Let’s talk about herbs!
But before I even begin to dive into this topic I want to give you some perspective. Often times, when working with herbs, we get extremes.
Here’s a classic example: Herbs are natural so they are completely safe. Or perhaps you’ve heard this one: herbs can cause so many side effects … do we really know enough about them to classify them as safe? And the list continues. So with all these extremes let’s give you herb fans a new perspective.
Here we go! Now read carefully, I am going to list off some side effects/health problems caused by a certain substance. You have to guess what that substance is. So grab a pen and paper and let’s get started :)
1. This substance is consumed daily. Symptoms it can cause include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and lead to brain swelling, seizures and a coma. In very rare cases death has occurred. 1
2. This substance can cause an upset stomach, heartburn, diarrhea. It can irritate and have a burning sensation in the mouth, throat, and skin. 2
3. This substance can cause abdominal pain, bloating, heartburn, itchy skin, shortness of breath, confusion, coma, discomfort in chest, and blurred vision. An overdose may result in irregular heartbeat, sudden fainting, mood or mental changes. 3
Got all that? Here are the answers:
1. Water. It is hard to believe that water can cause these issues but let me clarify. This happens when a person drinks A LOT . I’m talking about 6 liters or more.
2. Peppers
3. Ibuprofen
I am not trying to scare you away from these substances. We need water to survive, peppers offer some wonderful medicinal properties, and ibuprofen is a very common and helpful painkiller-I use it myself. The point I am trying to make is there is the potential for all things (foods, herbs, skin and hair care products, cleaning supplies) to harm and injure us if taken/used improperly or too much. I’m sure you could come up with a hundred more examples. The reason we still drink water, eat peppers, and take ibuprofen is because the benefits greatly out weigh the chance of a problem.
This is very important when we use essential oils and herbs. We must remember that all things have the potential to cause harm if used improperly. We must also remember that there are many good benefits that herbs and essential oils provide. While we should never toss aside safety we must avoid becoming an extreme.
How do we get the perfect balance? Through education. Take some classes from a reputable company or herbal school. The American Herbalist Guild lists many herb schools on their website (americanherbalistguild.com). Take the time to learn your herbs forwards and backwards. Herbs are a such a wonderful gift to us. Let’s use them effectively and wisely.
Happy herb gathering!
1"When You Drink Too Much Water Too Fast, What Can Happen?“WebMD. WebMD. Web. 25 Aug. 2015
2"Capsicum Side Effects in Detail - Drugs.com.” Capsicum Side Effects in Detail - Drugs.com.Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
3"Ibuprofen Side Effects in Detail - Drugs.com.“ Ibuprofen Side Effects in Detail - Drugs.com. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.
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