Be Your Own Herbal Expert - Part 1
LEARNING ABOUT
HERBS
By Susun
Weed, the
Wise Woman Way.
Herbal medicine is the medicine of the
people. It is simple, safe, effective,
and free. Our ancestors knew how to use an enormous
variety of plants for health and well-being. Our
neighbors around the world continue to use local plants
for healing and health maintenance. You can
too.
Herbal medicines have been passed down
to us in many ways: through stories, in books, set to
music, and incorporated into our everyday speech.
Learning about herbs is fun, fascinating, and easy to do
no matter where you live or what your circumstances. It
is an adventure that makes use of all of your senses.
Reading about herbal medicine is fascinating, and a great
way to learn how others have used plants. But the real
authorities are the plants themselves. They speak to us
through their smells, tastes, forms, and
colors.
Anyone who is willing to take the time
to get to know the plants around them will discover a
wealth of health-promoting green allies. What stops us?
Fear. We fear that we will use the wrong plant. We fear
poisoning ourselves. We fear the plants
themselves.
These fears are wise. But they need not
keep us from using the abundant herbal remedies of
nature. A few simple guidelines can protect you and help
you make sense of herbal medicine. This series of short
articles will offer you easy-to-remember rules for using
herbs simply and safely. When you have completed all
eight parts of this series, you will be using herbs
confidently and successfully to keep yourself and your
loved ones
whole/healthy/holy.
SURVIVAL IS A MATTER OF
TASTE
Virtually all plants contain
poisons. After all, they don't want to be
eaten! Because we have evolved eating plants, we have the
capacity to neutralize or remove (through preparation or
digestion) their poisons. Not all poisons kill, and even
poisons that are deadly often need to be taken in
quantities far larger than can easily be obtained from
foods. (Apple seeds contain a lethal poison but it takes
a quart of them to cause death.)
Our
senses of taste and smell are registered in the part of
the brain that maintains respiration and circulation - in
other words, the survival center. Plants (but not
mushrooms) advertise their poisons by tasting bad or
smelling foul. Of the four primary kinds of poisons found
in plants - alkaloids, glycosides, resins, and essential
oils - the first two always taste bitter or cause a
variety of noxious reactions on the oral tissues, and the
last two usually do, especially when removed from the
plant or concentrated.
Sometimes the taste of the poison in a
plant is hidden by large amounts of sweet-tasting starch.
Fortunately, human saliva contains an enzyme that breaks
down these carbohydrates, exposing the nasty taste of the
poison. Since even tiny amounts of some poisons can have
large effects, for safety sake, take your time when
tasting.
SAFETY
FIRST
Because our sense of taste protects us
against poisonous plants, it is always best to take herbs
in a form that allows one to taste them. Consuming just
one plant at a time, with as little preparation as
possible, gives us the greatest opportunity to taste
poisons and is therefore the safest way to use
herbs.
One herb
at a time is a "simple." When we ingest a simple herb -
raw, cooked as a vegetable, brewed fresh or dried in
water as a tea or infusion, steeped in vinegar or honey,
dried and used as a condiment - we bring into play
several million years of plant wisdom collected in our
genes. When we ingest many plants together, or
concentrate their natural poisons by tincturing,
distilling, or standardizing, we increase the possibility
of harm. Powdering herbs and putting them in capsules is
one of the most dangerous ways to use them, especially
those containing poisons. For ultimate risk, play with
essential oils; they are far removed from the plant, very
concentrated, and as little as one-quarter ounce can
kill.
SAFETY SECOND,
TOO
In
the next installments we will continue to learn how to
use herbs simply and safely. We will explore nourishing
and tonifying herbs, the difference between fixing
disease and promoting health, how to apply the three
traditions of healing, and how to take charge of your own
health care with the six steps of
healing.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
ONE
You
will need the following plants, all of which contain
poisons that you can taste: a head of lettuce (taste the
leaves and the core separately), some black or green tea
(unbrewed), a fresh dandelion leaf, strong chamomile tea
(steep it overnight), a can of asparagus, some fresh
mint, a spoonful of mustard seeds, and a bottle of vanill
a extract.
