Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies. David Hoffmann

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      Apart from prophylactic and culinary uses, herbs are used in specific conditions. Suggestions are given throughout the book for such cases, but self-diagnosis is not advisable. Consult a herbalist, if there is one available, or a doctor to ascertain the nature of your problem.

      Duration of treatment

      Where a specific condition is being treated, the duration of the appropriate treatment will vary. Constipation should respond quickly, whilst osteo-arthritis will take some time. In general, however, allow two to three weeks before any marked improvement can be expected. If in doubt, see a herbalist.

      Dosage

      The normal dosage for an adult is given for each herb in the herbal section, and similarly where a mixture is given in the text. For children under twelve this should be reduced by a quarter, and for children under seven by a half. For adults over 65 there should be a quarter reduction and a reduction to half the full dose for people over 70. These are very broad guidelines, and will be less important for a very large strong person of 75 than for a small, frail person of 65.

      Drugs

      There is usually little to fear in combining herbs with chemical drugs, but there are a number of important exceptions, so consult your doctor and an herbalist. Unfortunately, the doctor will be unlikely to know anything about herbs!

      Preparation and dosage of mixtures

      Throughout the book herbal mixtures are suggested that can support the body in healing itself. Depending on the specific case, those mixtures can be adapted accordingly.

      With each mixture, recommendations are made as to the way they should be prepared. Their respective properties are given in parts, meaning proportions of weight of dried herbs, and instructions for their preparation are given accordingly. (Dried herbs can be substituted by other preparations, for instance by tinctures, in which case the same proportions apply. For details on the dosage of tinctures see the specific dosage information in the herbal section.)

      Symbols are used to indicate the amount of mixture to use per cup of water, given in teaspoonfuls

. When a mixture is to be prepared as an infusion, the symbol of a cup is used; if it is to be a decoction, a pan is used to indicate this. Detailed information on how to prepare an infusion or decoction can be found in the section Preparing the Herbs. The length the mixture needs to be infused or simmered is indicated in minutes .

Thus

means that 1–2 teaspoonsful of the mixture per cup of water should be infused for 10–15 minutes to make an infusion.

      

means that 1 teaspoonful of the mixture per cup of water should be simmered for 10 minutes to make a decoction.

A herbal medicine chest for the home

      There are well over two thousand plants which can be used in herbal medicine in the western world. The planet-wide list is far greater. So what can you realistically provide in the home? A daunting prospect faces the fledgeling herbalist, yet by using the actions approach presented in this book, it is possible to stock a small herbal medicine chest which will fulfil most day-to-day needs. The following list of herbs includes representatives of all the main actions, but also specific ones as well. If you are going to stock such a medicine chest, become thoroughly familiar with these 25 plants, and use them at your discretion. They may be stored as dried herbs or as tinctures.

Aniseed	Boneset
Black Willow	Burdock Root
Cayenne	Celery Seed
Chamomile	Cleavers
Coltsfoot	Comfrey
Dandelion	Echinacea
Elder	False Unicorn Root
Marshmallow	Meadowsweet
Nettles	Peppermint
Senna	Skullcap
Thyme	Valerian
Wormwood	Yarrow
Yellow Dock

      In addition to these specific herbs, it will be helpful to have the following in the form of ointments:

       Arnica Chickweed Comfrey Marigold

      Distilled Witch Hazel, obtainable from chemist shops, should also be included.

       The Holistic Approach

       We are on a quest, individually and collectively, to create wholeness within ourselves and within all of our life, to find it within ourselves and to release it—a process of communion and education. What is created will not be separation, conflict and diversity among peoples, but wholeness, oneness, peace, a new earth for humankind that reflects the oneness and wholeness of the earth that has always been.

      David Spangler

      

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