Show 1408: Roots & Remedies: The Practice and Philosophy of Herbal Medicine

This week, we discuss how making your own herbal medicine at home can provide you with safe, inexpensive and effective ways to ease symptoms of common problems like colds, cuts and scrapes or heartburn. Our guest is a long-time People’s Pharmacy favorite, Dr. Tieraona Low Dog. Learn all about leaves, roots & remedies.

Roots & Remedies from Your Garden or Windowsill:

Utilizing herbal medicine may seem complicated or exotic, but it doesn’t have to be. Herbal medicine is based on plants, and there are lots of plants that are easy to grow in a patch of backyard or even in a planter. Consider peppermint, for example. It grows readily–a little too readily. If you plant it in your garden, it may take over, so be sure to keep it confined to a pot or planter. The leaves are cooling in the summer. Frozen cubes of mint tea can be used to calm a fever, soothe a bug bite or relieve a headache. Many cough drops contain menthol, so we expect peppermint tea might ease a cough as well.

Other handy plants include thyme and sage. Their utility goes way beyond Thanksgiving dinner. A gargle made with sage leaves can make a sore throat feel better, and thyme tea or thyme syrup is a great way to manage a pesky cough.

How Animals Use Plants for Healing:

Dr. Low Dog describes how her travels to other parts of the world have broadened her knowledge and appreciation for herbal home remedies. She observes that in many regions, people let their exploration of roots and remedies be guided by the local animals. Primates, in particular, are similar enough to humans that watching how they use particular plants can point people in the direction of potential helpful herbs. People living in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda have learned a good deal by paying attention to the gorillas, for example.

Discovering Herbal Medicine While Traveling:

The most important thing to take along when you travel is your curiosity. That has stood Dr. Low Dog in good stead over the years. In Mexico, for example, she witnessed the wild yams originally used to source the building blocks for steroid medications. These include progesterone used in oral contraceptives.

A bit further south, in Costa Rica, she participated in a cacao ceremony. While we can’t grow wild yams or cacao trees in our gardens in the United States, we can still take advantage of some of the medicinal effects of these plants. Did you know that dark chocolate, with as little sugar as you can stand, is an excellent cough remedy?

Herbal Home Remedies from the Backyard:

A round trip brings us back home. For Dr. Low Dog, that is New Mexico, where Diné people on the Navaho reservation use dock, a common weed, for healing. In other regions, the healing weed may be plantain. For wounds, a poultice of yarrow or calendula can be very helpful. Dr. Low Dog describes treating a serious cut on her mare’s leg with honey in which sage leaves had been steeped.

The Spirit of Herbal Medicine:

Dr. Low Dog reminds us, “We have the potential in every moment to open our hearts to each other.” Focusing on the meaning and purpose behind our acts can make them stronger.

She offers a free tutorial on her website about making simple herbal medicine at home. Be sure to check it out, and don’t miss the list of offerings from Medicine Lodge Ranch.

This Week's Guest:

Tieraona Low Dog, MD, is a founding member of the American Board of Physician Specialties, American Board of Integrative Medicine and the Academy of Women’s Health. She was elected Chair of the US Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplements/Botanicals Expert Committee and was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Council for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Her books include: Women’s Health in Complementary and Integrative Medicine; Life Is Your Best Medicine and Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and More. Dr. Low Dog’s latest eBook is Healing Heartburn Naturally.
https://www.medicinelodgeranch.com/products/healing-heartburn-naturally

[caption id="attachment_120898" align="alignnone" width="265"] Dr. Tieraona Low Dog[/caption]