There are many common herbs that have medicinal properties that can be used to alleviate a wide range of illnesses and conditions. In order to benefit from them you have to draw the medicinal properties from them and the best way to do this is to extract them from the herbs. This is best done by what is called the ‘infusion” method. Herbal infusions are strong water based preparations and they can be used in a variety of ways depending on the illness or problem. Some of the most popular ways to use them include, drinking them, skin washes, compresses, douches or poultices.

An infusion that you drink differs from an herbal tea in that you use a large amount of herbs and the herbs are steeped in water in a container that is airtight for at least several hours and preferably overnight. The infusion can then be drunk iced, at room temperature or reheated and drunk hot. Infusions are always prepared using boiling water and it is essential that they remain airtight while steeping. Infusions can be made from the herbs leaves, which are dried, the dried roots or bark or the dried flowers or seeds of the herb.

The method used to infuse the herb to extract its medicinal properties varies depending on the part of the herb you are using for the infusion. Here are some of the proper infusion methods for medicinal herbs.

When using the leaves of the herb place 1 ounce of dried leaves in 1 quart of boiling water. Make sure that you screw the lid onto the container tightly and allow to steep until the water is completely cool, when the jar is cool to the touch then strain out the dried leaves and used as desired.

If you are making an infusion with the roots or bark from the herb then put 1 ounce in a pint jar and add boiling water. Once the water has been allowed to completely cool, and then strain away the bark or roots and drink as desired.

If using dry flowers from the herbs then place 1 ounce in a quart of boiling water and allow to steep for 2 or 3 hours. Strain away the dry flowers before drinking.

When using dried seeds of the herbs in your infusion place 1 ounce in a pint of boiled water and allow to steep for no longer than a half hour. It is important not to leave it for any longer otherwise the infusion will taste very bitter. Strain away the seeds before drinking the infusion.

Herbal bath infusions are very popular, when used this way the medicinal properties absorb into the skin through soaking. Add 2 quarts of your chosen strained infusion to your water before soaking.

An herbal infusion poultice can be used to treat infections and wounds. Wash the affected area first with the infusion and then soak a cloth in the infusion liquid before applying to the affected area.

In the Chinese language, oolong means “black dragon”. It is actually a tea plant. When you pour hot water over oolong leaves, the “black dragon” wakes up, so to speak, and, once properly brewed, gives you oolong tea. It tastes more like green tea than like black tea, although it has a delicate flavor of its own. The most common brew has an initial strong and bitter taste, but as you finish drinking, it leaves a kind of faint, sweet taste in the end. Most Chinese restaurants serve oolong tea along with Chinese food.

There are many varieties of oolong tea, classified according to the areas where the oolong herbs are grown and come from as well as the quality of the leaves. The best oolong teas come from the Fújià n province in China as well as from some of the heights of Taiwan, where it is grown under expert supervision and care. With their distinctive aroma and taste, most highly prized oolong teas carry an exorbitant price tag. Oolong teas grown in Taiwan have a widely varying price range from the common varieties being available for a few tens of dollars per kilogram to superior varieties costing more than a few hundred dollars. The cost of the coveted and most-prized “champion tea” may not be affordable. Its price may run into some thousands of dollars. Tea connoisseurs classify oolong teas according to their aroma, initial taste and aftertaste (these generally depend, as you might guess, upon the reputation of the grower), and the superior areas from which they come as well as the type and quality of processing techniques followed.

Processing of oolong tea involves several steps, starting with sun drying or air-drying the tea leaves to get rid of some moisture. To help oxidation, the edges of the leaves are bruised, and by way of preparing for the next processing stage, they are rubbed, after which further oxidation is not allowed. The leaves are dried again, this time in a large pan over heat and stirred manually. Machinery also can be used for drying at this stage. Then follows cooling, after which the leaves are dried again to remove any excess moisture. Grading the oolong tea, as per quality, and packaging are the final stages of processing.

To brew oolong tea, take about a couple of teaspoons of leaves per cup and steep them in hot water (its temperature being about 180 degrees F to 190 degrees F) for about 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t use boiling water. Or, don’t boil the leaves in water. Otherwise, the taste of the tea will be ruined.

