Top 10 Herbs- Herbal Compress

Top 10 Compress Herbs

1. CAMPHOR

2. EUCALYPTUS

3. GINGER ROOT

4. JASMINE

5. KAFFIR LIME

6. PRAI

7. PEPPERMINT

8. LEMONGRASS

9. TAMARIND

10. TURMERIC


Each herb holds therapeutic properties that offer many benefits. Below is a description of what properties each of the top 10 herbs may provide as well as the taste and application.

CAMPHOR:

Properties: Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic antitussive, bronchodilator, cardiac, diaphoretic, expectorant, pectoral, sedative, stimulant
Taste: Hot, aromatic

Applications: Thai saunas, decongestant - inhaled to treat colds, congestion, sore throat, cough bronchitis, and sinusitis, blocked menstruation, eye infections, fevers, typhoid, and lung infections. Stimulates brain, heart and circulation, calms stress, anxiety and insomnia

EUCALYPTUS:

Properties: Antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitussive, expectorant, diaphoretic, pectoral, antibacterial, anti fungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti migraine, and also an insect repellent.

Taste: Hot, aromatic

Application: Treats colds, congestion, sinus, lung, cough, bronchitis, asthma, sore throat and respiratory aliments aches & pains, blisters, burns, catarrh, chicken pox, circulation, cuts, cystitis, diarrhea, diphtheria, emphysema, fever, headaches, herpes, influenza, insect repellent, lice, measles, migraines, nephritis, neuralgia, rheumatoid conditions, sinusitis, skin, ulcers, sprains, throat infections, wounds.

GINGER ROOT:

Properties: Analgesic, anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, anti-septic, antitussive, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, tonic

Taste: Hot

Application: General tonic for health and longevity. Stimulant for digestive tract. Combats flatulence, indigestion, gastritis, peptic ulcer, diarrhea, sluggish digestion, nausea, vomiting.

JASMINE:

Properties: Antiseptic, astringent, cardiac, emmenagogue, nervine, sedative

Taste: aromatic

Application: Saunas and steams, used for calming nervousness, stress, anxiety, and panic attacks. Tea and inhalation help with infection of eyes, heart disease, fever and chronic thirst

KAFFIR LIME:

Properties: Antioxidant, antitussive, astringent, blood tonic, carminative, emmenagogue, expectorant, stomachic

Taste: Sour, bitter

Application: saunas, colds, congestion, and cough, digestive stimulant, blood purifier, cancer preventing properties, high blood pressure, regulates menstruation

PLAI:

Properties: Anti-septic

Taste: Hot

Application: Skin beautifier, nourishes skin, smoothes stretch marks during pregnancy, aches and pains, inflammations, joint problems, muscle spasms, sprains, and strains, torn muscles and ligaments, asthma, chronic colds, colic, constipation, diarrhea, fevers, flatulence, heartburn, immune problems, influenza, nausea, respiratory problems, wounds, improves circulation, tones the stomach, improves appetite, increases mental alertness and improves memory.

PEPPERMINT:

Properties: Analgesic, anti-emetic, anti-spasmodic, antitussive, aphrodisiac, appetiser, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, expectorant, nervine, refrigerant, sedative, stomachic, tonic

Taste: Hot, aromatic

Application: Calming effect on nervous system, vapor, treats nervousness, insomnia, stress, related or migraine headaches

LEMONGRASS:

Properties: Anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, carminative, expectorant

Taste: Sour

Application: stimulant for digestion, constipation, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, back pain.

TAMARIND:

Properties: Anti-septic, anti-stringent, blood tonic, carminative, digestive, expectorant, female tonic, laxative, nutritive, tonic, purgative, refrigerant, stimulant

Taste: Sour

Application: Lowers blood pressure, diarrhea, fever, ulcers and sores.

TURMERIC:

Properties: Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant

Taste: Bitter

Application: Inflammation and antioxidant damage such as cataracts, arthritis, cancer, and heart disease, scabies and digestive disorders; promotes wound healing, strengthens immune system, infections, gallbladder problems, dysentery, liver disorders, indigestion.

