Herbal medicine is people's medicine, earth medicine, wild medicine, weed medicine. Weeds are amazing powerhouses of nourishment, medicine, magic, and beauty. They are easy to grow and simple to use. But beginners, and seasoned herbal users as well, can sometimes feel lost: so many herbs, so many plants, so many weeds to get to know.
Medicinal Asteraceae Stars
Arnica (Arnica montana) flowers relieve muscle pain.
Burdock (Arctium lappa) root nourishes deep health.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) herb banishes flu.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers salve wounds.
Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis or Matricaria chamomilla) soothes baby.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) root strengthens the liver.
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) flowers ease coughs.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) herb improves liver function.
Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia) root counters bacterial infections.
Elecampane (Inula helenium) root is a favorite lung healer.
Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) prevents migraines.
Grindelia (Grindelia robusta) herb in flower opens breathing, stops itching.
Liferoot (Senecio aureus) flower tincture counters severe menstrual pain.
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed tincture prevents liver distress.
Mug/cronewort (Artemisia vulgaris) herb is an old woman's friend.
Queen of the meadow/gravel root (Eupatorium purpurea) helps the kidneys.
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) flowers repel insects.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) flowers heal wounds, prevent colds.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root brings sleep.
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthemum) herb prevents parasites.
Wild lettuce (Lactucca species) sap eases severe pain.
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Dear Susun,
When I was younger I took a lot of recreational drugs, and sometimes I drink more alcohol than I should. I also drink at least one cup of coffee a day, sometimes two or three. And last year, when I was really sick, I took antibiotics. Well, obviously, my liver is clogged with all kinds of toxins. How do I get rid of them? What herbs do you suggest I use to cleanse my liver?
Thank you. DR from NAS
Dear DR,
Wait! Don't cleanse your liver. It won't help you; and it can harm you.
Let's take a look at how the liver operates. As blood moves through it--and all of your circulating blood passes through your liver hourly--it is not filtered, but restored. Toxins do not build up in there; the liver removes them. Oil-soluble vitamins and glucose are stored in the liver, but chemicals, drugs, and toxins are not.
Drugs, metabolic by-products, alcohol, hormones, cholesterol, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, bacteria, viral particles, and all the chemical detritus of living in the blood are judged by the liver: some are allowed to stay, others dismantled for recycling, and some are removed.
Water-soluble chemicals, such as ammonia, are excreted when you pee. To get a sense of how quickly water-soluble chemicals are removed from your body, eat some asparagus, which contains the mildly-poisonous water-soluble chemical asparagine. Notice how quickly you have to "go," and the smell of the asparagine in your urine. Oil-soluble chemicals may be excreted in breast milk, ejaculations, ovulations, and tears, but most are locked up in fat cells, where they can do little harm. (Neither water- nor fat-soluble chemicals can be excreted by sweating. Minerals can, however, and that threatens the health of your bones.)
Yes, you can damage your liver with alcohol and drugs. But the liver is amazingly regenerative. Every cell in a healthy liver is replaced every forty days. So, instead of cleansing--which can increase the damage--I prefer to make my liver strong and healthy by nourishing it.
The liver-nourishing herbs I love include dandelion, chicory, yellow dock, and milk thistle. Milk thistle is best used before the fact, not after; it is highly protective of the liver. When milk thistle seed tincture (a dose is a dropperful) is taken before chemotherapy, heavy drinking, or exposure to concentrations of chemicals, the liver can more easily recycle and remove what is not needed.
For daily nourishment however, there's nothing better than dandelion. If you live too far to the north or south for dandelion to grow, try chicory or yellow dock instead. They are hardier weeds, and great substitutes. All parts of dandelion, chicory, and yellow dock are medicinal and restorative to the liver. Roots are most commonly used--usually tinctured, although vinegars work just as well. A dose of 10-25 drops, or a tablespoon of the vinegar in water or on a salad, taken in the morning and before will bring fast results. (Regular use of apple cider vinegar has been found to drastically reduce the incidence of adult-onset diabetes.)
Additionally, you'll make your liver very happy if you:
Eat regularly. Skipping meals and fasting reduces liver efficiency quickly.
Eat cooked food. Raw foods contain bacterial, viral, and enzymatic substances that stress, and may even cause an infection in, the liver.
Eat enough fat; but avoid oils pressed from seeds, which increase inflammation. As dietary fat decreases, so does the liver's ability to metabolize glucose, fatty acids, and cholesterol.
Get angry. The liver is the storehouse of unexpressed rage.
Avoid essential oils; they impair liver function. Choose unflavored toothpastes and mouthwashes, and unscented soaps, skin lotions, deodorants, antiperspirants, and candles.
Avoid herbs that are rich in alkaloids or other natural chemicals, including most herbs used in "cleansing" such as golden seal, senna, cascara sagrada, celandine, chaparral, lobelia, rhubarb root, cayenne, and poke root.
Instead of coffee, start your day with nourishing herbal infusion. You'll be surprised at the energy and stamina you'll have.
Good health and green blessings. Susun
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