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ALONG THE MEADOW

Energetics of herbal medicine.

January 24, 2021 · In: wellness

Everything has energy. Me, you, the sun, the earth and plants are all energetic. It’s helpful to understand this before diving into herbal medicine and choosing herbs for yourself or others. Learning how to balance the body’s energy with a plant’s energy is taking a holistic approach to herbalism. In my experience this is the most effective way to practice herbal medicine.

Identifying the six tissue states.

Matthew Wood is a well known herbalist who created a system based off of Greek and Chinese medicine for identifying the temperature of tissues (hot, cold, damp or dry) and the two tissue states (tense or relaxed) in order to know what balancing herb to use. This might seem confusing at first but hang in there with me! Knowing the different tissue states will help you choose the best remedy.

Heat • irritation, overstimulation, hot or warm to touch, red skin

Cold • depression, under stimulation, paleness

Dryness • atrophy (decrease in muscle mass, degeneration, immobility)

Dampness • stagnation

Tension • constriction (wind in traditional Chinese medicine)

Relaxation • atony (lack of energy and tone, muscle weakness

Balancing herbs.

Matching herbs to tissue state versus just matching herbs to diseases or conditions will yield far better results in restoring balance in the body. Now when you look up an herb and see it’s energetics listed you’ll understand when and why to use that specific herb.

Cooling • balances heat

Suggested balancers: citrus, lavender, lemon balm, elderberry, ginseng, black walnut, bee balm, catnip, chickweed, chamomile, cleavers, dandelion, goldenrod, echinacea, fennel, hibiscus, linden, lemongrass, milk thistle, turkey tail, marshmallow root, holy basil, oat straw, nettle, mullein, purslane, peppermint, clover, raspberry leaf, aloe vera, goldenseal, gotu kola, plantain, shepherd’s purse, skullcap, rose, spearmint, St. John’s wort, wild yam, yarrow, willow, yellow dock

Warming • balances cold

Suggested balancers: saffron, angelica, mama, cat’s claw, cardamom, juniper, oyster mushroom, sage, oregano, vanilla, savory, bayberry, argan

Heating balances depression and cold

Suggested balancers: turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, cayenne, pepper

Neutral • does not move the body’s energies strongly in any direction

Suggested balancers: ginseng, ginkgo, chanterelle, lion’s mane, lobelia, peaches, shiitake, myrrh, gotu kola, licorice

Drying • balances excess moisture

Suggested balancers: arnica, ashwaganda, reishi, olive leaf, cinnamon, calendula, cleavers, hops, hibiscus, lemon balm, oregano, nettle, peppermint, raspberry leaf, reishi, St. John’s wort, thyme, rosemary, yarrow,

Moistening • balances dryness

Suggested balancers: parsley, artichoke, ginseng, chickweed, oatstraw, purslane, licorice, marshmallow root, wild yam, violet, slippery elm, mullein

Nourishing • provides nutrients, does not move the body’s energies strongly in any direction

Suggested balancers: astragalus, dandelion, chickweed, horseradish, nettle, oat straw, rosemary, milk thistle, spearmint, red clover, wild yam, yellow dock, motherwort, burdock

Keep in mind that combining herbs with opposite energies can counteract and restrain each other which keeps you from achieving results (example: moistening + drying). For this reason it’s good to use one herb at a time instead of combining several herbs together risking counteraction until you’re more with familiar with matching herbs to tissue states.

Let me leave you with a couple examples of how to match herbs to tissue states.

  1. I have an elevated body temperature and wet cough. My tissue state is hot and damp so I will want to balance it with a cool, drying herb like peppermint. I can do this by drinking a cup of peppermint tea that has cooled or applying a drop of peppermint essential oil to the bottoms of my feet or spine.

2. I’m coming up with a remedy to give to my mother who has cold extremities and arthritis in her hips. I will want to choose a combination of herbs that are warming and moistening. I look up the energy of some herbs and see that ginger is warming and drying so I’ll either suggest a tea made with fresh ginger or a tincture of ginger and turmeric which is also warming and slightly drying.

It is helpful to have some resources at hand to look up energies of herbs. A few of my favorites are The Modern Herbal Dispensatory or The Herbarium by Herbal Academy which is an online library of education and plant profiles also known as monographs.

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*Disclaimer: the information provided is for educational purposes only and not meant to treat or diagnosis disease. Please do your own research regarding safety and usage of herbs especially if pregnant, nursing or on medication.

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By: melissavines · In: wellness · Tagged: herbal remedies, herbalism, herbs, natural living, tea

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About the author

Melissa Vines is founder and content creator of Along The Meadow. She has training in herbalism and aromatherapy with a background in the skincare industry as an Aesthetician. A passion for nontoxic skincare and wellness has propelled her into a life long pursuit of helping others live a more natural lifestyle as well. Her most important role however is being a wife and mom to 3 amazing kids. Read More…

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