Herbalist recommends system for better health
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
Herbalist Darcy Williamson recommends herbal tinctures,
teas, vinegars and plants that can help women with symptoms such as
bone-density loss and hot flashes during menopause.
She warns that many herbs found in health food stores are
ineffective in capsule or tablet form because of their short shelf life.
Plants and herbs that can be self-grown and harvested
include:
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Valerian. This should be a tincture and not in
capsule form. Dry valerian has a kind of acid that is habit forming. Use
instead the root of valerian. It’s very effective in reducing stress and
aiding in sleep.
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St. John’s Wort. This is said to aid in
anxiety-related depression. It does not dissolve its constituency in
water, but must be a tincture—a fact that raises doubts about a recent
study showing it doesn’t work. Harvest the flowering tops of the plant,
rinse off, pack firmly in a jar, pour grain alcohol or cheap vodka over it
and let it sit for several weeks. Then pour it through a coffee filter. It
should be a burgundy red. If you buy this dry or in tablet form you are
wasting your money.
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Horsetail. Good for rebuilding bones after the
seven-year period of losing density before and during menopause. Horsetail
rebuilds through the natural silicone. However, Williamson warns, it can
be toxic depending on where it’s grown. It’s best to plant and harvest
it yourself.
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Huckleberry. The leaf tea regulates blood sugar.
It will last six months in the refrigerator. She says to pick the leaves
in the spring and have a cup of tea before meals.
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Hawthorne is for anyone over fifty. She calls it
a whole-heart tree. Take it everyday as a tonic to strengthen the muscles
around the heart. It is also good for energy.
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Yams have enzymes that help us but Williamson
said that eating a baked yam does the same thing as applying the cream.
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American Angelica is the same genus as Dong Quai
and grows here in the valley. Dong Quai is often taken to strengthen blood
and regulate the body. Use the root to make a tonic.
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Soy. Williamson said that added to your diet, soy
can significantly reduce hot flashes, due to isoflavones, a natural plant
form of estrogen.
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Other herbs she mentions are red raspberry leaf tea for
strengthening the uterus, shepherd’s purse and trillium to stop spotting
and excessive bleeding.
Other than growing and harvesting your own herbs,
Williamson recommends Frontier Herbs as a company that thoroughly
regulates and tests its products.
In our area, Two Ravens tinctures are available at Akasha
Organics, in Chapter One. Herbs are also available on-line from
Williamson.
Williamson is working on a book on herbs in this area, but
in the meantime recommends Medicine Plants of Mountain West by
Tucson resident Michael Moore. Another source is Dr. James Duke, whose Web
site (www.ars-grin.gov/duke/) has medicinal recommendations of plants’
ethnobotanical uses.