APPENDIX 1

Herbal Basics

Herbs figure prominently in beating all types of addictions. This appendix will tell you all you need to know to purchase, gather, and use them responsibly and effectively. Those new to using herbs should visit an herb shop or a natural foods store that offers supplements and ask for assistance. Herbs are available as capsules, tablets, and tinctures as well as loose and dried. Be sure to consult your physician or a professional herbalist if you have any medical conditions or take any prescription drugs. Herbs are medicines and need to be used with care!

PURCHASING HERBS

If you choose to buy commercial herbs, purchase them in bulk. Cut herbs are better than powdered because powdering causes them to lose essential oils more quickly. Store the herbs in glass jars away from light and heat. Be sure to label each jar with the name of the herb or preparation it contains, its ingredients, how to use it (especially if it’s for external use only), and the date.

GATHERING HERBS

Before you gather any plant from the wild, make sure you’re collecting the proper species. Some safe plants have poisonous look-alikes; use a good guidebook. Be especially careful with mushrooms—a mistake can easily be fatal. Also, be sure that you’re collecting the correct part of the plant. Blue elderberries are wonderful, for instance, but the leaves are toxic. Finally, know that plants that are safe for animals to ingest are not necessarily safe for humans.

Ask permission before you gather on private land. Avoid collecting plants within fifty feet of a busy road or in any areas that are sprayed or polluted.

Any known endangered species must be left alone. Whenever possible, use a similar-quality abundant plant in lieu of a rare one. And all plants should be collected so as to ensure the continued survival of the species. Here are some ways to do this:

• Vary the places that you collect from.
• Identify the grandfather or grandmother plant and leave it to ensure the continuing vitality of the species.
• Never take more than 10 percent of the plants you find. Leave some for the wild animals!
• Harvest selectively. For example, if you need only the leaves and flowers of a particular plant, take only a few tops, leaving the roots to continue their growing cycle. Such cutting can actually promote new growth. It can also be helpful to thin any plants that are growing closely together; this will leave the remaining plants with more room.
• Replant seeds as often as possible.
• Ask permission from the herbs before you harvest. Sing while you’re collecting. Be joyful! Give thanks!

When and How to Gather

Different plant parts are best collected at different times—and in various ways. All parts benefit from being misted or watered the day before you harvest, if this is possible. Following are some other guidelines for your harvest:

Echinacea roots are harvested only after three years; ginseng, after seven years.

• Leaves and flowers are best collected during the time of the full moon. Gather them in the morning, after the dew has dried and before the sun is too hot. Leaves are best taken when the plant is starting to flower, not after; once a plant has flowered, its energy moves out of the leaves and into the flowers. It’s kinder to take a whole leaf than to tear it.
• Seeds and fruits are collected when ripe.
• Roots are said to be best collected during the time of the new moon. Perennial or biennial roots are best collected in the fall of their first year or the spring of their second year. Cover the hole left when you’re done—and if you can, use the opportunity to sow a few of the plant’s ripe seeds!
• Bark is best collected in the spring or fall. It separates more easily after a spell of damp weather. Never girdle a tree; this will impair the sap’s ability to rise, and can be fatal to the tree.
• Gums and resins are best collected in hot, dry weather.

Drying and Storing

Fresh herbs that aren’t used immediately need to be dried and stored. Begin by sorting through your botanicals; any plant parts you don’t need can be used as mulch, as compost, or in herbal baths. Roots should be well scrubbed, and larger ones can be cut in half for quicker drying.

Dry all plant parts in the shade. You can spread them out on a nylon or stainless-steel screen, or in a clean shallow box. Or place them loosely in a paper bag and leave them in a warm room until they’re dry. Many herbs can be hung to dry with loop strings in an attic or warm room. Allow air to circulate.

 

Herb Grinding Tip

If you ever need to grind resinous or sticky herbs, first place them in a freezer for a few hours. Once they’re frozen they’ll shatter easily in a blender or grinder. It helps if you put the blender or grinder in the freezer, too. Still, some herbs, such as saw palmetto, are just too hard to powder at home.

