Herbalism for Common Ailments
- Alisha Hicks
- Jul 9, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 11, 2023
Herbs for Common Ailments
- By Alisha Hicks
A huge part of our career success and fulfilling our roles as mom and wife in the day to day is knowing what natural remedies to have on hand. Remedies that will keep us out of the quick drug store stop that wrecks havoc over our body in the long run. Learning how, when, and why to choose a remedy for you or your family is one of the most valuable tools you can hold as a caregiver.
Natural medicine has many forms.. Herbalism which shows in forms of oil, poultices, oxymels, dried herbs, syrups, tinctures, powders, salves, Bach flower remedies, homeopathies and more depending on herb and need. This is when working with an Herbalist, Naturopath or Holistic Practitioner becomes beneficial. Sometimes if a plant is not working for you, it is because either there is a contradiction in your diet or habits, or that your body needs the plant in a different form.
As to the 'why' of this poetic way of life, there are many reasons. All of them boil down to science. Let’s explore.
Using ‘whole plant medicine’ or otherwise known herbalism, holistic healing or natural medicine provides you with a synergy effect of healing by all the plant compounds being able to work together. For example, pharmaceuticals use plant parts like the active ingredient of Tylenol which is acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is a plant by product called coal-tar which is carbonized coal from the poplar tree found mostly in Europe and Asia. So, if one compound is extracted, morphed, and added to other chemical compounds to relieve pain, imagine the benefits of using the whole plant. There are 48 phytocompounds in poplar oil consisting of flavanones, terpenoids and phenolic acids. The benefits combined create antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective and hypouricemic properties. The therapeutic use of poplar in its natural native state now goes beyond pain management. Pain is the body’s alarm to cue your attention to a problem. If we mask the pain without addressing the issue, we are just muting the body’s alarm while more serious conditions manifest.
Allowing this manifestation time results in sick days, loss of energy and happiness, poor sleep and in the end serious illness and disease to form that takes over our life.
On that note, let’s back up a minute to our original choice. Say we choose whole plant medicine, or ‘natural and holistic’ medicine. Now we have eased the pain, which was the original intent, but we have also provided the body with all the other healing compounds. So, say it was an infection forming, we have the antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the same plant poplar that will cleans, support and relive the inflammation that cued the pain. That is plant synergy.
This is one example of so many. So how do you know what to use and when? While herbal use can be a deep dive into the root cause with therapeutic uses and patterns. Herbalism can also be simplified for the modern-day medicine cabinet.
There are five herbal categories, or otherwise referred to as herbal actions. The categories classify a herb according to its effect on the body. These categories are,
· Nutritive
· Nourishing
· Stimulating
· Acute use
· Low dose
Within these categories are the energetic properties,
· Temperature
· Moisture
· Tension
Also, the energy disruptors,
· Warmth
· Dry
· Cool
· Moist
· Tense
· Relaxed
Many of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine approaches focus on the energy disruption inside the human body and use the opposite plant energy to bring balance.
While one herb may be used for a long list of ailments, one body may not agree with the one herb because of a contradicting energetic property. However, if you stay in the realm of nutritive or nourishing herbs such as – Nettles, Dandelion, Peppermint etc. You will generally stay in a safe zone of energetics. Nourishing and nutritive herbs have high values of vitamins, minerals, and proteins that all work to provide support to many ailments.
Stimulating, Acute and low dosing herbs need to be used with more intent and care. These herbs carry more contradictions or energetic actions that need to be monitored. These herbs include – Elderberry, Turkey Tail, Ashwagandha and Valarian..
With all of this education on how to use herbs, 'when' comes down to – are you working with a professional or are you needing a safer remedy?
Some of the most common ailments we turn to our medicine cabinet for are flu, cold, allergies, headache, digestion issues, pain, skin irritation, sleep support and ear infections. Some of these may need a remedy or therapy, however some may be a constant annoyance until you change a nutritional factor causing the irritation. Below we are going to break down some of the ways you might remedy these common ailments with either herbal, nutrition or therapy. Heritage Havens does provide council on these ailments as well as for more serious situations.
