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Medicinal herbs | Herbal medicines
Medicinal Herbs
Details on medicinal herbs, seeds and herbal remedies using household herbs in various conditions are given on this page.
The use of herbs (plants) to treat various diseases is century old in Greeks and Romans, Indians, Chinese and various South Asian Countries for their claimed health benefits. According to the World Health Organizatio, 80 % of the world's population presently uses herbal medicines. 25% of modern drugs and dietary supplements have been derived from plants.
There are several herbal medicinal plants in use for various diseases, but many have not been studied and evaluated scientifically so far. People even try herbal medicines when the normal medicines fail to show any improvemnet in their condition. Needless to say, herbal remedies are cheap as the herbs can be grown from seeds.
Medicinal Herbs & Remedies
| Medicinal Herb |
Parts used |
Medical Use & Remedy |
| Alfalfa | Whole herb and leaf | Arthritis, blood purifier, source of vitamins, minerals & chlorophyll |
| Aloe Vera | Inner gel | Helps nutrients absorption in intestine, laxative, absorb toxins, regulate intestinal flora |
| Arnica | Root & flowers | Used for sprains, bruises, soaks & compresses. The tincture is used for external application to sprains, bruises, and wounds. Repeated applications may produce severe inflammation. |
| Bee Pollen | | Source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes, provides stamina and strength |
| Bilberry | Berry | Good for vision, helpful in eye diseases such as pigmentary retinitis, diabetic retinopathy, etc |
| Black Walnut | Hulls & leaf | Source of natural iodine, antiseptic, remedy for intestinal worms & hemorrhoid, blood purifier |
| Cayenne | Fruit & seeds | Anti-inflammatory, reduces pain, nausea |
| Chamomile | Flowers single & double | Sedative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, diuretic, good in insomnia, anxiety, menstrual discomfort. Combined with ginger, the cold infusion (made with 1/2 oz. of flowers to 1 pint of water) is excellent in flatulent colic, heartburn, loss of appetite, sluggish state of the intestinal canal, and also in gout and periodic headache.
Chamomile flowers used as a poultice for external swelling, inflammatory pain or congested neuralgia. |
| Cohosh, Black | Root | Astringent, diuretic, expectorant, an antidote against the bite of the rattlesnake. Good in children's diarrhoea, cough, whooping-cough, overdoses produce nausea and vomiting. |
| Comfrey | Root & leaves | Mildly astringent and expectorant, laxative, good for cuts, burns, skin ulcer, whooping-cough
Comfrey leaves are used as a poultice for sprains, swellings and bruises, boils, abscesses ulcers. |
| Cranberry | Berry | ntibacterial, good for urinary tract infections, cystitis |
| Dandelion | Leaf & root fresh & dried, young tops | Source of potassium, diuretic, laxative, good for acidity, liver, eczema, gout, |
| Echinacea | Root | Antiseptic, fungistatic, used for tonsillitis, allergies, blood poisoning |
| Evening Primrose | Bark, flowers & seeds | Astringent, sedative, antispasmodic, used in weight loss, menopause and PMS, gastro-intestinal disorders, asthma, whooping cough |
| Fennel | Seed | Anti-inflammatory, good diarrhea, increases lactation, suppresses appetite. |
| Garlic | Bulb | Source of natural germanium, antibacterial, good for high blood pressure & high cholestero, good for cold and cough, . |
| Green Tea | | Anti-oxidants, immune boost, improves metabolism |
| Guarana | | Astringent, stimulant. |
| Gugulgum | | Lowers cholesterol |
| Ginger | Rootstock | Good for indigestion, diarrhea, cold, sore throat, nausea, motion sickness, vomiting |
| Ginkgo Biloba | Leaf Extract | For blood circulation and peripheral blood flow, good for mild depression, vertigo. |
| Ginseng | Root | Korean: Good for low blood pressure, increases energy & stamina, women with cysts should not use it.
