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Specific Vitamins, Herbs, Medications
to sound drunk or fall asleep prior to your talk. Again I want to reinterate, herbalist are trained to look at the whole
person and come up with an individual approach to resolve issues. There maybe more issues in your life which are
contributing to this condition. A thorough review of everything about you may reveal interrelationships, not seen by
your simple question. Which as you can tell by our email exchange, asking the question what is a natural alternative to
Paxil is only part of your story.
We do mail order this tincture and I have found it effective when I give lectures to calm my nerves and relax me prior to
a speaking engagements.
And yes form is always a consideration when taking herbs. What part of the plant is used, when is it gathered, should it
be fresh or dry. How much is the recommend dose? Tincture, tea or pill?
I would recommend freshly ground Kava to make tea or better the tincture as the best form for this herb. As to your pill
use; there can be several problems. Once herbs are ground they begin to lose potency quick, there is more surface
area to release aromatics and constituents.
The other issue is volume. You may simply, be not getting enough Kava in the pill form. Some pill manufacturer's use
fillers and binders. One more issue is how old is the Kava, I have read that some herbs and spices sit months and
sometimes years before being processed. Aging is a big factor for herbal potency. Try the tincture, the alcohol acts as
a solvent extracting all the Kava's constituents. It holds them in freshness because it is also a great preservative, there
are tinctures which are 50 years old and still effective. Additionally, with the tincture you can fine tune your dose more
easily, literally a drop at a time. Another positive thing about tinctures is they start being absorbed through the lining in
your mouth and all the way down the alimentary canal to the small intestine, so they are faster acting and bypass the
digestive process being absorbed right into the blood stream almost immediately.
One more thing to consider, there are those people that may not react at all to Kava, I doubt if this is the case, but is
always a possibility.
GINKGO BILOBA
Question: Could you please tell me what negative effects might be of Ginko Biloba. I have been experiencing terrible
headaches when I started taking it. I wondered if it might be related.
Answer: The simple answer to your question is Ginkgo biloba is a vasodilator and one of its uses is specific to
cerebral circulation. Dilation of these vessels in the brain can cause headaches for some people.
I would like to know why you are taking Ginkgo, there may be an alternate.
HYSSOP AND CALENDULA
QUESTION: I have a nice group of Koean Hyssop growing that I planted this spring. I have read that hysop is a good
healer. What parts of the plant would I harvest and how would I process them for internal and topical use. Is this even
the proper Hyssop to use for herbal remedies.
I also have a nice patch of calendula and am looking for a recipe for a skin cream.
ANSWER:
Here is your answer to the Hyssop question.
The medicinal plant Hyssop is Latin Name: Hyssopus officinalis. It is part of the Lamiacae Family. The part used is the
Flowering herb, gather while it is in flower. It can be used dry or fresh.
Its major constituents are:
Flavanoids: Diosmin, Hesperidin, Hyssopin.
Terpenoids: Marrubiin acid, Oleanolic acid, Ursolic Acid.
Volatile Oils: Camphor, thujone, linalool, pinocamphone, isopinocamphone.
The herb has traditionally been used for viral conditions such as colds, flu, viral pneumonia, intestinal viruses,
bronchitis. This is a very old herbal medicine and is mentioned in the Bible. It is rich in essential oils, which are calming
to the digestive system and act as antiviral and antibacterial agents. This herb combines nicely with Yarrow or Boneset
for colds and flus
The essential oil has been used as an inhalation for asthma.
It can be taken as a tea or an alcohol extract (tincture).
Contraindications: Amenorrhoea, pregnancy, or fevers with profuse sweating.
Here is an answer for the Calendula:
It is an excellent skin care herb. This is a great wound plant for a wide range of cuts, scratches, scrapes, infections.
Use either fresh or dry flowers and make a water or oil infusion.
To make a Calendula cream first make an infused oil of Calendula by drying the flowers then fill and lightly pack them
in a clear jar. Cover the dried flowers with vegetable oil, such as virgin olive oil or sunflower oil. Let sit in the sun and
shake for a couple of weeks the oil should begin to pick up the color of the flowers. Strain the flowers from the oil. This
oil is your infused Calendula oil.
To make a basic cream follow this recipe.
Mixture number 1
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