There are many other herbs that are also used in the compress such as: basil, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, lemon, mandarin orange, garlic, nutmeg, and lavender.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com Lana_Cummings

Skin Rash - A Chinese Herbal Prescription

Skin rash is a common term used in Chinese medicine for acne, eczema and so on. It is considered a symptom only. Some cases last a few days but many will last for years. You'll never get to the roots if you use ointments or other skin applications. You must understand the characteristics of this problem: (a) The rash can spread or move from one location to another. (b) It flares up from time to time for various reasons. (c) What you eat or do can make it better or worse.

Skin rash is deeper than what the skin shows. It's the blood that causes this as evidenced by the characteristics described above. The Chinese view points to the existence of "excess heat" in the blood, which means many things including: too much peppery/deep-fried/greasy food, too much shellfish consumed like crabs/clams/oysters, excessive toxins in the blood through eating or exposure, not enough rest, hot weather getting into you, etc.

An effective prescription should aim to do four things:

1) Reduce excess heat in body or blood

Xuan Shen

Lu Gen

Gou Teng

2) Cleanse toxins in blood

Sheng Di Huang

Bai Hua She Cao

Huang Qin

Zhi Mu

3) Nourish and moisten the skin

Mai Men Dong

Yu Zhu

Ze Xie

4) Calm the liver which may be overactive

Bai Shao

Jin Yin Hua

A combination of 12 herbs are recommended.

Drink one to two cups (8 oz each) of herb tea a day. Your skin rash won't disappear overnight. Progress will show in many ways such as less frequent eruptions, less intensity when it erupts, rash areas becoming dry and new skin beginning to replace the old one. Skin rash usually take months to cure, if not years.

You will never get better if you don't pay attention to the following:

(a) Eat less greasy, peppery, deep-fried or barbecued food

(b) Eat less shellfish such as crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, shrimps, etc.

(c) Drink more water or fruit juice to moisturize your skin.

(d) Eat more vegetables and juicy fruits.

(e) Rest enough and avoid burning the midnight oil to calm your liver.

This is just one formula with countless variations depending on the severity and nature of the rash, your lifestyle regarding eating and resting, and what kind of environment you are exposed to.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com John_Fung

Chamomile, For Health, Hair, and Life

Camomile
Matricaria Chamomilla

Common Names: German camomile, chamomilla, wild camomile.

Medicinal Part: Flowers

Description: German Camomile is a Southern European annual plant found wild along roadsides, in fields, and cultivated in gardens. The round, downy, hollow, furrowed stem may be procumbent or rise upright to a height of 16 inches. The leaves are pale green, bipinnate, sharply incised, and sessile. The flower heads are like those of Roman Camomile, and the white ray-flowers are
often bent down to make the disk-flowers even more prominent.

Properties and Uses: Anodyne, Antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, calmative, carminative, diaphoretic, tonic. German Camomile tea is valuable in many nervous conditions, insomnia, neuralgia, lumbago, rheumatic problems, and rashes. It also tends to reduce inflammation and to facilitate bowel movement without acting directly as a purgative. Use it as a wash or compress for skin problems and inflammations, including inflammations of mucous tissue. Keeping a mouthful in the mouth for a time will temporarily relieve a toothache. To help asthma in children or to relieve the symptoms of a cold, try a vapor bath of the tea. German Camomile can also be used as a relaxing, anti-spasmodic, anodyne bath additive. Use it for a sitz bath to help hemorrhoids, or as a foot or hand-bath for sweaty feet or hands. For hemorrhoids and for wounds, the flowers are also made into a salve.

Preparation and Dosage: Use 2 tsp. Dried (or fresh) flowers with ½ cup boiling water. Take a mouthful at a time. Or add 2 tbsp. flowers to 2 cups cold water and heat to just short of boiling.

Bath Additive: Use 1 lb. Flowers with 5 qt. Cold water. Bring to a boil then steep covered for 10 minutes. Strain and add to bathwater. A less effective way is to hang a linen bag containing the flowers in the tub. Use proportionately smaller amounts for partial baths.

Chamomile is perhaps one of nature’s most benign herbs. Its calmative and restorative properties make it one of those rare “any time” cures for whatever might ail you. For parents, whose children might be going through one of “those days” a weak cup of chamomile tea can help to calm an overwrought child. Chamomile has been used for hundreds of years as a cure for stomach problems; from lack of appetite to an upset stomach. In my grandmother’s house, a cup of camomile was always the cure for a restless mind at bedtime.

