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Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden : Column Index : 2005 : Sept05
Coming Soon...
Herbalism Basics: Know What You're Taking and Why You're Taking It
More people are becoming interested in herbal healing every day. I applaud their enthusiasm and eagerness to try something new, or rather old, as herbal medicine was all we had until the advent of modern medicine.
First, please remember that herbs are medicine. They are usually gentler and less dramatic than prescription drugs, but nevertheless, all plants contain chemical components that give them nutritional benefits and other characteristics and actions, including healing properties. Properties are elements that have a certain effect when we consume them. Some examples of properties are words that you might already know: laxative, diuretic, sedative, stimulant... there are a ton of them. Have you noticed what it says on a bottle of aspirin? "Analgesic." Know what that means? "Relieves pain without causing loss of consciousness." Who would know unless you looked it up!
Because herbs are serious medicine, it's important to do a bit of homework before you start your herbal healing adventure. With a little research, you can easily determine what's in the herbs you buy or find growing in your own backyard. Two books that I refer to all the time are: Herbal Remedies for Dummies by Christopher Hobbs and The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra. They won't tell you about our native Hawaiian plants, but for traditional herbs they are resources you can trust.
Get a Good Diagnosis
How do you know what herb to take unless you know exactly what's ailing you? This is where I believe in the diagnostic ability of modern medicine. If you have a chronically painful back, for example, check with your health care provider for a good diagnosis before you start medicating yourself with herbs that might not be appropriate. They probably won't hurt you, but they won't help you if they aren't the correct herbs for your condition.
How to Determine Dosages
When you go to the doctor and s/he prescribes a medicine, you must take the correct number of pills the correct number of times each day in order for it to be effective. The same goes for herbs that we prepare as a tea, tonic, tincture, salve or other preparation. Simply munching on a few raw leaves does little to treat any condition. And consuming plants in an unprepared form is appropriate only for certain plants and in certain conditions. Around the world, indigenous people prepared plant medicines by grinding them, boiling them in water or other liquid, letting them soak in the oil of another plant and so forth. Today, we call such preparations teas, tinctures, salves, poultices, etc. When you make herbs into medicines like these, it helps you to figure out how much of an herbal medicine to take. For example, when you make a tea, you use about 1 cup of fresh plant material to one quart of water. This way, you know that when you drink three cups of that tea each day you are getting an appropriate dosage. And like prescription meds, you must be diligent in taking your medicine at proper intervals, like with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Otherwise you can't expect healing to be effective.
Popular Hawaiian Tea Plants
I love it when I see our Hawaiian plants being sold as popular consumer items. Several of them are popping up as prepared drinks and packaged teas, sometimes combined with great-tasting herbs like lemon grass. But do you know what these plants contain and how they're used for healing?
Mamaki Is Popular and Tastes Good
Mamaki belongs to the Nettle family (Urticaceae). Nettles have powerful properties: they are a blood purifier (alterative), expectorant, astringent, and diuretic. Based on personal experience, I believe that Mamaki is a strong diuretic, and that we should not drink the tea in large quantities. Why would you want to take a diuretic? Perhaps you're retaining a bit of water weight before your period or you have some fluid retention in your joints due to arthritis - these would be good occasions to drink a cup of mamaki tea several times a day for a few days. Nettle tea is a classic "tonic," which means that you can drink it every day for promoting and maintaining robust health, so the same goes for mamaki. If you aren't treating a specific condition but want to use mamaki tea as a tonic, it's fine to enjoy a cup of this tea with your breakfast or for an afternoon treat. Just don't drink a gallon of it in one day!
Ko`oko`olau Can Increase Urination
Ko`oko`olau (Bidens species) is a member of the aster/sunflower family (Asteraceae). In ancient Hawai`i, the leaves and flowers of Ko`oko`olau were used as tea for people who felt weak or were suffering from asthma, throat and stomach ailments. It was believed that this plant helps to prevent strokes, but laboratory studies have not been conducted to verify this folkloric use. However, studies have been done on a related plant in the Bidens genus, the Burr marigold. It's an astringent, diaphoretic (makes you sweat) and diuretic, which gives us a clue that these properties might also be contained in Ko`oko`olau. Again, it's fine to enjoy a cup of this tea from time to time, but please don't overdo it.
Lau Kahi Is Great for Skin Healing
Lau kahi, or Plantain, (Plantago species) is often considered a lawn weed. It's a diuretic, blood cleaner, and anti-inflammatory. Ancient peoples everywhere used it as a poultice for skin healing, and so did the Hawaiians. To use it for skin problems, collect a handful of leaves and flowering seed spikes. Boil 2 cups of water, chop up the plant, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then grab a handful of the cooled mixture, squeeze it and apply it to an insect bite, burn, boil, or other skin problem. Taken as a tea, it's good for cleansing the liver and kidneys. For serious injuries, staph infections, etc., seek medical care.
It's great to use plants as food and medicine, but it's important to know what you're taking and why you're taking it.
