The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Witch Hazel

Episode Date: June 12, 2024

Today, I tell you about the medicinal... and other interesting uses of Witch Hazel..The Spring Foraging Cook Book is available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRP63R54Or you can buy the eBook as a .pdf directly from the author (me), for $9.99:https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-spring-foraging-cookbook.htmlYou can read about the Medicinal Trees book here https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html or buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1005082936PS. New in the woodcraft Shop: Judson Carroll Woodcraft | SubstackRead about my new books:Medicinal Weeds and Grasses of the American Southeast, an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/medicinal-weeds-and-grasses-of-american.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47LHTTHandConfirmation, an Autobiography of Faithhttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/confirmation-autobiography-of-faith.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNKVisit my Substack and sign up for my free newsletter: https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/Read about my new other books:Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies, an Herbalist's Guide https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/11/medicinal-ferns-and-fern-allies.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMSZSJPSThe Omnivore’s Guide to Home Cooking for Preppers, Homesteaders, Permaculture People and Everyone Else: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-omnivores-guide-to-home-cooking-for.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGKX37Q2Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/06/medicinal-shrubs-and-woody-vines-of.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2T4Y5L6andGrowing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Elsehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/04/growing-your-survival-herb-garden-for.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4LYV9RThe Encyclopedia of Medicinal Bitter Herbs: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-encyclopedia-of-bitter-medicina.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5MYJ35RandChristian Medicine, History and Practice: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTBHerbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.htmlAlso available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09HMWXL25Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbsBlog: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/Free Video Lessons: https://rumble.com/c/c-618325

Hey y'all, welcome to today's show. We'll continue with our series on the medicinal uses of trees, and this one you may know about. You may remember the medicinal use of this small tree from childhood. It used to be that every single medicine cabinet in the United States, probably Canada and in England and who knows where else would have included a bottle of witch hazel. Witch hazel is an incredibly useful plant. It's one that if it's not already growing on your property, you're going to want it going right away. I consider it one of the essential medicinal trees, and it certainly was considered as an essential medicinal tree by our ancestors. Now, I know in my grandparents' medicine cabinet, they certainly had witch hazel. It was often used, well, it was used for many things.

It's very stringent, but it was often used for cuts and such, and scrapes and skintoneys and dog bites and everything that I got into as a kid on the farm. We had one horse that was really, man, that was one mean horse. And she would bite you right in the stomach. And I'll never forget that. And then going in and having witch hazel put, oh my gosh, that was, that was not pleasant. And of course we had mean roosters and, um, uh, the pigs would kill you. I mean, seriously. Um, so I was always more careful around them and, uh, but that one horse,

my gosh. And you know, many other things kids get into. I was always hitting my thumb with a hammer or cutting myself on a knife or just, you know know skinning my knees or falling off a bike or oh and the cats we had all kinds of cats around the barn wild you know basically wild cats that just lived on the property and um I of course I'd always go try to play with them just get scratched up just sliced to ribbons so it seemed like I was always having alcohol, peroxide, witch hazel, or pine extract. That was actually really popular in North Carolina because, I mean, pine was once our main industry. It was used to make tar to seal ships. It was also used for turpentine and also an astringent antiseptic you know very good pine all turpentine oil if i remember the little bottle that used to sit there but i got slathered down with every

every antiseptic you could imagine uh yeah iodine um what was that methylate that was one that would really stain your skin it was mainly used for the animals on the farm, but it was often used on me. But I remember witch hazel was also used in compresses, like, you know, soaked into a cloth and put on the throat if you had a sore throat or swollen glands. So, you know, it was just ubiquitous at the farm and my grandparents' house. And I can still see that little metal, um, medicine cabinet, you know, with a mirror on the front and over the sink, just, uh, you know, old fashioned cast iron sink and you'd open it up and, and there would be bare aspirin, um, turpentine, witch hazel, bottle of peroxide, little capsules of methylate and different things, Band-Aids and gauze and everything, everything that was necessary

