used by ancient Egyptian doctors who dedicated it to the god Horus, and now native to Great Britain and the United States, is used in cough drops and cold medicines. |
Nicola Reavley
See book keywords and concepts |
 Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
A popular herbal tea, chamomile has many beneficial effects. It is antiinflammatory, anti-allergy, aids digestion, relieves muscle spasm, is a relaxant and has wound-healing effects.
Uses
Chamomile is used to treat many conditions including asthma, hay fever, sinusitis, gastrointestinal disturbances, menstrual and menopausal problems, nervous tension, insomnia and tension and digestive headaches. Externally it can be used to treat skin problems and conjunctivitis.
Cautions
In rare cases, there may be an allergic reaction to chamomile. |
Gary Null
See book keywords and concepts |
 Also, start reading the labels on the herbal tea boxes at the supermarket. Pick out a tea you think would taste good. Add an herbal tincture to your shampoo, your skin lotion or massage oil, or your bath tub. Within a short period of time, you will have incorporated a number of different herbs into your life. And you should start feeling better naturally.
Remember, though, not all herbs are equal. How they are grown, harvested, stored, and prepared will effect their potency and usefulness. |
| If you are hungry late in the evening, try a very light food such as fruit, or have a liquid refreshment like an herbal tea.
POSTEXERCISE NUTRITION During exercise, you use up water and fuel. You need to replenish them—in that order. Water, the recommended beverage, helps alleviate feelings of exhaustion. Give your body an opportunity to return to normal before eating.
Even if you are not consciously thirsty, drink an 8- to 10-ounce glass of water after exercising, and again at 20-minute intervals for the next hour. |
Email this page to a friend
