Most popular medicinal herbs are reasonably safe for most people most of the time when taken in recommended amounts. The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels them as G.R.A.S. – Generally Regarded As Safe.
But remember herbs do contain pharmacologically active compounds that have drug effects on the body when taken in medicinal doses. They, therefore, can potentially cause harm – allergic reactions, side effects, possible fetal injury, interactions with other herbs and drugs, and death.
It cannot be overemphasized enough that overall, herbs are safer than drugs, but they are potent medicine, and anyone who uses them should do so cautiously and responsibly. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a master herbalist to use medicinal herbs safely. All you need is a little information and some common sense.
You should know the following ten safety guidelines by heart. Study them with intent and make them part and parcel of your approach to herbology.
As you study herbology in more depth you’ll soon find out that some of them can be considered as commandments; others merely as guidelines.
1. Before you take any herb, read up on it
Don’t just listen to friends and relatives. Do your own research. The information in this online course is a good starting point. Take any warnings seriously. When in doubt about the appropriateness of the herb for your condition, don’t use it. Limit your use to those herbs that are widely recommended in popular herb books.
2. Don’t take herb identity for granted
Only buy herbs and herb products that identify the herb by its Latin binomial name – that is, genus and species. For example, thyme’s binomial name is Thymus vulgaris. You’ll learn more about botanical names in another lesson.
3. Stick with the recommended dosage, and never exceed it
Some people assume that if a little herb is good, more must be better. Wrong. Herbal dosage recommendations are based on centuries of clinical experience and, often, scientific research.
If you are over age 65, start with a low dose. As we grow older, we become more sensitive to medicinal herbs and drug effects. In addition, older people often take other medications. You don’t want to risk-averse herb-drug interactions. Rather increase the dose gradually.
Side note: Dosages are discussed in detail in the Advanced Herbal Medicine Making Course.
4. Respect your individuality
We are all different. You may be allergic to one or more herbs or you may develop other unusual reactions. Stay alert for any adverse reactions such as abdominal upset, diarrhoea, itching, rash, headache – anything out of the ordinary. If you notice any unusual symptoms that appear to be linked to the herb, stop taking it and discuss your reaction(s) with your health care provider.
Even if you are not allergic, you may still be unusually sensitive to one or more medicinal herbs. Doctors refer to this as an idiopathic reaction. Idiopathic means “for unknown reasons” – in other words just one of those things. Out of the blue, you may react badly to a herb that’s generally considered safe. It happens.
5. If you are pregnant or nursing, use herbs with caution
It is a persistent medical principle that one should refrain from using medicines during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, the issues are less worrisome for the use of herbal remedies than they are for conventional drugs.
Nevertheless, herbalists still refrain from medicating where possible, and then they prefer herbs that are positively vetted as good. Again, do your research.
6. Don’t give herbal remedies to children under age 2
While some herbalists contend that herbal remedies are okay for children 6 months and older, we take a more conservative position. Use your discretion and apply the recommendations.
7. Think twice before jumping on a herbs bandwagon
Be cautious about unusual or new foreign remedies that have not stood the test of long-term use. Be extra careful when taking an old popular herb with a new “breakthrough” use. A good case in point is St. John’s wort which flew off the shelves of stores when it was shown to have an important new benefit as an antidepressant. What people did not know was the adverse interaction of St. John’s wort with drugs like protease inhibitors and cyclosporine.
8. Never on Sunday’s
Always challenge a treatment: if after several weeks it is thought that the herb is useful, or even if there are doubts, stop the herb for a period of time and see if it is still necessary. Take the herb for six days, then break a day. Or take it for four weeks and then break a week. Whichever time scale you decide on, you must challenge the treatment.
9. Use your common sense
Never persist with any herbal remedy after a moderate period of time (preferably no more than several weeks, a couple of months at the outside) if it is not clearly improving the condition concerned. Contrary to popular belief, most herbs do not take months to work their magic, it is the condition that sets the pace; if it is going to take months to correct professional advice would, in any case, be preferable.