Siberian: Used to enhance endurance, regulate blood sugar, stimulate immune function |
| Goldenseal | Root | Laxative, good for nausea, colds, liver, stomach ulcers |
| Hawthorne | Berries | For high and low blood pressure, good for heart and circulatory system |
| Juniper | Berries | Diuretic, mild stimulant, antiseptic. Do not use with kidney disease. |
| Lavender | Leaves, oil | A tea brewed from Lavender tops is excellent to relieve headache from fatigue and exhaustion. A distilled water made from Lavender is used as a gargle and for hoarseness and loss of voice. The oil is used in sores, varicose ulcers, burns and scalds. |
| Lemon Grass | Leaves | Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar level. |
| Marigold | Flowers & leaves | Stimulant and diaphoretic, useful in chronic ulcer, varicose veins, etc. Rub marigold flower on the swelling caused by the sting of a wasp or bee. An infusion of the fresh flowers is used in fevers, smallpox and measles, snuffing excites sneezing and a discharge of mucous from the head, an extirpator of warts. |
| Milk Thistle | Whole herb, root, leaves, seeds & hull | Antioxidant, used for liver and hepatitis, alcohol abuse. The infusion of the fresh root and seeds is good for dropsy when taken internally, and applied externally with cloths to the liver. |
| Motherwort | Herb | Antispasmodic, sedative |
| Peppermint or Mint | Leaf Extract | Stomachic and carminative, good for stomach, digestion, excessive and gas diarrhe, anxiety, restlessness, tension |
| Pumpkin | Seed | Diuretic, source of zinc and linolenic acid |
| Red Clover | Blossoms | Diuretic, expectorant, antispasmodic |
| Red Raspberry | Leaf | Helps nausea, female tonic for excessive menstrual flow, as gargle for sore throats and canker sores. |
| Rhubarb | Root | Antispasmodic, laxative, appetite stimulant, astringent |
| Rose Hips | Hips | High in vitamin C, good for improving beauty, acne, wrinkles, infection, diarrhea |
| Slippery Elm | Inner Bark | A good poultice for wounds and burns, good for inflamed membranes in kidney, urinary tract, bowels and stomach. |
| St. John's Wort | Herb tops, flowers | Sedative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, antidepressant, used for wounds & cuts healing. Used in all pulmonary complaints, bladder troubles, in suppression of urine, dysentery, worms, diarrhoea, hysteria and nervous depression, jaundice. For children troubled with incontinence of urine at night give tea before sleeping. |
| Valerian | Root | A powerful nervine, stimulant, carminative and antispasmodic, sedative and mild tranquilizer, used for insomnia. Avoid Overuse. |
| White Willow | Bark | Aspirin herb, pain & fever, fever reducer, antacid, antiseptic, astringent |
Herbal Remedies
The herbal medicines are sold as powders, teas, extracts,tinctures, tablets, capsules, etc. It may, however, be pointed out that before you try a herbal medicine, you should consult your doctor, especially if you are pregnant or nursing. Some herbs may interact with other drugs you are taking, while some herbs can cause health problems so you should take the advise of your doctor about a herbal remedy you wish to try.
Herbs for Diseases : Health Benefits of Herbs
Herbs for Arthritis: Alfalfa
Herbs for Inflammation: Chamomile, fennel
Herbs for High Blood Pressure: Hawthorne, garlic, alfalfa, corn silk, dandelion, juniper, parsley
Herbs for High Cholesterol Level: Green tea, Gugulgum, garlic, Alfalfa, dandelion, juniper, parsley
Herbs for Cancer: garlic
Herbs for Depression Ginkgo Biloba, valerian, ginkgo biloba
Herbs for Digestive System: Aloe Vera juice, mint, ginger, echinacea, fennel
Diuretic Herbs: Alfalfa, corn silk, dandelion, juniper, parsley
Laxative Herbs for Constipation: Comfrey, goldenseal, pumpkin seeds, red clover, rhubarb, triphla
Herbs for Metabolism: Green tea, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seed
Sadative Herbs for Sleep: Chamomile, evening primrose, motherwort, St. John's Wort,
Herbs for Skin: Rose hips
Herbs for Thyroid: Bladderwrack and hawthorn berry
Herbs for Weight loss: Evening Primrose, hoodia gordonii
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