Actions of Herbs

by The ABC Herbal

March 2007

There are only four basic actions of herbs. Herbs either: (1) stimulate body tissue to restore energy when they are sluggish and cold, (2) contract tissues that are loose, spongy or discharging, (3) relax and open tissues that are tense, blocked or obstructed or (4) soothe tissues that are irritated, sore or inflamed.

These qualities can readily be detected by our sense of taste, smell and touch. Herbs which stimulate have aromatic or spicy qualities. They include most of our kitchen spices such as: thyme, peppermint, cayenne pepper, rosemary, cinnamon, horseradish, mustard powder, ginger, cloves, oregano and so forth. These spices help to increase the energy of body tissues, improve digestion, expel gas from the bowel, promote perspiration, clear blocked respiratory passages and fight infection. Adults commonly use aromatics like ginger and cayenne pepper, but children seldom needs herbs this strong. Their systems respond very well to pleasantly or mild aromatics like: peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon and lemon grass.

Herbs which contract tissues have a sour or astringent (drying and tightening) taste. Think of biting into a lemon and how it puckers your mouth and you will have an excellent idea of what these tightening herbs do. They help to arrest bleeding, stop discharges, reduce swelling, arrest diarrhea, counteract bites and stings and restore tone to flabby organs. Examples of these kinds of herbs include: oak bark, raspberry leaves, bayberry root bark, yarrow, gumweed, plantain, comfrey and uva ursi. Many berries and fruits have a mild toning action and are very suitable for children such as elderberries and elder flowers, lemon juice, rose hips, blackberries, and raspberries.

Those herbs which help to open obstructions in the body, relax tissues, clean out the liver, blood and bowels and otherwise detoxify the system are generally bitter and nasty tasting. Children don't like to take these herbs in liquid form (neither do adults) unless their systems really need them. As with other categories of herbs, children generally don't need the stronger tasting bitters as much as adults. So, children can usually get by with mildly bitter herbs like alfalfa, dandelion, burdock and parsley. When they do need stronger bitters like Oregon grape, goldenseal, myrrh gum, cascara sagrada or barberry, their disagreeable taste can be partially masked by blending them with sweet tasting herbs and preparing them in a glycerine or honey base.

Finally, there is a class of herbs which are sweet tasting and/or have a slippery feel to them when moistened in the mouth. These mucilaginous herbs soothe irritations, build up weakened and depleted bodies, help tissues to heal faster, pull poisons out of the body through the bowel or skin and sometimes act as bulk-forming laxative. These herbs are usually easy to use with children because they are not strong tasting or unpleasant. They include comfrey, slippery elm, aloe vera juice or gel, licorice root, sarsaparilla, cornsilk and marshmallow.

When you understand these basic actions of herbs, you can readily substitute one herb for another and still get good results. As you become more familiar with herbs, you will learn their subtler differences and more specific applications, but this knowledge is sufficient to get effective results with common family ailments.

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