As herbalism grows in popularity, people often ask me, “is this herb safe in pregnancy?” or “what herb can I take for xyz?” In this blog post, I write about why those questions can be tricky to answer, regardless of who is being asked, and discuss some of my philosophy about herbs. Then, I’ll go through some ways to work with herbs by explaining common herbal preparations.

JUST ONE HERBALIST’S PHILOSOPHY

Here are some reasons why I take issue with questions like “is this herb safe in pregnancy?” or “will this herb induce labor?” As well as a bit about my philosophy (which has certainly shifted in over a decade of study and working with medicinal plants).

1. The question of safety is tricky. Life is inherently risky. So perhaps we change the language to model the language shift in the sexuality world- instead of “safe sex” or “safe herbs” let’s modify that to be “Safer.” Not all herbs are safe for all bodies. Some plants are down right toxic and poisonous, yet some herbalists have an affinity for these plants (NOT ME)- I’m thinking of herbalists who work with things like Belladonna for a topical flying ointment. I wonder too, if what underlies this question of “is it safe?” is a common and normal anxiety about plants, since so many people are no longer living in relationship with plants, don’t feel confident in identifying plants, much less then making and consuming plant medicine! (stay tuned for an upcoming blog posts about learning herbalism, growing herbs, and ethical wildcrafting)

2. Herbs are still part of a long folk medicine tradition in that all of our medicines were once solely plant based (many many of our common pharmaceuticals were derived from isolating plant compounds), so that despite herbalism growing in trendiness as we get back to “old” ways, there is still far too little evidence based research on the efficacy on herbs. But also, who do we trust to tell us if something is effective?

3. Herbs are not a one size fits all. What works for one person does not work for anther. Herbs are complex beings just like us humans, and applying what many of us herbalists call an “allopathic” i.e., westernized model of medicine of “take this for this” is not the approach a skilled herbalist will take. A good herbalist looks at the whole picture, taking into consideration things like constitution, climate, context, access, chronic and acute conditions. When I work with clients one on one I have a comprehensive intake form, I take my time, and I test clients to plant match make the best herbs for them for whatever they are working on.

4. Herbs have to be taken regularly, consistently and in large enough dosages to be effective. Too many people try herbs based on a click bait news headline, only to be disappointed. This is why working with a trained herbalist who has some clinical skills, can be helpful in figuring out how to make herbs work in your life. As well as do your due diligence!

5. Herbs are not a substitute for adequate food, proper nutrition, safe housing, and/or other forms of viable economic, social, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual health and relational support. Access to herbs is a real thing, and the so-called “wellness industry” that modern day herbalism is part of is a trillion dollar industry with many many people aiming to get rich, and get rich fast.

6. In terms of using an herb to say induce labor, I’m not a fan of that. I’m not a fan of any kind of induction. TRUST BIRTH. Your baby will come when your baby is ready. Every day in online FB pregnancy groups I see people stressing asking for advice on what to take to induce labor… whew….. first off go back to my point #3 above, then repeat to yourself “My baby knows when to be born. BIRTH IS A PHYSIOLOGIC PROCESS.” “The less you mess with birth the better,” as one my midwives Leslie, once told me. Can herbs be part of daily tonics same as your daily vitamin or eating a balanced diet, absolutely, but to try to use an herb to get an extreme desired effect is not particularly safe or realistic.

   and…

PLANTS ARE FRIENDS AND OUR ORIGINAL MEDICINES

Humans and plants have evolved together. While it is easy to grieve the destruction that an ethos of endless growth in the name of corporate profits in a human centered framework, not all humans in all places have treated their more than human relations with such disrespect. Most of our ancestors once lived in place respecting ways, where they knew how hard we humans are on a place and thus, proceeded accordingly. Indigenous land based non-industrialized peoples, have created amazing food forests in some places, practiced controlled burning in others, farmed in what we call “permaculture ways,” discerned amazing healing properties just by listening to plants, and lived in ways where both human and plant populations are healthy.

In permaculture design school this past summer, I was reminded that one of the many genius ways plants have adapted to survive and thrive is to make themselves easy to transport, as well as beautiful and delicious-I’m thinking of you Strawberry (read the essay, The Gift of Strawberries by Robin Wall Kimmerer for more on the wonder of human/plant relations); coupled with the fact that we humans have opposable thumbs and long arms and fingers- perfect for digging, grasping, transporting plants, saving and sowing seeds. I love stories of smuggled seeds, tiny saplings or a bundle of roots covertly tucked into the folds of fabric in a grandmother’s coat as she leaves the “old” land for the “new” one.

