Understanding Herbal Preparations

Nutritional Value of Herbs

The nutrients provided by herbs assist us in achieving or maintaining optimum health.   Even the most common plant contains an astonishing amount of nutrients, and in overwhelmingly large amounts.  The preservation of the herbs volatile oils and healing constituents must be the first consideration as a person utilizes the great blessings of God’s pharmacy to create herbal preparations.  Especially when working with children, it helps if the herb tastes reasonably pleasant.  If that is not possible – it often is not – disguising the taste of the herb is a wonderful “mothering” skill.

There is a wealth of information about the nutritional value of herbs in my book, Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies.  Enough, I believe, to convince anyone of the benefits of making herbs a regular part of everyday life.  Herbs can be so much more than just medicinal agents for recovery from specific illnesses.

Part of the Plant/Time of the Year

The desired medicinal properties reside in different parts of plants, especially at different times of the year.  Sometimes, even with the same herbal plant, the flower is the part needed.  At other times, the leaves are preferred.  Sometimes the root is needed.  It is important to know what part of the plant you need for your purposes.  It is even more important to know what time of year is best to harvest particular plants.

Sometimes, a plant is useful throughout several phases of its growth cycle.  Comfrey is one such plant.  Marshmallow is another.  The time of year in which you are harvesting the plant makes a difference in what part of the plant is best to use.  The strength of a plant lies below ground in very early spring.  A little later, as the plant pushes upward and into the light, the medicinal properties reside in the leaves.  Once a plant such as Comfrey has flowered, much of the strength of the leaves is in the flowers.  The flowers of some plants are the desired part.  This is not true of Comfrey.  It is important that Comfrey is harvested before it flowers.  In the fall and early winter, the best of the medicinal properties of Comfrey will return to the roots.

Does this sound complicated?  It is a bit, I suppose.  However, there are many good reference books and websites to help you keep plant parts and harvest times straight in your mind.

Internal or External Use of Herbs

Because it is the nutrients in the herb that benefits us, getting the herbs into our bodies – internal consumption, in other words – is usually the best way to utilize an herb.  Of course, there are some notable exceptions.  Poultices or compresses are sometimes best for such things as bruises, sprains, and even for some types of infections.  A well made herbal salve can provide an amazing amount of nutrients to cuts, burn and other issues of the skin such as eczema.

Preparing Herbs for External Use

COMPRESS/POULTICE

Sometimes, especially with severe injuries or deep infections such as mastitis, a compress is the best and most effective method to use. A compress keeps the herbs up against the problem area. The moisture and the heat of a compress act as drawing agents, increasing the effectiveness of the herbs by exponential degrees.

Poultices were very important with my family of boys (and with my daughters also) until we discovered essential oils. There has been very little need for liniments since, and we use herbal compresses and poultices much less than we used to. Essential oils are more convenient, and a whole lot less messy than a compress. Unless serious drawing properties are needed, an essential oil is often more than sufficient.

A compress is made using only the liquid in which the herbs were steeped to soak the cloth. For a poultice, the steeped herbs are folded into a cloth.  Occasionally, a poultice will include a carrier-type oil.  The addition of an oil keeps the herbs moist for a longer period of time. Soaked oils, such as Arnica add their own anti-inflammatory properties.  For instructions Click Here

LINIMENTS

A liniment is made from herbs that have been soaked in a carrier oil and then strained to remove the herbs, leaving their medicinal properties in the oil.  Liniments can be made from any carrier-type oil.  They may also be made from rubbing alcohol or vodka.  Often rubbing alcohol is used because it is less expensive than the alcohol used for tinctures.  This is what you are getting when you buy a commercial liniment. Rubbing alcohol is toxic to the body and it does absorb into the tissues when used as a liniment. (If it didn’t absorb in, there would be no point in rubbing it on to heal muscles and bones below the surface of the skin.) Liniments made with rubbing alcohol should be avoided whenever possible. They should certainly not be taken internally. For instructions Click Here

