Using Herbs As Medicine

Written by Lovelyn on March 4, 2009 – 3:24 pm -

Recently, I’ve been reading up on herbs. As a massage therapist, I like the idea of natural health and have always been interested in the use herbs and folk remedies to treat certain illnesses. I decided to looking in to using dried herbs to make my own tinctures, teas, and infusions.

Herbs have been used by people for many years to treat illness, promote health and healing and in cooking. The herbs that you already use in your kitchen have healing benefits. I told you about the benefits of cilantro last week. Do you know what other herbs in your kitchen can be used for? Here are some examples.

Cinnamon is good for digestion and diabetes.

Cayenne pepper helps knock out colds and flu, strengthens the metabolism, helps break up congestion.

Mint aids in digestion, helps stop cramping, relieves gas.

Rosemary can be used topically for skin problems and dandruff. I make a rosemary tea that I use as a hair rinse.

Parsley is good for bad breath, bladder infections, and is a diuretic.

Ginger can be used to relieve nausea.

These are just a few examples of things you have in your kitchen that you can use to promote good health. There are many more.

The problem I’ve found with looking into herbal remedies is that there are so many herbs and so many things that each herb can do that it’s hard to learn all the information. It can be a bit overwhelming.

In the course of my research I found this great website, Learning Herbs, that offers tons of free information about herbs and a few courses. They even sell a starter herb kit to help walk you through the process of making your own tinctures, salves and infusion.

Photo by Tony the Misfit

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