for minor cuts and scratches and wounds and sore throats and even hemorrhoids. You know, that's another use for witch hazel. Laxatives. My grandmother was big on laxatives. They were always in there. And, you know, you name it. It was just, you know, I guess maybe kids don't grow up like that anymore. In this era of whenever something happens, run to the emergency room. Maybe kids don't grow up on that like that

anymore. And maybe, you know, maybe that's one of the reasons I got into herbal medicine because you know home remedies were just constant there was always something my grandmother had on hand or my mother had on hand or my great-grandmother had on hand she I mean she doctored her whole family big family you know she raised a bunch of kids and but mostly boys and she actually man she was a spitfire she encouraged them to fight she loved watching a good fight and she raised a man, she was a spitfire. She encouraged them to fight. She loved watching a good fight, and she raised a family of very tough boys, two daughters, who were tough as nails as well. And by the time they entered the military, I mean, each of them probably broken three or four bones, had home-done stitches from being sliced open by farm implements or by fighting, uh, had teeth knocked

out. Um, yeah. Um, Ben, I mean, she was something, uh, I love my great grandmother and my great grandfather, but, uh, she was tough. I mean, her, her father was an old, like an old West style gunfighter. I mean, he was the guy that would, you know, he was, um, he was an style gunfighter i mean he was the guy that would you know he was um he was an actual gunfighter he was somewhat of a criminal and a gambler and um bootlegger and somebody crossed him you know meet out on the street pull your guns and fight it out i mean that was just following the civil war i mean she was almost 100 years old when she passed away. And yeah, her father was a real tough SOB. I mean, they called him Devil Jim in 1890 or so, you know, 1880, 1890 after the Civil War when there was just chaos and devastation in the South. There was no money and people were starving um he was a big strong man quick with a

gun and and uh cold there's one picture of him one picture of him and he had the coldest eyes you've ever seen you would not mess with that man and he was surrounded by his dogs uh he had hunting dogs you know and um a picture of him in a black suit with a white shirt you know the like a henley style shirt you know they didn't have collars back then and um he was more than likely part lumbi indian and he had the he had like you know jet black hair and eyes and they were just cold dead eyes so very scary man actually So, you can imagine my great-grandmother would have been aware of every kind of home remedy whatsoever because she grew up in a time when the South was dirt poor. Everybody was at starvation level poverty. And whatever remedy you had was what you did at home.

And being probably part Indian as well, which she would never admit to. So I can't say for sure. If you do her, just imagine Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies. That's what she looked like when I knew her in her 80s and 90s. And a great cook. My gosh, that woman could cook. You know, they had everything right there on the farm. Lard from the hogs, milk and butter,

milk and butter from the cows, full garden. Great-grandfather kept bees and cured hams and made sausage. I mean, it was a food lover's paradise, honestly. I mean, he was French, and he brought that whole tradition of curing meats into the family, and she made all, I mean, every evening was sitting there shelling beans and peas, or she'd be making preserves and jams and jellies, or baking. And I mean, just that little farm was paradise for me. Paradise for me.

But if you think she had mellowed in her 90s, you would be quite mistaken. In fact, my great-grandfather probably faked deafness for the last 20 years of his life because he just got tired of arguing with her. Anyway, and I mean, you wanted to have chicken for dinner? She just went outside, grabbed a chicken, wrung its neck plucked it and that was your dinner you know there was no um it was there was no uh illusions uh no illusions of how food got to the table let me tell you uh anyway let's get into uh witch hazel and within there was a witch hazel bush right there on the property that That was the other way I got to know witch hazel.

Witch hazel, it is native to America and was used widely by Native Americans and was one of the first medicinal plants recognized by the early settlers. Miss Greve, writing in the 1930s in England, really liked witch hazel. She wrote a lot about it. She said, the properties of the leaves and bark are similar. A stringent tonic, sedative, valuable in checking internal and external hemorrhage. Yeah, they're actually, they help stop bleeding, which is one of the reasons it was used on me a lot. I used to get cut or break fingers and toes and such all the time.