SALVES

Herbal salves are wonderful things! They are convenient to use and very powerful. Depending on the herbs used, a salve can soothe the skin, help a wound to heal rapidly, reduce or prevent scarring, and prevent or cure infections. Herbal salves are particularly effective on burns of any kind. Salves are made with a combination of herbs, carrier oils, and a solidifier. I prefer beeswax as my solidifier. It is a natural thickener and interacts well with the skin. It allows the skin to breathe and softens rapidly on the skin.  Almond Oil is the main carrier oil used in my salves. I use Almond Oil because it has a mild smell, and has one of the lowest rancidity factors of any carrier oil, and can handle high temperatures.  For instructions Click Here   Video Instructions Click Here

Examples of External Uses

MP Pack 

An infection of the breast in a nursing mother – mastitis –  MUST be treated by poulticing the area as well as taking infection-fighting herbs internally.  Many years ago, the herbal preparation that became the Butterfly MP Herbal Pack, saved me on more than one occasion.

BHM and BHM-Plus

BHM is an acronym representing the words Bone and High Mineral.  This is an excellent formula for use as a mineral supplement, particularly for building calcium and magnesium levels.  For this purpose, it may also be used as a tea or as a tincture.  A little bit of this remedy is very helpful with fretful teething babies.  The main focus of this formula, however, is in the repair and healing of broken bones, sprains, and burns.

As a soak or a poultice, this synergistic blend of herbs is incredible.  These same herbs are used in the Butterfly BHM salve.  An excellent drawing salve, BHM-Plus, is also made using these herbs along with the addition of a few additional “drawing” herbs.

This incredibly wonderful high-mineral remedy used primarily for the repair of tissue and bone contains the same herbs and the APL formula mentioned below under vinegar tinctures.  APL is a very potent anti-infectious formula.   I find it amazing that the same herbs that provide nutrients also fight infection and repair bone and tissue.  It reminds me that nutrition is all-important and the key to healing in so many ways!

Miracle Salve

This salve is incredibly healing and has been used on everything for minor sunburns to major burns.  It contains the herbs Comfrey Root, Lobelia, Plantain, Mullein, and Oregon Grape Root.  It is wonderful for cuts, scrapes, skin irritations, road rash, and a million other things.  If a band-aid goes on at my house it will most likely have salve on it and this one more often than not.  You can find the recipe and instructions for making it as well as some of my personal use stories by Clicking Here

LN Oil

This liniment oil contains the herbs Comfrey, Arnica, St. John’s Wort, Lobelia, Calendula, Angelica Root, Valerian Root, Ginger Root, and Cayenne. These herbs, infused in Almond Oil, create a carrier oil which is amazing for injuries, bruising, inflammation, and the general pain and soreness that accompany injuries.  Using LN Oil as a carrier oil topically for injuries would be especially effective when coupling it with essential oils such as ^LePaine, ^LeDeeper, ^LeIntensity, ^LeFortitude, ^LePatches, ^LeTendaCare, and ^LeWarmDown.

Preparing Herbs for Internal Use

There are three basic ways of preparing herbs for internal use.

1. Teas/Infusions – water-based extraction of medicinal properties.
2. Tinctures – medicinal properties extracted using various mediums.
3. Fresh or dried – used as is, no extraction method utilized.

No matter in what form you take an herb, there will be amazing benefits to health.  The medicinal properties of fresh herbs are quite different from those of a dried herb.  And, of course, preparation methods are very important!  The medicinal properties of any herb will “pull” differently depending on what medium you choose for your herbal preparation.   We will be discussing the whys of these differences as this article continues.

TEAS/INFUSIONS

Infusion is simply another name for an herbal tea.  In some areas of the world as well as in some herbal reference materials, the word, tisane, refers to herbal teas.

