Mother Nature's Herbal: A Complete Guide for Experiencing the Beauty, Knowledge & Synergy of Everything That Grows

[contents]

Preface

to the Revised Edition

Through this herbal, Mother Nature extends an invitation for you to discover an enchanting world of plants. Every day you will learn something new. The history, lore, cultural significance, and medicinal qualities of a wide variety of herbs is featured. As each one is introduced, open your mind and heart to the knowledge it offers. The herbs not only help physical ailments, but also address the psyche and support spiritual sensitivity. Observe each herb with new eyes and experience the earth’s healing capacity. As you become aware of the beauty enfolding you, every facet of your life will seem magical.

Join me on this journey and walk through the following pages. Mother Nature’s design is to awaken the innate healing ability within all of us. I began to awaken over thirty years ago. I had delivered normal twins who displayed immune deficiencies soon after birth. They ran 105-degree temperatures, reacted badly to almost every food, and bled constantly through their skin. One had anaphylactic shock from soy and febrile convulsions when her temperature climbed. The boy had asthma and staph infections in his eyes. Their list of immune problems grew endlessly. The doctors told me they would not live. Anxiety incapacitated me.

One pediatrician suggested I go home and concentrate on what I could do. All I could do was grow herbs and cook. I soon began shopping at ethnic grocery stores to find additional foods. Here I met competent teachers to guide me: cooks, healers, and doctors of Eastern medicine. From Ayurvedic medicine I learned to prepare certain herbs for topical healing. Orientals taught me to cook tonic herbs to gather concentrated nutrition. Native Americans taught me the use and value of common weeds in my environment. As I opened my intuitive nature, I learned that even flowers are medicinal. Everything in nature is healing; as I discovered this, the twins also were healing.

Over the past thirty years, I have traveled to many countries. Each culture had a specific belief underlying healing. Native Americans used bitter herbs to detox and remedies that allowed quick healing. Chinese used tonic herbs for longevity. Africans used spices in their food to detox and to enhance stamina. Mexicans drank manzanilla (chamomile) and cinnamon tea for a host of ailments. Europeans distilled therapeutic liquors and wine for medicinal use.

What I learned from these healers and cooks from all over the world became a garden in my mind. Each one repeated folklore and taught me about our connection to the earth. With experience and encouragement, I learned to grow and use their herbs as well as their wisdom. I honored their cultural differences as well as their lifestyle. When I first arrived, I wanted to learn everything quickly and return to my comforts at home. Soon, I lingered longer and missed their innocent customs when I did return home. I began to understand how we grew from one seed and became so different, so unique, yet so connected through food, herbs, and the earth.

At home, I began growing and using local and ethnic medicinal herbs in my gardens. I had learned organic growing from my parents and found this simplicity enhanced the medicinal qualities of herbs and foods. Once I had a glimpse of what nature provides, I surrendered to every opportunity for self-growth. My body began healing from Crohn’s disease. I also conceived another child (just one this time)!

When my youngest son was two years old, doctors told me he had lost 50 percent of his hearing. I was told the nerves were dead and could not regenerate. I longed to be with the healers I had met in distant places. Surely one would know how to heal him.

For solace, I ran to the garden and imagined my teachers were with me. In spirit, they were. My attention would go from one herb bed to another. Carefully, I gathered vegetables and medicinal herbs. I began to cook and grow. In a very short time, we returned to the doctor for a hearing test, which confirmed his body had healed. My son has 100 percent hearing.

Time after time, what seemed like certain defeat was really an invitation for renewal, a new beginning, and an answer to prayer. I now share my experiences, research, and remedies graciously because they came to me as gifts. For this, we have many people from many cultures to thank.

Like our creator, my body only knows how to heal and create from abundance.

My body has turned the arms of time for many years since I found my roots in nature. Every time nature blooms, I heal. Each year I begin anew, and I feel young. I approach nature and every garden with innocence and awe. Every year the earth calls for my hands to dig deeply into it. As I dig, I experience healing taking root in my body. Like our creator, my body only knows how to heal and create from abundance. Wisdom sprouts from an understanding and respect of nature. I feel only love as I walk through a garden. Healing is not an absence of illness; it is a celebration of renewal.

Each chapter of Mother Nature’s Herbal gives you a glimpse of the travails, joys, and sorrows of every culture. Their beliefs and customs may seem so foreign to us, yet our connection is through nature, using healing foods and herbs. In every culture, healers may be found in gardeners and cooks eager to share favorite recipes and remedies. As you stroll through each chapter, you will find a special remedy or recipe to enhance your well-being. You will shed differences and mistrust when you eat foreign food and grow foreign native herbs.

