How to Use Herbs More Effectively
Published in Keeping in Touch Newsletter, May 2006
I'm
going to be very up front here -- I'm not a Master Herbalist. My
relationship to herbs began with my studies of Ayurveda in 1998, when I
was introduced to a number of well-known Ayurvedic, Western and Chinese
herbs. As I learned acupressure, I delved deeper into Chinese patent
formulas. I have a lot yet to learn - the study of herbs takes a
lifetime, and this article serves to just introduce another way of
thinking about herbs.
A Different Approach
Although
it's important to understand the many uses for herbs, it's even more
important to understand how to work with them according to their
energetics. This is an important distinction to make.
We in
the West are used to taking prescription and over the counter drugs to
reduce and eliminate symptoms of disease. We expect almost
instantaneous relief and hope that relieving the symptoms of a problem
means that the problem has gone away. Each medication has specific
uses, such as relief of sore throats, quieting coughs, relieving aches
and pains, and they are used by everyone in the same way for the same
symptoms.
When herbs became more widely used by the mainstream
population, people used herbs the same way: when you get a cold, pop
some echinacea tabs, with zinc. When you can't sleep, take some
valerian and skullcap. And, of course, these herbs do provide some
relief to most people. However, using this approach to herbs to reduce
symptoms is not as effective as the more traditional approach. Have
you ever noticed that not everyone responds to herbs the same way?
The Energetics of Herbs
As
you'll recall, in Ayurveda they describe everything in terms of Vata,
Pitta, and Kapha - which translates to characteristics such as hot,
cold, hard, soft, moist, windy, mobile, damp, heavy, light, bright,
slow, fast, etc.
Traditional Chinese medicine uses what is
termed the "Eight Principles" - excess/deficient, hot/cold,
superficial/deep, Yin/Yang (which are broader aspects of the foregoing
pairs). All this is to say that they use these qualities to describe
"patterns of disharmony" and the actions and characteristics of herbs
which can be used to rebalance these patterns.
If a person is predominantly Pitta
(Fire), and their vikruti (imbalance/illness) involves inflammation,
burning sensation, fever, rash, that means there's a lot of heat in the
body. You would want to choose herbs appropriate for that illness that
are cooling in nature. A Pitta person with typical cold symptoms would
do very well with echinacea, because it's nature is cold.
A Vata
person, on the other hand, could use echinacea but would need to add
herbs to warm it up a bit so they wouldn't be increasing "cold" in a
body that already has too much cold in it. For example, licorice would
be good, or ginger and/ or garlic.
You want to take the following aspects of healing into consideration when selecting herbs:
1. The person's pakruti (physical constitution) and primary dosha;
2. The characteristics of the imbalance (hot? cold? damp? dry?)
3. The weather/climate/season at the time (hot? cold? rainy? dry?)
4. The traditional actions, the "taste" of and uses of the herb(s).
5.
The overall vitality of the person to receive the herbs, and any
possible contraindications (pregnancy, etc.) and drug interactions.
How can you tell if the imbalance is hot or cold, damp or dry?
Partly by it's taste:
-- bitter (cool, light, dry) - excellent for Pitta
-- pungent (hot, dry) - excellent for Kapha
-- sweet/neutral (moistening, heavy) - excellent for Vata
-- astringent (dry, cool) - calming for Pitta and somewhat for Kapha
-- sour (light, liquid) - ok for all doshas in moderation
-- salty (heating, heavy) - in moderation, good for Vata, not so good for Pitta and Kapha
The
best way to learn about herbs is to study with a qualified instructor.
To get started in the realm of self-help, it's a good idea to have
some good reference books, study them, and play with the herbs.
My favorite herbal references are:
Planetary Herbology by Michael Tierra (my energetics "bible").
The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad
Pocket Guide to Ayurvedic Healing, by my teacher, Candis Cantin Packard
The Energetics of Western Herbs, Vol. 1 & 2, by Peter Holmes.
To read about these books in more detail, Click Here.
Here are some basic guidelines to get you started using the energetics of herbs:
Vata (Air/Ether) qualities are: light, mobile, quick, dry, hard, cold, changeable
Cold
and flu symptoms typical of Vata types: dry cough, chills, loss of
voice due to dryness, fear/anxiety, fever that comes and goes. Mucus
may be present but will be scanty and clear.
Pitta (Fire): bright, flowing, smooth, hot, pungent, oily.
Cold
and flu symptoms typical of Pitta types: high fever, sore throat,
agitation, yellow or green mucus discharges, burning sensations.
Kapha (Water/Earth): heavy, slow, damp, cold
Cold
and flu symptoms for Kapha: low-grade fever, loss of appetite, excess
mucus (clear or white in color) in sinus and in products of
elimination, chills, lethargy.
You
can see how these symptoms match the qualities of the doshas. To
rebalance these patterns, you need to counteract this with the
qualities of the herbs.
Good herbs for Vata in this scenario
might be: cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cardamon, licorice, marshmallow
root, comfrey and slippery elm because these are all warming or
neutral, and moistening/demulcent herbs and spices.
Good
herbs for Pitta colds/flu might be: burdock, elder flowers,
peppermint, yarrow, lemon balm. Echinacea and goldenseal are excellent
for Pitta. Also, bitter herbs and greens would be cooling.
Good
herbs for Kapha colds/flu might be: in addition to simple, light soups
and broths, ginger and trikatu paste in hot water (tea), echinacea and
goldenseal to reduce mucus, but take with warming herbs.
Tridoshic Herbs
There are some herbs and herbal formulas that are balancing for all three doshas -- this is called being "tridoshic". Triphala is a good example, and is used to support bowel health and regularity. Banyan Botanical's Women's Support and Healthy Hair formulas are also balancing for all three doshas.
Another excellent book for details about the Ayurvedic "Six Tastes" is The Complete Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies, by Vasant Lad. I do still have 6 new copies of this book which I will sell at cost to the first 6 people who order it.
Remember,
when you use herbs according to their energetics, you are working with
patterns, not symptoms as such. According to Western medicine, there's
no way that cinnamon is a medicine for the common cold. But
Ayurvedically, if the underlying imbalance is Vata, when you rebalance
and reduce Vata, you support the body's healing processes.
It's
easy to begin practicing these concepts if you're new at this-- just
play with the common spices found in everyone's kitchen. Add cinnamon
to your morning oatmeal if you're a Vata. Try some pungent spices in
your soup if you're Kapha. Or try some raw bitter greens in a salad if
you're Pitta and notice how you feel. |
