Class #2 Herbs

Class #2: Herbalism
by Reverend Dawn's Heart
aka Reverend S. Marie deFerbrache
of The Live Oak Experiential Church
02/23/99
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Start with the herbs you know; cooking spices, fruit & vegetables. Did you know that an onion will take the sting out of many insect bites? Also, some of the tools of the trade and herbal web sites to visit.

As with all medicinal programs, you should consult your licensed physician before trying anything on your own. If you have any unfavorable reactions, consult a professional immediately. Attempting any herbal program means you do so at your own risk.

Some of the best fun you'll have is exploring your own food stores! (but the moldy science project in the back of your refrigerator doesn't count *grin*)

Here are JUST A FEW of the remedies that you'll find when you begin this adventure. Any book on Natural Home Remedies will start you on this path of discovery.

Acne: Remember that clean is a very good remedy. Eat A LOT of fresh fruit and vegetables (this cleans the inside). Applying grapefruit juice (yes it stings) will help clean the skin.
Allergies & Hay Fever: Eating 3 spoonfuls a day of honey (made by bees in your home town) will give you the antibodies you need to fight your allergies.
Anemia: Eat iron rich foods such as oats, egg yolks, pumpkin seeds and watercress. Eat foods rich in vitamin C such as eggs, broccoli, citrus fruit and pineapple to help your body absorb the iron.
Anxiety: For mild cases, a bowl of REAL oat meal (not the instant kind) will help to relieve the feelings.
Athlete's foot: 4 TBLS of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 GAL of warm water and bathe your feet in it. Make sure and dry them well when you're done.
Backache: Chew a few horseradish leaves daily to easy pain.
Colds, Flu, Bronchitis: Burning ginger oil helps. Eating Apples (with the seeds) boosts the immune system as do almonds. Garlic is also a good immune stimulant so serve garlic noodles for dinner. Drinking mint tea with honey is great for the common cold.
Depression: Mustard leaves (in a salad) often help with minor cases of depression.
Earache: Try one drop of garlic oil (two if it hurts real bad and the infected person is over 14). Eating citrus fruit and bananas will help the body dispel this kind of infection.
Hemorrhoids: (this is my Grandma's cure recipe). Eat nothing but apples and drink only water and apple juice for up to three days or, if they go away sooner, as long as you 'feel' the symptoms. If the first dose doesn't help, wait 3 days (eating normal) and then do it again.
Laryngitis: Gargle with sage tea. Cabbage juice could help the hoarseness. Honey and lemon are good for the pain.
Nausea & Vomiting: Try ginger tea. Barley and clove water may help both. Oranges help prevent travel sickness.
Ringworm: Cut some fresh garlic and hold it against the affected area.
Stress: Try munching some sesame seeds. Eat foods rich in zinc.

Here are a few 'kitchen types' of herbs and some of their benefits.

Basil: To much causes diarrhea (guess how I found that out? *grin*) Basil is a great insect repellent, rub on the skin before going out. There are concerns about basil as a toxic herb, so use in moderation. It can also be a powerful depressant so NEVER use with someone who is feeling depression.
Clove: Clove is a good pain reliever and clove tea is great for headaches and menstrual cramps. A little deluded clove oil helps reduce teething pain in babies (rub it on the gums). Full strength for adults. Clove tea is also useful for fevers, vomiting and nausea (it does cause sweating).
Grapefruit: Grapefruits are cleansing and refreshing and can invigorate the system when eaten. They help circulatory system, digestive and urinary systems.
Garlic: Garlic has antiseptic and antifungal properties. It can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and clear fatty deposits in the blood.
Lemon: Lemons tend to be refreshing, cleansing, antiseptic, astringent and have anti-imflammatory properties. Eating lemons also aids in repelling insects.
Mustard Powder: (This is a good one, don't ask me how it works, it just does) A mustard foot bath (one or two teaspoons of powdered mustard to a gallon of warm water) is an old treatment for headaches and colds.
Orange: Here's a mild sedative, children driving you nuts? Treat them to some oranges. They can help reduce fever and reinforce the immune system.
Peppermint: Peppermint is a mild stimulant that's also good for congestion. It's also an effective fungicide.
Raspberry: Raspberry tea is great for diarrhea (especially in children) and aids in relieving and curing oral thrush.
Rosemary: Adding a pint of rosemary tea to the bath water helps "always feeling cold". Rosemary also lifts the spirits.
Sage: Sage helps indigestion when used as a spice in food. It also aids in loss of appetite and depression.
Thyme: Make a thyme syrup for coughs (how, discussed in a later class). Infused oil makes a great chest rub for congestion. Strong tea for worms. Weak tea for nightmares.
Walnut: Walnuts can help menstrual pain and relieve dry skin, eat some every day.

That should get you started on your herbal adventure. Now, go into your kitchen and see what you have. Here are two great web sites that give a wealth of information on just about any herb you can find: http://www.botanical.com/index.html | http://www.wic.net/waltzark/herbenc.htm. You will still need a 'picture book' for identification, but these sites should help you with properties and benefits. Use them and enjoy.

Suggestion: Pick one herb, fruit or vegetable at a time. Find everything you can on it (if on the web print what you find). Make a book for all of your findings and experiments. The book you create will become a valuable tool for later use.

Would you like to search for more herbal web sites? Start here . . .

Tools of the Herbalist's Trade back to the top
In the previous class I talked about some of the tools you'll need for storage and collecting. Now I'd like to talk about tools for preparing. This way you can go shopping before next class if you don't have some of these things.

Mortar & Pestle: This is how we crush our herbs. It's also great for crushing baby aspirin (grin). Get one that's at least four inches in diameter. Any less is just to small to be practical. I prefer the good ole' glass one.
Small Metal Strainer: About 2 - 3 inches wide. You'll use this in the powdering process.
Double Boiler: For cooking medicines. or
Microwave Cookware: For microwaving medicines. I'll be talking about both methods.
Garlic Press: Often this is just easier then crushing juicy herbs. They work great for onion as well.
Rubber Gloves and Pot Holders: Get a good heat resistant rubber glove.
Cheese Cloth: Or good, but thin, linen.

Information shared on this site and/or during class is not intended to be a replacement for medical advice. Any person with a condition that requires medical attention should consult a licensed physician, qualified practitioner, or therapist. In addition; any herbal remedies that you try, you use at your own risk. This site, and the class, highly recommends you consult your health professional before trying anything new. Herbal remedies can be dangerous in certain circumstances and, there are no guarantees of potency or purity. The Live Oak Experiential Church, NightMoon, all other affiliates, all creators of this site, teachers, and contributing editors, can not be held responsible for your experimentation.

Classes: Herbalism 101 (preparation) | PathWorking | Ritual Design

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