Teas may be made using either fresh or dried herb.  Generally, one part of dried herb is equivalent to three parts of fresh herb when making either teas or a tinctures.  Teas, or infusions, are most often prepared from plant parts such as leaves, flowers, or green stems.  If roots or woody parts are used, a decoction – made slightly differently than a tea and discussed below – is usually the preferred method when water extraction is used.

Make a tea by placing the plant chosen in hot water.  Do not boil the herbs when making a tea.  Rather, bring the water to a boil.  Then, turn the heat under the pan off completely.  Then add the herbs.  Cover the pan or bowl immediately.  Let the mixture steep for 10 to 15 minutes.  This method, turning off the heat before adding the herbs, assures that I will not walk away and boil the herbs by mistake.  It also allows me to cover the herb and water combination quickly, thus preserving any volatile oils that the plant may contain.  After steeping, simply strain the mixture, removing the herbs.

There are many gadgets on the market that simplify tea making.  Tea balls and spoons save one from having to strain the herbs.

A tea may be taken internally, used to soak an injured part of the body in, or even used as a douche.

Decoctions

Decoctions differ from teas/infusions in only one significant way.  When making a decoction, boil the herbs rather than steep them.  With roots, rhizomes, bark, nuts, some seeds, and woody herbs, boiling may be required to achieve maximum nutrition and therapeutic value.   When preparing a synergistic herbal blend, prepare an infusion with the leafy and/or flowering herbs and a decoction with the roots/woody herbs separately.   Combine the two preparations when they are finished steeping and boiling.  Please consider that boiling a woody herb will, most probably, boil away many of the volatile oils that the herb contains.  Finely chopping the woody herbs and steeping them – making an infusion, in other words, is sometimes better than boiling them.

Other Examples of  Tea Uses

Eye Care

Teas are appropriate and effective when used as an eyewash for eye infections or eyestrain of any kind.  Butterfly Express, LLC, carries an herbal pack called EB.  The EB pack contains several herbs suited to use in the eye.  Of course, placing an alcohol or glycerin based tincture into the eyes would not be a good idea.  A tea works very well, however.

Gargles and Mouthwashes

Butterfly Express, LLC also makes an herb pack for the throat.  It is called TRT.  I prefer to make this formula as a tea.  It makes a wonderful gargle for the relief of a sore throat.  Warm, it is also very soothing.  This tea is also excellent as a mouthwash for canker sores or gum infections.  It could be used as a tincture, I suppose, but I much prefer it as a warm tea for these afflictions.

TINCTURES

 As a general rule, alcohol “pulls” more plant constituents than does plain water.  Vodka, a mixture of alcohol and water, extracts nearly all of the medicinal properties of herbs.  The alcohol acts as a preservative for the finished product, as well.  For printable instructions Click Here

Alcohol Tinctures

For tinctures made at home, 80 proof Vodka (40% alcohol, 60% water) contains sufficient alcohol to both pull the constituents and act as a preservative.  For roots and woods, I prefer 100 proof (50% alcohol, 50% water) for tinctures.  Some reference materials give very specific ratios or water to alcohol for every type of herb.  Is it necessary to be so specific and particular in order to achieve an excellent tincture?  I don’t think so.  (See “Getting Proportions Exactly Right”  farther down in this blog).

Glycerin Tinctures

Non-synthetic Vegetable Glycerin makes an excellent medium for herbal tinctures.  Glycerin breaks down and removed certain chemicals and preservatives from the body.  In addition, the sweet flavor makes it especially appropriate for children’s tinctures.  Glycerin tinctures do not have the indefinite shelf life of alcohol tinctures, however.  Adding a few drops of the essential oil of benzoin as a preservative helps.   No more than 4 drops of benzoin to every 8 cups of tincture should be used.

Examples of Glycerin Tinctures

CC-glycerin

This herbal formula was previously called Children’s Compound.  The herbs in this formula are particularly potent and pleasant when made using glycerin as the base. Vegetable glycerin has some properties of its own that mix well with these herbs, enhancing the medicinal properties of both the glycerin and the herbs. The glycerin tincture also tastes more pleasant than the alcohol version. In fact, it is pleasant enough that most children will take it without even the need of putting it in water.

