Learning how to use herb medicine safely at home seems daunting. But it really shouldn't be! Learn to use herbs with confidence from Doc Jones of HomeGrown Herbalist.
This post was originally published in 2022 with my interview with Doc Jones. He's back for another podcast interview where we dive even deeper into herbal remedies and dosage information.
What is Herbal Medicine Called?
Herbal medicine is also referred to as botanical medicine or phytomedicine. This means using plant seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.
Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," and both Doc Jones and I couldn't agree more.
We've both been using herbal medicine for many years and have seen firsthand the power of herbs. We are building a home apothecary by keeping certain herbs on hand and knowing which herbs to use in case of an emergency until help arrives.
What is the Best Herbal Medicine?
It's hard to say what the "best" herbal medicines are, but I like to say the best medicinal herbs are the ones you will use.
For ideas on where to start, check out these posts on how to start using medicinal herbs and 15 medicinal herbs to grow and their uses.
It's important to note that I am not a certified medical practitioner. This post is not intended to diagnose or treat but is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare professional before introducing new herbal and natural remedies into your wellness routine.
Below you'll find my previous video and audio podcast interview with Doc Jones:
Medicinal Herbs are Everywhere
Many of us walk past plants that have medicinal properties all the time without even knowing it. For example, dandelion is used by modern herbalists to aid kidney function and detoxify the liver and gallbladder. (Source) (Learn more about dandelion uses for the homestead and how to do an herbal detox.)
Doc Jones shared that he was doing a conference at a school, and from his car to the front of the building, he counted 13 plants, 11 of them which are medicinal. But the school had just planted them as ornamentals.
All around your own home, there are probably herbs for digestion, wounds, sinus troubles, and more. It's important to know about the plants around us and how they can help us. You never know when you'll need them! Learn how to forage for medicinal herbs growing in your backyard.
Examples of Herbal Medicine
You may not realize the medicinal herbs that are all around you. For example, aspirin comes from willow bark, morphine comes from the opium poppy, and quinine comes from cinchona bark (assuming these are derived from plant medicine and not synthetically produced).
Doc Jones offers plant walks in various regions to demonstrate how plant medicine is all around us. For more information on his plant walks, visit HomeGrown Herbalist.
How to Use Herbs Efficiently in Your Home
Herbalism is a daunting topic, and it can cause many people to put off learning about herbal medicine for far too long.
Even I felt this way when I first got started.
The most practical way to learn about herbal medicine is to use them. Doc Jones says, "Memory is usage." The things we use regularly, we have no questions about.
You can start this on a very small scale, simply using three or four herbs you like. You can do this even if you live on the top floor in an apartment in Manhattan and have a few pots with a few different kinds of mint, and learn how to use each of them.
It doesn't have to be complicated. For starters, try this herb infused honey recipe! It's quick, easy to make and a great use for dried herbs.
Understand the Body AND the Herb
The other important thing about herbal medicine is understanding what the body is doing and what the herb does.
Doc Jones shared an example of when all his daughters were home, enjoying a meal together. Suddenly, a piece of chicken got stuck in his daughter's esophagus. She was working on getting it down for quite a while with no success.
He came into the room and asked what was going on. Once he knew what was happening, he quickly grabbed the Cramp Bark Tincture. A few seconds after she had the tincture, her esophagus relaxed, and she could get the chicken down.
He explained that in that situation, the esophagus's job is to squeeze food down; if the food isn't going down, it squeezes harder.
Cramp Bark's job is to relax muscles. He knew what was happening in the body and what the herb would do. (Source)
Nowhere on a list of cramp bark uses will you find "Use when someone is choking," but knowing the herb's action on the body can help you make very informed decisions about which herbs will work in what circumstances. Dr. Jones's knowledge of the body and the herb's action helped his daughter.
Understanding this principle means you don't have to memorize lists of uses for herbs.
For me, the best way to learn about herbal medicine is by growing herbs. Each herb has its own personality. It grows in a specific way and likes a certain amount of sunlight and water. By tending to these plants, you learn much more about them.
Because you've been so close to the plant for so long, it helps assimilate the information and how to use it.
Early, Often, and After
We have become so accustomed in today's society to being prescribed medicine and taking two pills each day.
When it comes to herbs, you can't just drink a couple of cups of chamomile tea and expect that it will help you fall asleep.
Doc Jones' approach is to use herbs early, often, and after. If you're actively fighting something, don't just take herbs once a day; take them four or five times per day.
If it's something that's maintenance, taking herbs a couple of times a day may be perfect, but when actively fighting something, remember the "Early, often, and after" mantra. (More on dosing below.)
Herbs are High in Micronutrients
Just like our bodies need food, they also need herbs. The beauty of herbs is that they can be found growing wild all over the place. And because they're typically not grown by big Pharma, they're also not growing in nutrient-depleted soil.
Safety of Herbs
Most of the herbs you can buy today have very wide safety margins.
Doc Jones' wife is a midwife and a naturopath, and she just finished a research project about which herbs are safe during pregnancy and which are not. She found it interesting that some herbs doctors deem unsafe during pregnancy are due to inappropriate testing parameters with skewed results.
This is why I love being a member of the School of Botanical Medicine. There are huge advantages to having access to a veterinarian, a midwife, two naturopaths, and even Doc Jones' son-in-law, who has a PhD in physiology.
Regarding the safety of herbs, there are a few key points to consider...
Pregnant, Nursing, or Medications
The main areas of concern when using herbs are if you're pregnant or nursing, or on other pharmaceuticals.
If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking pharmaceuticals, please be sure to research the effects of herbs thoroughly. It is recommended that you work with a knowledgeable healthcare professional.
