Excerpt from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Herbal Remedies"
Chapter 4
In This Chapter:
- How to use herbs safely before, during, and after pregnancy
- How to give herbs to children
- Using herbal remedies for your pets
- How to use herbs to counteract aging
- The best herbs for those well beyond retirement age
When I first began using herbs in my mid-twenties, I was accused of being a hippie. I don’'t know whether the accuser made that conclusion because I was taking a handful of herbs, or if it was the flowers in my hair, the paisley skirt, beaded necklace, and bubble -blowing that gave it away. But seriously, more than just hippies have used and still use herbs for health and to enhance their quality of life.
These days, athletes are discovering the benefits of using herbs and other natural supplements to boost their performance in sports, and because herbs are foods, this is perfectly legal! Movie stars are using herbs for energy and as beauty aids, and business people and students are using daily herbs to keep their mind sharp and their stress under control.
So relax, you won’'t have to get out your sandals and bell bottoms to start using herbal remedies. In this chapter we will discuss herbs for kids, herbs for use before, during, and after pregnancy, and even herbs for pets! So put on some Bob Dylan music, and read on 'cuz the times, they are a changin’'!
Pregnancy And Herbs
Herbs can support an easier pregnancy by helping to alleviate morning sickness, mood swings, leg cramps, hemorrhoids, constipation, and anemia. They can also be used for nourishing and strengthening the body to support a growing, healthy fetus.
Sage Advice
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Some herbs are best used to prepare your body before pregnancy. Then there are herbs you can use to support your body and the future health of your child during gestation; many of these herbs will help enrich your breast milk during the nursing period. Finally, thank goodness, other herbs can help your body get back into shape again. And some herbs, of course, should be completely avoided during pregnancy. This chapter will give you plenty of herbal information for use all along the way.
Before Planting the Seed
You can again remember your ABC’s to herbs before, during and after pregnancy. Before pregnancy you will be cleansing. During pregnancy you will be building and after pregnancy and nursing you will be activating your body to get it back into shape again.
The three steps to herbally plan for a smoother and healthy pregnancy are:
1. Cleansing with the use of herbs
2. Nourishing (building) the body with herbal nutrients
3. Activating and toning the body and reproductive organs
It is wise to begin preparing your body up to a year before conception. First, do some cleansing. An overloaded liver is usually the culprit that causes morning sickness, so a cleansing and building program for the liver and bowel can help prevent illness during those first few months of pregnancy.
Sage Advice
Potential dads can also prepare by using herbs and supplements before conception. Good herbs and supplements to build healthy sperm and to support male reproductive organs include: Siberian ginseng, sarsaparilla, parthenium, horsetail, saw palmetto, garlic, gotu kola, capsicum, damiana, and chickweed.
You can use a wonderful general cleansing remedy designed by herbalist Ivy Bridge. This cleanse can be used and should only be used well before conception and then again after you deliver and have stopped nursing. Here's the recipe, generously donated by Ivy for your health:
Ivy Bridge's Colon Cleanse
1/2 glass of apple juice (organic and no sugar is best, but use your favorite brand otherwise)
2 tablespoons aloe vera juice (if using a whole-leaf aloe vera you’ll only need 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons liquid chlorophyll
8 capsules psyllium hulls (or 1 teaspoon, if loose powder)
2 capsules cascara sagrada
Blend whole-leaf aloe vera juice and chlorophyll into apple juice. If you are using powdered psyllium instead of capsules, stir in the psyllium and drink down quickly; psyllium will expand in water. Swallow your cascara sagrada capsules with a full (at least 8 ounces) glass of pure water.
Use this formula mixture first thing in the morning every day for 60 days. Make sure to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water each day.
Ivy’s formula has been used by many to cleanse the lower bowel of poisons, strengthen the digestive and intestinal track, lower cholesterol, build blood, soothe acid conditions, aid fat loss and stimulate bile flow from the liver.
In addition to this cleanse, 1-3 capsules/tablets of milk thistle (or ½-1 teaspoon of tincture) may be taken daily. Milk thistle helps the liver break down and excrete poisons, promotes bile flow, acts as a mild laxative, decongests blood circulation to the liver, and protects the liver cells from damage. (See Chapter 5 for more on this herb.)
Poison Ivy
Herbal cleansing should be discontinued about three months before you decide to try to conceive. Do not cleanse at the same time you are trying to get pregnant, and never during gestation.
As with any cleansing, you may experience new sensations you didn’t know you could feel! Intestinal rumblings, stomach growls, initial intestinal gas, and many trips to the bathroom can all be part of the cleansing process. Use caution if you get diarrhea and cut back on your cascara capsules if you are too uncomfortable. The initial grumblings and mumblings of your intestines should settle down in a few days. Think of it as a power car wash blasting out years of built-up dirt. The cleaner you get, the less "mud splattering", until finally you are balanced and internally clean.
The more positive effects you may feel include a lighter feeling, clearer skin, weight loss, loss of cravings for junk food, clean breath, and less body odor. The psyllium hulls swell in water, which makes you feel satisfied and less hungry. This is one of the reasons why many lose excess weight on the program.
| Sage Advice Use the positive effects of your cleansing time to break any bad nutritional habits you have. Eliminate caffeine, chemical sugar substitutes (such as aspartame and saccharin), alcohol and tobacco and replace with whole foods, exercise, herbs and lots of pure water. |
After cleansing, you will want to begin a nutritious herbal building program that can be continued from up to a year or any time before conception, through pregnancy and all during nursing. Let’s talk about what herbs and nutrients are critical for a healthy pregnancy next....
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