CC is an excellent first response remedy for flu symptoms, colds, and fevers. In this simple formula are herbs to promote a healing sweat, hold fever to just a hot enough degree to kill bacteria, effectively fight infectious agents, and calm and soothe the nerves. CC is one of the finest examples of the synergy of combining herbs into formulas. The sum of the parts, added together, being much greater than the individual parts alone, is a simple definition of synergy.  CC is perfectly balanced to be effective against bacterial, fungal, and strep infections. It rids the body of the excess mucus that is being produced. This is one of the great ones—even for adults. Often CC is the only remedy needed.

MIN-glycerin

MIN contains the same three herbs—Dulse, Nettles, and Alfalfa—as KNA along with herbs for hormone balance, calming the nerves, strengthening the pancreas, and supporting the kidneys.   This high mineral formula makes an excellent daily mineral supplement and is safe to use when pregnant or nursing.  I like to make MIN as a glycerin and take it every time I think about it.  It tastes better that way and I feel like I can take as much of it as I wish.   I have so much more energy and better health whenever I remember to take it regularly.  It also makes a reasonably pleasant tea for use when pregnant or nursing.

WC-glycerin

This is a favorite formula of many people.  It is also made as a glycerin tincture.  WC is an excellent cough and expectorant formula. It is more effective when given in frequent small doses—1/2 to 1 teaspoon, depending on the age of the patient, than in 2 or 3 larger doses. WC will liquefy mucus in the throat, lungs, and sinuses. This allows the body to either internalize it or expectorate it according to need.

WC is very effective at quieting a dry, hacking cough where the throat is irritated but there is no mucous needing to be expelled.  Most people become anxious for the next dose because WC relieves the heat and dryness associated with some sore throats.
WC is a cough syrup and should always be taken with the appropriate infection-fighting herbs.  Specific instructions for making WC are also found in the book Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies.

Vinegar Tinctures

We experimented with apple cider vinegar in tincture making.  For many herbs, vinegar didn’t seem to work as well as alcohol.  We even tried making tinctures using part alcohol and part vinegar.  Once again, sometimes this worked well and sometimes it did not.  It was many years before I discovered a possible reason why.

In Chinese medicine, different liquid mediums are understood as changing the direction the remedy takes after it has been ingested.  In one treatise the following explanation is given.  “Inwardly taken, [the alcoholic tincture] warms and comforts the bowels, strengthens the inward Parts, expels Wind, and is an excellent Traumatick, is drying and astringent, and therefore good against all Fluxes of the Bowels. . . and other weakness of the Generative Parts.”

The same author claimed that vinegar has the same virtues, but “it opens the more, and removes Obstructions of Stomach, Liver, Spleen, and other Bowels. . . whereby it effectually stops Vomiting, strengthens the Stomach, and causes a good Appetite and a strong Digestions, but it stops NOT Fluxes of the Bowels so well as some of the former Preparations.”

From personal experience, I do not like vinegar as a base for herbs meant for the Kidneys.

Examples of Vineger Tinctures

APL

This Butterfly Express formula is based, loosely, on an old Dr. Christopher remedy.  It is best tinctured in apple cider vinegar – the undistilled variety.  This is the most potent anti-everthing contagious that I know of.  It contains garlic as well as some of the very finest anti-infectious herbs.  It also tastes (and smells) quite horrible.  We used to joke – only half-jokingly – in our family, that the aroma of this remedy alone would kill just about everything but the patient.  APL truly is the big guns when fighting infectious diseases and illnesses.

