Use of Herbs, Medicinal and Culinary - guides and cautions

While a herb garden is great for adding fresh herbal flavour to your favourite meals, there are other uses for even the most common herb such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, & mint. In a situation where there are no Doctors available and we are relying upon what we have in our own homes to care for the health of our families, a herb garden can become extremely useful. Although Herbs can be used as remedies for various health problems, Professional medical assistance should not be ignored. It is not practical to have medicines in our family food storage for all possible sicknesses, so an understanding of herbal remedies can be a true blessing when hard times are upon us.
The information below is a guide and provides some cautions for using herbs for medicinal purposes.
The web resources below will provide you with detailed uses or herbs. Printing up the information from these websites is very time consuming, but if you do not have a herbal uses book it would be a good idea to print up as much information as possible.
In the event that you are unable to access the computer due to natural disaster or similar circumstances that would require you to rely upon your family food storage and garden, a web address will be worthless.

One way you can get into trouble with herbs is to use the wrong plant. Common names for herbs sometimes overlap, making identification difficult.
The best way to avoid this is to buy herbs that are labelled with their botanical name. Botanical names are specific, but common names can refer to several different plants. e.g. “Marigold” can be Calendula officinalis, a medicinal herb, or Tagetes, an annual used as a bedding plant.
Correctly labelled herbs may contain material from other, more dangerous herbs. Herbs picked at the wrong stage of growth or incorrectly handled after harvesting, may cause them to develop detrimental qualities. Be sure to study correct techniques for the medicinal use of herbs before attempting to use them for this purpose.

Another way to keep out of trouble is to use simples. A simple is a treatment prepared from one herb. The more herbs you put into a treatment, the higher chance of negative side-effects. Many people are mistaken in believing that herbs must be used together to be effective, this belief stems from the practice of combining potentially poisonous herbs with protective herbs to negate poisons. Everybody is different, and like modern synthesized medicines, different people react differently to the same herb. When herbs are combined in a treatment and someone taking it has a negative side effect, you cannot tell which herb has caused the ill effects. With simples, if there’s a negative reaction, other herbs with similar properties can be used. For extra protection, you can limit the number of herbs used in any one day to 3 or 4.
Side effects from herbs are usually less common and less severe than side effects from drugs. If a herb causes digestion difficulties, it may just be the body learning to process it. So be sure to give it a few tries before ceasing herbal treatment. If you experience nausea, dizziness, sharp stomach pains, diarrhoea, headache, or blurred vision, (These effects will generally occur quite quickly) cease treatment immediately. Slippery elm can be used as an antidote to any type of poison. If you have any allergy to any foods or medicines, refer to any side effects of herbs before you use them.
Different Preparations of the Same Herb Can Work Differently & the safety of herbal remedies are dependent on the way it is prepared and used. From Susan. S. Weed of SusanWeed.com:

• Tinctures and extracts contain the alkaloids, or poisonous, parts of plants and need to be used with care and wisdom. Tinctures are as safe as the herb involved (see cautions below for tonifying, stimulating, sedating, or potentially poisonous herbs). Best used/sold as simples, not combinations, especially when strong herbs are being used.
• Dried herbs made into teas or infusions contain the nourishing aspects of the plants and are usually quite safe, especially when nourishing or tonifying herbs are used.
• Dried herbs in capsules are generally the least effective way to use herbs. They are poorly digested, poorly utilized, often stale or ineffective, and quite expensive.
• Infused herbal oils are available as is, or thickened into ointments. They are much safer than essential oils, which are highly concentrated and can be lethal if taken internally.
• Herbal vinegars are not only decorative but mineral-rich as well. A good medium for nourishing and tonifying herbs; not as strong as tinctures for stimulants/sedatives.
• Herbal glycerines are available for those who prefer to avoid alcohol but are usually weaker in action than tinctures.

Use Nourishing, Tonifying, Stimulating, and Potentially Poisonous Herbs Wisely

Herbs comprise a group of several thousand plants with widely varying actions. Some are nourishers, some tonifiers, some stimulants and sedatives, and some are potential poisons. To use them wisely and well, we need to understand each category, its uses, best manner of preparation, and usual dosage range.
Nourishing herbs are the safest of all herbs; side effects are rare. Nourishing herbs are taken in any quantity for any length of time. They are used as foods, just like spinach and kale. Nourishing herbs provide high levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, carotenes, and essential fatty acids.
Examples of nourishing herbs are: alfalfa, amaranth, astragalus, calendula flowers, chickweed, comfrey leaves, dandelion, fenugreek, flax seeds, honeysuckle flowers, lamb’s quarter, marshmallow, nettles, oatstraw, plantain (leaves/seeds), purslane, red clover blossoms, seaweed, Siberian ginseng, slippery elm, violet leaves, and wild mushrooms.
Tonifying herbs act slowly in the body and have a cumulative, rather than immediate, effect. They build the functional ability of an organ (like the liver) or a system (like the immune system). Tonifying herbs are most beneficial when they are used in small quantities for extended periods of time. The more bitter the tonic tastes, the less you need to take. Bland tonics may be used in quantity, like nourishing herbs.
Side effects occasionally occur with tonics, but are usually quite short-term. Many older herbalists mistakenly equated stimulating herbs with tonifying herbs, leading to widespread misuse of many herbs, and severe side effects.
Examples of tonifying herbs are: barberry bark, burdock root/seeds, chaste tree, crone(mug)wort, dandelion root, echinacea, elecampane, fennel, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, ground ivy, hawthorn berries, horsetail, lady’s mantle, lemon balm, milk thistle seeds, motherwort, mullein, pau d’arco, raspberry leaves, schisandra berries, St. Joan’s wort, turmeric root, usnea, wild yam, and yellow dock.
Sedating and stimulating herbs cause a variety of rapid reactions, some of which may be unwanted. Some parts of the person may be stressed in order to help other parts. Strong sedatives and stimulants, whether herbs or drugs, push us outside our normal ranges of activity and may cause strong side effects. If we rely on them and then try to function without them, we wind up more agitated (or depressed) than before we began. Habitual use of strong sedatives and stimulants - whether opium, rhubarb root, cayenne, or coffee - leads to loss of tone, impairment of functioning, and even physical dependency. The stronger the herb, the more moderate the dose needs to be, and the shorter the duration of its use.
Herbs that tonify and nourish while sedating/stimulating are some of my favourite herbs. I use them freely, as they do not cause dependency. Sedating/stimulating herbs that also tonify or nourish: boneset, catnip, citrus peel, cleavers, ginger, hops, lavender, marjoram, motherwort, oatstraw, passion flower, peppermint, rosemary, sage, skullcap.
Strongly sedating/stimulating herbs include: angelica, black pepper, blessed thistle root, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, liquorice, opium poppy, osha root, shepherd’s purse, sweet woodruff, turkey rhubarb root, uva ursu leaves, valerian root, wild lettuce sap, willow bark, and wintergreen leaves.
Potentially poisonous herbs are intense, potent medicines that are taken in tiny amounts and only for as long as needed. Side effects are common.
Examples of potentially poisonous herbs are: belladonna, blood-root, celandine, chaparral, foxglove, goldenseal, henbane, iris root, Jimson weed, lobelia, May apple (American mandrake), mistletoe, poke root, poison hemlock, stillingia root, turkey corn root, wild cucumber root.

References