When you want to treat a health problem with herbal cures , you want specifics, not speculation. And when it comes to the herbs that can alleviate those problems, the details really matter. Although there are a large number of herbal herbal remedies, it is not always easy to know what to use or how to use it. The labels say nothing, and store clerks are often clueless. To use herbal medicine, you need specific guidance, and getting that guidance is challenging.
One of the reasons for all the confusion is the regulations issued by the FDA. Under the Health and Diet Education Act of 1994, herbal products became “dietary supplements,” subject to certain rules covering labeling and advertising. As a result, manufacturers of herbal products are prohibited from giving the specific information that is needed.
Manufacturers can only make claims for structure and function, not for specific actions and uses of the herbs. This is why you will never see an ad for St. John’s wort mentioning its proven ability to alleviate mild to moderate depression. Instead, you will see an ad that refers to its “mood enhancing benefit.”
To make things more difficult, herbal manufacturers can, and do, use different formulas and concentrations. That means one manufacturer’s ginseng could provide 500mg per dose; another might deliver 100 mg. That, too, makes mountains of confusion.
9 effective and quick home herbal cures
This practical guide tells you everything you need to know about nine clinically proven herbs that can alleviate a variety of bothersome conditions. Read on and happy healing!
Skin Healer: Aloe Vera (Aloe Vera)
Aloe heals the surfaces of the skin it touches. It makes one of the most widely used herbal remedies or cures with herbs.
Uses: chronic skin disorders, such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne; sunburns, minor burns and minor injuries.
How much and how often: For skin disorders, apply a small amount of gel to the wound three times a day. The gel should be applied until the wound or condition has healed.
How long: Applied externally, aloe can be used for as long as needed.
Warning / drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Just buy pure aloe vera gel, or use fresh gel from an aloe plant. Simply snap a stem-shaped leaf, divide it in half, scrape off the gel, and apply.
Arthritis Relief: Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens)
Devil’s claw is often as effective as prescription and over-the-counter medications used to make herbal cures for arthritis, minus the side effects.
Uses: Chronic joint, muscle or tendon pain.
How much to take: Tincture 1: 5, 1 teaspoon; 1: 1 fluid extract, 20 drops; dry solid extract in 3: 1 tablets, 400 mg tablet
How often: three times a day
How long: should be used for 2 to 3 months to feel the effects
Warning: not to be used by people with gastric or duodenal ulcers, people taking antiarrhythmic drugs, people with gallstones, or pregnant or lactating women.
Interactions with other drugs: should not be used with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) because their activity is similar.
How to buy: Choose products made solely from Harpagophytum procumbens root.
Herbal cures for heart health: hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Uses: May be helpful for those with a family history of cardiovascular disease or who are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease
How much to take: Nuts or flower heads, 3 g as tea; tincture 1: 5, 1 tsp; 1: 1 fluid extract, 20 drops; Standardized solid tablet extract, 100 to 250 mg tablet (standardized to 10% procyanidins)
How often: three times a day
How Long: Hawthorn is a long-term preventive treatment for cardiovascular disease. It is safe to use for a lifetime, and that is how long you should plan to use it.
Warning: Hawthorn can lower blood pressure. If you are already taking blood pressure medication, you may need less. Have your doctor monitor and alter your blood pressure medications if necessary. Never alter your heart medications in any way without consulting with your doctor. People with low blood pressure should use hawthorn with caution because of its activity to lower blood pressure. In the case of existing heart disease, hawthorn should only be used under the advice of a healthcare professional.
Drug Interactions: Should not be used if you are taking digoxin or a similar drug.
How to buy: Choose products made with flower tips or Crataegus monogyna fruit. Although standardized extracts have gained popularity, non-standardized products work just as well.
If you want to avoid developing heart disease, doing herbal cures with this herb is highly recommended. High-risk patients look better, feel better, and feel better when they take hawthorn regularly.
Solution to menstrual problems: Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus)
Most cases of menstrual irregularity improve when chasteberry is used regularly.
Uses: PMS, irregular periods, painful periods, excessive bleeding during menstruation and absence of menstruation
How much to take: Tincture 1: 5, 50 drops in a cup of water; 1: 1 fluid extract, 10 drops in a cup of water; standardized extract in tablets containing 0.5% agnuside, 175 to 225 mg per day
How many times: once in the morning
How Long: Chasteberry needs to be taken for three consecutive menstrual cycles before you notice improvement. After 2 years of use, you can stop taking it; your cycle must remain regular.
Warning / drug interactions: None known. If you experience bleeding between periods, see your gynecologist.