10. Consult your health care provider
In most cases, you can safely treat any ailment for which you normally would have opted for over-the-counter remedies, without getting professional advice, with herbal remedies. But you have to draw the line somewhere. Our position is that you should in all cases consult your doctor and/or minister/pastor. Be especially careful of self-diagnosis. It may land you in the hospital and/or cost you your life or soul. See The Family Herbalist’s Herbal Therapeutic Index for conditions that can safely be treated at home.
Pause and Recall
The importance of using herbs safely cannot be emphasized enough.
- Close your screen and look away. How many of the 10 safety recommendations can you recall?
- Tomorrow morning, as you are getting up and beginning your daily “getting out of bed” routine, try again to see how many you recall.
- Share your insights in a Reply below.
Seems like common sense to me. You don’t have any idea if allergic to something if you have never taken it.
Alot of meds you can’t take because of pregnant ot feeding. Find out what is in it that compares to the active ingredient of medicine.
Great points! It’s so important to do proper research before taking anything medicinally, herbal or otherwise! Being aware of dosage, counterindications and allergies is vital
Caution, research, mindfulness, body-awareness
Cautiously and responsibly I think is a good summary, never think you know everything. These rules are very good guidelines.
Most important No 3
Suprise No 8
Herbs are very powerful medicine.
Do your in=depth research before taking or recommending anybody take herbal remedies.
Just like they can cure they could also have an adverse effect.
I could recall at least 7 🙂
These rules show that common sense and discretion is essential when using herbs.
I can recall all of them. Having been an ardent natural medicine crusader for many years now..all these mentioned safety recommendations are ingrained in my brain. It is the same recommendations with other healing modalities : correct dosage, finding reliable information, being cautious with using it on pregnant, nursing and babies, using common sense, consulting with health care practitioner if necessary and the like. For me what stands out is using common sense and using reliable information or sources .
“Use your common sense” really rings through all the other 10 rules consistently and I think it’s a key component to each one.
Some that really stuck out in my head were the emphasis on making sure of identifying herbs accurately as well as not exceeding dosages.
It can be so easy to tell ourselves “oh it’s natural, a little more won’t hurt” when in reality it could cause much harm!
Each of these rules are excellent to keep in practice regularly!
I believe that #9, Use your common sense, encompasses all of the others–except #8, Never on Sunday. I have never heard that rule, but it does make a lot of sense.
All of these above are important, most products have a colloquial name on the packaging. Also shop sold herbs have been exposed to heat treatment to get the product on the shelf especically capsules, unfortunately the high heat to powder the herbs weaken of kill of some of the properties of herbs, making them less effective.
All good rules. I especially liked the instruction to use it for a few days and then take a break to test effectiveness and to not go for more than a few weeks if it not showing signs of doing what it needs to do. And finding the Latin name on the label is a great safeguard.
9 and it is mostly common sense, but unfortunately common sense is not as common as I thought it would be
5 out of 10 recalled.
the one that surprised me was ‘never on Sunday’s 🙂
Bitkisel ilaçları değiştirmek için geçen süre açısından deneyin ve meydan okuyun koşul
önerilir iki yaşından küçük çocuklara bitkisel ilaçlar vermek değil
1. Bitkisel ilacı kullanmadan önce
her zaman biraz araştırma yapın Her zaman önerilen dozaja uyun
Hamile ve emziren hastalarda bitkisel ilaçların kullanımına dikkat
edin Bitkilerin doğru adları örn. cins ve türler
1. Bitkisel ilacı kullanmadan önce
her zaman biraz araştırma yapın Her zaman önerilen dozaja uyun
Hamile ve emziren hastalarda bitkisel ilaçların kullanımına dikkat
edin Bitkilerin doğru adları örn. cins ve türler
Bitkisel ilaçları değiştirmek için geçen süre açısından deneyin ve meydan okuyun koşul
önerilir iki yaşından küçük çocuklara bitkisel ilaçlar vermek değil
After just reading it:
Research, research, research (from actual sources). Makes sense to me!
Use extra discretion with pregnant women and children under age 2.
Only give recommended dosages.
Take a break and challenge the treatment.