Here in the United States right now, all the major players in herbalism are white. And though we have lineages of plant communication and plant medicine within our own European/Nordic etc. ancestral traditions we owe a huge debt to Native Americans across these lands as well as people from West African Lands. Many of the so-called permaculture and organic, food growing practices so beloved by us herbalist hippie local food loving types, (not to mention the actual plant medicine we know and love), that have been co-opted by white folks for profit and fame, come to us from black and indigenous communities. One of the most well known comes the Oneida Nation, the practice in food growing of planting complimentary plants next to each other ala “Three Sisters,” https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/the-legend-of-the-three-sisters/. Part of being a white herbalist is grappling with this. All of my herbal teachers have been white. Where did they learn their craft? I don’t really know. So there’s a lot of reckoning still to be done. There is of course, like any subculture or avocation, a spectrum of white herbalists - some of which are firmly entrenched in upholding white settler patriarchal modes of being (Susun Weed and her abuse of students come to mind) and those actively working to push against that like my friends at North Sea Apothecary and their sliding scale CSA and ongoing contributions to mutual aid projects.

My point is not to discourage people from herbalism, it’s to just use discernment when seeking out teachers and herbalists to support and work with. When I got started I didn’t have the internet at home. I read a book here and there. I took plant walks. I worked on a farm and got to know culinary herbs and medicinal flowers. While I was fairly well schooled (in comparison to most of the white folks I knew) in the legacy of colonialism and systemic racism, I wouldn’t say that I understood how that worked in the herbal world too. My point is to try to be as honest as I can with some of what I grapple with as someone who calls myself an herbalist.

So often the best way to work with a plant is the slow approach. This can mean just starting to visit a plant you enjoy seeing in your day to day life. It is not always taking a bunch of tinctures and or blowing a bunch of money on Instagram famous herbalist classes (all of which I’ve done….ahem Kami McBride’s spendy oil making class that I of course still haven’t finished). As a former monotheistic Episcopalian, turned fledgling Animist, I try and honor the inherent life force in all beings, and don’t ascribe supremacy to humans. Sometimes harvesting to consume is not at all appropriate. We humans are so often on the take. Sometimes the absolute best medicine is to simply acknowledge a plant and give thanks for its life and pray for its continual health (and then fight like hell for climate devastation action and VOTE). Some of the most memorable healing times in my life have not been when I was consuming tinctures several times a day or drinking a gallon of tea, but when I was simply getting to know a plant by spending time with it.

With that let’s review what are common forms or types of plant medicine! There are more than I’ve listed below, but these are some of the most familiar and common, and some of my favorite ways personally.

Forms of Plant Medicine - Ways to work with Herbs

1. Plant Friends- spending time with any plant that might be calling to you especially wild ones growing in your neighborhood. I’ve spent time with a particular patch of Nettles, a Maple tree, and Yarrow I’ve grown in my garden, for example. I like to to talk to them, sing to them, and in general just sit, be present with them, and express gratitude for their Life on this planet.

2. Tincture (Extract) - Alcohol extraction of fresh or dried plant material. Typically macerated for 4-6 weeks, then strained, and bottled to protect from heat and light. Taken by the dropper straight or, if desired, dissolved in a little hot water to evaporate off some of the alcohol. Alcohol extraction method is considered the strongest type of herbal medicine. Tinctures, when properly stored, can be good for up to 5 years and sometimes longer since the alcohol is preservative.

3. Elixir- an elixir is just a tincture (extract) with honey and/or other sweeteners added. These are often found in children’s tincture lines where the majority of the tincture is made with glycerine which is both sweet and alcohol free, with the alcohol acting more as a preservative than the vehicle for the herbal action.

4. Infusion- Water extraction. This is your typical tea preparation, i.e. infused in water. Boil water, pour over herbs, (I like to gently cap whatever vessel I am using to not lose any of the plant’s healing constituents that might escape with steam), steep for at least 5 minutes up to 20 minutes or overnight for tonic infusions like with Nettles or Milky Oats (please note these steeping times are specific to herbal teas made up of petals/flowers, leaves, some roots; other types of teas: black, green, white, need other temperatures/ steep times). Sweeten with honey as desired.

5. Decoction- Water extraction. A decoction is the process of bringing water to a boil, adding roots, stems, barks, and/or medicinal mushrooms and then simmering on low to medium heat for 15-30 minutes (generally speaking). A decoction is useful for woodier, tougher plant material that do not release their medicinal constituents via standard steeping style of a quick infusion. Decoction works well for things like ginger root, yellow dock, dandelion root, cinnamon bark, astragulus root.