- Pregnancy - Some herbs are not safe during pregnancy because they can cause miscarriage or birth defects.
- Nursing - With nursing, some herbs that are completely safe for mom can be dangerous for the baby. Some herbs are excreted through the milk, so an adult dose for mom is way too much for a six-pound baby. You'll want to avoid liver-stimulating herbs such as Barberry, Oregon Grape, Goldenseal, or any herb containing Berberine can be toxic to babies because their liver can't process them.
- Medications - Sometimes an herb and a pharmaceutical are focusing on the same thing. If you're taking herbs to lower your blood sugar and a blood-sugar-lowering medication, then you may give yourself too much. Just as an herb for blood pressure and a medication for blood pressure can reduce your blood pressure too far. Sometimes herbs can counteract a medication and make it not work. Also, an herb can compete or accelerate the elimination pathway of a drug (making it significantly more or less effective).
Note: The only time Doc Jones doesn't worry about these three red flags is for topical applications. See more on dosing for topical applications below.
Dosing of Medicinal Herbs
It should go without saying that it's important not to consume massive amounts of herbs daily. This is pretty common sense, as if you ate six pounds of spinach or drank six gallons of peppermint tea in a day, you'd have significant issues.
Throughout history, people have used herbs medicinally. Since people have used herbs for thousands of years, knowledge has been recorded and handed down, and we now have an incredible trove of knowledge about what to use when and what to avoid altogether.
But it is still important to pay attention to those three precautions mentioned above (if pregnant, nursing or taking medications).
When we're in tune with our bodies, they tell us if an herb isn't working well because it usually results in a mild headache or stomachache. If you're listening to the signs your body sends you, you'll be just fine.
Dosing for Adults
- Dry Herb Powder - Almost universally, the dosing of a dried powdered herb is 1-2 teaspoons taken 2-3 times per day for maintenance. If actively fighting something and the herb is an antiviral or an immune-stimulant, Doc Jones recommends taking this amount every 3-4 hours.
- Tinctures - Start with ½ teaspoon for an adult. If it's not enough, you can increase this to about two teaspoons (in ½ teaspoon increments).
- Tea - Remember that for teas, the water isn't the medicine; the herb is. So use a teaspoon of dried herbs to brew your cup of tea. (If you want to consume more tea, you can reduce the amount per cup to equate to 1 teaspoon.)
- Topical Applications - Topical applications include tinctures, salves, poultices and balms. These can be used as frequently as needed.
Dosing for Children
When dosing for children, consider an average-sized adult and reduce that by the ratio of the child's weight to the adult's.
For example, if an average adult weighs 150 pounds and you have a 50-pound child, reduce the amount given by ⅔. So, instead of a teaspoon of dried herbs, you'd give them ⅓ teaspoon, 2-3 times daily (or every 3-4 hours if they are actively fighting illness).
Infant Caution - Doc Jones recommends never using herbs in infants unless he knows 100% the herb is safe. In fact, he says catnip is the best herb for babies with colic. Just the mom drinking catnip tea can help calm an infant.
Dosing for Animals
Follow that same theory for animals. If an average-sized adult weighs about 150 pounds and you have a 150-pound dog, the dosing would be the same. If the dog is 75 pounds, give half an adult dose, etc.
Dosing Longevity
When taking herbs, it's important to know what the herb is for.
- Safe for long-term use - If the herb is a nutritive tonic, it's great for daily consumption. (Burdock, Nettles, Raspberry Leaf Tea.)
- Not safe for long-term use - If the herb is an antibiotic, you shouldn't take it consistently for more than a week or so because you'll start beating up your gut flora. (Oregon Grape, Barberry, Goldenseal, etc.)
Homesteading Hack - Because it's always great to give your body a break. I like to use Sundays as a day when I don't take any herbs or supplements.
Ready to Start?
If you want to learn about herbs and how to use them, start planting some! There's no better teacher than the "doing." Here are the 15 medicinal herbs to grow in your herb garden.
Keep it simple and start by planting just one new herb each year. Over five years, you'll be amazed at the knowledge you've gained just by having a handful of medicinal herbs planted around your home.
I have a FREE Healthy Healing at Home training to help you confidently use homemade herbal remedies. You'll learn the "safe herbs" for your family, how to systematically approach herbal healing, how to choose the right herb for your condition, and stock your herbal medicine cabinet.
Once you start with herbal medicine, I'm certain you'll want to learn more. Sign up for my class, Herbal Medicine Cabinet: Colds & Flus to continue learning.
HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
I am a student of Doc Jones and have been in his online School of Botanical Medicine for several years now.
Dr. Patrick Jones, the founder of the HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine, has been a practicing veterinarian for over 30 years. He is also a clinical herbalist and traditional naturopath. For decades, he has seen the power of herbs bless the lives of his veterinary patients and his human clients.
Because of his veterinary credentials, Dr. Jones is regularly able to treat cases that most herbalists would not have within the normal scope of their practice. Gangrene, rattlesnake bites, gunshot wounds, poisonings, massive hemorrhage, shock, brain trauma, sepsis and countless other conditions have been part of Dr. Jones’ daily herbal practice for decades.
Dr. Jones has seen miracles with medicinal plants in his veterinary practice and has used his extensive experience to help his human clients. (You can learn how to use medicinal herbs on farm animals.)
His herbal school is more "in the trenches" than most other schools, which is what I love about his teachings.
Because he's used these herbs on the animals that he has treated, he has first-hand experience in emergency situations and has seen them work over and over again.
For more information on Doc Jones or the School of Botanical Medicine, visit the links below.
