Imagine growing your own remedy for seasonal allergies or handling wild pre-menstrual mood swings with a tincture. Or how about kicking an afternoon coffee habit with a tasty homebrewed infusion? Though many Westerners have lost touch with the incredible healing potential of plants, medicinal herbs are beginning to experience a renaissance. An ancient and empowering field, herbs have been widely used by indigenous peoples to fight illness, heal wounds, balance hormones, boost energy, and improve well-being for centuries. Indeed, villages in Mexico and Hawaii still exchange herbs at regional markets, swapping coastal plants for mountain growers, and vise-versa. For women whose lives often include bearing and nursing children having safe, effective, and affordable plant-based remedies for stress, PMS, allergies, digestive troubles, and other day-to-day ailments is even more essential.
With the guidance of four health practitioners, we selected the following herbs to help stock your herbal medicine chest. Ranging from the common dandelion to the exotic shatavari, these herbs provide a wide range of benefits for everyday ailments. In addition, herbs are by nature nutritious, so taking herbs boosts overall health, often without negative side effects. Read on for how, when, and why to take each of these natural healers.
Black Cohosh
Renowned for its beneficial effects for women, black cohosh is often the herb of choice for PMS and menopause. Native to North America, the herb has delicate white flowers, but its black roots (from which the herb gets its name) are the source of this herbs medicinal benefits. Historically, Native Americans have used the herb topically for snakebites and internally during labor and childbirth.
Uses & Benefits:
Balances hormones and relieves cramps, depression, and stress associated with PMS. Rich in phytoestrogens, it supports women in menopause by reducing hot flashes, vaginal dryness, headaches, and mood swings. It also helps induce a late period, regulate menstrual flow, and tone the uterus prior to childbirth. A mild sedative and muscle relaxant, black cohosh calms the nervous system and relieves tension and insomnia.
Dosage & Contraindications:
Liz Lipski, Ph.D., CCN, and author of Digestive Wellness (McGraw Hill, 2004), recommends taking the herb as a tea, capsule, or tincture, per package directions. Avoid if pregnant or nursing. Use before labor only under physician supervision. Do not use for prolonged periods of time (more than 6 months) or in excessively high doses. Consult your health practitioner before combining it with any prescription medication, including birth control pills.
Dandelion
Who would have thought this common lawn terror could be such a potent healing herb? A bitter cleanser, dandelion has historically been used to purify blood and lymph. The leaves are rich in potassium, chlorophyll, vitamin A, iron, calcium, and niacin; so one dose is akin to eating a large green salad. According to Letha Hadady, L.Ac, and author of Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health (Rodale Books, 2006) and Healthy Beauty (Wiley, 2003), dandelion “stirs the flow of bile,” which helps rid the body of hardened impurities.
Uses & Benefits:
Diuretic, stimulates digestion and elimination, clears skin, and alleviates allergies. Dandelion is also useful in weight loss because it reduces sugar cravings and water retention. Under practitioner supervision, dandelion may be used to treat fibroids and gall and kidney stones.
Dosage & Contraindications:
Hadady recommends 6-12 capsules (300-400 mg) each day, or the equivalent dose in tincture form. For weight loss purposes, the dosage can be increased to as many as 16 capsules per day, but she cautions, “reduce the dose if you become cold and weak, and avoid dandelion altogether if nausea or diarrhea is present.”
By Tanya M. Williams | Photography by Andrew Purcell | Styling by Carrie Tinkham
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