What is Herbalism or Herbal Medicine?

Herbal Medicine or Herbalism is the practice of working with plant material and plant extracts to support the healthy functioning of the human body. Plant parts we work with include roots, leaves, bark, flowers, fruit or any other plant part that contains the active compound required medicinally.

Herbal medicine has been the world’s primary form of medicine with a written history dating back more than 5,000 years. ALL of our ancestors employed herbal medicine for their health and wellbeing. In fact, the daily consumption of herbs and spices in our kitchens based on family lineage:
- oregano in spaghetti sauce provides antioxidant nutrients;
- ginger in congee helps to decrease chronic inflammation, etc.
could all be considered inherited ancestral herbal knowledge.

How does it work?

Our bodies have the nascent ability to bring themselves to a state of balanced health. Herbs simply help the body to do its own work by breaking up toxins, cleaning, lubricating, strenghtening and nourishing. They support the body at its deepest levels, supporting nature in its fight against illness, and maximizing the quality of health.

Since plants are a unique composition of diverse compounds and not just one isolated chemical, like a pharmaceutical, the effect is much more gentle, balanced and healing. Usually, the organ or system being treated is supported and encouraged to function properly. This paves the way for the body to heal and recover naturally.

Can I take both pharmaceuticals (prescribed medications) and herbs at the same time?

Yes, you can take both pharmaceuticals and herbs. It’s important to speak with and seek guidance from both your physician as well as an herbalist to figure out which herbs may benefit your unique situation. Pharmaceuticals can be difficult for the body to metabolize and eliminate. Herbs can beautifully and holistically support the body’s metabolism and elimination of pharmaceuticals.

How do I know which herbs to take?

Herbalism is an art, as well as a science. No one can predict which herb will work best for every individual.

I choose herbs specific to you based on the information we gather in our sessions together through:
- face diagnosis
- tongue diagnosis
- additional research and
- my own intuition.
My herbal education from the Land of Verse draws from global traditions, history, and diagnostic tools from Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Native American herbalism and Western European Herbalism supported by evidence based scientific knowledge to back up the historical use of herbal medicine. I feel that approaching herbalism through knowledge of traditional and historic uses of herbs combined with an evidence-based approach truly informs the efficacy and effectiveness of each herb.

How do I take the herbs?

I will recommend that you take herbs either in the form of a loose leaf tea, tincture (extraction of phytochemicals from herbs either in alcohol, glycerine or apple cider vinegar), an herbal ointment, or even an herbal essence or hydrosol.

I may also recommend that you take nutriceuticals, which are products that are isolated from herbal products, dietary supplements (nutrients), or specific foods that can help the body reboot its nascent healing system, such as fish oil, Vitamin B complex, quercetin etc.

How long before I see results?

This will depend on on a variety of factors including if the situation is acute or chronic, the severity of the situation, the dosage and mode of administration (tea, capsule, or tincture, for example), the quality of the herbs and how diligently recommendations are integrated.

Herbs may work in as few as 60 seconds to a few minutes when swallowing a dropperful of calming herbs to ground and center in an anxious moment, to 20 minutes (when soaking in a bath with rosemary tea to relieve tension), to days, weeks, or months for tonics to build energetic momentum or resolve long-standing imbalances. Chronic conditions will take more time (potentially years) to reverse. Think how long something has been present, healing can time can be commensurate.

A course of treatment with a herbal medicine, i.e. once the body has re-learned its functions, the body can be potentially healed. As is referred to in this FAQ section, herbalism is really about treating the entire human and the underlying cause of the symptoms and not just treating the symptoms. Sometimes our own lifestyle and diet has brought us to where we are, so we look at how we can tweak some lifestyle and diet habits as well. Habit adjustments can be challenging and healing from herbs can take time but the combination is likely to be long-lasting.