Herbs & Alternative Medicine

Reishi mushrooms have been praised as "the medicine of kings" due to the wide range of health benefits that Eastern medical practitioners attribute to them. The fungus helps the body maintain its...

Making homemade eucalyptus oil is a fairly simple process that can save you quite a bit of money over purchasing store-bought versions. In addition, if you are planning to use your eucalyptus oil...

Herbal tinctures, those powerful concoctions made from healing plants and either alcohol or vinegar, once reigned as the mainstay of the family medicine cabinet. But even in modern times, herbal...

Herbalists have long known that comfrey has healing powers. The leaves, flowers and root all contain different curative substances. The root contains allantoin, which helps heal wounds, broken...

Cinnamon basil is a variety of basil that you can grow from seed throughout the United States. It grows as an annual, and can be harvested and dried just like traditional Genovese or sweet basil....

It's easy to turn to pharmaceuticals for relief in today's stressed-out, sleep-deprived society. But these can be habit-forming or have unpleasant side effects. The earth offers another solution:...

Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is a popular medicinal herb used to treat burns, bruises, cuts and wounds. It speeds the healing of external injuries by increasing the flow of blood to the...

Reishi mushrooms have been used for their health benefits for more than 2,000 years in China and Japan. In modern America, reishi tincture is utilized regularly in the realm of herbal medicine to...

Herbs are highly valued for both their nutritive and medicinal value and can be prepared as infusions, salves, or tinctures. A tincture is made by steeping herbs in alcohol, usually vodka or rum. ...

Yarrow root grows all over the word. It's traditionally used for such ailments as easing discomfort related to menstruation, such as heavy bleeding; gastrointestinal problems like bloating;...

Alternative measures for pain relief are all the same, regardless of the part of the body involved. It is a good idea to have the following items on hand ahead of time: ice and self-sealing...

A tincture is a blend of an herb's essential oils, suspended in alcohol. A rosemary tincture can help give relief from colds or ward off infection. This tincture can be taken orally, or applied...

A tincture is a mixture of herbs and alcohol, used as a natural remedy for various ailments. Garlic is known for its cleansing and antibacterial properties. Using a garlic tincture can help give...

If you have a ready supply of either dried or fresh herbs--in powdered or cut forms--you can make your own herbal tinctures. An herbal tincture is essentially a liquid extract of the herb; you...

There are many natural herbal remedies that can be beneficial to the body. One of these wonderful herbs is hawthorne, which helps the heart to pump more blood and oxygen to the whole body, aiding...

He Shou Wu is an herb used in oriental medicine. Though outrageous claims of allowing patients to live well over the age of 100 are dubious, the herb can be useful to help alleviate some of the...

Dandelion tinctures are often used in alternative medicine to cleanse the liver and kidneys, and as a source of vitamins A, B complex and C. It also has calcium, phosphorus, iron and other...

The reishi mushroom grows on old and dying trees. According to Christopher Hobbs, author of "Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing and Culture," the Chinese and Japanese have...

Vitex, also known as chaste tree or chasteberry, is a shrub native to western Asia. According to the Steven Foster Group, women have used vitex for over 2500 years to treat gynecological...

Clove oil is commonly used in conjunction with other herbal remedies, but when used by itself can offer antiseptic, anesthetic and preservative properties, helping with ailments related to the...

Yohimbe bark is used traditionally as an aphrodisiac for both men and women. Yohimbe is also used by herbalists to treat depression. Most of the time, Yohimbe is taken either as tea, or in a...

Essential oils can not only be healing, but also pleasing to our senses. Unfortunately, it can be expensive to make true essential oils. Sometimes it takes a large amount of an herb to create only...

Chanca piedra, also known as "breakstone," is a small, annual herb that has been scientifically proven to reduce toxicity in the liver, reduce fever, reduce glycemic activity, and it has both...

Comfrey might grow like a weed and be very hard to get rid of, but it's also a highly effective healing herb. The sticky leaves can be used like a bandage on minor cuts, and comfrey oil or a...