I was always walking around with Band-Aids on. I was just always getting into trouble and always doing things that I wasn't big enough to do and getting hurt and getting torn up. I was that kind of kid, and I wish all kids could have that experience. As we said, the leaves and bark are similar. all kids could have that experience. As we said, the leaves and bark are similar, astringent, tonic, sedative, and valuable in the checking of internal and external hemorrhage, and most efficacious in the treatment of piles, a good painkiller for the same, piles being hemorrhoids, as I mentioned. Useful for bruises and inflammatory swellings. It's not as good as

Arnica, but real good for bruises and swellings. Also useful for diarrhea, dysentery, and mucus discharges. It has long been used by the North American Indians as poultice for painful swellings and tumors. A decoction has been utilized for incipient phthisis. That's a word I cannot pronounce. It's P-H-T-H-I-S-I-S. So you try saying that one. Ophthalmology, that's swelling of the eyes. Gleet, which is actually a vaginal discharge.

Menorrhagia. And debilitative states resulting from abortion. And actually what they mean is from miscarriage. The tea made from the leaves or bark may be taken freely with advantage, being good for bleeding of the stomach and in complaints of the bowels. And an injection of this tea is excellent for inward bleeding piles. In other words, like an enema made of a tea of witch hazel. The relief being marvelous and the cure speedy. I mean, that's actually one of the main reasons it was used in earlier times. An ointment made of a part fluid extract, one part fluid extract of the bark,

to nine parts simple ointment is also used as a local application. What does that mean? That means a bark extract basically mixed with any carrying fat or waxy substance or anything that you could use as an ointment. Even honey. Honey was what people used to use a lot, and that would not be a pleasant way to use honey, I don't think. Also used as a local application, the concentration of hemomin being also employed mainly in the form of suppositories. Witch hazel has been supposed to owe its utility to an action on the muscular fiber of the veins. The distilled extract from fresh leaves and young twigs forms an excellent remedy for internal or external uses, being beneficial for bleeding from the lungs and young twigs forms an excellent remedy for internal or external uses being beneficial for bleeding from the lungs and nose as well as from other internal organs

in the treatment of varicose veins it should be applied with that's yeah another very common use for witch hazel in earlier times was for varicose veins and they said basically apply it with a cloth bandage which must be constantly kept moist. A pad of witch hazel applied to a burst varicose vein will stop the bleeding and often save life by its instant application. This is, you know, one of the reasons I consider witch hazel to be one of the essential trees. Okay. There was at this time a patented extract of witch hazel called ponds extract and she says in 1931 i think this was much used by in our grandmother's days as a general household remedy for burns scalds inflammatory conditions of the skin and is still in general use it

certainly was in my grandmother's house in In the case of insects and mosquitoes, absolutely. Oh, I remember that. In the case of insects and mosquitoes, a pad of cotton wool moistened with the extract and applied to the spot will soon cause the pain and swelling to subside. Now, this was eastern North Carolina in the swamps, y'all. If you have never, you think you've experienced mosquitoes, go hang out in eastern North Carolina in the swamps. I would often have hundreds of mosquito bites just from being briefly outside. And it was just slathered down with witch hazel. And it does the trick.

Absolutely does the trick. Diluted with warm water, the extract is used for inflammation of the eyelids. And she says, this is 1931, Unfortunately, in modern times, witch hazel was seen as little more than a weedy shrub, but that certainly should not be the case. I agree. Like I said, to me, this is one of the essentials.

So looking at, you know, really more my family's tradition, this is from Resources of Southern Fields and Forest, which was written in the 1860s. And he speaks of Hamalachie, which is the witch hazel tribe. There actually are several varieties, well, a few. There are a few varieties of witch hazel. They're somewhat interchangeable. He says that this order is found, this is written by a botanist, by the way, so it's going to be a little more formal, found in northern parts of America, Japan, and China. So it wasn't native to Europe at all.