Oolong (also known as Wu - Long) tea possesses weight-loss properties, due to which it has become quite popular these days, besides having several medicinal properties beneficial to human health, as the belief among oolong loyalists goes. Research reports say that it promotes metabolism and inhibits the weight-increasing tendency of carbohydrates, effecting weight reduction thereby. Scientists of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan University, have found in their study that oolong tea in comparison with green tea of the same amount burns 157% more fat. Oolong tea improves your immune system, adds a glow to your skin, strengthens teeth and makes them healthy, and promotes your mental health, as well.

For overall good health and, more importantly, for weight-loss, drink a couple of cups of oolong tea every morning and evening. You will be happily surprised with the positive results.

While of course if you have problems with your teeth for any length of time you should go to the dentist there are some times when you suddenly get a gnawing pain and toothaches strikes and it’s just impossible to visit a dentist. For the majority of people this is generally when they get problems with their teeth, when they cannot possibly do anything about it; however there is something you can do. The majority of people use herbs and spices in the kitchen and herbs are a great natural toothache remedy, here are some of the most common natural toothaches remedies and how to apply them in your situation.

The number one herb for the treatment of toothache and which almost everyone has in their kitchen is ground clove or clove oil. Take a ¼ teaspoon of olive oil and mix this with 2 to 3 drops of pure clove oil, soak a cotton ball in the mixture and place the cotton ball gently by the side of the tooth that is giving you pain. If you having trouble with a tooth right at the back then placing the cotton wool ball onto the tooth and biting down on it can help to ease the pain considerably. You can leave it there for as long as you need to but whatever you do don’t leave it in there while you sleep.

Activated charcoal is another firm favorite for toothache; this is something that can be found in most drugstores or in natural health food stores. Mix two teaspoons of the powder with enough water to form a paste, put the mixture on a piece of gauze or cotton wool ball and bite down on it.

If you have a jar of peanut butter and a clove of fresh garlic then you can mix the two and apply this mixture to the problem tooth, keeping it there until relief is felt.

1 tablespoon of common household salt can be mixed in ½ cup of boiled water and swilled around the mouth to ease pain caused by toothache.

Take a ginger root and shave off a small piece, chew it slowly and gently around the affected tooth, this will release the juices from the ginger root and greatly decrease the pain felt from the tooth.

Boil 5 grams of fresh peppermint and a pinch of common salt in 1 cup of water drink this and swill it around the affected tooth in order to ease the pain, this can also be successfully used as a mouthwash to help keep bacteria away if you have a cavity that needs filling.

A few drops of oil of oregano placed onto a ball of cotton wool or piece of gauze can greatly decrease a toothache.

Take some Hing – available at health food stores - powder and add a little lime juice, soak a cotton wool ball in the mixture and then place this on and around the problem tooth until the pain has eased, this can be used whenever the pain returns or until you can get to a dentist for further treatment.

Once called Siberian ginseng, it is now known in the United States by its new name Eleuthero, the herb’s scientific name being Eleutherococcus setaceous. A couple of other names are touch-me-not and devil’s shrub. The Chinese use the name ci-wu-jia for it, which is grown in their country’s northeastern provinces. It is also grown in Japan, Korea and Russia.

The shrub’s root, the root bark and its stem are the main parts of the plant from which comes the active ingredient of eleuthero. In order to harvest, the plant should be at least two years or more in age. The value of the plant grows with age. The Chinese have always assigned to it immense importance and value, due to which the plant products are sold at very high prices.

In the Far East and in China, eleuthero is quite widely used as a general tonic, for boosting a person’s energy levels. For improving the vital energy, Qi (Chi), levels, the Chinese have been using eleuthero for at least two thousand years. In Russia, researches on the properties and effectiveness since the middle of the twentieth century, on which the Chinese also depended, have shown that eleuthero is very effective in improving general health, increasing appetite, boosting vigor and in normalizing a person’s body functions. It has been found to be a substance that helps you to adapt to the various changing factors that cause stress. These could be lack of sleep or too much of exertion or even weather changes, for instance. To counter the problems of stress, eleuthero helps maintain the normal functioning of the adrenal glands. Many people use it also because of its ability to work for toning up the general health and to promote longevity.

