Herbs the herbalists take

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In the ever-growing market of herbal medicine, it’s getting more difficult to decide what herbs to buy. When companies come out with new products that seem better than other brands, how does the consumer decide which product is best? For the average herbal consumer, the world of herbal medicine is made even more confusing by the constant release of contradicting studies, along with the addling advice of know-it-all friends. We asked some leading herbal professionals what herbs they take, how they take them, and their tips on choosing what’s best for you.

Herbs in teas, cooking, and tinctures

Randy Kidd, D.V.M., believes in the power of herbs. Kidd, author of the “Pet corner” column in Herbs for Health, holds doctorates in veterinary medicine and veterinary and clinical pathology, and practices holistic veterinary medicine. He takes an experimental approach when using different herbs.

“I take one week a month to really learn one herb—I try to use it in everything,” he says. “I take it at various times of the day in varying amounts. The idea is to see how this one herb affects me individually.”

Kidd does not take his herbs in capsule or tablet form because he doesn’t feel that pill forms take full advantage of an herb’s potential. Most of the herbs Kidd uses are in teas and in his cooking. The most common herbs in his teas include licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), burdock root (Arctium lappa), nettle (Urtica dioica), and echinacea (Echinacea spp.). Kidd enjoys cooking with garlic (Allium sativum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), sage (Salvia officinalis), and oregano (Origanum vulgare).

Kidd buys most of his herbs in bulk from Frontier Herbs, a company located in Norway, Iowa, because nearly all of their products are organically certified and he feels that Frontier has the best quality control in the country. He is currently test- growing several culinary and medicinal herbs to see what grows best in his soil and climate. Kidd is attempting to organically certify his thirty-acre farm and in the future wants to develop his own line of herbal products.

Some people need herbs to help their bodies keep up with their busy schedules. Mindy Green, an herbalist, aromatherapist, writer, and esthetician consults for companies in the natural products industry as well as directing education programs at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colorado. She takes herbs to promote her own good health.

“I like to use herbs preventively, supporting the body before it creates a specific condition,” she says. Green home-grows her own nettles and eats them as a steamed green or dries them for soup in the winter. Green also has a daily habit of drinking 1 quart of her special bone-building and osteoporosis-preventing tea blend. Her recipe consists of equal parts of nettle, oatstraw (Avena sativa), horsetail (Equisetum arvense), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and red clover (Trifolium pratense). She uses 1/4 cup of the dry herbal mixture to 1 quart of water, steeps the tea for one hour, and drinks the mixture throughout the day. For premade products, Green uses Herb Pharm’s Super Echinacea tincture or tablets and Sambucol elderberry (Sambucus nigra) extract from Nature’s Way for colds and the flu.

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