Silueta Bilingual Magazine
Herbalism - The knowledge and study of herbs. Learning to use herbs is a challenging adventure, and a lot of fun. Teas, tonics, salves, tinctures, and liniments are preparations you can make yourself. Begin by learning basic recipes and harmonio us combinations of herbs. As your knowledge of these healing plants expands, you will learn which herbs work best together. You don't want to start using herbs unless you know something about them. This information helps you to make good decisions about w hich herbs to use, and when and how much to use them.
When learning about new herbs, it is important to read about them in more than one herbal book. Why? because each herb has so many different facets. To get a more complete comprehensive view of each herb, you need to learn about it from more than one s ource. For your own personal herb library to be effectively used for study and cross referencing herbs, I recommend having at least four or five good herbal books. This will give you a comprehensive overview of each herb and provide enough information to give yo u a fair analysis of the herb and it's uses.
We learn best by hands-on experience, so begin by using your herbs for simple, non-emergency, first-aid situations. For an upset stomach. Drink peppermint tea. For stress and headaches try a cup of skullcap/chamomile tea. Having trouble sleeping? Try a nice cup of skullcap/valerian tea. Talk to others who use herbs and draw upon your own experience, and your knowledge of the healing power of herbs will rapidly expand. Herbal healing is one of the oldest healing systems on earth, so awaken the healer wi thin and embrace Gaia.
Basic Tea Preparation
Herbal teas may be taken internally or used, externally as poultices, fomentations (applications of hot and cold water), or in baths to purify and relax the body. To prepare leaves, flowers and stems, add one tsp. of herb to one cup of boiling water. L et it steep 15 minutes, covered; strain and use. Roots, seeds, and bark must be simmered (low-boil) at least 20 minutes; keep pan covered; strain and use. Note: when using internally remember 1/4 cup of herbal tea taken several times during the day is far better than two cups gulped down at once. In order for herbs to be effective, they must be used with consistency. The amount of herbal tea to drink daily is determined by the health problem, and the herb(s) being used
Press here to see a list of Basic Herbal Books