The active components of eleuthero are called eleutherosides. These, together with its complex polysaccharides (a type of sugar molecule), increase the energy levels in the body by means of preventing too much glycogen from being spent, when the energy requirements of the body are being met by the utilization of fatty acids. Another thing that this active ingredient does is to help the body to increase its working capacity by means of preserving the oxygen levels in its working muscles. This only means that you can remain active for longer hours as your muscles retain more energy, thanks to eleuthero. As eleuthero also optimizes performance under stressful conditions, athletes use it for achieving better results in competitions.

It is effective in preventing, or at least alleviating, the side effects of exposure to radiation. Due its being able to build the body’s immune system, people use it as a preventive for cold and flu attacks. Suggestions, though based on inconclusive evidence, are made to the effect that eleuthero may be very useful in managing the long term immune system related conditions like the HIV and lupus (an auto-immune illness).

Eleuthero products are available in various forms in the United States. These include capsules, tablets, tinctures and also powders of dried roots and rhizomes of the shrub.

Numerous herbal antidepressants are available quite easily both on the Internet and as over-the-counter herbal remedies for depression, but it is rather difficult to trust most of them. Actually only a small number of them are of any real value, because most of the others are not supported by evidence of their being effective through extensive clinical studies. Some of the herbal antidepressants may claim some scientific support, but that support is based on insufficient statistical data or on clinical studies that are inconclusive or not extensive enough to produce valid results.

Generally, in cases of depression, the doctor has to ascertain the severity of a person’s depression. A particular person may be afflicted with quite a severe bout of depression and in that case, the doctor may prescribe antidepressant drugs either alone or in combination with psychotherapy. Most herbal antidepressants may not work well enough for persons suffering from severe depression. Even if the herbal antidepressants used are not prescription drugs, it is advisable to take a qualified medical specialist’s advice in the matter of using them. Children under 12 should not be given herbal antidepressants without the approval of a pediatrician. Actually, it may be better to opt for psychological treatment in cases of children and teenagers.

The alcoholic extract from St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has found great scientific support as being a very effective antidepressant. Its active ingredient is called hyperforin, a phloroglucinol derivative, which is an antidepressant compound. Herbal antidepressants claiming to have the standardized, pharmaceutical grade St. John’s Wort extract, but which contain less than 3% of hyperforin, will not give you the desired relief from depression. The extract that has 5% of hyperforin will work best, as per the evidence established through clinical studies.

Those suffering from mild to moderate depression need to take a daily dose of about 900 mg of St. John’s Wort. The dosage goes up to about 1800 mg for cases of increased levels of depression. However, the actual dosage depends upon the age of the patient and the severity of the depression the patient experiences. Younger persons, and persons having milder depression, have to take a lower dosage.

5 - HTP, (5 - hydroxytryptophan) extracted from a plant called Griffonia simplicifolia, is an amino acid which is useful in combating depression and anxiety. If 5 - HTP is added to go with hyperforin, St. John’s Wort will work more effectively.

Almost all the well-known prescription antidepressant drugs of all types have multiple side effects. TCAs (Tricyclic Antidepressants) are known to cause a dry mouth, constipation, sleepiness, weight gain and sexual dysfunction, besides some other problems. SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), especially in the first few weeks of taking them, cause among other things indigestion, impotence or sexual dysfunction, problems in controlling urination, giddiness, confusion, difficulty in remembering, palpitation, increase in blood pressure and so on. Other types of antidepressants also produce side effects.

That is why more and more depressed people are turning to herbal antidepressants, as these have hardly any of the harmful or painful side effects associated with many popular prescription antidepressants. However, it is always advisable to obtain the doctor’s opinion before choosing to take a particular over-the-counter herbal antidepressant or other herbal health products meant for depressed people.

The origins of herbalism go as far back as the origins of man. Since the times when man started exploring and experimenting with nature and its resources, man has been aware of the beneficial and harmful effects of a variety of plants. The natural tendency of certain, normally carnivorous animals, to eat the leaves of certain plants when they were ill added to man’s curiosity to learn more and more about the healing qualities of plants and their parts.

