Читать книгу Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies - David Hoffmann - Страница 36

All aspects of the respiratory system can benefit from appropriate herbal remedies. Herbs can aid the activity of the mucous membranes and ensure that gas exchange through these membranes can occur; they can activate the secretion of lung tissue so that the air is sufficiently moistened and the membranes protected; they can augment neurological responses regulating the breath; they can tone up the circulation and ensure that blood bathes the tissues properly, and help by stimulating the whole of the glandular and excretory processes to ensure a clean and harmonious inner environment.

As we view the respiratory system in the context of the whole, it is evident that to truly heal any condition focused in that area we have to look at and be prepared to treat the whole of the body. Nature has been bountiful in the range of actions of the ‘pectoral’ herbs available to us, thus giving us the possibility of working within a wide context.

Whilst it is inadvisable to classify herbs strictly by their actions, it may be of value to lay some broad guidelines. We will look at respiratory stimulants, respiratory relaxants, amphoteric remedies and respiratory demulcents.

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