Herbal Medicine at home!

Herbal medicine is one of my absolute favourite tools to use.

Herbal medicine is one of the most researched aspects of complementary medicine and naturopathy and there’s ample evidence of how effective it can be.

I fell in love with the idea of herbal medicine when I was a kid watching Free Willy 2 (don’t laugh!) seeing how when all the conventional medicine failed what saved the whale was the traditional herbal medicine. My mum used to have a tincture she gave us when we had tummy aches and I still swear by it. Though it was many years before I actually started studying herbal medicine and when I actually fell in love with the effects of herbal medicine, not just the idea of it…

Herbal medicine is extremely powerful and effective, and should be treated with respect. Herbal medicine should be used only after considering all the aspects of the person treated, and yet there are still some home applications of herbal medicine which I believe most of us can easily apply at home in order to help minor issues!

Some herbs are super easy to acquire and use, and when we know how to apply them we can enjoy having some simple and very effective remedies at home, reducing or avoiding the need for over the counter medications!

At home, the easiest, most versatile way of using herbal medicine is using dried (or fresh) herb.

You can use dried herbs in baths, steams, and as the base for herbal teas – which are highly effective. Hot tea is one of the best ways to use aromatic plants (such as chamomile, lemon balm and mint), or diaphoretic herbs such as elderflower.

Teas are a fantastic choice to use herbal medicine, particularly for digestive discomfort, for stress and anxiety – as well as sleep disorders, and any tine a health condition could benefit from extra hydration.

While as a general rule I always recommend discussing with a naturopath before using herbal medicine, I’ve got a few suggestions which can be used safely in most people…

For anxiety, stress and sleep support:

• Lemon balm – works to reduce anxiety, ease depression and great for tummy aches. Avoid with hypothyroidism.
• Chamomile – very soothing, helps calm before bed, and great for tummy aches. Avoid if allergic.
• Linden – eases stress and anxiety, helps before bed, and can be used to reduce fever in children. Caution if anemic due to low iron.
• Oat flowers – eases stress and exhaustion, helps before bed. Caution with Coeliac. Can be had in tea, or in a bath.
• Lavender – works to reduce anxiety and ease depression. Helps before bed. very soothing. Can be had in tea, or in a bath.

For digestive health:

• Peppermint – helps alleviate pain, gas, and nausea.
• Ginger – improves digestion, helps alleviate pain gas and nausea. Ginger is a root and so should be boiled in the water and not just steeped.
• Fennel seed – aids digestion, relieves gas and pain. Avoid if allergic.
• Dandelion root – assists in cases of constipation. Roots prefer boiling to steeping. Avoid if you have gallstones, ulcers or liver conditions.

For everyday wellness:

• Nettle – high iron content, reduces allergic symptoms, diuretic. Avoid if there’s heart or kidney insufficiency.
• Elderflower – helps with fevers, colds and flues. Caution if you’ve got an autoimmune condition.
• Hibiscus – packed with antioxidants, helps keep heart and liver health.

If you’ve got any questions about whether these would work for you please leave a comment below!

Maya x