If you are reading this book to obtain healing, know that Mother Nature does not need a diagnosis to create radiant health. The titles of the remedies and how they balance the body’s functions will guide you. The ancients did not use medical terms. However, the recipes and wisdom of past cultures in this book will change you as nature exerts a subtle influence on your body and psyche. The herbs you grow and tincture will change you. Your willingness to dig and cultivate plants that heal will change you. As you dig, anger will leave you. As you eat these herbs and foods, worry will leave you. As you smell the aromas and apply them to your skin, fear will leave you.

What is left? The smile on your radiant face and the accomplishment of renewal. Your body doesn’t know age or difficulty; your body knows the path of renewal. Mother Nature’s Herbal will guide you, entertain you, and ignite a passion to connect with life.

My passion led me to write this book. I spent much of my time researching in North and South America. Originally, I thought it would include only Native American research. When I visited Mesa Verde, in the Four Corners, I had an enlightening experience inside a kiva. Intuitively, I instantly understood the lifestyle and inner structure of the community better than the guides. Soon, the guides were asking me questions. I attracted years of help for research. Much later, I flew to New York to study Native American cultures, upstate and along the Eastern seaboard. I sat next to a tribesman on the journey! He became a wonderful tour guide, mentor, and advocate for my research.

Healing

is not an absence

of illness;

it is a celebration of renewal.

Several years later, I taught on the Northwestern coast. I enjoyed several opportunities to learn from local tribes. They are so different in stature and constitution from the mainland tribes. Everything about Native American research came easily to me.

New Mexico was a treasure hunt of information and experiences. The pueblos offered many new teas and plant dyes than I had previously learned. What always came as a surprise with Native American medicine is how they dosed. A swallow was about a half cup of medicinal tea. One or two swallows was a cure. They didn’t take medicine for long periods like Americans do today.

Jaguar medicine and culture was fascinating to me. I was eighteen years old when I first visited Mexico. The pagan and Spanish cultures were uniquely woven into one. I found it as interesting as their medicine. The Spanish influence was more prevalent in Costa Rica, which had a European flair. The pristine, clear water off the Osa Peninsula was as beautiful as Tulum, Mexico. The food is so simple and the chiles so hot! Their herbals are very simple, usually teas. My favorite was corn silk tea as a diuretic. How ingenious the natives were! Their knowledge is timeless.

In South America, the pachamanca, earth oven, was the main attraction for food. They grow potatoes in varieties that are so excellent roasted in this oven. Their medicinal herbs are bitters, or blood cleansing. The main ailments in the villages are parasites or infections. The natives continue to visit a healer before a doctor.

For most of the Colonial chapter, I stayed on the Northeast coast and in the original colonies. My family arrived after the turn of the twentieth century in America, over a period of decades, so I had much fun exploring and learning how this great country evolved. The recipes and herbals reminded me of my mother’s—long and hard to follow. I can imagine how important herbs were to keep the larder lively. I soon looked forward to Southern soul food! Some of this research came from museum curators who so kindly helped me. The information opened my eyes to how lush and abundant America was at that time. I spent about half my time reading and traveling, the other half eating.

In the Western folklore chapter this book began to take on a life of its own. Remedies are featured here. The most amusing part of this chapter’s research was the questions I encountered. My favorite was from doctors who asked if snake oil really worked! The remedies featured in this chapter were often used by my students at the universities. They gave me good grades, so I knew to keep the chapter in the manuscript.

Your body knows

the path

of renewal.

Just when I thought I had finally finished the manuscript, I started dreaming about European herbals. I own more than a few. Europeans love to grow and use herbs in every facet of their lives; for centuries, they lived to write about their experiences. I traveled to Europe to teach nearly every year. Each time I returned with a notebook of research. I began writing the medieval chapter on a long return flight. I still dream about walking in the beautiful gardens of Europe.

The Mediterranean chapter came easily. Since my parents are Italian, I had their full support and lots of advice. I have many residual recipes and advice on making wine. Mediterraneans cook with so many herbs, they seldom need to make teas and tinctures. The high point of researching this chapter was dancing with the Sufi.