Flu, cold, cough and allergy support, we will group these together as many of the remedies cross because this category is mostly respiratory, and bacteria based.
Herbal supports include hot teas or supplementation in tincture, or powder form.
o Rosehip, Yarrow, Echinacea, Peppermint, Elderberry, Sage, Hyssop and Gotoo Kola
Nutritive support includes,
o Onions, turmeric, Ginger, Colorful Vegetables, Bone Broth or Honey.
*Note – Bone broth should be organic and haleal butchered to avoid added hormones, gmo’s, steroids and animal adrenalin.
Therapies you can practice with EO’s and other aids.
o Steam showers including eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, and lemon grass.
o Same EO’s can be used for aromatherapy or massage.
o Nasal cleansing, or onions on the feet.
o One of the greatest herbal remedies for this category is Fire Cider (Find recipe on the members forum of Heritage Havens). Fire Cider consists of many nutritive and herbal supports combined for on the most potent natural antibiotics.
o Choosing an unfiltered local honey for daily dosing of a tsp per day will aid in eliminating allergies as you are micro-dosing your allergies with the local allergen to build immunity.
For support to a headache, you should evaluate if the headache is based off allergies, irritation, trauma, or stress. Different types of headaches are treated differently. Let’s begin with herbal support.
Herbal supports
o Green tea for natural caffeine, ginger, feverfew, valerian, catnip, fennel, coriander, yarrow, rosemary, and peppermint.
o EO use rubbed over the temples or the posterior cervical (back base of your head) are suggested. EO’s to use are peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.
Nutritive
o Magnesium or B2 vitamins can help calm a nervous system headache (or tensions headache). CoQ10 helps with blood flow and artery health.
Therapeutic properties include,
o Acupuncture, float therapy, chiropractic care, reflexology, yoga, red light therapy or elimination diet.
Indigestion can be an annoying little bugger. From heart burn and acid reflux to constipation and diarrhea. Narrowing the symptoms and reviewing the cause is important.
For upper GI some common remedies include
Herbal supports in EO, tincture or tea form.
o Fennel, chamomile, and peppermint.
Nutritive support includes,
o Apple cider vinegar, golden milk, aloe juice, pro and pre-biotics.
Therapies include,
o Yoga – certain stretches can open the passageways as well as provide calmness to the body systems.
For lower GI remedies include,
Herbal supports in tea or oil forms.
o Ginger, Astralagus root and peppermint.
*Note – The belly button is the fastest delivery point to the digestive tract as this was our point of nutrients during creation. The attachment to our intestinal is still intact. Simply rub a drop of oil on your fingertips over your belly button for relief.
Nutritive support includes,
o Fiber, bananas, rice water and pre or pro-biotics.
o In terms of bacterial cause, a detox is recommended.
Infection is another very common ailment. This is an ailment that can be an irritant in various areas of the body, both internally and externally. Many of these remedies can be used in different forms for external or internal aid. Oils, tinctures, solves, tea or oxymels.
Herbal supports include,
o Garlic, ginger, echinacea, goldenseal, clove, oregano, mullein leaf, sage, pine needle, fenugreek, margosa (neem) leaf or thyme.
o CBD or CBDa
Nutritive support includes,
o Apple cider vinegar, sovereign silver, coconut oil, baking soda and Epsom salt.
Therapies include,
o Hot compress and detox baths.
In terms of pain control, we always suggest finding the root of the pain for long term effects. For short term relief the following may be of use.
Herbal, again the delivery method depends on internal or external. Could look like compress and poultices nor tinctures, salves, tea, oils or soaks.
o EO includes lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, rose, bergamot, wintergreen, peppermint, or frankincense.
o Dried herbs include clove, feverfew, arnica, motherwort, calendula, cat’s claw, holy basil, licorice root and passionflower.
o CBD or CBDa
Nutritive supports include,
o Clove, capsaicin, ginger, and turmeric.
