How To Safely Work With Herbs & Herbal Remedies

7 Recommendations For Working With Herbal Remedies

Do you want to start incorporating herbal medicine and herbal remedies into your alternative health routine and lifestyle? Before you run down to the store and stock up on a bunch of herbal remedies, it is important to realize that herbs have powerful ingredients and must be used appropriately. Although herbal remedies are less likely than conventional medicine to cause side effects, herbs nevertheless can be very potent.

Guiding Principles For The Safe Use Of Herbal Therapies

Do your homework. Investigate the herb or herbal remedy before using it. Whatever type of product you choose, the quality of an herb or herbal preparation is only as good as the quality of the raw herb from which it was made. Personally, I recommend using well-established brands of herbal remedies. This can save you the time and energy of investigating products and often increases your chances of getting reliable ones.
It is best to initiate an herbal program slowly. Start with one product at a time and build to the desired amounts so you don’t overwhelm your body.
It is also important to mention that when working with herbs, you may experience a “healing crisis” as your problem begins to work its way out of your body. A healing crisis is often experienced as a temporary aggravation of symptoms that can flair-up for a few days. If they symptoms last longer than that, discontinue your herbal regimen and visit your primary care provider.
From a practical point of view, it is best to work on only one or two health problems at a time. Focus on the most important problem first. What you may find is that your other health issues go away by themselves as the original problem is eliminated.
Check with your primary care provider before starting an herbal therapy program.
Do not take an herbal remedy instead of the medicine prescribed by your doctor without discussing it with him/her first.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding it is even more important to investigate the action of specific herb. There are a number of herbs that are contraindicated for pregnant or lactating women. If in doubt, it is best to just avoid them all together.

Things To Consider When Working Safely With Herbal Remedies

In addition to taking herbal remedies to help restore your body, here are some additional tips to help you experience optimal health in your life. Drink lots of pure water. Get plenty of high quality sleep. Exercise daily – take a walk, stretch or do yoga. Try eating a diet rich in natural foods. Cut down on white and refined sugars, white flour, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, fats and foods with additives. Increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and raw nuts in your diet.

Keep in mind, taking supplements and working with herbal therapies is only part of the answer. At times emotional issues may inhibit our body’s ability to heal itself. Try to have a positive outlook on life. Find ways to relieve stress and release pent-up anger or resentment whenever possible. In addition, become spiritually stronger! It has been scientifically proven that things such as prayer, journaling, energy healing such as meditation have a positive effect on healing.

Be Patient

Most importantly, be patient. Don’t expect instant changes. Your body didn’t get that way overnight, so give it some time to heal. Building new cells and restoring the body’s valuable supply of chemical elements takes time and a commitment on your part, a commitment to get better. Although there IS a point of no return in tissue damage caused by severe long-term deficiencies, it is surprising to see how well the body responds to herbal therapies. It has been found that by combining herbal remedies with dietary and lifestyle improvements, you can work toward the remission of symptoms and the reversal of the disease process naturally.