Episode-580- Herbal Actions – Part One
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Today we will be doing the first of a four part series on “herbal actions”. An herbal action is the specific effects any herb has on a body. Most herbal guides list these actions and understanding them will improve your effectiveness with herbs.
Today we will review 10 of 40 primary herbal actions, the next three shows will be spread out over each week to give you time to absorb and retain the information.
Today we cover the first ten herbal actions, analgesic, anti-emetic, aperient, carminative, expectorant, hemostatic, nervine, vasodlitor and vulnerary. Along with a few common herbs that exhibit each action and how they can be used.
Join in today to learn about these actions and corresponding herbs…
- Analgesic (anodyne) – Relieves pain either orally or externally
- Some analgesic herbs – aloe – bee balm – ginger – white willow
- Anti-emetic – Relieves nausea and vomiting
- Some anti-emetic herbs – anise – peppermint – clove – ginger
- Aperient – Gentle stimulant to digestion and mild laxative action
- Some aperient herbs – flax – rose hips – dandelion
- Carminative – Soothes the stomach, promotes digestion, prevents or helps expel gas
- Some carminative herbs – basil – chamomile – cumin
- Expectorant – Supports the respiratory system by expelling excess mucus
- Some expectorant herbs – garlic – borage – spearmint
- Hemostatic – Arrests bleeding – promotes blood clotting
- Some hemostatic herbs – rose – blackberry – geranium
- Nervine – Affects the nervous system by relaxing or stimulation it and/or a tonic effect
- Some nervine herbs – coffee – lavender – st. john’s wort
- Vasodilator – expands blood vessels for increased circulation
- Some vasodlitor herbs – cayenne – parsley – ginger
- Vulnerary – Assist the body to heal wounds, used externally
- some vulnerary herbs – calendula – comfrey – plantain
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Safecastle Royal – (sponsor of the day)
- Harvest Eating – (sponsor of the day)
- Pre Order AOCS Copper from the Gear Shop
- The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide (The book I mentioned today)
- Members Support Brigade
- Ron Hood’s Survival.com Magazine
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air
Excellent, thank you. A while back I found a seed vault through one of the sponsors, the price was $99, it was a green bucket and seeds were in mylar packets. I can not find it again and would like to get information about it to friends.
By the way why do you use the submit code? By typing this you can see that my pulse is beating and that I am not asking for anything restrictive. I am just curious and I wanted to say that they are annoying.
@Shorty I think you mean this. http://directive21.com/emergencyseedbank.html
On the captcha no typing doesn’t mean you are a human, you might find it annoying but not half as annoying as I do removing spam comments posted with automated spam bots. If you register as a user, which I will enable later today, you can avoid that if logged in. Again I will have to enable that later today.
On a side note, I want you to know that when people point out typos in a comments section I find it extremely annoying and certainly not helpful. Such comments are deleted and more often then not ignored.
The drop in quality due to your cold was not distracting and content was excellent.
Wanted to mention Fish Oil. I have ulcerative Colitis and where none of the antibiotics worked for me eating a super dose of fish oil has great healing affects. Point is fish oil in, large amounts, not only is good for your cardiovascular but will reduce swelling in your body’s digestive tract. I know it is not an herb, but it is one of the good ones.
There are claims that unrefined coconut products are used as adjunct treatments for irritable bowel syndrome [or colitis?].
Some claim macaroons made with good organic coconut products are great for bowel problems.
Hemostatic. Also giant ragweed leaf crushed and placed on cut.
when you mentioned geraniums, do you mean zonal geranium (pelargonium) or cranesbill (geranium) they are quite different and a bit confusing.
One of the best remedies for a cough is a honey garlic tea, sounds terrible but not bad and you can feel it work immediately. Simply press the half peeled garlic on a hard surface and place in small amount of water to warm to desired temp. Add generous amounts of honey and enjoy.
Salt water gargles are a necessity for sore throats and ear aches.
I am sorry for the spelling, Just trying to help and I now understand about the spam. I never thought about that part just what I have read around the captcha on other places I’ve been.
@Shorty think about it this way, if a person had a spot on their tie would you be like quietly to the side, “hey buddy you have a spot on your tie” or would you yell across the room, “hey buddy you have a spot on your tie!”
Many common etiquette things people naturally due offline they don’t even think about online.
Of course with me personally I figure if a typo or two really bothers a person they haven’t paid attention to the fact that there is a reason I do an audio show, not a written daily blog. LOL.
@lynn, it would be Pelargonium zonale, with my throat issues I am not up to Latin at the moment. In any event it is the common ornamental variety. More about the hemostatic effects here. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12638398
Good catch and a good reason all people should check a solid reference guide if in doubt about any plant.
Any suggestions on “the best” herbal remedy book? You mentioned the one about drug vs herbs, but which is preferred for finding which herb and how to use it for various ailments. BIG topic I know… but just curious for a starting point.
Jack, this was an excellent and informative podcast. I just want to toss an important bit of info our there. If you are allergic to ragweed stay away from chamomile. I learned the hard way.
Naturally defer to your doctor or healthcare provider, just be aware that chamomile can cause what’s called a cross reaction. Typically it’s not as severe as a food allergy, but a full on case of hives isn’t exactly fun, either. 🙂
Great advice, thank you for what you do.
One convenient way to use garlic: press garlic through a garlic press, pour extra virgin olive oil on top to cover, wait 3 days and then strain the garlic out and keep the oil. Great to use on soles of feet and chest for a cold. Helped my husband break out of a 3 week long respiratory illness.
Jack, I have been listening to your podcast for well over a year now and want to thank you for all of the great information you pass along to us. I am currently trying to play catch up on the podcasts and was listening to this one on the 40 herbal actions. This first episode only lists 9 herbal actions. Am I missing something here or has one been left out? Forgive me if this has already been addressed. I searched through the other 30 and didn’t see anything on it. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Aaron