In the Indian chapter, I share cherished recipes from a Brahman teacher so generous with his time and expertise. He found me in an outside market. Our meeting was perfect in timing and education. I learned Ayurvedic healing and had my first encounter with holy basil. In India, basil is used effectively in psychiatric care. My best memory of Indians and Africans was their gentle kindness. It is not apparent in their spicy recipes, but it is in their warm smiles and generosity.

I never met an herb

I didn’t like.

I began writing about Oriental medicine to help acupuncturists obtain licensing in my state. In the early 1980s they had few local enthusiasts. Learning Oriental tonic herbs was one of my first enlightening experiences; it was akin to finding a lost part of myself. Tonic herbs are part of everyday nutrition in an Oriental home. I easily attracted teachers in herbal markets. The food and herbs are now a part of my daily nutrition. My students and clients have benefited from these unique herbal foods for many years. Since Mother Nature was traveling worldwide with this herbal, it was a pleasure to add a touch of Oriental cuisine to the book.

The growing and harvesting section attests to my affirmation I never met an herb I didn’t like. I grow herbs without prejudice and for the experience. My earliest memories were helping in the garden. I am blessed to have family and friends who also love to grow. Organic growing came with my family from the old country and found a place in my garden. It evolved into a business that raised my children. All three kids are healthy, self-motivated, talented, and creative.

I served many of my recipes to them, and I can tell you stories of how they teased me. They told their friends that I cooked with sticks and that they found twigs in their food. Yet they grew up to garden organically and cook with twigs also. I can only hope Mother Nature’s Herbal is as inspirational to others!

The distillation process was added as educational only. Hours of work produces small amounts of essential oil. Yet, in the era of synthetics, it is beneficial to understand how essential oils are made. Ancients have distilled for thousands of years. It is essential for alchemy. I love the purity of true essential oils and the art behind the science of distillation. I have to distill for the products I create, but I also need the experience: it nurtures my soul. The book did not feel complete until I added distilling, essences, and skin care. Now we can nurture ourselves inside and outside, on the skin, all organically.

Let’s always remember to honor all the gardeners who came before us … and inspire the ones who will follow.

Grow in peace and bless the land.

[contents]

Introduction

Of herbs, and other country messes,

Which the neat-handed Phyllis dresses.

—Milton

Have we forgotten how simple it is to enhance our own well-being? Have we become too dependent on a quick fix and neglected to really care for our bodies? Have we exchanged the joys of gardening for the drive-through at a fast-food restaurant?

Mother Nature’s Herbal is written for those who are ready to learn and experience the beauty, knowledge, and synergy of everything that grows. The focus is on familiar herbs we all know and love. I emphasize companion planting, kitchen gardens, and herbal repellents the way American colonists gardened. The pioneers combined their methods with the knowledge of the Native Americans to develop a unique herbal lore.

America is blessed with herbs from many cultures. Over the past three hundred years, America has experienced a cultural expansion. With each culture, new herbs and foods are introduced to us. My interest in herbs, spices, and foods led me to research these ancient secrets of herbal folk remedies and plants. I learned to appreciate new, and sometimes unusual, herbs by studying the history, cuisine, and medicine of various cultures.

America is blessed with herbs from many cultures.

My interest in herbs began in childhood as I learned to grow and use Mediterranean herbs from my parents and great aunt. It greatly intensified after having twins with immune deficiencies, asthma, eczema, anaphylactic shock, and multiple allergic reactions. I had to find new foods the twins could eat in a variety of ethnic grocery stores, and remedies and tonics to build their immune system. As I searched for new foods, I began to research each culture’s ancient secrets of herbal folk remedies. I attracted many teachers over a period of twenty years, from curanderos to cooks. During this time span, I traveled to several countries and areas in the United States to learn first-hand knowledge of herbal remedies and gain a better understanding of health and disease. I also had my own health to regain after having my last child; my youngest son and I went through several years of health problems that had me searching for remedies for chronic disease.

Sea Lavender

Each cultural experience expanded my knowledge of health to a greater level of awareness. From the Asians, I learned a system of harmony and balance that leads to radiant health. The Native Americans of many tribes taught me how to reduce acute symptoms with bitter tonics, while the Mediterraneans infused a passion for health that is celebrated in the preparation of every nutritious meal. Africans and African Americans taught me to utilize every part of Nature for remedies. The Far Eastern cultures expanded my knowledge of the immune system by using aromatic essential oils for stress reduction. Mexican and Latin American travels amplified my culinary and horticultural skills with the same skills used by their ancestors thousands of years ago.

