Herbal Medicine Cabinet Safety

Herbs have been used for centuries to treat all sorts of ailments. If you’ve got your own garden plot you can set one area aside as a medicinal herb section. BUT make sure you play it safe with these tips…

Herbs can be safe but they can also be just as dangerous as a prescription or OTC drug. Just because you grew it yourself, does not mean you might not experience a negative affect after taking the herb. You should never take herbs willy nilly. Always research first and make sure you understand how to use the herb – i.e. in a tea, in a tincture, in a lotion and so on. It’s best to talk with a holistic practitioner with vast experience in the use of herbs as medication, but at the very least consult a good herb book.

Grow organic. If you’re going to be putting herbs into or onto your body you don’t want pesticides and chemicals along for the ride.

Go slow. Herbs as medications can sometimes work slower than traditional medications because they’re less potent, (depending on how much you boil them down). Keep in mind that the healing properties may take longer to work and it may take longer for an allergic reaction to appear. One if the noted amount of herbs doesn’t work, don’t just take more, wait a while and talk to a professional herbalist. Two, always do a dab test if you’re using the herb in a topical solution. To do a dab test, take a dab of a homemade herbal topical solution, and rub it on your inner arm. Cover the dab with a bandage. If you develop red, burning, itching, pain, or any other skin issue you may be allergic to that specific herb mixture.

Major issues: If you are pregnant or nursing your midwife or doctor needs to give you the go-ahead before you use any homemade herbal product. For elderly individuals and babies, most experts recommend you cut recipes down to half size; i.e. one cup of herbal tea not three. However, the best safety practice include checking over a herbal treatment with a baby’s or an elderly person’s doctor before giving them a herbal treatment.

Visit these links for more information:

• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy
• The Herb Research Foundation

If you skip the growing part and buy herbs read Herbal supplements: What to know before you buy.

[image via stock.xchng]