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How to use this book

‘The New Holistic Herbal’ consists of three parts. The Holistic Approach to Herbalism places herbalism into its context, showing plants in their relationship to healing and humanity. The central part of the book discusses herbs and the herbal treatment of the systems of the body. The third part is a traditional herbal which discusses the herbs in detail and provides information about their chemistry and actions, as well as information on gathering and preparing them.

The book can be used in several ways. It can be read from cover to cover as an introduction to herbalism; it can be used as a textbook; it can be used as a source for finding out about the holistic treatment of specific conditions and problems; or it can be used as a traditional herbal to find out more about a particular herb.

The approach to herbalism in this book uses herbs, according to their actions, that work synergistically to provide the body with the most appropriate help to work against disease. In this book the synergistic use of herbs is recommended. A combination of the actions of each herb or herbs must be carefully worked out so that the most appropriate aid is provided in combating disease. A uniform approach to the problem is necessary. The reader needs to decide which actions are needed to counteract a disease, and then consult either The Herbal section, which provides a general description of each herb and its actions, or the section on The Actions of Herbs.

To find information about specific diseases, the reader should consult the Contents for the chapter in which the problem occurs, or look in the General Index for references.

The Herbal section is arranged alphabetically by English names. If the reader knows only the Latin name, the Index of Botanical Names will help in finding the English derivation. A particular herb can be located throughout the book by using the General Index, the Index of English Names and the Index of Botanical Names.

To find out which herbs might be useful in a particular disease, the reader should look to the Repertory section, and then to The Herbal section for more detailed information. When it says in this book, “This may be helpful,” or “That may be considered,” it is for the reader to look herbs up and make the decision.

When to use herbs

Herbs can be used freely and safely as part of one’s lifestyle without thinking of them as ‘medicines’. For specific health needs, their best use would be preventative—to prevent problems appearing. There are specific herbs which strengthen and tone specific organs and systems. These may be used where a tendency towards illness is recognised but no overt disease is present. By using herbs it may well be possible to overcome any weakness.

While each person should find their own herbal ‘ally’, the following may be safely used over extended periods of time:

Circulatory system	Hawthorn Berries
Respiratory system	Mullein
Digestive system	Meadowsweet
Nervous system	Skullcap
Skin	Nettles
Muscular and skeletal system	Celery Seed
Reproductive system	Raspberry Leaves
Urinary system	Buchu

Apart from prophylactic and culinary uses, herbs are used in specific conditions. Suggestions are given throughout the book for such cases, but self-diagnosis is not advisable. Consult a herbalist, if there is one available, or a doctor to ascertain the nature of your problem.

Duration of treatment

Where a specific condition is being treated, the duration of the appropriate treatment will vary. Constipation should respond quickly, whilst osteo-arthritis will take some time. In general, however, allow two to three weeks before any marked improvement can be expected. If in doubt, see a herbalist.

Dosage

The normal dosage for an adult is given for each herb in the herbal section, and similarly where a mixture is given in the text. For children under twelve this should be reduced by a quarter, and for children under seven by a half. For adults over 65 there should be a quarter reduction and a reduction to half the full dose for people over 70. These are very broad guidelines, and will be less important for a very large strong person of 75 than for a small, frail person of 65.

Drugs

There is usually little to fear in combining herbs with chemical drugs, but there are a number of important exceptions, so consult your doctor and an herbalist. Unfortunately, the doctor will be unlikely to know anything about herbs!

Preparation and dosage of mixtures

Throughout the book herbal mixtures are suggested that can support the body in healing itself. Depending on the specific case, those mixtures can be adapted accordingly.

With each mixture, recommendations are made as to the way they should be prepared. Their respective properties are given in parts, meaning proportions of weight of dried herbs, and instructions for their preparation are given accordingly. (Dried herbs can be substituted by other preparations, for instance by tinctures, in which case the same proportions apply. For details on the dosage of tinctures see the specific dosage information in the herbal section.)

Symbols are used to indicate the amount of mixture to use per cup of water, given in teaspoonfuls . When a mixture is to be prepared as an infusion, the symbol of a cup is used; if it is to be a decoction, a pan is used to indicate this. Detailed information on how to prepare an infusion or decoction can be found in the section Preparing the Herbs. The length the mixture needs to be infused or simmered is indicated in minutes .

Thus means that 1–2 teaspoonsful of the mixture per cup of water should be infused for 10–15 minutes to make an infusion.

means that 1 teaspoonful of the mixture per cup of water should be simmered for 10 minutes to make a decoction.

A herbal medicine chest for the home

There are well over two thousand plants which can be used in herbal medicine in the western world. The planet-wide list is far greater. So what can you realistically provide in the home? A daunting prospect faces the fledgeling herbalist, yet by using the actions approach presented in this book, it is possible to stock a small herbal medicine chest which will fulfil most day-to-day needs. The following list of herbs includes representatives of all the main actions, but also specific ones as well. If you are going to stock such a medicine chest, become thoroughly familiar with these 25 plants, and use them at your discretion. They may be stored as dried herbs or as tinctures.

Aniseed	Boneset
Black Willow	Burdock Root
Cayenne	Celery Seed
Chamomile	Cleavers
Coltsfoot	Comfrey
Dandelion	Echinacea
Elder	False Unicorn Root
Marshmallow	Meadowsweet
Nettles	Peppermint
Senna	Skullcap
Thyme	Valerian
Wormwood	Yarrow
Yellow Dock

In addition to these specific herbs, it will be helpful to have the following in the form of ointments:

Arnica Chickweed Comfrey Marigold

Distilled Witch Hazel, obtainable from chemist shops, should also be included.