HEALTH &
Wellness
Tinctures, Tonics, and Teas BY RIC COGGINS
G
Growing up in the ’60s, herbs to most people were culinary seasonings like “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.” My mom, of course, used all of those seasonings and more in her kitchen, but the word “herbs” in our house only referred to the medicinal plants that my father grew or used for wellness purposes. Many of the then-obscure herbal names commonplace in my mid-century childhood home have become mainstream.
Who hasn’t made chamomile tea at bedtime or reached for the echinacea and goldenseal bottle at the first sign of a sniffle? Gingko commercials have become a fixture on the 24/7 news channels, aimed at a demographic wishing to remember why they walked into the room or where their car keys might be lounging. And, I am pretty sure you have heard of ginseng for general well-being and energy.
Most commercially available medicinal herbs are taken in the form of a capsule that contains a dried pulverized version of the whole leaf, root bark, or whatever plant portion that contains an active ingredient. And, there is a lot to be said for dried whole herbs, as they contain not only the active ingredient, but a myriad of other elements that are known in herbalism to have synergistic effects.
SAW PALMETTO HAS BECOME ANOTHER TV STAR FOR ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON PROSTATE HEALTH These herbal names were the standard vernacular of my childhood vocabulary, which of course made me the “weird kid” in junior high. I somehow feel absolved by today’s mainstream recognition of these mass-advertised medicinal herbal supplements.
For instance, I recall my father telling me that the herb valerian, often referred to as “nature’s Valium” because of its anti-anxiety effects, not only had the calming action of Valium, but because of its other synergistic elements, also had the ability to heal the nervous system’s myelin sheathing. Think of the nerve as a wire and the myelin sheathing as the wire’s insulation—valerian helps grow back the wire’s insulation.
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