IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
For cuts, grazes, and stings, pick four or five leaves (dock is traditional when stung on countryside walks as it is so readily available) and rub the leaves together between the hands to bruise them and release the juices. When damp, apply to the affected area and hold in place. Poultices can be made in the same way.
It is important to remember that several herbs may be recommended for a particular ailment; all are slightly different. For example, would rose, lavender, rosemary, or chamomile be best for your headache? Would a cool compress be best, or a long soak in a rosemary bath? Knowledge of the herb, the individual, and the different methods must be combined to prescribe remedies that will be really effective.
WHERE TO GET HERBS
Many herbs and herbal products are freely available. Plants or seeds can be bought from garden centers (always check the Latin name) and grown in the garden or in a window-box.
Dried herbs are available from herb stores and some wholefood outlets. Always specify the herb (the Latin name if possible) and the part of the plant to be used—root, bark, leaf, or flower.
Herbal products, remedies, tinctures, tablets, etc. are available from wholefood stores, and some pharmacies and general food stores. Read the label and instructions carefully.
Regarding plants picked from the wild, countries have different rules and some plants are protected by law. Check the legal situation and get permission from the landowner. Check identification carefully and pick the minimum required, with proper regard for conservation. Never gather roots from the side of the road, by recently sprayed crops or foliage, or from sickly-looking plants.
PREPARATIONS
Most herbs are sold in dried form. In this form they can simply be powdered and sprinkled on to food (half a flat teaspoon twice daily), but most are prepared further. Herbs are prepared for:
AVAILABILITY AND PRESERVATION—so that seasonal plants are available all year round.
CONVENIENCE, EASE OF USE—compressed tablets are often more convenient to take than a cup of tea.
SPECIFIC USE, TO AID THE ACTION OF THE HERB—for example, infused oils for rubs, honey for adding a soothing and demulcent quality to thyme.
THE RULES OF SAFE HOME TREATMENT
Consider the whole body first. Is medication needed? Consider a change of rest, diet, or exercise before prescribing the patient any remedy.
Use simple remedies internally and externally. This will encourage the body to heal itself.
Make a list. Know what you are taking and what to expect. Keep a note of all remedies taken. This will be useful if you need help later.
Take as recommended. Remember the herbal tenet of minimum effective dosage and intervention. Stick to the standard dosages. Doubling does not double effectiveness; it may put an extra burden on a body that is already sick.
TLC. Use lots of Tender Loving Care. A positive and loving attitude helps to make the illness more bearable, and may even speed up the healing process.
Monitor progress after a few days.
Stop treatment if there is any adverse reaction. Remember, people are all individuals; children, especially, respond quickly, so be alert for changes or new symptoms.
Seek professional help if in any doubt. Assessing your own symptoms is different from making a diagnosis, which needs an objective eye.
THE REMEDIES
HERBAL REMEDY CARRIERS
Herbal remedies come in a variety of forms:
Tinctures are the most common type of internal remedy prescribed by herbalists. They are made by soaking the flowers, leaves, or roots of the herbs in alcohol to extract and preserve their properties. Tinctures keep well, and are easy to store. Because they are highly concentrated, you need only take a small amount at a time.
Infusions are less concentrated and are an easy way to take herbs at home. The herbalist prescribes fresh or dried flowers, leaves, or green stems of the herbs, which you make with water into a “tea”—a rather misleading word, as it suggests a pleasant drink, which is rarely the case with prescription herbs. Sweeten with honey if you find the taste unpalatable. The properties of some herbs—for example, comfrey, marshmallow, and valerian root—are destroyed by heat, so they should be infused or “macerated” in cold water for up to 12 hours. These are quicky assimilated and gentle to use for children, convalescents, and those with delicate digestion.
Decoctions are similar to infusions, but are made from tougher materials such as roots, bark, nuts, and seeds. Using the same proportions, place the herb and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, simmer for 10–15 minutes, strain, and drink hot.
Tablets and capsules are taken in the same way as a conventional drug, and are useful for people who would rather not taste the remedy.
Creams and ointments are applied externally to soothe irritated or inflamed skin conditions, or ease the pain of sprains or bruises. Cream moistens dry or cracked skin, and massaging the ointment into bruises and sprains helps to ease the pain. In both cases the active ingredients of the herb pass through the pores of the skin into the blood stream to encourage healing.
Compresses, either hot or cold, help with aches, pains, and swollen joints. Fold a clean piece of cotton into an infusion of the prescribed herb and apply to the point of pain. Repeat as the compress cools or, in the case of cold compresses, until the pain eases.
Poultices, made from bruised fresh herbs or dried herbs moistened into a paste with hot water, are also good for painful joints or drawing out infection from boils, spots, or wounds. Place the herb on a clean piece of cotton and bandage on to the affected area. Leave in place for around two hours or until the symptoms ease.
Suppositories and douches are sometimes prescribed for rectal problems such as piles, or vaginal infections, respectively. The suppositories will come ready-made for you to insert. Douches are made from an infusion or decoction that has been allowed to cool.
Herbal baths are perhaps the most pleasant of the herbal remedies, and are a useful supplement to other forms of treatment. The heat of the water activates the properties of the volatile oils so that they are absorbed through the pores of the skin and inhaled through the nose. In both cases they pass into the bloodstream, and when inhaled they also pass through the nervous system to the brain, exerting a healing effect on both mind and body.
SEEING A PROFESSIONAL
Professional consultant medical herbalists are usually trained in orthodox diagnosis and can treat all of the ailments treated by a family physician or general practitioner. Accredited members of organizations such as the National Institute of Medical Herbalists have undergone four years of university or university-standard study and two years of supervision. They will understand all the indications and contraindications of herbs, and any problems which may arise from taking orthodox drugs. They will refer to other specialists if necessary.
It is becoming more common for a patient to register with a herbalist in the same way as one would register with a physician—for a check-up and then to be on the records should