Herbal Remedies / Medicines

jonward85
jonward85 Posts: 534 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here is the deal my fellow MFPers. I'm looking for a good guide for herbal medicines and or recommendations. The guide im looking for should contain acurate descriptions of the plants / herbs / trees / roots needed as well as portion sizes. If the guide could provide science behind why it works (for example willow bark tea works on pain / headaches because it has the same base chemicals as asprin). Also, any herbal remedies you guys know would be greatly appreciated. I'd rather not go into herbal medicine being safe / better than chemically created medicines or visa versa. Thanks in advance for the information.

Replies

  • rowanwood
    rowanwood Posts: 509 Member
    That's like asking for a good guide on what foods exist that are good and how many calories they have.

    That's a broader category that anyone can give you a simple answer for. There are LIBRARIES worth of books on the subject, medical journals and studies and of course, anecdotal evidence galore.

    I'd suggest narrowing down what you want.
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    bump for replies

    I've a few books with the basics, but always interested to expand the knowledge base.
  • jonward85
    jonward85 Posts: 534 Member
    My thoughts were for simple things like join pain / headaches / cough / cold / infections / minor to medium sized cuts and scrapes. I've seen books, but i was hoping someone on MFP would have some experience.
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
    I don't have a book recommendation, but I follow several herbalists. I've been treating my family with herbal remedies for several years, and I have a big binder in my kitchen full of information and directions for tinctures, teas, infusions, salves, etc.
    that I've collected over the years.
    LearningHerbs.com is a basic introductory website. I've found HerbMentor.com to be well worth the membership. Herbalists such as John Gallagher, Susun Weed, Heather Nic an Fhleisdeir, and Rosalee de la Forêt provide a wealth of herbal knowledge on their websites/blogs. Mountain Rose Herbs has video tutorials guiding step-by-step through different preparations.
    Hope that helps some. Herbalism really is a big subject. :-)
  • daxnine
    daxnine Posts: 30 Member
    i use a few herbal remedies. most recently i have been using a nettle leaf tincture for allergies. you can buy it premade from whole foods or from a few different retailers online, but i made one myself and i think that works better. not sure why it works, but i am loving it because I'm not experiencing any side effects, and my understanding is that the body does not build up a tolerance, unlike many chemically engineered medications.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    just buy a book. or look up a specialist site. reputable ones.

    ''stranger on the internet posted it'' is a dumb way to medicate.
  • daxnine
    daxnine Posts: 30 Member
    just buy a book. or look up a specialist site. reputable ones.

    ''stranger on the internet posted it'' is a dumb way to medicate.

    hmm.. why is reading something on a website (or even a book) inherently "smarter" than going by a word of mouth testimony, ie, talking to someone that has firsthand knowledge?
  • ostrichagain
    ostrichagain Posts: 271 Member
    Ethnobotany is one of my interests and there are TONS of books on the subject of herbal remedies. Some of the best are no longer in print. As far as accuracy, well, that's really a crap shoot. You'll have to compare the information they contain to peer-reviewed studies.
    To get started, I would recommend The Complete Homeopathy Handbook by Miranda Castro. It will give you an idea why dosage so difficult and why pharmacology was a specialized profession even before the advent of modern medicine.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    just buy a book. or look up a specialist site. reputable ones.

    ''stranger on the internet posted it'' is a dumb way to medicate.

    hmm.. why is reading something on a website (or even a book) inherently "smarter" than going by a word of mouth testimony, ie, talking to someone that has firsthand knowledge?
    have you read some of the drivel posted on this site?

    i wish you luck.

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