NEVER, EVER TASTE
HOUSEPLANTS.
Approach tasting a plant as you would
tasting a wine. Begin by inhaling the aroma.
Release the bouquet by squeezing the plant until your
fingers are moist (or chew briefly and spit into your
hand). Do you feel enticed, repelled, or neutral? Does
your mouth water? Does your throat clench? Observe how
you react to the smell. Does it sting your eyes? Irritate
your nasal tissues? Do you want to taste
it?
We
do not gulp our wine, nor do we merely wet our tongues;
for best effect, taste and smell a reasonably large
piece, but don't stuff your mouth. As you chew, move the
plant material around in your mouth. Roll it around with
your tongue. Make contact with it for a full minute but
DO NOT SWALLOW. No, no, spit it upon the ground, or into
your hand, or the sink, or wherever you can, but do not
swallow. SPIT IT OUT.
What do you feel now? In your stomach?
Your throat? Your head and nose? What is your gut
feeling? What sensations accompany the taste of this
plant?
It
is best to wait until the previous taste is completely
gone before going on to the next plant. If you are doing
advanced work with wild plants, wait at least a day
before you use or consume the plant in case you have a
delayed reaction to some
component.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
TWO
Taste as in experiment one, but use
these inedible (poisonous) parts of common foods: lemon
inner rind, apple seeds, rhubarb leaves, lettuce root,
the inner soft pit of a
peach.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
THREE
Taste as in experiment one, these
poisonous plants (fresh or dried): wormwood leaf,
goldenseal root, yellow dock root, Echinacea root,
eucalyptus leaf, motherwort
leaf.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
FOUR
Aromatic plants are rich in essential
oils. We often use them to season and preserve food. In
small quantity, these oils are not harmful, but
concentrated, they threaten the liver, kidneys, and life
itself. Smell and taste, as in experiment one, as many
aromatic plants as you can: thyme, rosemary, oregano,
lavender, sage, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.
Brew strong teas (steep overnight) of these plants and
taste. Can you see, smell, or taste more essential oils?
Smell or taste one drop of the extracted essential oil of
any of these plants.
FURTHER
STUDY
1. What is an alkaloid?
Medicinal plants often contain groups of alkaloids. Name
seven plants rich in alkaloids (specify the part); then
name at least three of the alkaloids in each
plant.
2. What are
glycosides? Name at least four glycosides and describe the
effect each has. Name seven plants rich in glycosides; specify
the part of the plant and the kind of glycoside.
3. What are resins?
Name four or more plants (specify part) rich in
resins.
4. What are
essential oils? Name a dozen or more plants rich in essential
oils (specify part).
5. What is the
difference between a poison and a medicine? Are all drugs
poisons?
ADVANCED
WORK
* Give the botanical
name (genus and species) for each plant you named in the
further study section.
* Taste a
variety of plants that grow around you. Warning: It is possible
to experience uncomfortable or harmful effects from this
experiment. A book on poisonous plants can reassure you that
the plants you taste will not kill you. It is best not to put
plants such as poison ivy or poison oak in your
mouth. DO NOT TASTE
HOUSEPLANTS.
Legal Disclaimer: This content is
not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any
suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or
symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a
clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner
with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein
is provided for general information purposes only and should
not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a
reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical
care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second
opinion.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at The Wise
Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing
ashtreepublishing.com
Vibrant, passionate, and
involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation
for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on
health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical
approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic
knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her
animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often
profoundly provocative.
Susun is one of America's
best-known authorities on herbal medicine and alternative
women's health care. Her four best-selling books are
recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and
are used and cherished by millions of women around the world.
Learn more at susunweed.com
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