Introduction and Importance of Natural Remedies
Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode on the Herbalist's Path. I am so happy that you are here tuning in. So thank you so very much. And in today's episode, I really just wanted to cover some of the most common reasons that Natural remedies or at home DIY remedies may not work for people because it's really important to get this down so that they can work.
You can ultimately end up with just such a better quality of remedies for your family than you can buy on the stores. They're going to be less toxic, like you'll be able to pronounce and actually know all the things that go into them. Which is so nice, because when you look at, like, you know, the over the counter stuff, or the behind the counter stuff, definitely hard to pronounce a lot of that stuff.
You will also be able to save your family so much money. You can make your remedies tailored to the person that needs them, like, exactly what that person needs, instead of, like, having to buy five different tincture bottles to put together for one little remedy. You can just make it all and make it all just how you need, which is so cool.
So yeah, we're just going to cover a few of the main reasons why these things may not be working. Some of them may work really well for you. But if you've ever had that like, Hmm. Is this working for me or is this total placebo? Is this just a bunch of hippy dippy woo woo junk?
Common Misconceptions about Herbal Remedies
And I think one of the biggest misconceptions that I see out there, it's one thing that I hear all the time, is, hey Mel, what herb do I take for this problem?
As if that herb is going to be an instant fix pill. I've got news for you, if you didn't know this already, herbs aren't instant fix pills. While some can really help a lot in an acute situation, like plantain on a bee sting or a bug bite can really work wonders, more often than not, what's needed for true, deep healing and to make major shifts in chronic illnesses is lifestyle changes.
So, that may mean less scrolling on the phone, no bedtime scrolling, maybe it's a shift in the diet, removing inflammatory triggered foods, moving your body more, spending time more, spending more time in nature, things along those lines can really go a long way. And then of course, you know, along with a dietary change, just making sure that you're getting adequate nutrition in the body, so that the body is organs can function properly.
So that's a whole like 15 other podcast episodes just to talk about the lifestyle changes, but I really just wanted to bring up the point that herbs aren't an instant fix pill. They are a lifestyle.
The Importance of Quality in Herbal Remedies
And so, another thing that really goes into that is the quality of herbs that you are getting, it really, really matters.
Whether you are making your own remedies or you are buying them pre made from somebody else, the quality of the plant material and the solvents going into your remedies makes a huge difference. I noticed such a dramatic difference in my herbs that I get from a local organic herb farmer versus what I will get from a more large supplier.
There's some great large suppliers out there like Mountain Reserves that I still love to order from. I love that company, but if I can purchase them from somebody nearby me or through OSHA Herb Farm, then I know I'm gonna get far superior quality, like way better than anywhere else. Of course, I'm always ordering organic, or if it's not certified organic because it's such a small farm and they just can't afford it.
I know them, I know that they are like doing the good work for the land and for the earth and for the plants so they're growing great potent medicine and when a farmer has the time to like give the plants the nurturing love that they need those plants are going to come back filled with so many more beneficial nutrients and they're constituents in them to really be potent medicine.
Like it is amazing the vitality difference that you will see in dried plant material from a local farmer to a more mass produced bunch of herbs. Mind blowing. So, on that note, it's oftentimes what I'll see on social media is people like, Yay, I just got this bag of herbs from Amazon. And the problem with that, unless you know and love that company already, you know their quality is superior to anything else, the problem with that is that You don't know how long those herbs have been sitting in that warehouse and sitting on those shelves.
In general, for top quality herbs, you want them to be at least two years new. So no, no older than two years and some herbs you're going to want an even smaller amount of time, like lemon balm definitely depletes in its vitality and you don't smell the volatile oils as much post six months, so it will vary with different herbs, so make sure you are aware of that.
Choosing the Right Herbs for Your Needs
Another thing that can be really, really important and make a huge difference in the efficacy of your herbal remedies that you're making for your family, whether they are actually going to work, is just making sure you've chosen the right herbs. Like, just because you see a cool meme that says that, I don't know, what herb do I want to pull out of my booty right now?
It says that turmeric is the best herb this person's ever used, which I love turmeric, it is an amazing herb, but that doesn't mean that it is your herb, that doesn't mean that it is the herb that's going to work on your body systems, or like the big buzzword of anti inflammatory, like Inflammation is actually a really beneficial process of your body's immune system.
So to always fight the inflammation isn't necessarily what needs to happen, but it is such a buzzword in our In our world, so often people are looking for that anti inflammatory herb, but what body system, and what, what body system does that herb have an affinity for, you need to think about that, like turmeric's really great for the joints and ligaments and tendons, right?
Is it anti inflammatory in all of the other places? Do I want to use it for a sore throat when I have inflammation in my respiratory tract? Probably not the first herb I'm going to turn to. Not that I wouldn't use it. But I definitely have better herbs. They're going to act on my respiratory tract just as I need them to.
And when I say act, we need to think about herbal actions, how an herb works on the body and what body system it has that particular Affinity 4, as I was just saying. And then we also need to think about the energetics of the herb, the energetics of the person, the energetics of the symptom we are trying to deal with.
Inflammation, for instance, if you listen, there is a flame in the middle of that word, and inflammation is hot. So we want to pair inflammation with a cooling herb, or if it's dry and hot, we want a moistening and cooling herb, right? So, learning how to balance that art and that science of plant medicine and energetics and herbal actions is really important and you can totally do it definitely doable, but it is one of the reasons why often times people are like, eh, your herbal remedies don't work for me.
Because you don't have the right herb. So, I definitely teach that kind of stuff. I go deeper on this in a free class that I'm going to be doing, How to Make Herbal Remedies That Actually Work, and that tastes so great that your kiddos are actually going to want some more. And I'll link to that free class in the show notes if you want to join me.
I would love to have you. But, other than that, other things to think about are like how a remedy is made. So, right now it seems like Herbal tinctures are all the rage, though there's so many other ways you can get herbs into your body from incorporating them into your foods, in vinegars, in honeys capsules, glycerides, all of the things, but tinctures are super popular right now.
And one herb that I have seen a few times on social media is marshmallow, which I love marshmallow so much. It's an amazing plant and is really, really great for respiratory tract infections, particularly a hot and dry one because marshmallow root is really loaded with. It's this slimy coating cooling stuff that's called mucilage and that mucilage and the polysaccharides are not soluble in alcohol, which makes it really unfortunate for somebody that spends a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of effort on making their herbal their tincture of marshmallow root hoping it's going to ease a sore throat but like it's not you just wasted a bunch there.
So understanding the solubility of constitu of constituents and the menstruum that you're using for your remedy is super duper important.
Understanding Dosage and Efficacy of Herbal Remedies
Of course, dosage matters. Like, are you giving this person enough? Are you giving them too much? And really understanding how that can make a huge impact on how well the herb works.
In a big generalized nutshell, I do recommend that you always start on the lower side of dosage. Because it's a lot harder to take away the herbs from the body once they're in there than it is to Add more, right? You can always add more. You can't just take it away. So, keeping that kind of stuff in mind.
So, those are just some quick action tips I wanted you to take away from this episode. Really recognizing that herbs are not an instant fix pill, right? People are turning to herbs and natural remedies because one, we're not trusting the pharmaceutical industry, right? Because they're not all that trustworthy, though they do have some really powerful life saving drugs.
Overall, they're a greedy, nasty, toxic, money hungry, terrible organization of people. so We don't trust them, right? Which is fine, but if you're looking for an alternative, we need to think outside of the box that they've trained, trained us to think in. If those pharmaceutical remedies are not working for you and your family, we can't turn to herbs to replace that pharmaceutical drug, right?
We need to think about the whole big picture. The body, the mind, the spirit the soul, lifestyle choices, all of that.
Upcoming Event Announcement
And speaking of, I have something pretty special that I haven't really put out to the world yet. It's coming out soon, and if I have the waitlist ready, I'll put it in these show notes, but We're doing a big event that is all about holistic health care for your family.
So not just herbal medicine, but all of the different healing modalities coming together and teaching you how you can really take your family's health back into your own hands. So that is coming soon. This is my little whisper heads up to you. Of course you will hear me talk about it a lot more in the coming weeks.
I am super excited about it and the people involved in it are absolutely brilliant and amazing and if you decide to join us I know you are going to learn So much. Okay. All right.
Recap and Conclusion
So back to what we talked about today. I'm, I'm just so excited about that event. Making sure you have great quality herbs, right?
Super duper important. Making sure that you are choosing the right herbs for the person and the symptom that you are trying to treat. Making sure that the herbs are made well, or the remedy is made well. The herbs are. Hopefully grown well, we already covered that part, but that like if you're using an alcohol based tincture the medicinal constituents you're seeking to get out of that plant are soluble in whatever you are trying to extract them in.
That's herb geek speak. I will break it down much more in how to make herbal remedies that work and taste great so your kiddos love them. So if you want to join me in that and ask me questions on that, I am all about it. The other thing we need to think about is dosage, right? Making sure that you have them taking enough and not too much to the point that you would harm them.
That's it. That's my Sunday evening ramble into a microphone and talk to you about herbal medicine session. Thank you so much for tuning into it. I really do appreciate you. Like, it really means a lot. Some of you have been reaching out and letting me know you're listening to the show and that is really, really so nice.
Like, I love to hear it because. I like that conversation with you. Right now I'm talking into a microphone but when I get to hear back from you it makes my heart warm and fuzzy and know that I'm making an impact on your life and hopefully you are at least learning some good stuff while you're here.
Okay. That's it. I'm gonna get all rambly and mushy. I wish you an amazing rest of your week, your day, your month, whatever it is you are thinking about. I hope it is amazing. Thanks again and take care of yourself. Bye.