1.Always do some research before using the herbal medicine
Always stick to the recommended dosage
Caution of use of herbal medicine to pregnant and nursing patients
Proper name of the herbs e.g. genus and species
Try and challenge the herbal medicine in terms of time taken to change the condition
It is recommended not to give herbal remedies to children under two years
I’m printing these off and will place them on page one of my herbal journal.
Certainly important. Will put them on the first page of my herbology file.
All of them are common sense!
Never on Sunday, perfect
My favorite-Never on Sundays!!!!
I have them all written down in my notebook.
#8 was new to me, never on Sunday.
But these all make sense and I will commit them to memory.
Always be mindful of the dosages when using any herb
Stick with recommended dose. Since I am new to this, its vital.
Respect individuality – making products for others that have a bad reaction and finding alternatives for them instead of them turning away from herbal remedies altogether
Golden rule, be cautious, respect the herbs and use common sense
Before taking any herb, read up on it.
Don’t take any herb identification for granted.
If you are pregnant or nursing use caution.
Do not give to children under the age of 2.
Use common sense.
Talk with health care provider, instead of self diagnosing.
These are the one’s that I can remember off the top of my head.
I believe these 10 safety recommendations are essential. I did not know about the “Never on Sunday”, although this does make sense and is good knowledge to have.
My biggest worry is getting the herbs mixed up like the movie based on a trye story called into the wild.
The 10 steps will help in making sure you keep safe
Nr 9 is the one that I knew about the least.
Yes, it makes sense.
1. Research any herb before using it
2. Make sure you identify it correctly
3. Do not overdose
4. We are all different and can have different reactions to a specific remedy.
5. Be cautious in using herbs during pregnancy or nursing.
6. Don’t give herbal remedies to children younger than 2 years.
7. Be wary of new herbal breakthroughs
8. Pause the use of a specific herb after a period of time to establish if it still necessary to use it.
9. When using a remedy, use your common sense.
10. Consult a health care provider for treatment of conditions that can not be treated with over-the-counter type medicine.
Yep. I got it!
Wooow…Let me try:
1. Before you take any herb, read up on it
2. Respect your individuality
3. Consult your health care provider
4.Think twice before jumping on a herbs bandwagon
5.Don’t give herbal remedies to children under age 2
6.If you are pregnant or nursing, use herbs with caution
7. Don’t take herb identity for granted
8. Use your common sense
Respect individuality
Never give to children under 2
Use with caution if pregnant or nursing
Read up on herbs before using
Consult with healthcare provider
Never on Sundays
Research before jumping on bandwagon
Right after reading, I could only remember the title of the one I feel is most important. Respect you’re individuality and dishes are important. I remember what the others aid but not the titles.
Right after reading, I could only remember the title of the ones I feel is most important. Respect you’re individuality and dosages are important. I remember what the others said but not the titles.
I love the fact that we are all different and that our bodies react differently to herbs.
Research, research and more research and oh yes common sense added to that.
Honestly, memory has been my biggest struggle throughout my entire journey because I have ADHD and my short term memory doesn’t convert into long term memory unless it is something I am passionate about, or if I study it through like flash cards and such. I have to work hard to retain the information and if I don’t follow a set of specifically designed steps to memorization I will only remember the information in part. So I am working really hard at that and taking herbs for it. But I knew this would be a struggle.
Last night I was able to remember all of them. Every single one which was actually really good for me. This morning I got about six which once again is pretty good for me… But not enough. I already knew when I committed to this though that the struggle would be real haha. So far I have no regrets.
The Commandments are so good and very important. They must be adhered to for safety in taking drugs. Once a Sick person gets diagnosis from a Health Practitioner, putting the rules to use before dispensing herbs is of utmost importance because we are dealing with lives. If a Herbalist does not adhere to the rules before giving herbs to the Sick, they may have drug reactions, like allergies, like headache, itching, rash, diarrhea or death.
Not for children under 2
Take a day break. Sunday. Take a week’s leave
If no response stop.
If develop reaction or feel unusual stop.
Herbs may not be good for everyone.
Read the content always.
Consult a doctor for reaction