The Sumerians, the Chinese and the Indians and even people from other regions of the world generally discovered that certain herbs had healing properties and some others could be poisonous or harmful for animals and human beings, through a process of trial and error and sometimes by sheer accident. For a long time, the body of knowledge gained through the discoveries about medicinal uses of plants passed from one generation to the next generation by word of mouth. It was only about 5000 years ago that the Sumerians recorded their knowledge about medicinal herbs on clay tablets, but even much before that the Chinese and the Indians had succeeded in advancing their knowledge on herbalism.

The Chinese produced a book, under instructions from their emperor Chi’en Nung, containing names of almost 300 medicinal herbs. Among them was listed ma huang, (Ephedra sinica), from which modern day scientists have isolated ephedrine, which is a major ingredient in some diet pills that are widely available in the market today. In the Indian herbal tradition, a fairly knowledge base of diseases, their symptoms and the herbal treatment to be prescribed for treating those diseases, called Ayurveda, was developed quite early. By about the 2nd century B.C., there were experts who knew about more than 700 or 800 indigenous Indian medicinal herbs and these were even then used in the treatment of patients. Ayurveda is still widely practiced in India as an alternative system of medicine.

Later, the Babylonians (who lived in almost the same region as that of modern day Iraq), as also the ancient Chinese and the Indians, influenced the Greeks and the Romans in the field of herbalism. The Europeans learned and improved upon the knowledge they gained about herbs from traveling monks from the Arab region, with the help of the translations monks made from Arabic works. In the Americas, the European settlers found that the Native Americans had extensive knowledge about the medicinal properties of the local herbs, but they had a tradition of treating ailing people by propitiating unseen spirits during the process of using the herbs. A priest, called shaman, was believed to possess the special powers of magic to negotiate with the spirit world in order to heal the suffering. With their healing tradition of shamanism, Native Americans had deep reverence for nature in general and for the herbal kingdom in particular. Many of the herbs that once Native Americans discovered and used for their medicinal properties are now a subject of attention in modern scientific studies.

Herbalism developed indigenously in the other regions of the world also. Australia, Africa, the South Pacific had their herbal traditions among the native people. European soldiers and travelers learned from these traditions and developed their herbal knowledge, although separating it from its association with the traditional magic and superstition.

The development of science and technology has helped modern people in rediscovering through scientific studies and experimentation the value of the many medicinal herbs that the ancient people knew just by experience. Herbalism remains as a viable way to treat many ailments.

Peppermint has always been a very popular flavoring for chewing gum, tea and toothpaste, it is also been a very popular remedy for soothing an upset stomach and calming the indigestive system. Peppermint has been used to successfully treat skin irritations, headaches, depression and anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, problems with periods and the flatulence. It is one of the most versatile of all plants and herbs.

Digestive aid

Peppermint is particularly useful when it comes to soothing and calming indigestion, this is due to its properties calming the muscles of the stomach and improving the flow of the bile. This action enables food that we eat to pass through the body in a natural way, however while peppermint is useful for a wide variety of conditions it shouldn’t be used if the indigestion could be due to gastoesophageal reflux disease.

There have been a number of studies made into the effectiveness of peppermint when used in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Certain symptoms of this illness can cause pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea.

Menstrual cramps

Because peppermint is well known in its ability to relax muscles it is effective when used to relieve painful cramps associated with menstrual periods. Peppermint oil is also known to be particular effective for treating and breaking down gallstones. Peppermint oil is also known to have antiviral properties that can help to provide protection and deal with a large number of infectious agents, including the virus herpes.

Skin Uses

Peppermint can also be used topically and applied to the skin and is often used to soothe a wide variety of skin irritations. Peppermint can help to soothe the skin and relive itching from such as poison ivy, poison oak and hives.

Cold and Flu remedy

Peppermint is one of the main ingredients in many of the popular flu and cold remedies; it has been included in many remedies for the relief of stuffiness of the nasal passages due to peppermint thinning out mucus. It has also been used widely in many cough remedies sold over-the-counter as peppermint is well known for its suppressant properties. It is especially soothing for coughs both dry and chesty as it soothes the passages and also helps the sufferer to get rid of excess phlegm.

Headaches

Peppermint has also been used in the relief of tension headaches and is now one of the main ingredients in a popular over the counter remedies for applying to the forehead.