How to buy: Choose products made from chasteberry seeds. Non-standardized products work just as well as standardized products.
Immune system stimulant: Maitake (Grifola frondosa)
In a world where there is very little to offer people suffering from viral illnesses, maitake offers hope.
Uses: Recommended for viral problems such as herpes, warts, chronic fatigue syndrome, postviral syndrome and colds
How much to take: two 350 mg tablets.
How often: three times a day
How long: Maitake can be used to kill a virus and keep it in remission. Initially, it should be used for 3 months on a daily basis; thereafter, it can be used if there is any suspicion of a relapse. For oral or genital herpes, use maitake continuously until you have no symptoms. Start taking it again every time you feel the telltale sting that usually precedes a herpes outbreak.
Warning / drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Choose tablets made from whole Grifola frondosa mushroom powder. Avoid products that contain standardized maitake extracts.
Alternative against allergies: Nettle (Urtica dioica)
In some cases, only nettle has solved long-lasting allergy problems.
Uses: allergies, allergic skin rashes, hay fever and seasonal rhinitis
How much to take: Tincture 1: 5, 1 teaspoon; 1: 1 fluid extract, 20 drops.
How often: three times a day
How long: Start before allergy season begins and continue taking it directly during the season or when your particular allergy arises.
Warning / drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Select products made from the entire Urtica dioica plant. Avoid products made from nettle root.
Liver protector: milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
When the problem is chronic liver disease or chronic exposure to toxins, milk thistle may be one of the best options. In a world full of toxic, liver-damaging pollutants, milk thistle is a powerful herbal ally.
Uses: useful for people with liver disease, those who abuse alcohol or drugs or take recipes that damage the liver, those who work with toxic chemicals, and those who have chronic and acute hepatitis.
How much to take: Dried seeds, 1 teaspoon of seeds boiled in a tea; tincture 1: 5, 1 tsp; 1: 1 fluid extract, 10 drops; extract standardized in tablets, extract from 70 to 210 mg standardized to 70 to 80% silymarin.
How often: three times a day
How Long: As long as your liver is subject to toxic chemicals, take milk thistle to prevent damage from occurring. It is safe for long-term use. Use long term if you have chronic liver disease.
Warning: in excessively large doses, it can cause loose stools when you start taking it.
Drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Choose products made strictly from the seed of Silybum marianum. Standardized extracts have gained popularity, but non-standardized products have worked just as well. Avoid products made from other parts of the plant.
The plant for accidents: Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Witch hazel is one of the best plants and most effective in reducing inflammation and speeding up the healing process.
Uses: Sore or injured muscles, joints or bones; scratches, minor burns and insect bites.
How much, how often, how long to use herbal remedies with hazelnut: Witch hazel is used topically to stimulate and accelerate healing. Apply the 1: 5 tincture to a bandage and place it over the injured area. Allow the bandage to stay in place until the wound or injury heals.
Warning: for external use only
Drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Select an alcohol-based product (tincture) made from the bark and / or leaves of Hamamelis virginiana. Avoid distilled witch hazel water.
Headache Prevention: Feverfew / Matricaria (Tanacetum parthenium)
Many people with lifelong headaches have found permanent relief from this herb.
Uses: Prevention of Migraines and Cluster Headaches – Not helpful in treating a headache once it starts.
How much to take: fresh herb, a leaf; lyophilized herb, 300 mg tablet; fresh plant tincture 1: 5, 40 drops; standardized extract in tablets, a dose that provides the equivalent of 0.25 to 0.50 mg of parthenolide
How Often to Use Herbal Cures for Feverfew : One Dose Every Morning
How long: remission should start after 2 months of use. If there has been no improvement after 4 months, discontinue use. The herb can be used indefinitely, although after 2 years some people no longer consider it necessary.
Warning: In rare cases, it can cause mouth ulcers.
Drug interactions: None known
How to buy: Since traditional drying destroys the active component of feverfew, only buy fresh leaf tinctures or freeze-dried leaf tablets / capsules.
Precautions in treatment with herbal cures
Read the label carefully to make sure the product contains the correct herb, the correct part of the herb, and only that herb. Avoid combined herbal products unless your herbal professional advises otherwise.
If you’ve been taking any of these herbal cures for the recommended time and it’s not working, stop using it and consult a trained healthcare professional. If you have a serious medical problem or history, or are taking prescription medications, consult an expert doctor who can discuss possible interactions before taking herbs. Herbs should not be used by pregnant or lactating women unless prescribed by a healthcare professional.