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COOKBOOK
Herbalism
with Ernestina Parziale
Certified Herbalist

DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for the efficacy of any herb nor for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Additionally, some of these plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals who have the means to process them properly into appropriate pharmaceuticals. One final note: many plants were used for a wide range of illnesses in the past, but be aware that many of the historical uses have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.


Author's Note
My hardest work as an herbalist is to constantly educate people to the fact that herbs are no different than any over-the-counter drug. They have their good and bad sides.

Before using any herb it is imperative that you read up on it. You can search through the database on these pages, or you can turn to any one of the numerous books on the market today. In fact, you should always look for two or three opinions on the effective use of an herb before using it. Either way you need to determine (this is most important) your personal tolerances to any substance. For instance, did you know that people who are allergic to ragweed can also be allergic to herbs in the same Compositae family? These would include very common herbs like chamomile and echinacea. And if you suffer from auto-immune diseases such as lupus, HIV, AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, etc, you should never take echinacea. This is one example, but there are many to consider when humans and plant medicine get together.

Herbs work very slowly and sometimes, as in the case of very old traditional remedies, they don't work at all. I mention them because in reading you will run across them. It is also important to remember that some herbs are quite toxic. Those require special processing and professional administration and are definitely not for use by the layman.

Another concern of mine is the direction in which herbal medicine is headed today. Everything is being standarized and potentized until the original chemical composition of the plant is brought to an unnatural state of balance. The scientists are beginning to do to plant medicine what they have done to pharmaceuticals and, personally, I'm concerned about what this means to the future of plant medicine. Nature has created a product that balances active ingredients with other components that act as buffers and/or nutrients. That's how they work safely. By bringing these components out of balance, or even worse by separating them as in pharmaceuticals, you end up dealing with more of a poison than a slow acting healing substance.

The challenge for the future is to discover how modern medicine and alternative therapies can work together for optimum healing and health.



IMPORTANT NOTICE!! It is now illegal to sell and use EPHEDRA in the United States!

WHAT TO KNOW & HOW TO DO IT
Basic Skills and Principles 1
  • Fundamentals
  • Weights & Measures in Herbalism
    • Apothecary Weight
    • Liquid Weight
    • Dry Weights & Measurements
    • More Metrics
    • Kitchen Equivalents
    • Rough Measurements
  • Dosages
Basic Skills and Principles 2
Weights, Measures, Dosages
  • Systems of Weight
  • Weights & Measures Used in Herbalism
  • Liquid Weights & Measures
  • Dry Weights & Measures
  • Apothecary Weight
  • More Metrics
  • Kitchen Equivalents
  • Rough Measurements
  • Dosages

How to Make Herbal Extracts

How to Make Salves, Lotions and Gels

  • Basic Salve
  • 3-C Skin Salve
  • Barrier Salve
  • Vapor Rub
  • Herbal Oils

How to Make Herbal Cosmetics

  • The Herbal Bath
  • Bath Recipes & Tools
  • Resources: Where to Buy

Creams and Lotions

  • Glycerin & Rosewater
  • Hot Weather Spritz
  • Facial Masks
  • Creams: Procedure
  • Lightweight Face & Body Cream
  • Aloe Moisturizing Hand Cream
  • Hand Lotion
  • Rich Face & Hand Cream
  • Gels
  • Non-petroleum Jelly
  • Lip Gloss
  • Easier Lip Gloss

Massage Oils

Perfumery

  • Fragrance Gel

Herbal Extract for Skin

Cooking with Herbs & Wild Foods

Where to purchase herbs and supplies

Schools of Herbalism

THE FOLLOWING TWO DATABASES are linked maps. The Database of Health Conditions provides medical links for your research, the natural agents used for them, plus definitions and links to the Database of Herbal Remedies where applicable (although this can also be used separately). These are TOOLS for INFORMATION ONLY.

HEALTH CONDITIONS

HERBAL REMEDIES



HERBALIST GLOSSARY
Each term is accompanied by definition and natural agents associated with each term. This is a TOOL, nothing more, to help you with your search for information. It may not be construed as a self-sufficient guide to herbal medical treatment, merely as a guide to point to more in depth reading on the topic of your research.




If what you are looking for isn't here, be aware that plants are often known by a variety of different common names.