On rare occasions, people have complained of allergic reactions to chamomile. However, because chamomile is a low growing plant, ragweed can easily become mixed with chamomile and this is where most allergic reactions occur. It is always wise to exercise caution when you are purchasing herbs. Be certain that you are using a reputable supplier that guarantees both the quality and purity of the herbs you are purchasing. You can find many quality suppliers at our website: UsingHerbs.Com

Chamomile also plays an important part in skin and hair care. Chamomile is an excellent tonic for fair hair. Use it as a rinse after shampooing to restore shine and bring out your hair’s natural highlights. Or better yet, steep together a pot of chamomile flowers and nettles for 20 minutes, then add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Place this mixture in a spray bottle and generously spray on your hair after shampooing. Do not rinse. The slightly vinegary smell will go away in a few minutes. This hair tonic is absolutely fabulous for blond hair. It will remove tangles, strengthen the hair and prevent breakage and split ends. The vinegar will also help to restore the hair to its natural ph balance and you will love the results.

For soap making, chamomile flowers can be added to any mild handmade soap. Its properties make it an excellent addition to olive oil soap and are excellent for treating dry, problem skin and soothing rashes and inflammation.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com Mary_Welty

Tips for Finding Effective Herbal Acne Treatments

Chances are, if you find yourself reading this article, you have suffered the feelings of embarassment, self-consciousness and insecurity an acne breakout can bring on in what seems like the blink of an eye. Suddenly, you find yourself checking the mirror every hour on the hour, hoping the blemishes on your face have spontaneously cleared and you can breathe a sigh of relief.

You feel sure that everyone you come in contact with is zooming in on each and every blemish, and why wouldn't they be? It's certainly the first thing YOU see when you look in the mirror!

Now, imagine you experience this exact scenario every day of your life, as many men and women do who suffer chronic adult acne, far beyond the "acne prone" years of adolescence. The fact is, acne remains a very real and persistent problem in today's society for men and women, teenagers and adults, and instead of going away or getting better, it seems to be more prominent and more severe than ever.

What this can be attributed to is the subject of much debate in the medical and dermatological community. Higher stress levels? More hormones and synthetic chemicals in our foods? Genes? Changing diets? It's anyone's guess, but the fact remains that acne is a very real cause for emotional distress, self-consciousness and insecurity for many, and it shows no signs of getting better.

With the advent of modern dermatology and medical science, there have been some excellent new products that combine modern science and nature to form a hybrid product superior to many of it's prescription counterparts, and highly effective for many who have found that traditional treatments failed them in the long run. The aim of these products is to facilitate hormonal balance, therefore targeting acne at the source, from the inside, rather than the outside alone.

Some of these herbal acne medicines have proven highly effective in combatting acne by "cleansing" the skin from the inside, getting to the source of the problem by balancing the natural testosterone and estrogen found within the male and female body. When looking for a natural acne treatment alternative, be sure to check the ingredients and indications.

Chances are, it's a good product that will probably do what it says if it puts itself in the category of either a high antioxidant supplement, or if it has herbs and natural ingredients which help to calm the nervous system, which in turn will usually help to calm raging hormone levels that often accompany acne. Excess testosterone and excess estrogen are the primary causes of acne, hence the most common years for acne breakouts are the teenage years of hormonal turmoil.

Natural acne products can actually clear the skin for good, only requiring occasional follow up treatments, whereas conventional methods can require constant treatment, and the results disappear as soon as the individual weens themselves off the medicine. Also, many acne treatments prescribed by doctors or dermatologists are antibiotic in nature.

Continuous antibiotic treatment can actually result in antibiotic resistance in the body, meaning when you really need your body to respond to antibiotic treatment, such as in illness, it may have built a tolerance and need more powerful meds to respond correctly. Some prescribed acne medications can even be dangerous, and are to be taken only for the most severe cases of acne and with the utmost caution (Acutane).

These treatments and systems are designed to target the hormones, balancing them in many cases for good, and requiring little or no follow up treatment or monitoring. They can work for people (myself a case-in-point), who have had every other conventional acne treatment fail them time and time again, or become ineffective over time.

Overall, herbal acne remedies have proven to be a highly effective and cost effective alternative for countless acne sufferers. If they weren't effective they would not be such a popular category of skin care products today, both online and in higher end department stores. Nature works harder and also works in unison with our bodies, unlike many drugs that can disrupt and "clutter" our bodies.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com Danna_Schneider