In my examination of the various authorities on the subject, I have frequently been struck with the correspondence prevailing between the species found in South Carolina and those of Japan. So our native witch hazel is very much like the Japanese. And he says that especially in the respects of medical botany of the two, of the medical botany of the two, and that the flowers were very similar. And it has a really neat flower. If you've never really experienced, been around a witch hazel bush,

I think you'll find it a unique interesting ornamental uh it really does belong in the landscape it's certainly not a weedy shrub as uh miss greaves said he says um he tells about where he had found it in charleston and different places in North Carolina and such. And he says it is said to be sedative, astringent, tonic, and the bark was a remedy derived from the Indians who applied it to painful tumors using a decoction as a wash in inflammatory swellings, painful hemorrhoidal affections, and ophthalmologus. So very much like Mr. Greaves said. A cataplasm, it's basically a pou poultice and tea of the leaves is astringent the oh it's also which also uses steam to for various things but especially hemorrhoids but

also for pains attending childbirth again as astringent it tightens up tissue and is anti-inflammatory no analysis has been made but it probably contains sedative's astringent. It tightens up tissue and is anti-inflammatory. No analysis has been made, but it probably contains sedative and astringent properties. Let's see if he has anything else interesting here. Oh, this is really, yeah, witch hazel was believed to be one of the best woods for making divining rods. And they thought it actually had an electromagnetic conductive property. They were actually really investigating this in the 1800s. Now it's considered superstition. It's still practiced in the Appalachian Mountains and having seen it myself, I can't explain it. Okay, certain people, and it's not everybody, seems to be a genetic quality, seem to be able to find underground water.

Okay, wells, where there's no spring, there's no sign of a well, by taking basically a wishbone-shaped piece of wood, holding the, you know, the Y-shaped ends in either hand with the long end pointing straight. shaped ends in either hand with the long end pointing straight. And when they walk, when they come near where water's underground, the stick will suddenly dip down and point straight down at the water. As I said, I don't know how this works. I've seen people hold the stick so loosely they cannot be exerting any influence over it with their fingers, and I've seen it happen. There are things in this world I do not understand. They used to call them water witches. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with witchcraft whatsoever. It just seems that God gave certain people special abilities.

Witch Hazel was considered to be one of the very best, if not the best, water witching wands or divining wands as they uh used to call them now uh you may think i'm crazy but if i hadn't seen it myself i wouldn't believe it either so anyway the quotes a dr james fountain from peaksville new york who speaks highly of the efficaciousness of the bark and hemorrhage of the lung and stomach and also is one of the best applications for external piles, hemorrhoids again, and an ointment being prepared from lard. So in this one, he said a decoction of equal parts of the bark, white oak bark, and that of the apple tree was mixed with lard.

And that would be an excellent stringent ointment, actually. White oak, very stringent, you know, used in tanning.ringent you know used in tanning the the galls are used in tanning leather and apple tree also very astringent so I can I could definitely see why this one would work. He goes on and on about different doctors who've come up with different concoctions using witch hazel. And Dr. Durham, no, see, Dr. Professor Davis said it was useful for preventing miscarriage. So I don't know, maybe worth looking into, but I'm not recommending it. He quotes a Dr. Durham that said it was so powerful to prevent miscarriage that the decoction of the leaves of witch hazel could even be used when someone had taken an herb that could cause a miscarriage, even very powerful

herbs. Again, worth looking into. I cannot attest to that. He said that he began to use it when he ran out of viburnum. We've talked about viburnum before. It talks about the amount of tannin in the plant and that could be also used for curing tanning leather and such. And we'll get to the Thompsonians which, you know, 34 years later. Dr. Thompson himself wrote, I found the use of this article as medicine when I was quite young and have made much use of it in all my practice. It is too well known in the country to need any description. It is a small tree or bush and grows very commonly, especially in new lands, newly tilled lands, newly cleared,

I should say. A tea made from the leaves is an excellent medicine in many complaints and may be freely used to to advantage it is the best thing for bleeding at the stomach of any article I've ever found either by giving it as a tea made from the dry leaves or chewing them and green that's interesting he I have cured several with it the this complaint is caused by a canker eating off the small blood vessels, and this medicine will remove the canker and stop the bleeding. Wow.