HVC

Not exactly a vinegar tincture.  Rather, it is Honey – 4 Tbls, Vinegar – 4 Tbls, and Cayenne – 30-40 drops of tincture or 1/2 tsp cayenne powder – added to 1 quart of water.  HVC can be used cold for bleeding, insect bites, shock, and to help with vein health and blood clots. It can be used warm for cold or flu, increasing energy, relieving sore throat pain, and improving circulation. Drink 1/2 to 2 cups as needed, up to 1 qt or more during a day.  **Note: Warmth increases circulation—do not use hot, or even warm when trying to stop a hemorrhage or excessive bleeding of any kind.

Wildcrafting and Tincture Making – It’s Easy

For the first year, or longer, of our early herbal years, our family used powdered herbs in capsules.  I read about the advantages of fresh herbs over dried ones.  Using herbs in tincture form also came to my attention.   I wanted to learn how to make my own tinctures at home.  I heard about a woman who did “herb walks” to teach wildcrafting skills.  How to recognize which herbs were which.  The advertisement said that she would also be teaching the class how to make an herbal tincture that day.

At that time, I was still suffering quite badly from allergies.  A day spent hiking around the mountains pulling up plants didn’t sound like much fun to me.  However, I wanted to know how to identify plants.  I really wanted to know how to make tinctures as well, so I signed up.  I enjoyed it.  At least, I enjoyed most of it.  Allergies and allergy pills can make even the most fun activity a bit dreadful.

At the end of the hot, tiring, exhilarating, educational, allergy pill clouded day we wanted to head for home and a shower.  But, we had not yet learned to make a tincture.  We mentioned this fact to the woman leading the “walk.”  She asked for an herb that someone had gathered.  She shook it vigorously.  I assumed that was to remove any dust from it.  Then she stuffed it into a clean 2-quart canning jar.  She then opened a bottle of 80 proof vodka and dumped it into the bottle, also.  After placing the lid back of the jar, she held it up for us to see.  Then she said, “Let it sit for a couple of weeks.  Shake it every once in a while.  Strain and there you go – a tincture.”

Getting Proportions Exactly Right – Don’t Stress It!

One of my sons likes things exactly right around him.  Not OCD, exactly, but if he is in charge of something, he likes it done precisely. He had been reading about the proper – exact –  percentages of alcohol and water recommended by pharmacopeias to tincture various herbs.   This young man, high school age or thereabouts, took it upon himself to figure the exact ratio for each separate herb in the recipes I had created.  Then he averaged them and made a recommendation for the whole formula.  This was one of those times when theory and reality don’t quite come together.

You see, by averaging the numbers this way, no herb in the formula will be tinctured with exactly the best possible alcohol percentage.  In addition, every herb in each formula would have been quite happy with 100 proof vodka.  Most of the formulas would be excellently made with 80 proof vodka.  However, this was an excellent math exercise so, as a home-school mother, I left him to it and thanked him for it when he had finished!

My recipes can be found by Clicking Here.  If you would like some practical uses for herbs Click Here

Fresh or Dried?

Fresh and dried herbs are used interchangeably, for the most part, in making teas, compresses/poultices, and salves.  I prefer to use fresh whenever I can.  I am also careful about buying from sources who have consistently sent me quality dried herbs in the past.  If the herb does not have a strong aroma that you can smell even before you open the package, it has lost many of its healing properties.  In addition, when you open the bag and sniff the herb inside, it should tickle your nose a little bit.

Fresh Herbs

Using fresh herbs in your teas and tinctures is always, in my opinion, best.  Of course, using fresh herbs is not always possible in areas where all four seasons exist!  Tinctures are a way of preserving the fresh plant when it is in season for use later.  In addition, the tincturing process and the water and heat combination of infusions break down the walls of the plant’s cells.  This makes the nutritional and healing properties more readily available in a concentrated way.

My kids, at scout camps, were sometimes teased about “eating the weeds.”  I am sure that they obtained a lot of excellent nutrition by doing this. Vitamin C, in particular.  However, not all herbs are appropriate to eat the same way we eat salad vegetables. We simply do not have the capacity to digest them without appropriate processing.