 

Herbs should be stored as soon as they’re brittle. Being careful not to crush the herbs to a powder, place them in labeled and dated glass jars, and store the jars away from heat and light. Before using any final herb preparation, check its quality: it should taste and smell like the original plant. And remember that no amount of elaborate equipment or preparation will make up for poor-quality botanicals.

HERB DOSAGE GUIDELINES

All things are poison and nothing is without poison. It is the dosage that makes a thing poisonous or not.

PARACELSUS

There are no hard-and-fast rules governing herb dosages. Every person and every situation should be considered individually before dosage is determined. Still, the following guidelines may be helpful in this process:

• Large people need more than small people. Women may need less than men.
• After age sixty, use one-half to one-third as much herb per dose.
• For an acute or serious illness, a dosage can be taken every one or two hours—except, of course, while you’re sleeping. Rest is good medicine in its own right!
• For a chronic illness that comes and goes, three or four times daily makes an effective therapeutic dosage.
• Some herbalists like to “pulse” their remedies by giving them for ten days, then taking three days off. Continue this cycle for chronic conditions. Pulsing helps the body acclimate and learn to respond even without the herbs. Another way of pulsing is to take your remedies for six days a week and rest on the seventh. Every two or three weeks, take a three-day break.
• If you’re using high doses of herbs or supplements, do so only after consulting with a competent health professional.

 

Handy Herbal Equivalents

1 cup of tea = 1 dropperful of tincture = 2 capsules

 

Homeopathic Dosages

The best way to determine dosages of homeopathic remedies is to consult with a homeopath in your area. If this isn’t possible, many health foods stores carry or can special-order remedies for you. These remedies are generally taken as 4 pellets under the tongue three or four times daily. It’s best to take them with a “clean mouth”—that is, don’t eat or drink anything for ten minutes on either side of the dose. Potencies of 30x or 30c are the most commonly recommended. If you don’t see results within a week, you likely didn’t select the correct remedy; talk to a homeopath.

Flower Essence Dosages

Flower essences are usually taken as 7 drops under the tongue, three times daily. They’re best used in conjunction with prayer and meditation, visualizing what you want to create.

If you purchase flower essences in the form of mother tinctures, these should be diluted before use. Place 3 drops of the mother tincture in a clean amber-glass dropper bottle, then fill it with springwater. If you’re going to keep the remedy for more than two weeks, add a tablespoon of brandy as a preservative. Up to six flower essences can be combined in one bottle.

HERBAL PREPARATIONS

Herbal Teas

In addition to their many medicinal benefits, teas are soothing and warming. They give us the opportunity to taste the many flavors of plants. And drinking a cup is a lovely way to take a break in our busy days to sip and savor—and know that we’re nourishing our nervous systems. Herbal tea bags are convenient, but not all herbs are available in bags. If you are new to herbs and feel a bit intimidated by loose herbs, try any of the following options:

• Infusion (for leaves and flowers). In a nonreactive pot bring 1 cup of springwater to a boil and remove from the heat. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of dried herb or 2 heaping teaspoons of fresh. Cover and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Strain. This is also known as a tisane.
• Decoction (for roots and barks). In a nonreactive pot simmer together 1 heaping teaspoon of dried herb (2 heaping teaspoons of fresh) and 1 cup of springwater, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain. If a root is particularly high in volatile oils (such as ginger or valerian), it’s better to infuse rather than boil it. Some roots can be used a second time.
• Sun tea—or moon tea! For sun tea, place 1 heaping teaspoon of dried herb (or 2 heaping teaspoons of fresh) per 1 cup of springwater in a covered glass jar; for moon tea, use an open glass bowl. Let the mixture sit outside to collect radiant energy for about three to four hours. Drink moon tea first thing in the morning.
• Cold infusion. Add 4 teaspoons of dried herb (or a scant 3 tablespoons of fresh) to 2 cups of cold water and let soak overnight. Strain and heat to drinking temperature, if desired. Herbs that lend themselves well to cold infusions include: anise, hyssop, basil, catnip, scented geranium, honeysuckle flowers, jasmine flowers, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, marjoram, orange blossoms, rose petals, and pineapple sage.