I have made much use of the tea, made strong for injection, and found in all the complaints of the bowels to be very serviceable. So, again, we're talking about enema. An injection made of this tea with a little uh well an injection made of this tea is very good for the piles and many complaints common to females and in bearing down pains it will afford immediate relief if properly administrated these leaves may be used to good advantage as a substitute for other articles or alone for the same purpose so again he would combine it with other herbs but also good by itself.

He said the leaves and twigs are pleasant, reliable, mild, soothing, diffusive, stimulating, astringent, and tonic. It chiefly influences the mucous membranes. Locally, it is used in gonorrhea and gleet. The distilled non-alcoholic extract is best for this purpose. gonorrhea and gleet. The distilled non-alcoholic extract is best for this purpose. In the treatment of gonorrhea, it gives the best results and no urethral contractions follow its use. In leukorrhea, it stimulates and tones the uterus and vagina. In dysentery and diarrhea, it may be used alone or in conjunction with other remedies as per his further instructions. He says it's a very good remedy in hemorrhages, either rectal, cystic, or uterine.

It is valuable in the treatment of cataract, that's congestion in any part of the system, whether vaginal or nasal. To the nose, it can be applied with a nebulizer or atomizer, and to the womb on cotton. It is of use in treatment of anal prolapse and rectal hemorrhage is of use in sore eyes as a wash and has no bad effect on the eyes this remedy is indicated in all sores or bleeding surfaces no matter what their nature may be by bearing this in mind the physician can make no mistake it is also indicated in all irritations but this comes under the property of healing of sores the dose tincture being well we don't need to get into that he says the

use of this remedy leaves absolutely no ill effects by 1900 1898 it was still listed in the King's American medical disppensatory. I believe it could continue to be an official pharmacological product in America well into at least the 50s, probably the 60s. They say, which hazel is tonic and astringent? Some have pronounced it sedative also. The decoction of the bark is very useful in hematopsis, hematomesis, and other hemorrhages, as well as in diarrhea dysentery, excessive mucus discharges with full, pale, and relaxed tissue.

It has been employed with advantage in that thing I can't pronounce again. There's no way I'm ever going to be able to pronounce that. And thank goodness I don't have dentures or a lisp or something. I'd be spitting all over myself. which it is let's see it is useful in the form of a poultice and swellings and tumors of a painful character as well as an external inflammation see American Indians used it for this purpose the decoction may be advantageously used as a wash or injection for sore mouth, painful tumors, external inflammation, bowel complaints, anal prolapse, uterine prolapse, leukorrhea, gleet and ophthalmology.

Since the introduction of the distilled extract of witch hazel, the use of the decoction of the bark has been largely abandoned. So by 1898, they were already using the official distilled extract of witch hazel as opposed to the tea. They say the fluid extract was less powerful and we don't need to get into that. They said it was useful for varicose veins and soaks and washes and poultices and etc. Anything where you might need a good astringent. They get into a lot of veins, and soaks and washes and poultices and et cetera. Anything where you might need a good astringent. They get into a lot of medical studies,

which hazel being found valuable for hemorrhages, congestive, congestion, et cetera, et cetera. Chronic laryngitis, even uterine congestion. This goes on quite a way. laryngitis even, uterine congestion, this goes on quite a way. I'd be reading this for an hour before I cut through all the uses of witch hazel around 1900. Specific indication used for venous stability with relaxation and fullness, again it's basically varicose veins, pale mucus tissue, mucus profluvia with venous relaxation, passive hemorrhages, varicosis, capillary stasis, hemorrhoids, painful sore throat, dull aching pain in the rectum, pelvis, or female organs, perineal relaxation with fullness, muscular relaxation, muscular soreness, and aching and bruise sensation, whether from cold exposure, bruises, strains, or from physical exertion. So anywhere you got a swelling, a pain, a cut, a bruise, anywhere you need an astringent, it's really, you know, pretty darn useful.