Every culture has an innate understanding of Nature I named the path of least resistance. Their knowledge is very deep and experiential, flavored with a great respect for Mother Nature. Foods are a part of their medicine and their medicine is in harmony with Nature, not a separate entity. Healers are accomplished gardeners and cooks. Their understanding of Nature enhances the nurturing qualities of each herb as they plant, nurture, and harvest in rhythm with the cycles of Mother Nature.

Herbs bring out the potential of each individual.

Disease is believed by the indigenous natives of many cultures to be caused by an imbalance in the mental, emotional, and physical harmonics of the personality. Their healers teach us how to maintain health and cultivate wellness by treating the person and the condition. The ultimate treatment is to change the lifestyle of the individual to enhance the attitude and conditions that allow the personality to thrive and express unique creativity. Since the body knows no age or order of difficulty, the person often looks younger as health improves.

Herbs are given not only to prevent imbalance, but also to bring out the potential of each individual. Herbs are organically grown or located nearby in the wild. They are utilized in foods, massage, acupuncture, sweats (saunas), aromatherapy, and baths to enhance vital energy, clear the mind, and open the heart, as only the heart can perceive reality without illusion and experience real joy. Besides herbal usage, prevention is encouraged through the practice of moderation, silent contemplation, and ever-expanding goals that will benefit humanity.

Heliotrope

These simple folk express passion for life in everything they do. Their food is prepared with precision and care. Herbs and spices are fresh, chosen to enhance each individual’s well-being, and served with great pride. Each participates in family time and comments on how the food makes them feel. These statements are generally meant to complement the cook. No one hooks their mouth to their plate and watches television. Rather, an atmosphere of comfort initiates a warm feeling of relaxation. Once again, life is safe to experience and the healing begins.

Folk remedies exude the same innocence and expectation. Suffering is not required to achieve healthiness. Healers see the goodness in each person and help them to express this through better health. The body easily responds to the love that goes into the preparation of every simple tea or compress. Each culture believes in the individual’s ability to heal simply by stepping into Mother Nature’s herbal.

The last three hundred years have brought us a variety of new cultures with enthusiastic herbalists who want to share their knowledge and expertise. Each chapter of Mother Nature’s Herbal helps us explore the cuisine, beauty secrets, and folk remedies of selected cultures. The recipes will ignite your curiosity for more new experiences. My teaching is limited to the space available in this book, but not my enthusiasm or experience. There is much more knowledge I want to share with you.

I encourage you to step into Mother Nature’s Herbal daily, and continue to grow and learn from her gentle guidance. My intention is to encourage an understanding of herbs as a part of our cultural heritage. I have no desire to coerce those who doubt the beneficial experience of growing and using herbs. A humble teacher once told me, It is a great sin to awaken one who is fast asleep. Over the years, I have come to understand that herbs are not for people who believe but for people who know. These are the people Mother Nature awaits with open arms to unveil the ancient secrets of times too long forgotten. When you hear her calling, allow her wisdom to permeate your awareness and attract only those who will inspire, aid, and assist you in attaining your highest goals. Only then will you walk your own path and make your own medicine.

[contents]

• A Cultural Herbal •

Section I

A Gardener’s Almanac

A Walk in Moontime

Though I am an old man,

I am but a young gardener.

—Thomas Jefferson

Traditional folklore has become more popular as our world rapidly advances through a technological revolution. The key to our imagination and development of psyche lies in the customs and beliefs of centuries past. Many gardeners continue to follow the traditions of their ancestors. An example is planting by the moon or hanging sea squill at the entrance of a vineyard to protect the grapes from harm. The following ideas come from the common knowledge once shared by ancient gardeners. I refer to this knowledge as moontime. It is ageless and timeless, part of a deeper knowledge we inherited. Our true nature is rooted in the soil, making something from nothing and bringing it into full bloom.

Step into moontime and take a walk into a garden of transformed beauty.

Step into moontime and take a walk into a garden of transformed beauty. Ancient gardeners were guided by instinct and imagination. They lived in a world of wonder, populated by fairies, nymphs, elves, trees that talked, and flowers who became guardian spirits. Their world was one of good and evil, with only plants to protect them on the earth level. They planted by the waxing of the moon. The soil was prepared and tested for warmth before sowing by resting one’s elbow on the earth. Seeds were germinated overnight in manure tea. Manure was steeped in an equal amount of water twenty-four hours, strained and diluted again until a clear amber color appeared. Hard-coated seeds were exposed to frost or buried in the cold to enhance germination. Fine seed was mixed with sand and sprinkled to evenly coat the soil. After sowing, the ground was immediately firmed by walking over it. Another covering of loose soil was applied and the ground firmed again. Seeds were then watered with warm water.