Unfortunately, there are also some poisonous plants growing in the wild, even where I live.  Please be careful and get to know your herbs well before eating them in the wild.  By the way, my-weed eating children were very well-versed in the poisonous plants found in our area.  They knew which ones could be eaten safely and which ones to avoid!

Dried Herbs

Herbs can also be dried and stored for use at a later time.  Dried herbs may be prepared as capsules or as pills of some sort.  Dried herbs may also be stored as loose powders to be added to smoothies or sprinkled across some sort of food.  Parsley is a good example of this but has often been on the store shelf too long and not stored properly so much of the nutritional value has been lost.

Capsules are usually prepared by putting the powdered herb into gelatin capsules.  Health food stores sell most herbs in this form.  You can also encapsulate your own, either by hand or using an inexpensive device made for the purpose.  Creative people of my acquaintance make herbal pills by rolling the powder into a small glob using bread or even cream cheese.

Quality 

The quality of a dried herb depends entirely on the care with which it was processed.  Light and air are the enemies of the nutrients and healing properties of herbs.  Of course, drying an herb requires exposing it to air.  However, once it is dried, it does not need to be left in open bins, exposed to both light and air, for days as it waits its turn to be put into bags or capsules.  I walk away from health food stores who sell dried herbs in clear packages displayed by hanging them in full sunlight.

Since the advent of the freeze-drying process, I have found that the dried herbs I purchase are much more potent!  It takes less of the herbs to make a strong tincture – and less of the tinctures made from the freeze-dried herbs to achieve results.

A powdered herb, if handled properly, maintains a full spectrum of the nutrients contained in the herb.  Because the herb has been broken down into a powder, they are slightly more digestible than when eaten whole like a salad vegetable.   Being digestible only helps, of course, if the nutritional and healing properties of the herb have survived the drying process.

Comparisons Between Using Tinctures or Dried Herbs

Full spectrum of nutritional and medicinal properties

Tinctures, like a properly handled dried herb, contain a full spectrum of nutritional and medicinal properties.  However, tinctures are very concentrated.  Unlike drinking an herbal tea, a person needs only to consume a few drops to reap the benefits of the herb.  This is especially true when using either a fresh herb or a freeze-dried one when making the tincture.

Non-digestible plant fibers

Dried or even fresh herbs, whether in the whole form or pulverized, still contain some indigestible by humans plant fibers.  Because the tincturing – or tea making process – have broken down the fibers which are then discarded, these fibers are not a problem for the digestive system.  The nutritional properties which have been extracted in the tincturing or tea-making process absorb quickly and readily into the system.

Phytochemicals

Plants in whole form contain some phytochemicals that the human body cannot utilize until they are broken down.  Pulverizing the plant does not release these phytochemicals.  The process of making a tincture makes these phytochemicals available to the human digestive system.  By the way, the same is true of whole grains.  When whole grains are used in a sourdough starter, the phytochemicals are partially digested by the bacteria of the sourdough starter.  This makes the phytochemicals available to the digestive system for absorption into the body.

Potency and convenience

Some experts claim that dried powdered herbs are the most potent form of herbal preparation.  I disagree, for the most part, as I explained above.  They are, however, easy to take unless you have a problem with swallowing capsules.  They are also portable.  But, then, so are tinctures.

Alcohol content and taste

Herbal tinctures almost always have a strong, bitter, and unpleasant taste.  The glycerite versions of some herbal combinations are actually quite pleasant – at least, relatively so.  If you find yourself needing to take quite a few herbs, the amount of alcohol consumed may be problematic.  Please remember, when considered this factor, that most tinctures are made with Vodka.  Vodka can be as much as 60% water, depending on the proof that you choose.

One last thing to consider when using powdered herbs.  Some disreputable companies use harsh chemicals in a soaking solvent that can be unsafe for human consumption.  If this method is used, the dried powder that results is not even the whole plant, dried and powdered as it has been represented to be.  It is whatever the solvent extracted mingled with residues of the chemical solvent.