We'll get into modern use. I'm going to try to wrap this up. I know I'm going along with this one. Plants for Future states, Witch hazel is a traditional herb of the North American Indians who used it to heal wounds, treat tumors for eye problems, etc. It is a very stringent herb. It is commonly used in the West and is widely available from both herbalists and chemists. So still being, well, yeah, you can still find it in the drugstore. That's all they mean.

They don't mean specifically from the pharmacy. English call any kind of drugstore a chemist, by the way. It is an important ingredient of proprietary eye drops, skin creams, ointments, and skin tonics. It is widely used as an external application to bruises, sore muscles, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, sore nipples, inflammations, etc. The bark is astringent, hemostatic, sedative, and tonic. Tannins in the bark are believed to be responsible for the astringent and hemostatic properties. Bottled witch hazel water is a steam distillate that does not contain the tannins from the shrub. This is less effective in action than a tincture.

So better to make your own tincture. The bark is used internally in the treatment of diarrhea, colitis, dysentery, hemorrhoids, vaginal discharge, excessive menstruation, internal bleeding, and prolapsed organs. Branches and twigs are harvested for the bark in the spring. An infusion of the leaves is used to reduce inflammations, treat hemorrhoids, and internal hemorrhage and eye inflammation. The leaves are harvested in the summer and can be dried for later use. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh bark

and is used in the treatment of nosebleeds, piles, and varicose veins. Botany of the Day says Hamamelis, which is witch hazel. Medicinally, the leaves and bark contain tannic acid. Witch hazel has long been used as an astringent in the typical ways, internally for sore throats and diarrhea, externally for stings, minor burns, hemorrhoids. Native Americans use the tea as a liniment for athletes. Very common, especially in the Cherokee. They had a very rough ball game, and they got hurt a lot playing that thing.

It was sort of a rite of passage for boys. And finally, we'll go to the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine. It tells us the tannins and tannin elements have an astringent anti-inflammatory and locally hemostatic effect. Indications and uses approved by the commission, hemorrhoids, inflammation of the mouth, and pharynx. Another word I have trouble with. P-H-A-R-Y-N-X. It's part of your throat, and I have trouble pronouncing it. That's the leaf only being used for that.

Inflammation of the skin, venous conditions, wounds, and burns. Under unproven uses, they say witch hazel leaf and bark are used internally in folk medicine for nonspecific diarrhea, such as inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine and colon, hematopsis, and also for menstrual complaints. Efficacy in treatment of diarrhea seems plausible because of the tanning content. Witch hazel is used externally for milder injuries of the skin, localized inflamed swellings of the skin and mucous membranes, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. It is also used in folk medicine for inflammation of the mucosa of the colon. Precautions and Adversary

Actions. Health risks following proper administration of designated therapeutic doses are not recorded if taken internally. The tanning content of the drug can lead to digestive complaints. Liver damage is conceivable following a long-term administration, but rare or actually undocumented. Conceivable, they said, not really documented. So y'all, that wraps up. Witch hazel, which as I said, very pretty ornamental bush. I consider it certainly in the top 10 of all medicinal trees to have around. And, you know, maybe someday if you get some tincture of this going, make some teas of it, you know, your grandkids will be remembering the witch hazel tincture or extract that was in the medicine cabinet in your home. I can only hope that will be the case.

Those are actually pretty good memories, even though it was usually used to treat cuts and bruises and sprains and bug bites and sore throats and diarrhea and everything else, right? All right, y'all. Have a good one, and I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition nothing i say or write has been evaluated or approved by the fda i'm not a doctor the u.s government does not recognize the practice of

herbal medicine and there is no governing body regulating herbalists therefore i'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe in herbs help me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you.

You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.