Another Use for Ragweed: Treating Coughs Caused by Post Nasal Drip

In a previous blog, I described ragweed as one of the most notorious herbs known for causing severe allergies and, ...
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Sugarless Herbal Cranberry Relish

The winter holiday season is fast approaching with all foods we all look forward each year. As an herbalist, I ...
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Perspectives on Devil’s Claw from a South African Herbalist

The African continent is a treasure trove of medicinal herbs. Recently Lesley and I visited South Africa first as tourists, ...
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Is He Shou Wu Safe?

The root of he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), also known as “fleece flower,” has been popularly in use for centuries ...
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Breathe Away Your Stress and Anxiety

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”  -- Thich Nhat Hanh “Take ...
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Loquat: The Cough Killer

Loquat leaf (Eriobotrya japonica et spp.), is named pi pa ye in the traditional Chinese materia medica. The name of ...
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Lemongrass: An Overlooked Medicinal Herb

There are so many reasons that otherwise great botanicals are overlooked for their therapeutic uses. One example is echinacea, arguably ...
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Garlic and Ginger, not Echinacea, for Colds

The secret to successfully treating the common cold and cough is to differentiate the type based on Traditional Chinese diagnostics ...
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Mahanayaran Oil for Pain and Injury

Are you ready to hear about a medicinal named after a supreme god? Because of its rejuvenative healing properties Mahanarayana ...
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Goji Berries for Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative condition affecting the central part of the retina (the macula). It is the ...
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Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang: A formula for chronic fatigue and long Covid

In this discussion, TCM organs describe functions that do not perfectly correspond to what we know regarding the Western anatomical ...
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Shen Qu: An Extraordinary Digestive Aid

Shenqu, called by various names “massa fermentata,” “Chinese yogurt,” and mysterious ferment,” was first recorded in the Yaoxing Bencao (ca ...
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Better than Turmeric? Guggul for Pain

Of the hundreds of herbs Ayurveda has to offer, guggul is one of the most important ones to add to ...
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Bacopa: The Herb You Don’t Want to Forget

Research has shown that regularly taking Bacopa monnieri for eight to twelve weeks can improve your memory. “Nootropic” is a pharmaceutical term ...
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Triphala Fruits

Triphala and Ghee for Dry Eyes and Other Eye Problems

Triphala consists of three phytonutrient-rich fruits Emblica officinalis (Amla, or Amalaki) also known as Phyllanthus emblica; Terminalia bellerica (Vibhitaki); and Terminalia chebula ...
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Eating Garden Weeds 1 of 2: Lamb’s Quarters

It seems that each year it is getting increasingly more difficult to depend on my garden to produce enough to ...
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Book Review: Scheid and Ellis’ “Handbook of Formulas in Chinese Medicine”

“It is quite important to know what kind of a patient the disease has got as to know what kind ...
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Saffron: An Herb Worth Its Weight in Gold, Part 2 of 2

After traveling to places in Arabia where saffron and other herbs and spices were sold and used, I attended a ...
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Oatmeal Qi Tonic Porridge

A selection of Chinese tonic herbs The Importance of Qi in the Body Qi means “life energy.” The source of ...
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Treating Gum Disease with Astringent Herbs

Unfortunately, too many people think about their teeth only in crisis stage. A common pre-crisis symptom is receding gums. This ...
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TCM and Western Clinical Tongue Diagnosis

When was the last time you visited a doctor and the first thing asked of you was to show your ...
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Protection for You and Yours: A Holiday Gift Idea

Every December we try to offer some possibilities for gifts you can make or buy to enhance your holidays. It's ...
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Ashwagandha, Milk, Energy, and Sleep

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is described as a rasayana in Ayurvedic medicine. In Ayurveda, rasayanas are used as Traditional Chinese medicine ...
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Draksha: Ayurvedic Grape Wine Medicine

Asava and arishta, meaning “distillate” in Sanskrit, are two naturally fermented alcoholic extracts used for making Ayurvedic wine medicines. Draksha ...
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Huckleberry Fruit and Leaf for Diabetes

Many years ago, while visiting Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I happened upon a local herb shop.  While perusing jars of dry ...
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Coix: An Underutilized Medicinal Food

“Let your medicine be your food and your food, your medicine.” The sovereign dictum of Hippocrates is aptly epitomized by ...
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So Much More than “Swamp Water”: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan

My acupuncture teacher, Dr. Miriam Lee, said she never studied herbs but she had a very busy practice in San ...
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Can homeopathy stave off harmful effects of vaccinations?

Many mothers are afraid to give their babies and young children vaccinations. Pro and con arguments on both sides make ...
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Rediscovering Boneset for Influenza

In the midst of the current pandemic, I'm surprised how little mention there is of boneset, once considered the number ...
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Boost Your Immunity This Flu Season

So far, 14,000 people have died and 250,000 people have been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to preliminary estimates from the ...
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