DATABASE of HERBS, USEFUL PLANTS, ANIMALS, & MINERALS

-A-
Abalone
Abcess Root
Abrus
Acacia
Achryanthes Root
Acidophilus
Aconite
Adam & Eve Root
Adder's Tongue
Adenophora
Adonis
Adrue
Adzuki Bean
Aeollanthus
Agar-agar
Agave
Aglaia
Agnus-Castus
Agrimony
Ague-weed
Ailanto
Ajmud
Ajuga
Ajwain
Akebia
Alaria
Alder
Alder buckthorn
Alexander, Golden
Alfalfa
Alfilaria
Alkanet
Alliaria
Allium Cernuum
Allspice
Almond
Aloe
Alstonia
Amalaki
Amaranth
Amber
Ambergris
Ambrette
Ambrose
Ambrosia
American Ivy
Ammoniac Gum
Amomum
Ampelopsis
Amur Cork Tree
Anaphalis
Anemarrhena
Anemone
Angelica
Angelica Tree
Angostura
Anise
Anise Hyssop
Annatto
Apple
Apple, Balsam
Apple, Bitter
Apricot Aquilaria
Arbutus
Arenaria
Arnica
Arrachs
Arrowhead
Arrowroot
Arrow Wood
Arsesmart
Artemisia
Artichoke
Arum
Asafetida
Asarabacca
Ash
Ash, American
Ash, Manna
Ash, Mountain
Ash, Prickly
Ashwaganda
Asparagus
Asparagus Bean
Aspen, Quaking
Asphodel
Aster
Asthmaweed
Astragalus
Atractylodes
Avens
Avocado

-B-
Bachelor Button
Baeckea
Bael
Bahia Powder
Bakau Kurap
Bala
Balloon Flower
Balloon Vine
Balm, Canary
Balm of Copaiba
Balm of Gilead
Balm, Lemon
Balmony
Balsam
Balsam Pear
Balsamroot Arrowleaf
Bamboo
Banana
Baneberry
Baobab
Barbate Cyclea
Barberry
Barley
Barrenwort
Barroom Plant
Basil
Bay
Bayberry
Beadtree
Bean
Bearberry
Bearded Darnel
Bearsfoot, Amer.
Bearswort
Bebeeru
Bee Pollen
Bee-sage, White
Beech
Beech Drop
Beeplant, Rocky Mtn
Beet
Beggar-lice
Beggar tick
Belladonna
Benjamin Bush
Benzoin
Bergamot
Berlandiera
Betel
Betel Nut
Bethroot
Betony
Bilberry
Bindweed
Birch
Birch Mushroom
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Birthwort
Biscuit Root
Bishop Flower
Bishop Weed
Bistort
Biting Stonecrop
Bittersweet, Amer
Black Chebula
Black Cherry
Black Cohosh
Black Currant
Black Face God
Blackberry
Blackberry Lily
Black Haw
Black Medic
Black Musli
Black-eyed Susan
Blackroot
Bladderwrack
Blazing Star
Bletilla
Bloodroot
Blueberry
Blue Flag
Boat Lily
Bodhi Seeds
Bogbean
Bog Rosemary
Bog Rush
Boisduvalia
Boldo
Boletus
Bonduc Nut
Boneset
Borage
Borax
Boronia
Bo-tree
Bottle Gourd
Bowman's Root
Boxthorn
Boxwood
Brazilwood
Breadroot
Brickellbush
Brittlebush
Broad Bean
Brome, Calif
Broom, Butcher's
Broom, Dyer's
Broom, Scotch
Broom, Spanish
Broomrape
Broomweed
Brucea
Brunfelsia
Bryony
Buchu
Buckthorn
Buckwheat
Bugbane
Bugleweed
Bunchberry
Bupleurum
Burdock
Burnet
Bur Nut
Bur Reed
Burweed
Butcher's Broom
Butter & Eggs
Buttercup
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Weed
Butternut
Butterwort
Button Bush