Gardeners followed special traditions for planting food crops and flowers. Beans were sown next to sunflowers in soil laden with hair. Unscented flower seeds were soaked overnight in floral water to produce a perfumed scent. Leeks were planted in open air to protect houses from fire and electrical storms.

Lavender

Like people, plants had friends. They were planted synergistically to complement each other. Lavender planted near crocus kept the birds away. Black currants planted in a bed of nettles would produce exceptionally fine fruit. Strawberries were mulched with pine needles to produce the juiciest flavor. Garlic cloves were bruised before planting to produce a hardy crop. Roses dressed with tea leaves and banana skins dug into the soil produced the best aromas. Seeds and starts were always planted before sunset to assure a good night’s rest before sprouting the next day.

Gardeners from the past worked diligently to outsmart pests. They accepted bugs as part of Nature and worked to create a balance in their favor. The best deterrents were aromatic herbs, which snails and slugs particularly dislike. In the event of infestation, damaged leaves were removed and tobacco was dusted on the plants. An observant gardener would watch for snails climbing the blades of grass, for wet weather was soon to follow. If birds became a nuisance in newly sown beds, they were deterred by placing potatoes with feathers stuck into them on sticks. Gardeners knew the birds would later be allies, eating unwanted insects and cutworms.

To early farmers, moles represented the power of darkness. Settlers planted milk spurge, Euphorbia lathyrus, and herbs high in camphor (such as basil) to deter them. If the moles still posed a problem, long-necked wine bottles were sunk a few inches below ground so wind would produce a high singing sound, driving them to a neighbor’s pasture.

Field mice were deterred by watering the plants with a cat’s bath water. If there were no cats to be cleaned, prickly holly leaves were scattered amongst the garden with spearmint leaves and chamomile flowers. Mice were also repelled by elder leaves and poisonous oleanders.

Holly

Rats were poisoned by the sea squill onion still used commercially today. The smelly valerian was planted as a deterrent and drunk as a sleep-inducing tea by tired farmers.

Wild rabbits were deterred by a liberal planting of onion and foxglove. Since dill is a favorite of rabbits, compassionate gardeners would plant a patch for the rabbits far away from their gardens.

Ants were considered beneficial in areas with clay or rocky soil. However, gardeners discouraged the ants from climbing the trunks of their elm and fruit trees by crushing lupine blooms and rubbing the juicy gel on the base of the trees. Herbs were also used with some success as deterrents. Tansy roots, pennyroyal, garlic chives, and marigolds were very popular. Other deterrents included hyssop, sage, lavender, and thyme. Today, gardeners mix baker’s yeast with sugar for a lethal effect. They lay the mixture on leaves and bark to protect the soil of any imbalance from the yeast. Remember that ants control the flea population, so allow Nature to find its balance.

Aphids were deterred by companion planting silvery-leaved plants. Nasturtiums were planted at the bases of apple trees and chervil between rows of lettuce to repel aphids. An aphid never landed on roses skirted with garlic. For a preventative measure, a soap was made from soapwort and lathered on the leaves. Rhubarb or nettle leaves were boiled in the sudsy mixture, which was used to wash the leaves of vegetables.

We can

learn much from these moontime gardeners.

Southernwood and other varieties of artemisia were used to keep flies away. Tansy was planted in the garden as a deterrent and hung at the entrance of doorways for the same purpose. Walnut leaves were spread to keep flies from laying eggs. Wasps were easier. Containers of sugar water were hung, attracting the wasps to their death by drowning.

Did you ever wonder what Empress Josephine sprayed on her roses if blackspot occurred? A decoction of horsetail was used effectively to reduce fungal diseases. An ounce was boiled in a pint of water for thirty minutes and hand-painted on each rose leaf in Josephine’s garden. Laurel leaves were allowed to ferment and used as a deadly fumigant for insects. Potato water was used to wash the stone pathways. Salt and wood ashes were sprinkled on moss to remove the fungus from pathways.

