How do you prepare medicinal herbs?

[Dora M]

I have always used herbs for every possible ailment I have ever had. My Great Grandmother was a true herbalist. She would go at certain times of the year, during particular moon phases and times of the day and collect herbs in the mountains nearby. Then she would lay them out on wooden tables or hang them from the roof in the attic to dry.
I wonder how effective the herbs that you buy in your health food store or at your herbalist really are.

 

[claudine]

I always worry that store-bought herbs may contain preservatives or other chemicals. Fortunately, growing herbs is easy, anybody can do it. I have my own basil, thyme and mint. Usually, I air dry them.
Do moon phases really matter?

 

[Dora M]

Hi Claudine. I made a point of informing myself about the dried herbs in various health food stores and the packaged ones in pharmacies. I found out that almost all of the herbs and also spices that come from overseas into Australia are irradiated.
They do the same with a lot of the allegedly fresh produce in supermarkets. Here's a link if you want to read about it.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Irrad/irradfact.cfm

 

[khillis]

I am a big supporter of benefiting your body through the food and products in which you expose yourself to. I actually use herbs in beauty products in which I make myself. I incorporate herbs into my soaps and creams to maximize benefits. My products are all natural and organic; I know exactly what it is that I am putting on my skin.

 

[claudine]

Dora M, thank you for sharing this link! To be honest, it doesn't surprise me at all. Unfortunately, nowadays it's really difficult to live a healthy lifestyle and to find products that really are good for us. It's scary I wish I could grow all vegetables and herbs by myself, it's the only way to be 100% sure that they're safe to eat.

 

[Dora M]

I am a big supporter of benefiting your body through the food and products in which you expose yourself to. I actually use herbs in beauty products in which I make myself. I incorporate herbs into my soaps and creams to maximize benefits. My products are all natural and organic; I know exactly what it is that I am putting on my skin.

Hi khillis, I have done the same in the past. I learnt about making basic creams and lotions with essential oils and herbs. I experimented with herbal hair shampoo, poison-free washing powder. Natural cleaning products and disinfectants, etc.
But these days I am strapped for time. I order high quality products from an American company that, I can honestly say, saved my life when I got seriously ill and couldn't get certain herbal preparations in this country.
Perhaps you would like to share some of the ingredients of your creations. Unless they are a secret. ;-)

 

[Dora M]

Dora M, thank you for sharing this link! To be honest, it doesn't surprise me at all. Unfortunately, nowadays it's really difficult to live a healthy lifestyle and to find products that really are good for us. It's scary I wish I could grow all vegetables and herbs by myself, it's the only way to be 100% sure that they're safe to eat.

Claudine, the research is worth it. You might be fine for a long time, but often these things start to surface after a while. They manifest in so many different ways, and yet conventional medicine is still puzzled about the ever growing epidemic of cancer and other life threatening diseases.

 

[Pat]

It is a serious concern I have about the chemicals used in food and the materials we put on our bodies. I do not purchase clothes that need to be dry cleaned because of the chemicals used in the process that are still in the materials and go next to your body when you wear the clothes. The sweat from your body and the chemicals in your clothes mix and can cause a reaction that is harmful to your health.

 

[skywatcher]

When we prepare medicinal herbs at home, my grandmother makes sure we haven't damaged the plants while getting the herbs in the process. But aside from that, she always makes me do other things like prepare a pot of boiling water or fix the table where we will do the rest of the preparation while she does everything herself, so I'm really curious as to how people also do these things. Thank you, guys, for letting me know that these herbs can actually be prepared these ways (and also for the information!)