Prepared reishi extract sells for as much as $25 as ounce. Yet it's little wonder that people pay top dollar for the mushroom tincture; reishi's health-giving properties have been famous for...

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean." That ancient Biblical injunction perfectly captures pungent, woodsy Hyssopus officinalis. The herb also yields an incredibly potent essential oil when...

Herbal bitters have a variety of uses. Most of us assume that they are used primarily for medicine; however, they are also used commercially in things like soft drinks and other products. They are...

Astragalus root has been used in Chinese medicine for about 2,000 years. The herb helps to strengthen the immune system, liver and heart. It is also considered an energy and lung tonic. Often,...

Milk thistle, also known as blessed or holy thistle, has long been used by herbalists for liver disorders, including cirrhosis and hepatitis. The seeds are harvested when the flowers whither and...

Cayenne Tincture can be a remarkable tool towards better health. Keep reading to learn how to mix up your own batch to have on hand.

Mullein is commonly used as a tea or a tincture in remedies for congestion. The flowers also are steeped in an oil infusion used to relieve earaches and soften blockages caused by a buildup of...

Juniper berries are used medicinally primarily for urinary tract infections and as a diuretic. If juniper grows in your vicinity, you may want to try tincturing your own medicine. Purchasing...

Herbal tinctures are made by steeping plants in alcohol. The result is an extract, or tincture. Tinctures last a long time and are more concentrated than teas. You might have to drink cups and...

As long as humans have suffered with illness, we have sought means to cure and treat those illnesses. In the modern era, though we have all manner of pharmaceutical solutions at our disposal, some...

This soothing body oil is a must for dry skin. Especially for feet and hands that are exposed to winter weather when the skin is most likely to have a tendency to dry out and crack. The main...

Aloe Vera is commonly used as an external topical application for sunburns, minor burns, abrasions, acne and dry skin. Pure aloe gel tends to deteriorate quickly once the leaf has been damaged, so...

Mullein's uses in medicine and home crafts has its roots several hundred years in the past. The Anglo Saxons used it to make torches, while the Romans recognized its medicinal uses. It's a...

Bright orange and yellow calendula flowers are beautiful in the garden, but their benefits extend beyond aesthetic beauty. Herbalists and housewives alike have used calendula infusions for...

Calendula, also referred to as pot marigold, is an ingredient in herbal skin care products and a remedy for healing wounds. It is often found in salves and lotions, but it is also used in extract...

Conventional shampoos use a wide variety of chemicals. The toxicity of some of these ingredients and their affect on the body is heatedly debated by herbalists. An all-natural herbal shampoo...

Vaporizers utilize extremely hot air to extract compounds from tobacco and other herbs. Unlike standard cigarettes and pipes, vaporizes do not use an open flame to extract these properties. By...

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb in the mint family that is easy to grow, spreads quickly and smells of a lemon aroma. Lemon balm works well for external application when infused into a...

Walnut tincture is produced using green hulls from freshly fallen walnuts and combining the hulls with a liquid menstruum of alcohol and water. Using the correct ratio of menstruum to alcohol and...

A liniment is a liquid herbal preparation that is for external use only. A liniment is thinner than a salve and prepared like a tincture. The purpose of a liniment is to draw, warm or dry an area...

How to harvest St. John's Wort and make your own infused oil.

Nettle, also known as bull nettle, stinging nettle, and itch weed grows along the banks of rivers and creeks. It is used as a detoxifying tonic. Nettle is particularly useful for treating hay...

The inner gel of the aloe vera plant has been used medicinally for thousands of years. You can harvest it and make an herbal gel that keeps in the refrigerator for up to a year. You'll add...

A liniment is an herbal tonic used to ease sore muscles, and as a mild anti-inflammatory. It's super easy to make, and it feels great on tired feet and achy muscles. It may not be something you...

Garlic is a wonderful food that has antibacterial and antiviral properties. It is nature's penicillin, but because it can cause bad breath it is sometimes prepared as a tincture. In addition to...

You can make natural herbal body or dusting powder using dried herbs. Dried herbs can be selected for their medicinal properties or to add a favorite scent to these homemade powders. Commercial...