Horsetail

We can learn much from these moontime gardeners. Their simple solutions sound ingenious to us today. It should be no surprise to learn that gardeners of every culture talked to their plants, a common practice still. Flowers were dug and taken for cart rides around the garden to encourage them to bloom. Luther Burbank, a renowned horticulturist of the early twentieth century, believed with all his heart that love was the food that attuned plants. He lived in San Francisco during the disastrous 1906 earthquake. Every one of his plants in the greenhouses survived.

Historical Uses of Herbs

You will find the following terms used often in herbal lore as a common language of herbal properties. They refer to the energetic pathway of how a herb affects the body.

Alteratives are blood cleansers. They help assimilate nutrients and eliminate metabolic waste products. Examples: Alfalfa, echinacea, dandelion root, sarsaparilla.

Analgesics relieve pain. Examples: Chamomile, catnip, cramp bark, lobelia, valerian.

Antacids neutralize excess stomach acid. Examples: Fennel, Irish moss, kelp, slippery elm.

Antiabortives inhibit simultaneous abortion and bleeding. Examples: False unicorn root, red raspberry, skullcap, cramp bark.

Anise

Antiasthmatics relieve wheezing. Examples: Lobelia, mullein, wild cherry bark.

Antibiotics inhibit or destroy bacteria and viruses while stimulating the body’s immune response. Examples: Chaparral, echinacea, goldenseal, thyme, juniper berries.

Anticatarrhals eliminate and help prevent excess mucous formation. Examples: Cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, anise, mullein, yerba santa.

Antipyretics reduce fever by neutralizing acidic blood and cooling the body. Examples: Elder flowers, peppermint, basil, skullcap.

Antiseptics inhibit bacteria growth both internally and externally. Examples: Myrrh, thyme, sage.

Antispasmodics relax muscle spasms and cramps. Examples: Lobelia, tang kuei, black cohosh, blue cohosh, valerian, skullcap. Note: Blue cohosh and lobelia should not be used by people with hypertension.

Aphrodisiacs rejuvenate sexual organs and their functions. Examples: Tang kuei, ginseng, angelica, garlic.

Astringents dry up discharges, swollen tonsils, and hemorrhoids. They are symptomatic, not preventative. Examples: Aloe juice, shepherd’s purse, white oak bark, blackberry leaves, self-heal, turmeric.

Carminatives relieve gas and intestinal stagnation, while increasing circulation. These aromatic spices can be used daily to promote better digestion, assimilation, and elimination.

Warming carminatives work best for people who have weak digestion. Examples: Anise, basil, bay leaves, ginger, cinnamon, cloves.

Cooling carminatives work well for people who get toxic headaches from the foods they eat or overeat. Examples: Mints, chrysanthemum, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel.

Shepherd’s Purse

Cholagogues promote bile flow and stimulate peristalsis. Examples: Aloe vera, barberry, Oregon grape root, Culver’s root, wild yam root.

Demulcents soothe inflamed tissue. Examples: Comfrey leaves and root, marshmallow root, slippery elm, flaxseed tea, fenugreek.

Diaphoretics promote sweating as a warm tea and act as diuretics when served cold. Primary action is on the respiratory system and sinuses. Examples: Ginger, flaxseed, sage.

Stimulating diaphoretics are hot and pungent. They drain the lymphatics. Examples: Angelica, camphor, basil, bayberry, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ephedra, eucalyptus, ginger, sage, thyme. Note: Ephedra should not be used by people with hypertension.

Relaxing (cooling) diaphoretics reduce fevers and remove toxins from the skin. They perform well at the onset of acute symptoms or hysteria. Examples: Catnip, chamomile, chrysanthemum, peppermint, elder flowers, yarrow flowers, boneset.

Digestants increase circulation, organic function, digestion, and appetite. Their hot, spicy nature aids in the elimination of accumulated mucous and toxins. For best results, use small amounts as a seasoning. Examples: Asafoetida, cayenne, black pepper, dry ginger, horseradish, mustard, garlic, prickly ash. Note: Digestants are not to be taken during pregnancy, lactation, or when inflammation or ulceration is possible. They can increase hypertension and produce insomnia.

Diuretics increase urination and elimination through the kidneys and bladder. Their cooling nature alleviates toxins in the blood and brings energy downward to reduce edema and swelling from the waist down. They are used in weight reduction. Examples: Buchu leaves, cleavers, corn silk, dandelion, parsley, chickweed, gravel root, horsetail, uva ursi, juniper berries, plantain. Note: A small amount of a demulcent herb, like marshmallow root, should be added as a buffer.