There are so many types of herbs just as there are so many different types of herbal remedies. How can we go about choosing the right types of herbs? How can we determine which herbs are safe? Many plants contain poisons, some aren’t bad some will easily kill a person. There are four major types of herbs, classifying them will make it quite easier to remember: nourishing, toning, relaxing, strong/strengthening.
Of all of the types of herbs the nourishing ones are considered the safest. These herbs contain very few alkaloids, essential oils, resins or glycosides. These types of herbs are often eaten as foods or made into vinegars. Even if they are safe and simply eaten with a meal or as a meal that does not mean that they serve little purpose, these contain a huge amount of nutrients: vitamins, minerals, proteins, phytosterpls, phytoestrogens, both simple and complex sugars, starches, carotenes, essential fatty acids and bioflavonoids.
Examples of these types of herbs are:
Burdock Roots
Chickweed Herb
Comfrey Leaves
Mushrooms
Seaweed
Oatstraw
When used in moderation toning herbs are safe when utilized in moderation. These types of herbs contain all of the alkaloids and essential oils that could be dangerous but not in the quantities that would do harm. Herbal remedies made with these types of herbs have an effect over time rather than immediate. These can be used over time but not daily.
Examples of these types of herbs are:
Chasteberry
Dandelion
Echinacea
Motherwort
Ginseng
Hawthorn Berries
The third type of herbs are “relaxing/sedating” and thse nearly always contain essential oils alkaloids and resins. Herbal remedies with these cause very strong physical reactions. Most commonly these types of herbs are prepared as tinctures, teas, vinegars and infusions. They can be used in cooking as well actually and tend to give soups a more lively taste in a manner of speech
Examples of these herbs are:
Catnip
Lavender
Sage
Lemon Balm
Cinnamon Bark
Kava Kava
The strong or potentially poisonous types of herbs will ALWAYS have alkaloids and always have resins in them. Not only do they contain these things but generally it is in large numbers causing the body to, either directly or indirectly, fail. Often this is because of destruction to the liver and kidneys.
Examples of these herbs are:
Cotton Root
Belladonna
Wormwood
Castor Beans
Goldenseal
Liferoot
Some potentially poisonous herbs are belladonna, castor beans, cayenne, cotton root, goldenseal, liferoot/groundsel, nutmeg, poke root, tansy leaves and flowers, and wormwood.
Sources:
Clement, Anna Maria and Svetlana Konnikova Mama’s Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living 2008
Jospehson, Laura A Homeopathic Handbook of Natural Remedies: Safe and Effective Treatment of Common Ailments and Injuries 2002
