Help Please just a little info for School project

[Guest guest]

I home school my girls and one of them needs an

intervew with someone that has used herbs for a while

other than mother. She and I were wondering if one or

all of you would awnser these questions.

Peg

 

 

Q: How long have you been a herbalist?

A:

 

Q: How did you get interested in herbs?

A:

 

Q: What motivated you to begin using herbs in the

first place?

A:

 

Q: How old is herbal practice?

A:

 

Q: What are the benefits of using herbs over

conventional medicine?

A:

 

Q: Does it matter where you get your herbs from?

A:

 

Q: Is there any special way you should put up herbs?

A:

 

Q: How does using herbs compare to conventional

medicine?

A:

 

Q: How do herbs affect the body compared to

conventional medicine?

A:

 

Q: Are herbs good for people of all ages? I hear that

you shouldn't give some herbs to babies under two

years of age.

A:

 

Q: Could you give me some examples of herbs or

combinations of herbs that have worked for you?

A:

 

 

 

______________

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

> I home school my girls and one of them needs an

> intervew with someone that has used herbs for a while

> other than mother. She and I were wondering if one or

> all of you would awnser these questions.

> Peg

 

Oo! Oo! A writing exercise! Sara's in heaven. Here ya go:

 

> Q: How long have you been a herbalist?

> A: _An_ herbalist, please. I've been one for about a year,

year-and-a-half or so.

 

> Q: How did you get interested in herbs?

> A: By studying the progression of medicine throughout cultural history.

Scientific data on how " well " herbal medicine worked in the past isn't

really available (because they didn't *collect* much scientific data; why

would they?), but the philosophies of herbal practitioners regarding

human health and life in general really impressed me. They seemed to

understand things about how people work that my family doctor would need

another two PhD's to grasp.

 

> Q: What motivated you to begin using herbs in the

> first place?

> A: It suddenly struck me one morning how completely off the deep end a

culture has gone, when they concoct a poisonous chemical, name it

" anti-biotic " or " life-killer " , and sell it to the public as medicine. I

swore then that I'd sooner use a sledgehammer to fix my computer than an

'antibiotic' to fix my body!

 

> Q: How old is herbal practice?

> A: Unknown. The druids did it; so did the ancient Chinese and the

Egyptians and very likely the Sumerians too. There is mention of it in

the dead sea scrolls; Jesus was a renound naturopath; the original Buddha

(predating Christ by 600 years) did it too; and every single tribal

witch-doctor we know about, from the rainforests of South America to the

deserts of Africa to the steppes in Russia, used local plants as

curatives. As far as I can tell, to everybody but the Modern

Brainwashed, the pharmacy was year-round, free and right outside your door!

 

> Q: What are the benefits of using herbs over

> conventional medicine?

> A: Herbs are not poisonous when used correctly, unlike most allopathic

remedies which rely on their poisonousness to accomplish their goal.

Herbs work at a slower pace, giving the body time to adjust to the

changes and keep all its delicate systems in balance. And as of yet,

there is not yet a cartel of greedy slopheads who've managed to convince

the world that you can only get herbs from them, i.e. the FDA.

 

> Q: Does it matter where you get your herbs from?

> A: That's like saying, " Does it matter where you grow up? " Of course

it matters, but common sense can usually answer the more detailed

questions. Herbs that grew in dirt is nice, unless it was the dirt next

to the parking lot at the GM plant; again, I know some people who make

very good hydroponic herbs and some companies that don't. Evaluate your

sources INDIVIDUALLY; remember that a brand name is only a trick to get

you to believe that the practices at several different growing/production

sites are the same, when they're obviously not. Whenever possible I grow

my own, because I know that my own dirt is chemical-free. Go with what

you know.

 

> Q: Is there any special way you should put up herbs?

> A: If you mean " put away " (I've heard it called " putting up " , but

that's not common in my dialect), then yes. Airtightness, glass jars and

protection from light and moisture are critical to things lasting a long

time. Many preparations need to be refrigerated; some, like alcohol

tinctures, will last darn near forever in a jelly-jar in the closet.

 

> Q: How does using herbs compare to conventional

> medicine?

> A: It works slower but more thoroughly; is gentler on the body with

less side-effects (and more of what I call " upside-effects " --in a lot of

cases, an herbal preparation that you take to cure condition A will also

make you feel better in other areas, too). If I may venture a little

superstition, I think herbs also tend to be more effective in the long

run because the sick person is often taking a bigger part in their own

healing process; making a tincture for yourself can have a psychological

healing effect that you won't get from the guy in the white coat writing

you an Rx and saying, " here; you're cured. Mind the side-effects " .

 

> Q: How do herbs affect the body compared to

> conventional medicine?

> A: Whups, answered this already; but to sum up: Herbs create changes

in the body _in accordance with the body's own natural rhythms and

chemical balances_, and so they can affect changes in the system without

throwing a monkey-wrench into it. They do this not by scientific magic,

but simply because they're living things like we are, and they have many

of the same chemical checks and balances already built into their system.

" Conventional " medicine (which, if you look at all of history, is

horrifically NOT conventional!) involves adding or subtracting pure

chemicals from the body, without any acknowledgement of the incredible

complexity of the living biological system. I find it both sad and funny

that most people believe that allopathic medicine is " more specific " or

somehow better at adjusting the chemical system within one's body, when

really what it does is ignore the state of the chemical systems

altogether. It's really quite arrogant. Imagine looking at the ocean,

with all its intertwining ecosystems, and thinking to yourself, " Oh, I

can fix this. It just needs a higher dose of chemical X. What, you mean

there might be unintended effects of just adding one chemical to the

ocean that's never found there that way naturally? Nah... "

 

> Q: Are herbs good for people of all ages? I hear that

> you shouldn't give some herbs to babies under two

> years of age.

