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A Guide to Common Herbs
Herbs are nutritional foundation nutrients and good alternative medicine to nourish the body's deepest and most basic elements. Medicinal herbs have been used safely and effectively since the time of recorded history for an endless list of reasons from health, healing, weight loss/gain/maintenance, to survival and more.
Herbs can offer the body nutrients it does not always receive, from either a poor diet, or environmental deficiencies in the soil and air. They are great body balancers that help regulate body functions.
The benefits of herbs are many and varied. Even the once skeptical traditional medical community is starting to embrace alternative medicine practices using herbal remedies and healing philosophies and practices incorporating herbal medicine and medicinal herbs.
Chinese herbs have been used by the Chinese for over 4,000 years to promote health and as healing agents. Chinese Herbs are taken as tonics to enhance physical and mental well being.
Since the dawn of man, herbs have been used to heal and to promote wellness. Today, herbs are still the alternative medicine and primary source of health care for 80% of the world.
Here are some of the more well-known herbs and plant products and their modern uses.
Bilberry Fruit Extract
Vaccinium myrtillus
Uses: Various microcirculatory conditions. Night blindness and poor ability to adapt to bright light.
Cascara Sagrada Aged Bark
Rhamnus purshiana
Uses: Constipation.
Cayenne Pepper Fruit
Capsicum annuum Carminative
Uses: diaphoretic, counter-irritant.
Cranberry Fruit
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Uses: Prevention of urinary tract infections.
Dong Quai Root
Angelica sinensis
Uses: Various menstrual disorders.
Echinacea Herb
Echinacea purpurea
Uses: As supportive therapy for colds and chronic infections of the respiratory tract.
Evening Primrose Oil
Oenothera biennis
Uses: Conditions related to deficiency of essential fatty acids (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome) and alcoholism.
Feverfew Leaf
Tanacetum parthenium
Uses: Treatment of migraines, fever, menstrual disorders.
Garlic Cloves
Allium sativum
Uses: Elevated levels of cholesterol in blood and as a preventative measure for age dependent vascular changes.
Ginger Root
Zingiber officinale
Uses: Prevention of the nausea and vomiting of motion sickness, dyspepsia, stomachic.
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Ginkgo biloba
Uses: Memory deficits, dementia syndromes. Improvement of distance and pain-free walking in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Vertigo and tinnitus.
Asian Ginseng Root
Panax ginseng
Uses: Tonic for invigoration and fortification in times of fatigue and debility, physical or mental exhaustion, stress, inadequate resistance to infections.
Siberian Ginseng Root
Eleutherococcus senticosus
Uses: Tonic for invigoration and fortification in times of fatigue and debility, also during convalescence.
Goldenseal Root
Hydrastis canadensis Catarrhal
Uses: Conditions of the upper respiratory tract associated with colds and flus. Mucosal inflammations.
Gotu Kola Herb
Centella asiatica
Uses: Improved memory. Venous insufficiency.
Grape Seed Extract
Vitis vinifera
Uses: Microcirculatory maldistribution of blood flow. Altered capillary fragility and permeability. Anti-inflammatory.
Green Tea Leaf Extract
Camellia sinensis
Uses: Chemopreventative. Hypercholesterolemia.
Kava Kava Root Extract
Piper methysticum
Uses: Conditions of nervous anxiety, stress, and restlessness. Sedative and sleep enhancement.
Licorice Root
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Uses: For catarrhal conditions of the upper respiratory tract and gastric/duodenal ulcers. Bronchitis. Adrenocorticoid insufficiency.
Milk Thistle Seed Extract
Silybum marianum
Uses: Toxic liver damage, and for supportive treatment in chronic inflammatory liver disease and hepatic cirrhosis.
Saw Palmetto Berry Extract
Serenoa repens
Uses: Urination problems in benign prostate hyperplasia stages 1 and 2.
St. John's Wort Herb Extract
Hypericum perforatum
Uses: Mild to moderate depressive states.
Valerian Root
Valeriana officinalis
Uses: Restlessness, sleeping disorders based on nervous conditions.