To use herbal medicine requires a departure from the idea that the only valid knowledge comes from scientific research. The scientific method is a powerful and useful paradigm, but we can enrich our knowledge by allowing the possibility of learning from perspectives outside the bio-medical model. Just because an herb has not been studied does not mean it is ineffective or unsafe. Tradition of use and knowledge of the plant based on observation and experience are valid as well. As noted by R. F. Weiss, a leading German physician, where there is a long tradition of use by a population, [the herb's] action has to be considered established, even without double blind trials." For example, there is general knowledge regarding the use of prune juice for constipation. We know what prune juice does, and that it is safe. It is not necessary to study its safety and efficacy. [Similarly], when there has been widespread use of an herb over time for a particular effect, there is validity to that knowledge. The World Health Organization recommends that in a rational approach to evaluating the safety and efficacy of herbal products, historical and cultural usage should be combined with modern scientific research.
Herbal Preparations and Dosage Guidelines
Storage: Store dried herbs away from light and heat.
Quality: The freshness and quality of the herb, meaning the care with which it was harvested, dried and processed, are the most important factors in the effectiveness of the herb.
Water-Based Preparations: Water-based preparations must be made from dried, not fresh plants. In the fresh plant the cell wall is still intact, so most of the constituents cannot be extracted. Drying is necessary to rupture the cell wall and allow release of the constituents. A larger quantity and broader range of the nourishing properties of the plant are available in water than are in alcohol.
Simple teas are appropriate for flowers and seeds which open and release their contents easily, or for herbs where the volatile oils are a major constituent.
Infusions are used to prepare the leafy portion of plants. Leaves have tougher cell walls so it takes longer for the constituents to come out of the plant into solution.
Cold infusions are used for a few plants which contain valuable constituents that would be damaged by heat.
Decoctions are used to extract the more dense parts of plants such as roots or barks.
External applications of herbs, such as poultices, compresses and fomentations, are used to accelerate healing and prevent or draw out infection.
Essential oils are very strong and are almost never used internally.
Infused oils: The fresh plant is simply packed into a jar, covered with olive oil, and allowed to sit for two weeks. Salves can be made by simply adding beeswax.
Tinctures are alcohol based preparation. Some herbs work better in tincture form, since some plant constituents are more soluble in alcohol than in water. Some plants are more effective medicinally if the fresh plant is made into tincture; in other cases, dried plant is more beneficial, and with some herbs it doesn't matter.
Glycerites, the sweet fraction of oil (oil minus the fatty acids) does not have the same extractive properties of alcohol. Most herbs are not effective in this preparation.
Powdered, prepackaged herbs have been extensively exposed to air, causing oxidation and rapid loss of potency. Grinding and encapsulating the herbs oneself is the best way to maintain high quality if capsules are preferred.
Standardized extracts are chemically manipulated to isolate, measure and concentrate specific compounds that are considered to have beneficial activity. There is more potential for side effects with these extracts. And the synergistic effects of the plant are diminished or lost.
-Cindy Belew, CNM, Herbalist, "Herbs and the Childbearing Woman, Vol. 1," a self-published book
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 1 Issue 44, Oct 29, 1999)
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