> A: Some herbs are pretty strong and you'd have to use a tiny-tiny dose

on a baby, but as far as I know most herbs are nontoxic, period. I know

that some things can *definitely* be used on babies, like (diluted!)

garlic oil for earaches and slippery-elm powder for diaper rash. I would

probably stay away from giving babies herbs internally unless it was for

an acute condition; but I'd give my baby (if I had one) herbs WAY before

I'd give it antibiotics.

 

> Q: Could you give me some examples of herbs or

> combinations of herbs that have worked for you?

> A: Oh yes. My echinacea-garlic-and-yarrow vodka tincture has cured

everything from colds and flus to topical fungus, boils and infected cuts

to urinary-tract and bladder infections. I love that stuff, even if it

does taste ( & smell!) like flaming doo. Castor oil does a great job on

cysts and other big-nasty skin problems. Black walnut hulls, calendula

root and sage blended into a powder can keep even the funkiest feet from

getting athlete's foot; and a little cayenne pepper in-between a double

pair of socks keeps them footsies warm in any weather, no matter how

arctic. (Also, as a horrendously useful side-note--dissolve cayenne

powder in vinegar and spray with a plant-sprayer on anything you want

your dog to leave alone!)

 

That was fun--Thanks!

 

When you have nothing better to do, visit Bored.com at http://www.bored.com

[Guest guest]

Thanks that was a good reply the girl loved it.

To tv_is_a_drug I never got your first name.

Peg

 

 

 

Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax

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[Guest guest]

Thanks for asking these questions!

 

At 06:56 PM 4/14/02 -0700, you wrote:

>I home school my girls and one of them needs an

>intervew with someone that has used herbs for a while

>other than mother. She and I were wondering if one or

>all of you would awnser these questions.

>Peg

>

>

>Q: How long have you been a herbalist?

>A:

Started out in 1972, so that's 30 years now.

 

>

>Q: How did you get interested in herbs?

>A:

Had noticed that too many people were telling me about problems with their

doctors, who were never listening to them, and who were too often making up

treatments that didn't work -- and making them pay for it. Also, i knew Mo

Siegel, founder of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Co., and he was an influence.

 

>

>Q: What motivated you to begin using herbs in the

>first place?

>A:

Several things -- i was a bit disconnected from normal American society (a

" hippie " , even though i was in college), so there was this sense that many

of us shared at the time, that anything opposite of what American culture

was doing, was a good thing.

 

>

>Q: How old is herbal practice?

>A:

It goes back to the beginning of the human race. The Bible clearly says

that God gave us herbs for our comfort.

 

>

>Q: What are the benefits of using herbs over

>conventional medicine?

>A:

Actually, i believe herbs should be used along with conventional medicine.

The right approach is the one that works. Often, conventional medicine

involves a bit of overkill, in other words treatments that are too strong

for the condition. That's when herbs are the best. But sometimes herbs

aren't potent enough to deal with certain situations, and so in those cases

conventional medicine works best.

 

>

>Q: Does it matter where you get your herbs from?

>A:

I always feel fortunate to find any herbs available at all, given the part

of the country we live in (Cheyenne, Wyoming). When possible, it's always

nice to pick them myself. That provides a nice excuse for wandering around

the mountains.

 

>

>Q: Is there any special way you should put up herbs?

>A:

Away from direct sunlight. Old vitamin bottles are good -- glass is always

best because it doens't react with anything.

 

>

>Q: How does using herbs compare to conventional

>medicine?

>A:

It shouldn't compare -- it should be a part of conventional medicine. The

fact that most doctors are unaware of herbs is almost criminal.

 

>

>Q: How do herbs affect the body compared to

>conventional medicine?

>A:

Most of the time, actions of herbs will be more gentle than what

pharmaceutical products can do.

 

>

>Q: Are herbs good for people of all ages? I hear that

>you shouldn't give some herbs to babies under two

>years of age.

>A:

There are many things that should not be given to infants under 2. Most

pharmaceutical products fall in that category. And there are certainly some

herbs, and even foods, that are not good for infants. One example of such a

food is honey -- it can sometimes stimulate allergic reactions in infants.

Some of the herbs that are not good for infants are comfrey, lobelia,

ginseng, yerba matte, guarana, and ephedra. There are some special herbs

for them, which handle their common problems, including fennel, chamomile,

and rose hips. You should always consider someone's age when using herbs.

 

>

>Q: Could you give me some examples of herbs or

>combinations of herbs that have worked for you?

>A:

That would fill a book. One that i've used a lot is licorice root, because

i live in a mostly dry climate and get coughs sometimes. Golden Seal is

very important to me, and i carry it everywhere. It's great for many types

of situations, including cuts, sore throats, infections, and lots of other

things. Sometimes when hiking in the mountains with friends, i have picked

a bit of yarrow for them if they had warts or other skin problems. They

could rub the fresh leaf into the area, and it would often help. That's a

fun way to use herbs!

 

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Michael Riversong

The girls are now arguing as which one they each get

to use.

And thankyou to the list for doing this for the girls.

Peg

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Thank youi so much Sara. You are a sweety the girls

just love all the info they are getting.

Peg

 

 

 

Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax

http://taxes./