The majority of products that contain peppermint are made from the leaves and the flowering top part of the peppermint; these are the parts that contain the plants volatile oil and the plants primary active compound, menthol. It is available in a huge range of forms, in the form of a tea to be drunk, a topical cream, a tincture or in capsule form.

While peppermint is considered to be one of the relatively safer forms of herbal remedies it can occasionally cause some adverse effects in certain people. Certain considerations should always be taken and common sense applied, for instance nursing mothers and pregnant women should use preparations of peppermint only very occasionally.

Rhodiola Rosea, a very useful perennial plant of the Crassulaceae family, grows in the Scandinavian countries as well as in the arctic regions of Europe and the colder regions of Central Asia and many other countries. It grows up to a height of about 30 inches, and bears yellow flowers. The Russians know it by the name, the ‘golden root’. In some other countries its common name is ‘roseroot’. It gives out a pleasant rose-like fragrance, when cut.

In olden times, an element of secrecy enveloped the knowledge about the usefulness of the plant, where to harvest the plant and how to extract the medicine from it were confined to only certain families. The Siberians adopted secret routes for transporting Rhodiola Rosea and trading it for wine and honey, fruits and garlic and other precious commodities of Georgia.

The Greeks perhaps were the first to record the medicinal properties of Rhodiola Rosea several centuries ago. For ages, the people in many countries like Russia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France and Iceland have used Rhodiola Rosea as part of their traditional medicine, as it has wonderful qualities beneficial to both the mind and the body.

For ages, people traditionally have been using Rhodiola Rosea for fighting fatigue, anemia, and high altitude blues so that they can increase their endurance physically as well as mentally. Impotence, disorders of the intestine, mainly gastrointestinal problems, nervous disorders, depression, infections, even simple ailments like cold and flu, are some of the things treated with the help of Rhodiola Rosea. It is found to be good for increasing memory and one’s attention span. It is also good for longevity. In Mongolia, it appears, doctors used it for treating tuberculosis and cancer. There are references that people used it for controlling vaginal discharge and for treating hernia, hemorrhoids, hysteria and headaches. It is known to be useful as a stimulant and also as an anti-inflammatory agent.

More recently, Rhodiola Rosea has become a subject for scientific study. Rhodiola Rosea finds mentioned in the eighteenth and nineteenth century scientific literature appearing in countries like Norway, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Germany, France and Iceland. Several clinical studies have been conducted in these countries since 1960. There are also several phytochemical and pharmacological studies to ascertain the effects of Rhodiola Rosea as an adaptogen (a substance that ‘increases resistance of an organism’ without disturbing ‘normal biological parameters’). However, until very recently, the people in the West did not know much about the beneficial properties of the plant, as the published scientific literature on Rhodiola Rosea was not in English.

Hundreds of scientific studies on Rhodiola Rosea conducted since the 1960s have confirmed its various medicinal properties. Russia officially included Rhodiola Rosea in its medicine, because of these studies. In Sweden, since 1985, it has been recognized and used as an Herbal Medicinal Product. Many of these clinical and pharmacological studies prove the effectiveness of Rhodiola Rosea in a wide variety of physical and mental ailments because of its identified beneficial qualities.

So if you wish to enhance your physical endurance or increase your resistance to stress, get rid of depression, or anemia and fatigue without any side effects or toxicity, take Rhodiola Rosea. If you are looking for an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, or a sexual stimulant take Rhodiola Rosea. If you want a safe, natural herbal remedy that has been scientifically proven to be effective for any of the above-mentioned conditions and disorders, go in for Rhodiola Rosea.

Lavender has been one of the most popular medicinal herbs since time immemorial. Lavender’s name is derived from the Latin word lavarre, which means to wash. In ancient Arab medicine, lavender was widely used as an expectorant. In the folk medicine of Europe, lavender has held a reputation as a useful wound herb. The most common types of healing lavenders are L. angustifolia and L. spica. French lavender, L. stoechas, is perhaps one of the most commonly used varieties of lavender.

The flowers of the lavender plant are used to create an array of herbal remedies. Herbalists as bitter describe the character of the lavender flowers, cooling and mainly dry. The flowers are known to contain tannins, volatile oils, coumarins, triterpernoids, and flavonoids. Lavender is well regarded for its ability to promote bile flow, and it is well known as a relaxant, antispasmodic, circulatory stimulant, antiseptic, a tonic for the nervous system, an analgesic, and a carminative.

Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular of all aromatic essential oils. Lavender essential oil can be used to treat a large variety of problems and ailments. Many herbalists recommend that lavender essential oil become an integral part of any household first aid kit. Lavender essential oils can be used to create a variety of herbal remedies. The essential oil of lavender can be used to make a healing cream. Simply add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a chamomile-based cream to treat skin problems such as eczema. You can also add a few drops of lavender essential oil with a few drops of water to treat scalds, burns, or sunburn. Lavender essential oil can also be used to create a potent chest rub. Simply add 1 ml of oil to 5 drops of chamomile oil and rub into chest to treat bronchitis spasms or symptoms of asthma.

Lavender can also be used as a hair rinse. Simply dilute 5-10 drops of essential lavender oil in water to treat lice problems. Lavender essential oil hair rinses can also be used on a fine comb to treat the hair for nits. Lavender essential oil can also be used to make an effective massage oil. Combine 1 ml of lavender essential oil into 25 ml carrier oil, and use as a massage oil. This massage oil is effective in treating painful muscles. Herbalists also recommend rubbing this oil into the temples and the nape of the neck to treat tension headaches and migraines. Lavender essential oil can also help protect against insect bites and stings. Simply smelling lavender can prove healing. Lavender is one of the most important herbs of aromatherapy. It is highly regarded for helping to ease feelings of stress, anxiety, and it can help relieve the symptoms of insomnia.

There are some cautions that accompany the use of lavender. It is particularly recommended that women who are pregnant avoid high doses of lavender. High doses of lavender in any form have been shown to be a strong uterine stimulant.

The Valerian herb has rightly earned the reputation as nature’s tranquilizer. Indeed, this popular herb is known to calm the nerves without any of the side effects that prescription drugs have to offer. The smell of Valerian is known to be strong, distinctive and unpleasant, but this seems a rather small price to pay for the effects of this popular herb. The herb was nicknamed phu by the Greek physician Galen, but its official scientific name is Valeriana officinalis. Valerian is one of the best researched of the modern herbs. It has chemicals called valepotriates that are developed in valerian extracts. These chemicals appear to have a depressive activity on the nervous system.

Valerian has been described as pungent, bitter, dry and cool. The plants constituents are volatile oils (including isovalerianic acid and borneol), alkaloids, inridoids, and alkaloids. The herb has several actions. It is a known tranquilizer, antispasmodic, a diuretic, expectorant, a carminative, a mild anodyne, and it is known for its ability to lower the blood pressure. The most commonly used part of the Valerian plant is the root. The root is well known for its ability to control nervous tension. It is highly regarded as an herbal remedy to treat anxiety and insomnia. The root is also well known for its ability to strengthen the heart and has been known to reduce high blood pressure. The Valerian root is also well known for its ability to aid in the healing of wounds and ulcers. The plant is also applied topically to control the symptoms associated with muscle cramps. Valerian can also be used as an expectorant. It has been known to help tickling coughs. The Valerian plant is most commonly harvested in the fall.

There are several other ways to prepare the valerian root. For instance, it can be prepared into a maceration to treat insomnia or symptoms of anxiety. Simply soak two tablespoons of chopped, fresh herb in a cup of cold water for roughly eight to ten hours. Many herbalists combine other herbs with this concoction. A good choice is peppermint, which can be added to the water to make the taste of the concoction more palatable. Valerian can also be infused to make a hot tea that can be taken to treat the symptoms of insomnia and anxiety.

The Valerian herb can also be used to create a strong and potent tincture. The tincture can be taken to treat anxiety and insomnia. It is recommended that doses of Valerian tinctures are started low. A good dose to start with is 1-2 ml. Some people are known to develop headaches after using Valerian. You can avoid this by starting with a low dose. Doses of the Valerian plant can gradually be increased, if so desired.

Valerian can also be made into a compress. Simply soak a clean pad in a tincture and place over the skin to relieve muscle cramps. A wash can also be created to treat chronic ulcers and wounds, and it can be used to draw out splinters.