-C-
Cabbage
Cabbage, Skunk
Cactus
Caesar Weed
Cairo Morning Glory
Cajuput
Calabar Bean
Calamint
Calendula
Calla, Wild
Calliprora
Calumba Wood
Calypso
Camas
Camphor
Campion
Catchfly
Camu-camu
Canaigre
Canarium
Canary Island Tea Plant
Candle Nut
Candytuft
Canella
Cannabis
Capers
Caraway
Cardamine
Cardamom
Cardoon
Carnation
Carob
Caroba
Carrot, Wild
Casca Bark
Cascara Sagrada
Cashew
Cassia
Castor
Cat's Claw
Catalpa
Catnip
Cattail
Cayenne
Cedar (Cedrus)
Cedar (Thuja)
Cedar of Lebanon
Cedron
Celandine
Celery
Celosia
Centaury
Centipeda
Centipede
Cereus
Ceylon Spinach
Chamizo
Chamomile
Chervil
Chickory
Chickweed
Chives
Cicimatic
Cinnamon
Clava Huasco
Cleavers
Clove
Clover, Red
Cohosh, Black
Cohosh, Blue
Coltsfoot
Columbine
Comfrey
Coriander
Coriander, False
Corn
Costmary
Couch Grass
Cramp Bark
Cranesbill
Cucumber
Cumin
Cypress

-D-
Damiana Dandelion Daylily Dill Dong Quai .

-E-
Echinacea
Evening Primrose
Elderberry
Eyebright
Elecampane
Epazote
Ephedra, American
Eucalyptus

-F-
Fennel Fenugreek Feverfew Figwort Fo-ti Foxglove

-G-
Garlic
Geranium, Scented
Ginger
Ginkgo
Ginseng
Goldenrod
Goldenseal
Gotu Kola
Grass, Russian Buffalo
Grass, Sweet Vernal
Greenleaf Five-Eye
Grindelia
Ground Ivy
Ground Pine
Guggalow

-H-
Hawthorn
Hemlock
Henbane Hollyhock
Hops
Horehound
Horseradish
Horsetail
Hyssop

-I-
Indigo, False . . . . .

-J-
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jerusalem Artichoke
Jewelweed
Job's Tears
Joe-Pye-Weed
Johnny-Jump-Up
Juniper

-L-
Lady's Bedstraw
Lady's Mantle
Lady's Thumb
Lavender
Lemon
Lemon Grass
Licorice
Lily-of-the-Valley
Lime
Linden
Lippia Dulcis
Lobelia
Lovage
Lungwort
Lychnis

-M-
Ma Huang
Mallow
Maple
Marigold
Marjoram
Marshmallow
Mate
Mayapple
Meadowsweet
Melon, Bitter Indonesian
Milkweed
Mints
Monarda
Monkshood
Motherwort
Mugwort
Mullein
Mustard
Myrrh

-N-
Nasturtium Neem Nettle, Blind Nettle, Dwarf Nettle, Stinging New Jersey Tea

-O-
Oat, Wild Onion Oregano Orris Root ------- -------

-P-
Palmarosa
Palo Verde
Papaya
Paprika
Parsley
Passion Flower
Patchouli
Pau D'Arco
Peach
Pearly Life Everlasting
Pennyroyal
Peony
Pepper
Periwinkle
Petitgrain
Pine
Pinks
Plantain
Poinsettia
Pokeweed
Poplar
Poppy
Psyllium
Pumpkin
Purslane
Pussytoes
Pyrethrum

-R-
Ragwort
Ramps
Raspberry
Red Currant
Reishi
Rock Rose
Rose
Rosemary
Rosewood
Rue

-S-
Safflower
Sage
St. Johnswort
Sandalwood
Santolina
Sarsaparilla
Sassafras
Savory
Saw Palmetto
Schizandra
Scotch Broom
Sea Cucumber
Selfheal
Senna
Shavegrass
Shepherd's Purse
Shitake
Skullcap
Slippery Elm
Soapwort
Sorrel
Southernwood
Speedwell
Spice Bush
Spiderwort
Squaw vine
Stargrass
Stevia
Stoneroot
Strawberry Blite
Suma
Sumac, Lemonade
Sweet Cicely
Sweet Flag
Sweet Woodruff

-T-
Tansy
Tarragon
Tea
Tea Tree
Thistle
Thyme
Toothache Tree
Turkey Corn
Turmeric

-U-
Usnea Uva-ursi . . . .

-V-
Valerian Vanilla Verbena Vervain Violet Vitex

-W-
Walnut
Water Plantain
Willow

Wintergreen

Witch Hazel

Wormwood

Woad

-Y-
Yarrow Yellow Dock Yew Ylang Ylang Yucca .

-Z-
Za'tar . . . . .





IF these pages don't answer all your questions, some of my previous articles are stored at the Gardenshop. Or, you can obtain monographs with more detailed information including current research from the Herb Research Foundation.

For books about herbs, first read the bibliography I have provided, then check online or local bookstores for availability.




©1998-2007 Ernestina Parziale CH