Therapies include,
o Cold/hot compress, yoga, meditation, magnesium baths, acupuncture, activities such as walking and swimming.
Skin irritation can come in many forms including weather, pest, toxin, bacterial or reaction and hormonal. The following are some easy remedies to have on hand to provide relief to any of those causes. However, for hormonal, bacteria, or toxin we recommend consulting with Heritage Havens to provide testing into root cause and balancing options.
· Oatmeal or Epsom salt baths followed by cleansing agents such as sovereign silver gel, aloe, baking soda paste or tea tree EO.
· Comforting and supporting agents such as mullein leaf, tallow, coconut oil, emu oil, beeswax, neem, or honey.
*Note- For young children tallow or breastmilk as their developing skin may not be able to handle the compounds of EO.
Along with skin irritation, pain and infection is earaches. Drops with ginger or garlic may provide relief as well as clear bacteria. A warm compress with mullein leaf and calendula flowers may draw out infection while providing support with important properties of the plants. Sovereign silver drops, gargling salt water or Belladonna homeopathies are all great remedies.
At the end of the day, we all know how important a goodnight’s rest is. Using supports such as synthetic melatonin confuses the body and creates dependency. Instead, the use of nervine herbs is a great support in triggering the body’s natural cycle. This support comes in many forms as well. The best form for the greatest, quickest, and most effective is powder, tea or tincture.
Herbal Supports include,
o Lavender, valerian root, passionflower, chamomile, ashwagandha, magnolia bark, ginseng, St. Johns Wort, hops, holy basil, poppy, lemon balm, kava kava, and skullcap.
o CBD
*Note- Heritage Havens blended a wonderfully tasting and highly effective tea of passionflower, valerian, lavender, chamomile, and lemon balm called Herbal Dreams. Find it on our website or in the store.
Therapies include,
o Acupuncture, evening walks, yoga, meditation, herbal baths with self-massage, journaling and reading.
*Note – Avoiding screens or using blue light lens after sunset will aid the body in regulating the hormone switch from day to night to allow rest naturally.
To summarize a list to begin building your own ‘Holistic Medicine Cabinet’ we have broken down into categories your needs.
EO’s – Lavender, peppermint, wintergreen, clove, sage, hyssop, eucalyptus, lemon grass, rosemary, cedarwood, oregano, thyme, rose, frankincense, and chamomile.
CBD - CBD and CBDa tinctures, CBD pain cream
Dried herbs – Nettle, dandelion, clove, burdock, red raspberry, peppermint, oat straw, elderberry, ashwagandha, sage, pine needle, rosehip, turkey tail, valerian root, passionflower, licorice root, gingko, yarrow, echinacea, gotoo kola, turmeric, ginger, feverfew, catnip, coriander, rosemary, astralagus root, garlic, mullein leaf, calendula flowers, fenugreek, neem leaf, arnica, motherwort, holy basil, and green tea (preferably ceremonial grade matcha).
Tinctures – Goldenseal, Feverfew
Oils & Additives – Coconut and emu oils. Sovereign silver in drops and gel form. Honey, Epsom salt, magnesium flakes, baking soda, and tallow.
Vitamins and Supplements – Belladonna and arnica homeopathic, Liquid CoQ10, capsaicin powder, apple cider vinegar, pre and pro-biotics.
Many of the herbs can be grown in an indoor hydroponic system if outdoor growth, foraging or sourcing any of these herbs are difficult in your area. Heritage Havens offers all these products on our site for sourcing with nationwide shipping. We also offer hydroponic systems and coaching to help you become self-sustained in your own herb supply.
If you are seeking additional assistance or understanding in the topics highlighted here, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with Holistic Practitioner and natural living coach Alisha Hicks. Consultations can be held in person at both our Montgomery or The Woodlands Texas offices or virtually.
With many blessing – Heritage Havens
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