Herbalism Basics: Know What You're Taking and Why You're Taking It
More people are becoming interested in herbal healing every day. I applaud their enthusiasm and eagerness to try something new, or rather old, as herbal medicine was all we had until the advent of modern medicine.
First, please remember that herbs are medicine. They are usually gentler and less dramatic than prescription drugs, but nevertheless, all plants contain chemical components that give them nutritional benefits and other characteristics and actions, including healing properties. Properties are elements that have a certain effect when we consume them. Some examples of properties are words that you might already know: laxative, diuretic, sedative, stimulant... there are a ton of them. Have you noticed what it says on a bottle of aspirin? "Analgesic." Know what that means? "Relieves pain without causing loss of consciousness." Who would know unless you looked it up!
Because herbs are serious medicine, it's important to do a bit of homework before you start your herbal healing adventure. With a little research, you can easily determine what's in the herbs you buy or find growing in your own backyard. Two books that I refer to all the time are: Herbal Remedies for Dummies by Christopher Hobbs and The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra. They won't tell you about our native Hawaiian plants, but for traditional herbs they are resources you can trust.
Get a Good Diagnosis
How do you know what herb to take unless you know exactly what's ailing you? This is where I believe in the diagnostic ability of modern medicine. If you have a chronically painful back, for example, check with your health care provider for a good diagnosis before you start medicating yourself with herbs that might not be appropriate. They probably won't hurt you, but they won't help you if they aren't the correct herbs for your condition.
How to Determine Dosages
When you go to the doctor and s/he prescribes a medicine, you must take the correct number of pills the correct number of times each day in order for it to be effective. The same goes for herbs that we prepare as a tea, tonic, tincture, salve or other preparation. Simply munching on a few raw leaves does little to treat any condition. And consuming plants in an unprepared form is appropriate only for certain plants and in certain conditions. Around the world, indigenous people prepared plant medicines by grinding them, boiling them in water or other liquid, letting them soak in the oil of another plant and so forth. Today, we call such preparations teas, tinctures, salves, poultices, etc. When you make herbs into medicines like these, it helps you to figure out how much of an herbal medicine to take. For example, when you make a tea, you use about 1 cup of fresh plant material to one quart of water. This way, you know that when you drink three cups of that tea each day you are getting an appropriate dosage. And like prescription meds, you must be diligent in taking your medicine at proper intervals, like with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Otherwise you can't expect healing to be effective.
Popular Hawaiian Tea Plants
I love it when I see our Hawaiian plants being sold as popular consumer items. Several of them are popping up as prepared drinks and packaged teas, sometimes combined with great-tasting herbs like lemon grass. But do you know what these plants contain and how they're used for healing?
Mamaki Is Popular and Tastes Good
Mamaki belongs to the Nettle family (Urticaceae). Nettles have powerful properties: they are a blood purifier (alterative), expectorant, astringent, and diuretic. Based on personal experience, I believe that Mamaki is a strong diuretic, and that we should not drink the tea in large quantities. Why would you want to take a diuretic? Perhaps you're retaining a bit of water weight before your period or you have some fluid retention in your joints due to arthritis - these would be good occasions to drink a cup of mamaki tea several times a day for a few days. Nettle tea is a classic "tonic," which means that you can drink it every day for promoting and maintaining robust health, so the same goes for mamaki. If you aren't treating a specific condition but want to use mamaki tea as a tonic, it's fine to enjoy a cup of this tea with your breakfast or for an afternoon treat. Just don't drink a gallon of it in one day!
Ko`oko`olau Can Increase Urination
Ko`oko`olau (Bidens species) is a member of the aster/sunflower family (Asteraceae). In ancient Hawai`i, the leaves and flowers of Ko`oko`olau were used as tea for people who felt weak or were suffering from asthma, throat and stomach ailments. It was believed that this plant helps to prevent strokes, but laboratory studies have not been conducted to verify this folkloric use. However, studies have been done on a related plant in the Bidens genus, the Burr marigold. It's an astringent, diaphoretic (makes you sweat) and diuretic, which gives us a clue that these properties might also be contained in Ko`oko`olau. Again, it's fine to enjoy a cup of this tea from time to time, but please don't overdo it.
Lau Kahi Is Great for Skin Healing
Lau kahi, or Plantain, (Plantago species) is often considered a lawn weed. It's a diuretic, blood cleaner, and anti-inflammatory. Ancient peoples everywhere used it as a poultice for skin healing, and so did the Hawaiians. To use it for skin problems, collect a handful of leaves and flowering seed spikes. Boil 2 cups of water, chop up the plant, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then grab a handful of the cooled mixture, squeeze it and apply it to an insect bite, burn, boil, or other skin problem. Taken as a tea, it's good for cleansing the liver and kidneys. For serious injuries, staph infections, etc., seek medical care.
It's great to use plants as food and medicine, but it's important to know what you're taking and why you're taking it.
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