Herbal healing begins when you make the decision to gather your own medicine. The decision empowers us and initiates the healing process. Herbal gathering provides an intimate connection with nature and it's cycles, that you can never get from merely buying an herb. Once we step out into the world of nature, our senses open and we can listen to nature and find our plant.
Many herbs have what is called "signatures", a system of characteristics that help identify the herb and its functions. The color of the herb's flowers is an important part of the signature.
Yellow Plants- are generally used for liver, gallbladder, and all urinary problems and tonics that rid the body of toxins and infections.
Reddish Plants- are all good blood purifiers and/or alternatives. The color red indicates the astringency or the healing effect of the herbs. Herbs with this color can be used to treat skin disorders that are caused by blood impurities.
Purple or Blue Flowers - are without exception used as a sedative or relaxant. You can add these herbs to recipes when the patient needs to stay calm during an illness or in treatment of muscle spasms.
The growing conditions are the second thing you look for to determine the signature of a plant. Herbs that grow in an area with a lot of gravel indicates the plant can be used in treating illness that have to do with stone or gravel in the body. These herbs help cleanse and remove harmful accumulation from the alimentary and bronchial system. These are used to treat kidney stones or gall stones. So-called stone breakers are parsley, peppergrass, shepherd's purse, sassafras, and mullein. Herbs growing in different conditions are used for different ailments. For instance, milkweed that is growing in sandy soil will have twice as many active ingredients as the same plant growing in good rich dirt.
Herbs found growing in mucky, swampy, or wet ground are good to use in recipes designed to treat excessive mucous excretions, such as respiratory problems dealing with asthma, colds, coughs, and rheumatic disorders. Willow, verbena, boneset, and elder are examples of this.. Herbs growing near fast-moving water are good to use as diuretics. Always be aware of the growing conditions when gathering herbs for a specific treatment.
Different textures indicate different uses. No herbal remedy for internal use is considered complete unless one of these emollient herbs is included in the recipe. Horehound, mullein, and hollyhocks are good examples of emollient herbs. Any of the herbs that have thorns or are prickly are used in disorders where there is sharp pain. Thistle is used as a tonic for the heart because it has sharp thorns and is indicative of sharp pain in the heart. Hawthorn is also considered a diuretic and that is helpful in any heart treatment.
Herbs that clings to itself is believed to cling to and help remove any hardened mucus of the inner systems. These herbs are good to use in ridding the body of toxins and virus germs. Ground-covering herbs are also considered good to use in ridding the body of hardened mucus. Examples are coltsfoot, sage, thyme, horehound, and mallow.
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