Herbal Medicine vs Pharmaceutical Drugs

A great many herbs, in whole form, are included in the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary.  Why are these recognized medicines not in use by modern medicine today?   Although I have strong opinions on this subject, I will leave you to do your own research and to come to your own conclusions.

It has been shown repeatedly and in scientific studies that the whole plant – the crude herb – is more effective than when isolated constituents (drugs, in other words) are administered.  This has caused more than a little dismay to pharmaceutical companies and with the research projects that they financed hoping to prove otherwise.  In America, over the years, the crude herb provided little or no economic reward to the pharmaceutical companies.  Therefore, it did not reach the market in the same way that drugs do!  They were not even made into mainstream medicines.  They received no advertising budgets.  Samples were not distributed to doctors and pharmacies.

Phytopharmaceuticals – Medicine From Plants

In contrast, policies in some European countries have made it economically feasible for companies to research and develop what is being referred to as phytopharmaceuticals.  The definition of a phytopharmaceutical drug varies greatly from country to country.  Standardization and requirements for how really “full and complete” the finished product must be to be called a phytopharmaceutical drug vary dramatically.  But, perhaps it is a step in the right direction.  At least, it is an acknowledgment of sorts of the research that has so clearly demonstrated that crude extracts of whole plant parts have greater therapeutic benefits than isolated constituents do.

Of course, isolated constituents are drugs and ALL drugs have side effects.  A crude extract of a whole plant contains both the active constituents as well as the parts of the plant that mitigate and balance the effects of the herb on the human system.

The Proper Way to Use Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies are best when used holistically. By this, I mean with the recognition that an herb affects the entire body, not just one particular system.  We try not to think of the herb in connection with only one body system.  For example, Horsetail is thought of as a urinary tract herb.  But it is so much more than that.  Horsetail also produces marked healing and stabilizing effects on the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the bones, and the skin, as well as on the liver and the glandular system as a whole.  Besides being considered for kidney ailments and kidney stones, this marvelous herb helps heal sprains and fractures, may stop internal bleeding and staunch the bleeding of external wounds and nosebleeds.  It also effectively brings relief to itchy skin and from rashes.

Horsetail is only one such example.  I cannot think of a single herb that does not do this.  An herb may be particularly effective in one area but it will have an affinity and an effect on several – if not all – body systems.

To use herbs most effectively, they must be used with the understanding that the constituents of the herbs are full-spectrum and intermingled with each other.  In this way, they are just like the systems of the human body, which are also dependent on each other and cannot be treated effectively without considering the body as a whole.

Herbs are best used with as much understanding of the body – especially your own – as you can manage.  An understanding of where the herb grows and what conditions it has survived to reach maturity will also help you in understanding how that herb matches with and will affect you.  Herbs, like people, have personalities as well as physical characteristics.

Gratitude

I have found that herbs are many times more effective if used with gratitude, especially gratitude to a loving Creator who established this world in such a way that the things we need for balance and health, in every aspect of our lives, are everywhere around us. This need for gratitude has been brought home to me in countless ways over the years. I don’t believe that God requires our gratitude for His glory. The commandment to be grateful is an example of God explaining to us what is best for our own souls. If you don’t do it already, try doing all that you do in this holistic medical world with a large measure of gratitude.  Whether or not your belief system includes a belief in God, using the bounties of the earth with gratitude will improve their effectiveness.  I can promise you that!

Personal Responsibility

To move into the realm of healing with God’s living pharmacy is to take a fuller measure of responsibility for ourselves, our welfare, and our happiness. The accepting of this responsibility, coupled with gratitude to the Creator, blesses and strengthens us in a myriad of ways.

References

All of the tinctures and herbal packs referred to in this blog can be purchased at butterflyexpress.shop.  The recipes for these tinctures and packs as found in the book Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies.