About Holistic Herbs
Choosing Types of Natural Health Remedies

Get information about types of herbs. Are you confused about which holistic herbs and natural health remedies to choose? Which suit your needs and lifestyle best?

Find out more about holistic remedies here...

Herbal remedies may have become increasingly popular in recent years, but using herbs to heal is certainly not a new idea…

People have used herbs as medicine for many thousands of years, so our knowledge of herbs today is able to draw on all this knowledge. Even amongst modern ‘conventional’ medicine, around a quarter of these are based on plants.

Herbal medicine and holistic herbs, just means using plants to heal. Strictly speaking, it has very little to do with ‘herbs’ in the precise sense (although many treatments are still, in fact, ‘herbs’). Remedies might be made from parts of a tree, a root, leaves, a bulb, a flower or even fungi.

Some natural treatments also use naturally occurring hormones and compounds found in the body.

Herbal remedies differ:

• some can be taken for instant relief
• some need to be taken over a period of time, where they can stimulate the body to effect a more gradual cure

Always remember to consult your healthcare provider before taking any decisions regarding your health.

Find out how to take herbal remedies safely and responsibly.

How to Take Holistic Herbs

With so many different options available, it can be hard enough to decide which herb to take …. But then you are greeted with deciding which type of treatment to take. By this, I mean a:

• capsule
• tablet
• tincture
• tea
• dried herb
• essential oil
• etc…

Hopefully, this section will be able to give you a little guidance, so that you feel well-informed, and able to confidently make the best choice for you…

Capsules
Tablets
Liquid Extracts
Teas, Infusions and Decoctions
Essential Oils
Ointments and Creams
Herbal Formulas or Single Herbs

Capsules

• Most holistic herbs are sold as capsules. These are dried, powdered herbs, contained in a gelatine, or vegetarian, capsule.
• You should be careful to use any capsules within their expiry date, as this form of herb can deteriorate, and lose it’s potency, quite quickly.
• Concentrated extracts are, obviously, stronger than ‘whole herb’ capsules, so you may need to take less of them – here the manufacturers just ‘extract’ the ‘active ingredient’ for healing.
• Always make sure that you buy capsules from a reliable source, and make sure that the bottle is security sealed.

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Tablets

• Here, holistic herbs are compacted into the tablet shape, and given a very thin coating.
• Sometimes an ‘enteric coating’ is used. This protects the tablet while it passes through the stomach, until it reaches the intestine, where it can be absorbed by the body. This means that the herb is not dissolved by the stomach acid, and much more of the herb can reach the intestine, and be absorbed.

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Liquid Extracts – Tinctures and Glycerites

• These are made by soaking the herb in a liquid, to help release the active ingredients.
• Tinctures use alcohol.
• Glycerites use glycerin.
• If you are able to take alcohol in tinctures, this tends to suit herbal remedies better than glycerin, so is generally a better option.

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Teas, Infusions and Decoctions

• Teas are the traditional way of taking herbs, and is one of the most effective ways, too.
• You can often buy herbal remedies as tea bags, which makes holistic herbs really easy to use.

  I have found this to be one of the best sources on the internet to get a huge range of herbal tea-bags, at very reasonable prices. There is international shipping too.

  eVitamins (Type ‘tea bags’ into the search box on the site to see the full range.)

• Otherwise, you can make your own teas with fresh or dried herbs. The herbs need to be steeped in hot (nearly boiling) water, and then strained before use…
  • Fresh herbs: as well as teas, fresh herbs can be sprinkled on your food. Take care with identification if you are collecting your own.
  • Dried herbs: These are a more practical option for most people. There is a risk that dried herbs may become out of date, and lose their effectiveness. It is a good idea to choose sealed, foil packed herbs, and look for an expiry date.

    This is the best source on the internet I have found for buying loose dried herbs for making your own teas and herbal remedies: Kalyx.com Bulk Herbs by the Pound. I was very impressed by the range, from the more commonly used herbs to the more specialist choices, that I couldn’t find anywhere else.

• Infusions - made from leaves and flowers
• Decoctions - made from bark, roots, seeds and berries
• Teas are, of course, perfect for drinking, but you can also use them:
  • for a compress:
    • use hot or cold
    • soak a cloth in the tea
  • as a skin wash (allow to cool first)
  • used in a bath

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Essential Oils

• Essential oils are very strong distillations from the herb. Most should not be used undiluted on the skin, or taken internally.
• The use of essential oils is called ‘Aromatherapy’ (but is not just limited to smelling the ‘aromas’ of the oils).
• Do not confuse ‘essential oils’ with ‘infused oils’, such as St. John’s Wort or Calendula oil. These infused oils are made by gentle steeping, rather than distillation, and are often used on the skin for irritations, aches and pains.
• For an excellent range of essential oils and other supplies: Kalyx.com Complete Aromatherapy Oils & Supplies

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Ointments and Creams

• These are for external use and can be great ways of getting healing benefits externally, for things like skin problems, aches and pains.

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Herbal Formulas or Single Herbs

• Originally, holistic herbs were always used as a single remedy. This means using one herb, to treat one illness or symptom.
• These days, though, it is becoming much more common for manufacturers to mix a few different herbs together, to treat a particular complaint – this is called a ‘formula’.
• Formulas are a very convenient way of choosing your holistic remedies. You are quite likely to get the herb, or herbs, that you really need. It also makes it a lot cheaper than buying a few different bottles of separate herbs.
• But, it is also possible that:
  • it doesn’t include the herb most suitable for you
  • it doesn’t include the herbs in sufficient amounts and potencies to be effective
  • it includes some herbs that you don’t want to take, or you may have a reaction to
• Single herbs can give you much more control over what you are taking.
• If you do want to try ‘formula herbs’ go for a reliable supplier. I find Native Remedies are very good for this kind of herbal formula.

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I hope that this information about using and buying holistic herbs is useful, and allows you to feel a bit more informed and confident about using natural health remedies to heal your own health complaints and problems…

See my 'pick of the best' herbal suppliers, and holistic shop reviews

Find out how to take herbal remedies safely and responsibly.

Get more information on what to look for when buying herbs.

Return to the main page for the Holistic Herbs Guide.

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