It's important to do your research on a particular herb you're wanting to use in healing as each medicinal herb offers more than one medicinal property and action within the body.
Because everyone's body is different, an herb used for a particular ailment may work great in the healing for one person but not another.
Also, as many herbs do have the same properties and actions within the body, that doesn't necessarily mean they will all work the same in healing a particular ailment.
There are several factors that one has to also take into consideration.
For example, several months ago my index fingers started to show signs of arthritis. Pain, swelling and stiffness.
I could have taken any herb that has healing properties for inflammation and waited for my fingers to heal, but with healing, it goes much deeper than that.
I took a look at my diet. There were foods in my diet that created inflammation in the body.
Not that inflammation is all bad. It's just one of many ways our body protects it's self from viruses, harmful bacteria and other foreign invaders.
It's when it turns into chronic inflammation which then creates an imbalance within the body.
Which can lead to many health issues. Do a google search on inflammation in the body and you just may be surprised to find all the illnesses and diseases caused by chronic inflammation.
Okay, back to the food in my diet that was creating too much inflammation. Processed sugar and gluten.
So first I cut back (and eventually eliminated) the sugar from my diet. Which wasn't easy as processed sugar is so addictive.
Next came the gluten, which I found to be just as difficult stop eating as the sugar.
Okay, so, now I began thinking about how the flow of internal energy plays a role in our health in conjunction with diet.
When that internal energy becomes blocked, over time, illness and aliments can manifest in the body.
These illnesses and aliments are of course just our bodies way of letting us know that something is internally out of balance.
Looking at blocked energy from an emotional perspective, and the fact that the aliment was in my fingers, lead me to look at how I viewed my relationships with others, especially when it came to asking for and or receiving help.
Keep in mind the reason for arthritis in someone else's fingers may be completely different than the reason why it manifested in mine.
So with the change in my diet, working on the emotional reasons of my energy blockage, (asking for and accepting help) and finding the herb that worked the best with my bodies inflammation, I can say that my fingers are now free from the arthritis symptoms I was having. Yay!
So, you see, there is so much more to internal healing than just taking a particular herb for an ailment.
There are the emotional issues that create the energy blockages, diet and lifestyle habits, the medicinal properties and actions of how the herbs work, and finding an herb/herbs that works with your body, mind and spirit to help to restore that inner balance.
I guess I could mention what herb I used. After some trials with different anti-inflammatory herbs, it was turmeric that worked the best for me.
I took 10 drops of a turmeric tincture in 1/8 cup of water once a day for a month.
I also added some black pepper to the water before taking as the pepper helps the body absorb the turmeric better.
Below is a list of the different medicinal properties herbs offer. I copied and pasted the link from the American Botanical Council.
To the right of the property name is a short description as to how the herb works within the body.
I decided to add the list to this site as I am a big believer that we all need to have an active role in our own healing.
analeptic - restorative or stimulating effect on central nervous system
analgesic - relieve pain
anaphrodisiac - reduces capacity for sexual arousal
anesthetic - induces loss of sensation or consciousness due to the depression of nerve function
antibacterial - destroying or stopping the growth of bacteria
antibilious - easing stomach stress
anticatarrhal - reduces inflamed mucous membranes of head and throat
antidepressant - therapy that acts to prevent, cure, or alleviate mental depression
antidiabetic - preventing or relieving diabetes
antidiarrhetic- substances use to prevent or treat diarrhea
antiemetic - stopping vomiting
antifungal - destroying or inhibiting the growth of fungus
antihemorrhagic - controlling hemorrhaging or bleeding
anti-infectous - counteracting infection
anti-inflammatory - controlling inflammation, a reaction to injury or infection
antimalarial - preventing or relieving malaria
antimicrobial - destructive to microbes
antioxident - prevents or inhibits oxidation
antipruritic - preventing or relieving itching
antipyretic - agent that reduces fever (febrifuge)
antirheumatic - easing pain of rheumatism, inflammation of joints and muscles
antiseptic - agent used to produce asepsis and to remove pus, blood, etc.
antispasmodic - calming nervous and muscular spasms or convulsions
antitussive - controlling or preventing cough
antiviral - opposing the action of a virus
aperient - a very mild laxative
aperitive - stimulating the appetite for food
aphrodisiac - substance increasing capacity for sexual arousal
asepsis - sterile, a condition free of germs, infection, and any form of life
astringent - agent that constricts and binds by coagulation of proteins a cell surface
bitter - stimulates appetite or digestive function
cardiotonic - increases strength and tone (normal tension or response to stimuli) of the heart
carminative - causing the release of stomach or intestinal gas
catarrhal - pertaining to the inflammation of mucous membranes of the head and throat
cathartic - an active purgative, producing bowel movements
cholagogue - an agent that increases flow of bile from gallbladder
cicatrizant - aiding formation of scar-tissue and healing wounds
counterirritant - agent producing an inflammatory response for affecting an adjacent area
demulcent - soothing action on inflammation, especially of mucous membranes
dermatitis - inflammation of the skin evidenced my itchiness, redness, and various lesions
diaphoretic - increases perspiration (syn: sudorific)
diuretic - increases urine flow
dysmenorrhea - painful menstruation
dyspepsia - imperfect or painful digestion
ecbolic - tends to increase contractions of uterus, facilitating childbirth
emetic - produces vomiting
emmenagogue - agent that regulates and induces normal menstruation
emollient - softens and soothes the skin
errhine - bringing on sneezing, increasing flow of mucus in nasal passages
escharotic - a caustic substance that destroys tissue and causes sloughing
estrogenic - causes the production of estrogen
euphoriant - produces a sense of bodily comfort; temporary effect and often addictive
expectorant - facilitates removal of secretions
febrifuge - an agent that reduces or relieves a fever
flatulence - excessive gas in the stomach or intestine
galactagogue - an agent that promotes the flow of milk (syn: galactogenic)
hemagogue - an agent that promotes the flow of blood
hemostatic - controls the flow or stops the flow of blood
hepatic - having to do with the liver
herpetic - treating skin eruptions relating to the herpes virus
hypertensive - raises blood pressure
hypoglycemant - agent that lowers blood sugar
hypotensive - lowers blood pressure
lactifuge - reduces the flow of milk
laxative - substance that acts to loosen the bowels contents
masticatory - increases flow of saliva upon chewing
narcotic - induces drowsiness, sleep, or stupor and lessons pain
nervine - a nerve tonic
neuralgia - severe sharp pain along the course of a nerve
parturfaciant - induces contractions of labor at childbirth
purgative - laxative, causes the evacuation of intestinal contents
resorbent - aids reabsorption of blood from bruises
rheumatism - a general term for acute or chronic conditions characterized by inflammation
of the muscles and joints (includes arthritis, gout, bursitis, myositis, and fibromyositis).
rubefacient - agent which reddens skin, dilates the vessels, and increases blood supply locally
sedative - exerts a soothing, tranquilizing effect on the body
soporific - inducing sleep
stimulant - temporarily increases body or organ function
stomachic - aids the stomach and digestion action
sudorific - acts to increase perspiration
tonic - a substance that increases strength and tone
There are many layers to the healing process. Be sure to be gentle with yourself along the way.