 

Tea-Making Tips

• Keep a record of your recipes.
• Make small batches the first time around.
• Avoid using aluminum and copper equipment; choose nonreactive materials such as glass, stainless steel, or unchipped enamel.
• When your tea is done, return the herbs to the earth by adding them to your compost or garden.

 

Herbal Tinctures

Tinctures are easy to store and use. They’re traditionally started on the new moon so that the moon’s energy can draw out the herbs’ properties. Making a tincture involves soaking herbs (known as the mark) in a liquid (known as the menstruum) for a month or longer. Various menstruums can be used, but the process used in each case is the same:

1. Prepare the herbs by chopping or grinding. (You can tincture several herbs together if you like.)
2. Put the herbs in a jar and add enough menstruum to cover them by about an inch.
3. Shake daily.
4. After a month, strain the tincture, first through a strainer and then through a clean, undyed cloth. Squeeze tightly or press on the herbs with a potato ricer.
5. Bottle the strained menstruum in amber glass jars. (The spent herbs can be composted.) Be sure to label and date each jar, and store away from heat and light.

Take tinctures by putting 1 dropperful in a bit of hot water and drinking.

 

Tincture-Making Tip

When a recipe calls for “parts,” these are measured by weight, not by volume.

 

You can choose your menstruum based on the herbs you’re using and the benefits you’re looking for. Here are some guidelines to consider:

• Alcohol helps preserve the herbs while extracting both their watersoluble and their alcohol-soluble properties. Alcohol must be at least 50 proof to have good preservative qualities. Vodka is the purest grain alcohol; brandy is another good choice. Alcohol is ideal for extracting fats, resins, waxes, and most alkaloids, but it doesn’t extract polysaccharides effectively. Tinctures made in alcohol will last for many years. Alcohol tinctures are not suitable for those with alcohol addictions who are wanting to quit or stay “dry.”
• Vegetable glycerin is the best menstruum for those who are alcohol intolerant, as well as for children and pregnant or nursing mothers. Glycerin is both a solvent and a preservative; its effectiveness lies somewhere between that of water and that of alcohol. It’s also naturally sweet, pleasant tasting, and helps extract mucilage, vitamins, minerals, and tannins from plant material—but not resins. When diluted, it’s also slightly antiseptic, demulcent, and healing. Tinctures made from glycerin are known as glycerites, and they’re usually prepared using 1 part water to 2 parts glycerin. Glycerites have a shorter shelf life than alcohol tinctures—about one to three years.
• Apple cider vinegar, preferably organic. Look for a vinegar with about 5.7 percent acetic acid; this will impart a long shelf life. It’s also a digestive tonic and can be used to season food. Warm the vinegar before you pour it over the herbs. Avoid using a metal lid, which can rust. Vinegar tinctures have a shelf life of six months to four years.

Herbal Capsules

Herbs can be powdered in a blender and put in capsules. Health foods stores offer empty capsules—both gelatin and vegetarian—for you to fill with mixtures of your own. You can do this by hand; there are also machines available that will fill about fifty capsules at once.

 

Capsule Sizes

• A size 0 capsule contains 400 to 450 milligrams.
• A size 00 capsule contains 500 to 600 milligrams.
• A size 000 capsule contains 650 to 850 milligrams.

 

Herbal Aromatherapy Inhalations

To make an aromatherapy nasal inhaler, add 5 drops essential oil to ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Place the ingredients in a small glass vial with a lid. Open and inhale as often as needed.

Herbal Baths

Herbal baths are not only fragrant but also therapeutic. There are several ways to prepare one.

• Tie a couple of handfuls of your herbs of choice into a washcloth and secure with a strong hair tie. (Rubber bands may melt.) Place the herb-filled cloth in the bath as you fill the tub with hot water. (You are essentially making a tea in the tub!) When full, turn off the faucet and wait for the water to cool. When the temperature is right for you, get in and enjoy. You will absorb some of the properties of the herbs through your skin.
• Prepare a large pot of tea on the stove (see “Herbal Teas,”) and strain it into the tub.
• One of the simplest methods is to fill the tub and add 5 to 10 drops of one essential oil—perhaps chamomile. Adding the oil after the tub is full will minimize evaporation. Close the shower curtain while you soak to help hold in the volatile oils.