6. Oil- Oil infusion. Dried or fresh herbs are infused in a carrier oil like sunflower or jojoba oil, placed in a warm dark spot, and then strained out and bottled, after a 4-6 week period. You can infuse things for their scent and pain relieving effects by placing the coarsely chopped plant material in a jar, cover with your desired oil, let sit, then strain. Using herbal infused oils for massage are one of my favorite ways to soothe an activated nervous system. Some popular herbal oils are Calendula, Arnica, and Saint John’s Wort. I also love Grand Fir and Pine infused oils, as well as Yarrow and Mugwort.

7. Salve/Balm- Oils and beeswax preparation. Salves combine herbal infused oils with beeswax to make a more solid (when room temperature or cool) end result. Salves and balms can be made of varying combinations of herbal infused oils, resins (like pine pitch), other fats/oils like shea butter or cocoa butter, and waxes (rice bran wax, beeswax etc).

8. Cream/Lotion- oils, fats and waters combined via emulsion. Creams and lotions are tricky to make by hand b/c you are combining two things that don’t like to mix- oil and water! The result in well worth it, and in winter time your skin will thank you for putting by those herbal oils earlier in the summer.

9. Hydrosol (floral water)- Steam distillation of fresh leaves, fruits, flowers, and other plant materials. These aromatic waters can be sprayed directly on the skin, mixed into other herbal preparations like to make a skin lotion, or sprayed around a room for an energetic reset. These are one of my favorite methods of plant medicine for their gentleness and delightful scents.

10. Essential Oils- Steam distillation. Essential Oils are basically hydrosols but without all the water, making them much more concentrated. One drop of Rose Essential EO for example is made from 60 whole Roses! EO’s are great for adding strong scent to products if that is what you are going for. I only recommend EO’s in very small doses mixed with a carrier oil for external application with a few internal exceptions (i.e. tea tree oil diluted in a homemade tooth powder). Do not believe the hype from predatory MLM (multi-level marking, i.e. pyramid schemes) companies that hawk essential oils like DoTerra that EO’s are cure-all. Because Essential Oils are so concentrate, they are typically NOT safe for internal consumption.

11. Herbal Powders- dried/dehydrated and pulverized herbs. These are your standard spice mixes in the grocery store, but also extend out to pricier herbal supplements like Ashwagandha powder or medicinal mushroom powders. I like to use these in cooking (obviously), but also added to cocoa powder, in my morning coffee, and to mulling spices to add to wine or apple cider to give a boost to warm winter beverages.

The Magic and Nuance of Herbal Medicinal Making

This list is just a quick overview. Learning how to just make one of these preparations takes time and learning. Variations in climate and altitude can affect your medicine making. The quality of the herbs you are working with. Any herbalist has stories of failed batches. How many of us really thought we’d finally figured out the secret to not having fresh calendula petal oil go moldy? Or added way too much beeswax to a salve and it’s way too hard and then have to scrape out all your tiny little salve tins and start the melting process all over. There is nuance to all of these, and the biggest part of all is knowing the plant you are working with. Each plant has different parts that can be used. Some need to be harvested in the Spring, some in the Summer, some in the Fall, and some even in late Winter. Within the herbalist community too there is much variation. Clinical herbalists use a ratio formula for tincture making and a higher proof alcohol than I typically like to use. Many home herbalists are content with the “folk” or “simplers” method whereby you measure in parts as opposed to weighing every thing out. I use a modified ratio version for my tinctures now simply b/c I like to track my batches year after year and it ensures I’m getting a consistent and strong end result, but when I started off, I’d just chop up plant material, stuff in a jar and cover it with Vodka, ala the “folk” or “simplers” method.

Making your own herbal medicine is rewarding on so many levels. Not only are you learning a new skill that has to do with resilience, community building, and care, you are getting to know some plants, and from an ecological care standpoint, I think this makes us better humans because then we start to really care about our plants and the places we all live.

Start small though, because before too long you’ll end up with way more medicine than you can possibly use in a lifetime….. hahah….Buy a few dried herbs from the local herb shop and experiment with blending your own teas. Harvest some wild nettles in a friends forest and make your own fresh nettle tincture.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this write up, and deepened your appreciation of herbal medicine.

The world of plants is vast, complex, and intelligent. The more you learn, the more deeply the capacity to fall in love with plants. Stay tuned for a post on my favorite herbal books to get you started on your studies, as well as the next post in this series about herbs for birthing bodies!

If you’d like some personalized herbal support, please reach out! I work with clients 1:1 in person in my home apothecary or virtually. An initial herbal consult is always free, and I offer sliding scale rates. Email me by clicking the button below!

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