I remember when my dad starting using herbs for his many health challenges. I was quite young and did not like the smell of them. I used to crinkle up my nose at the strong unfamiliar odours and thought “I will never work in a place that sells herbs”. Life is funny because about 10 years later I was working in a place that sold herbs and I went on to become a chartered herbalist.
I love everything about herbs; how they work, why they work, how fabulously amazing they are in their naturally balanced formulae, and how beneficial they are in our lives on this planet. Some of them don’t taste very good, but even the taste is telling us something about each herb – brilliant.
Why Use Herbs?
Why would anyone want to take herbs as part of their health regime? If you have never explored herbs, I can give you lots of reasons that you might not know about.
Herbs are food and can be prepared in a number of ways to best help our ailments. Many preparations can be done at home – you can make your own medicines for reasonable cost. The herbs themselves could be free if you grow them in your yard. Even if you have to purchase them, they are much cheaper than pharmaceuticals.
Learning to identify, grow, harvest and prepare herbs is relatively easy. You don’t need years of schooling. There are plenty of gifted herbalists who have written all this information down for us. All you need to do is be open to learning and read.
Herbs have survived on this planet longer than humans have. They have always been the primary medicine of man. Pharmaceuticals are a recent invention in the timeline of humans (about 100 years ago pharmaceuticals came into production and usage). Herbs have outlived, through adaptation, all plagues, pestilence, disasters, and man’s presence. They are adaptogenic and resilient.
There are literally hundreds to thousands of life giving compounds in every herb and work in complex synergy with each other. Herbs are so complex in their action that whatever disease is ailing the body cannot figure out ways to “outsmart” the herb.
They are safe to use. They are balanced in their constituents which allow our bodies to fully utilize their life giving properties without side effects if used in their whole form. Standardized extracts are powerful in strength but, again, unbalanced formulas because the active ingredients have been separated out from all of the supporting nutritional molecules. Properly prepared herbs used with knowledge produce very few side effects. They are much safer to use than pharmaceuticals. If you look at the statistics of harm caused by drug interactions, this constitutes the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
ALL herbs have some natural antibiotic capacity, some much more than others. In a world of drug resistant bacteria and diseases, this is an extraordinary gift to our immune systems and the rest of our bodies.
Herbs are ecologically sound; they are a renewable resource that grow well all over the world and help our planet when they are alive in the ground and benefit us once they are harvested.
Synergy. Herbs, when used in combination of 2 or more different plants, will produce outcomes that are greater, often times surprisingly greater, than individual herbs used alone. This aspect alone is why you might want to consider using herbs. What this means is when thoughtfully combined, herbs taken for a specific course of action will have many more benefits to many other parts of the body than the one in need of healing. An example of this – I suggested a herbal combination for a woman who has a damaged vertebrae which causes her pain and somewhat restricted mobility. The herbal combination is helping her spine and the added benefit of lowering her blood pressure.
I am continually impressed by the range of benefit available the more I work with and study herbs.
Lyme Disease & Resistant Bacteria
Recently I have been studying the use of herbs for two of the greatest health challenges we are facing – Lyme disease and drug resistant bacteria. The use of herbs can be tremendous in regaining health and enjoyment to people’s lives and help them to regain hope.
Herbal consultations are available at the NRG Wellness Group with Terri. Please phone for information and bookings. We also have bulk herbs available for purchase.
Herbally yours,
Terri Bernath, Chartered Herbalist
"Beyond the Ordinary"