The valuable properties of herbs have been known for centuries. If properly used, they can, inter alia, support immunity, regulate the digestive system and have a relaxing effect. Rafał Janiszewski, the owner of the Advisory Office providing services in the field of he althcare organization for medical entities and patients' rights, spoke in an interview with Poradnik Zdrowie about their healing properties. Check why the end of summer is the best time to refill your home first aid kit with herbs.
Rafał Janiszewski:Can I start today's conversation?
Anna Tłustochowicz: Here you go.
I will quote a story ending with a spell: "On Saint Bartholomew's night, go to the edge of the forest and find the flower of white light. Remember to collect only those flowers that grow on the moss side of the tree. Put what you have collected in the dish and mash it by chanting the spell four times. "
What spell?
I can't quote it because it is the secret of herbalists.
It's a pity, because the story is intriguing.
(Laughter) That's why I started with it, and that's why I will discuss it in detail now. This story contains a lot of knowledge and wisdom. The very beginning:"On the night of St. Bartholomew "- indicates the time when the flowers should be collected.
It's coming soon: the night of August 23-24.
At the end of summer, herbs are the most ripe and contain the most medicinal substances. The described collection point also matters. The story advisedto collect flowers in the least sunny place .
Why?
Because flowers contain the most substances that we care about. That's because the sun didn't burn them out as they grew.
It's all very interesting. And why should the spell be said four times?
Because it is not about magic, but about deducting enough time needed to properly mix the herbs. Starting our conversation with this story, I would like to point out thatherbs have been a healing agent since the earliest times . They basically constitute the majority of the original active substances contained in the drugs that we buy today at the pharmacy. Most of them are de facto derived from natural sources. Theythey have their prototype there.
What about chemistry?
It only happened with time. In fact, the rapidly developing chemistry allowed for the production of synthetic equivalents of the original substances.
Let's stay with the herbs.
I would just like to add that the belief thatdrugs always work very strongly, and herbs very little, is not entirely true.
Although, of course, the concentration of the active ingredient in herbs is much lower than what we are able to obtain synthetically. But back to herbs:surely each of the plants used in herbal medicine contains medicinal substances and certainly many diseases can be treated with them.Each plant has its own specific properties. For example, those that are bactericidal are well known.
I'm not sure if it's common. What are these plants?
For example blueberry leaf, wormwood, St. John's wort and thyme. The chamomile flower is also bactericidal.
And the grandmother? Why is it applied to wounds?
Because plantain helps in healing them. Next we have herbs that stop internal and external bleeding.
Which one is it?
Yarrow herb, but also popular nettle leaf and horsetail herb. On the other hand, if we are looking for a remedy for poisoning, then those plants that cleanse the body of toxins help. These include pansies, wild strawberries and horsetail, as well as blueberry leaves and raspberries. However, when it comes to diuretic action and improving kidney function.
Hops? Many people believe that beer greatly improves kidney function.
(Laughter) I don't know anything about hops like this, but I do know that their cones are actually diuretic. In the first place when it comes to this action, however, I would mention the herb of horsetail.
The herb horsetail is a definite leader when it comes to the urinary system and kidneys!
Goldenrod herb and field pansy will also be helpful, but - interestingly - also e.g. basil and nettle herb, as well asrowan, which also contains a lot of vitamin Cand rosehip . We also have herbs that enhance lactation, such as cumin, anise and fennel, and herbs that have a calming effect.
Melisa!
Lemon balm leaf for sure. They are also hops, it is a lavender flower.The herb St. John's wort, basilica and hawthorn flower also have a calming effect.
What is good for the heart?
Herbs to lower blood pressure. In gentleway of course! They will not cause a collapse for sure. I mean mistletoe herb, periwinkle leaf, but also garlic and onion. However, if our problem is digestion, when we have indigestion, stomach disorders, then of course the extremely popular mint will be helpful, but, interestingly, also yarrow herb, St. John's wort, lemon balm leaves and rhizome.
I hear first!
We even have rhizome tablets available (laughs). And what is that? Fluid rhubarb!Rhubarb, which helps with constipation, even has a slight laxative effect.
You mentioned the pills. Recently, there has been a tremendous Ads for herbal tranquilizers. The question is, how much can they help us?
They can help realistically! Various preparations that soothe the nerves or improve sleep are preparations based on substances of plant origin. And it's good that we talk about it, becausesometimes it is worth asking ourselves if we want to take pills or would we prefer to brew some herbs?And I do not even refer to the economic aspect at this point, because that herbs are quite cheap, but if we have a choice of tablets based on herbs or only herbs?
