by Nelson, Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop
Everyone loves excellent health, and being able to achieve it with simplicity. Most people today have a routine they follow for their health (taking supplements, prescriptions, exercise, superfoods, etc.) When using herb-talk, the herbs that may be taken for extended periods of time without building up toxicity or causing side effects are called ‘tonic’ herbs. These are the best family to draw from for general maintenance and well being.
If you decide that you would like to use herbs regularly, be aware that some may cause side effects if used over an extended period of time. Licorice root, for instance, is a phenomenal anti-viral, soothing plant that is an excellent food for the adrenals. It gives a very noticeable energy boost and tastes wonderful, so people are quite fond of it. If it is taken in dosages of 2-3 grams over a period of six weeks, it can cause high blood pressure by interfering with the body’s ability to regulate sodium and potassium.
The simple solution is to take a week off every month and a half, then resume. Actually, that is taught in Vitalist (herbal) schools for all herbs, just because the body’s receptors get tired of uptaking the same chemical over and over, and become inefficient after a while. Dr. Christopher wondered why those students most diligent in taking their formulas healed slower than those who missed an occasional day or week, and then discovered this wonderful fact. So he counseled to take the formulas six days a week for six weeks, with a week of rest. Over extended periods of time, he taught to take 1 month off for every six months, and a year for every six years in chronic conditions. This also explained to him why every 7th year of his life, he found himself in a wheelchair or using a cane with severe rheumatoid arthritis when he was able to walk fine before.
I had a friend who was quite depressed because his level of health massively dropped within a few weeks. He didn’t know why and felt bad because he thought he was doing so well. I asked him ‘Are you in your seventh year?’ He stopped and thought for a moment, and then said ‘I am. This makes a lot of sense now.’ I told him I had just hit my seventh year, and a few weeks after my birthday I was bedridden with health problems I thought I had resolved a while back. Fortunately it gets less and less severe as time goes on if you take care of yourself.
So here are some wonderful herbal tonics that may be made into large batches of tea, mixing powders with fluid, or taken as is for general health.
- Parsley: Kidney health
- Dandelion: Liver cleanser (therefore a possible mood lifter), blood builder, nutritive.
- Red Raspberry: Calcium, Iron, Hormone health
- Cayenne Pepper: Cleanser, digestive health, circulatory health.
- Nettle, Alfalfa or wheatgrass: Plant multivitamin
- Vitalerbs: Herbal blend designed to be a whole food multivitamin
- Peppermint: Respiratory and digestive tonic
- Kelp: Iodine, thyroid health
- Echinacea: Blood purifier, immune system booster
- Garlic: King of herbs. Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, heavy metal detox, immune system booster
- Coriander: Heavy metal detoxer
Herbs and formulas available at http://www.drchristophersherbshop.com/