Of course, when we talk about drugs, their therapeutic efficacy has been proven in clinical trials. Agreement.But in the case of herbs, their effectiveness is confirmed by hundreds of years when they have been used successfully!Therefore, if we read the composition of a drug or dietary supplement and it turns out that they are only herbs, it is probably better to just brew these herbs yourself? It is more natural, and in this way we help ourselves with a substance that is usually tasty and smells good.
Herbs are often incredibly aromatic! Mint! Anise!And this aroma also matters . We should remember that by drinking herbs, we also absorb essential substances through the nasal mucosa. And it has a very strong effect on our body. Today we have a lot of medications that we take in the nose because the mucosa allows the body to absorb the active substance quite quickly.
In what other diseases can we help ourselves in such a natural way?
In the case of pre-diabetes, we can use, for example, nettle, blueberry, sage and dandelion root. Sugar is also lowered by both raw and cooked onions.
Our grandmothers always treated their colds with herbs!
Oh, sure you do! And rightly so, because they have a very wide spectrum of activity.Let's take a linden flower. Brilliant diaphoretic action. And the black elderberry? It isrevelation.Elderberry is a phenomenal source of vitamin C and contains a lot of anthocyanins. When we feel that a cold is approaching, it is also good to help with a birch leaf or raspberry fruit.
Raspberry! Well of course. Tea with raspberries for colds!
Right? The same is tea with the aforementioned linden flower. On the other hand, lovage, calendula and luminaria will help to regulate menstrual bleeding. As you can see, herbs have a really wide range of applications.
Knowledge of herbal medicine is extremely fascinating.In herbal stores, I sometimes meet enthusiasts who know it very well and even prepare their own mixtures. They know what active substances and herbs they contain and how to prepare and brew them. Because when it comes to brewing herbs, you shouldn't pour boiling water over them!
Tea should also be avoided.
Exactly.Water should be between 90 and 95 degrees.Then we brew the herbs, covered, for 3-4 minutes, because that's when the substances we want are released.
Of course not all herbs are brewed!Some substances do not dissolve in water. These are, for example, herbs that we crush in order to make pastes, which we then drink with water.
For example linen.
It's true. There are also medicinal plants that we simply eat, and they include the aforementioned garlic and onions and numerous seeds that we sprinkle with, for example, salads.
I can see that you are fascinated by herbal medicine.
Oh yeah! We have certainly come to a point where the rush of civilization, modern pharmacy, and dynamically developing technologies allow us to produce various chemical substances, and it is faster and easier for us to simply buy a pill and wait for a therapeutic effect, but from my own experience - a human being who loves herbs and is fascinated by them -it is really worth making a turn towards nature . If a cough syrup for children is advertised, which is nothing but thyme extract, isn't it better to buy this thyme yourself and brew it for your child? And for an adult, why should a mint pill, if he will have more benefits and pleasure (remember about the aroma!) From drinking the infusion.
However, we will not cure everything with herbs.
Of course, but most of the time in our lives we experience minor illnesses, e.g. indigestion, and if we get our body used to serving it immediately with a pharmaceutical firecracker, then it will be difficult for us to come back toherbs.
It should also be remembered thateach drug has its own side effects.The risk of their occurrence is not high, but it is.And the herbs work gently, do not contain preservatives, carriers and dyes that must be used in the case of tablets.
My house is full of all kinds of herbs. I am the gourmand (laughs). I like to eat good things and eat a lot of them. Nothing helps my digestion better than anise or fennel tea! And when it's cold and I feel weak and broken and I know that I will catch a cold, then I always mash fresh ginger, brew it, add a tablespoon of honey, squeeze half a lemon and this is a fantastic tea that increases immunity, helps to breathe freely and improves blood circulation
Ginger has become fashionable recently.
Not only ginger.Nature is fashionable in general. And that's a very good fashion!Return to sources. For herbs. To every reader who has not noticed this boon so far, I heartily recommend a trip to the herbal medicine shop. It's worth just going in and seeing how many herbs there are for various ailments. And then just drinking these herbs will be a pleasure because, as I said, herbs usually taste and smell nice. Well, except maybe wormwood! Although, let me tell you, my grandfather liked to make himself wormwood and drink it a teaspoon all day long. He said he liked the bitterness (laughs).
And what is wormwood good for?
For the stomach and circulation!
Rafał Janiszewski, owner of the Advisory Office providing services in the field of he althcare organization to he althcare entities
Speaker, organizer of many trainings and conferences on he alth protection and patient rights. In the years 1998-1999 an employee of the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for the Implementation of the General He alth Insurance. Author of over 20 books on he althcare organization and he alth care financing standards. In 2005-2007, he was an expert of the Presidium of the Parliamentary He alth Committee, as an advisor on he alth services. Co-author of the general study as part of the Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement project for the European He alth Commission.
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