The Actions of Herbs

Question 1

Adaptogens

Answer 1

Herbs help increase the body’s resistance to stress. They improve the body’s resilience by enabling it to physiologically adapt to problems before it reaches the point of collapse. An inability to cope with external pressures can have many health repercussions. They appear to work by supporting the function of the adrenal glands.

Question 2

Alternatives

Answer 2

herbs that gradually restore proper function to the body, increasing health and vitality. Some of these herbs support waste elimination processes via the kidneys, liver, lungs, or skin. Others stimulate the digestive function of providing antimicrobial actions, while others simply work!

Question 3

Anticatarrhal Herbs

Answer 3

Herbs help the body eliminate excess mucus, whether in the sinuses or from other parts of the body.

Question 4

Anti-Inflammatory Herbs

Answer 4

Herbs with anti-inflammatory properties soothe inflammations or directly reduce the inflammatory response.

Question 5

Antimicrobial Herbs

Answer 5

Help the body destroy or resist pathogenic microorganisms. They help the body strengthen its own resistance to infective organisms and throw off the illness.

Question 6

Antispasmodic Herbs

Answer 6

Antispasmodics ease muscle cramps. They alleviate muscular tension and, as many are also nervines, can ease psychological tension as well. Some antispasmodic herbs reduce muscle spasms throughout the body, and some work on specific organs, systems, or types of tissue.

Question 7

Astringents

Answer 7

Herbs have a binding action on mucous membranes, skin, and other tissue, which translates to an ability to shrink tissues and reduce secretions. These actions are related to the presence of chemicals called tannins, so named because they are used in taking leather. They precipitate protein molecules, reducing irritation and inflammation and creating a barrier against infections that is helpful in wounds and burns.

Question 8

Bitters

Answer 8

Bitter-tasting herbs play a special role in preventive medicine. The bitter taste triggers a sensory response in the central nervous system, which sends a message to the gut. The gut in turn releases digestive hormones that lead to a range of effects, including stimulation of appetite and general stimulation of the flow of digestive juices. They also aid the liver in its detoxification work increase bile flow and stimulate gut self-repair mechanisms.

Question 9

Cardiac Remedies

Answer 9

This is a general term for herbs that have beneficial actions on the heart and circulatory system. Some of the remedies in this group are powerful cardioactive agents, such as foxglove, while others are gentler, safer cardiotonic herbs, such as hawthorn and motherwort.

Question 10

Carminatives

Answer 10

Plants rich in aromatic volatile oils, or carminatives, promote appropriate digestive system function, soothing the gut wall reducing inflammation, easing griping pains, and helping the body eliminate gas from the digestive tract.

Question 11

Demulcents

Answer 11

Herbs high in mucilage, known as demulcents, soothe and protect irritated or inflamed tissue. They reduce irritation throughout the length of the bowel, reduce sensitivity to potentially corrosive gastric acids, help prevent diarrhea, and alleviate the muscle spasms that cause colic. They also ease coaching by soothing bronchial tension and relax painful spams of the bladder.

Question 12

Diaphoretics

Answer 12

They promote perspiration, helping the body to eliminate wastes through the skin. some produce observable sweating, while others enhance normal background perspiration. They often promote dilation of surface capillaries, thus helping to improve poor circulation. This action is especially relevant in the treatment of fever.

Question 13

Diuretics

Answer 13

Herbs that increase the production and elimination of urine. In herbal medicine, with its ancient traditions, the term is often applied in a general way to herbs that have a beneficial action on the urinary system. They help the body eliminate waste and support the whole process of inner cleansing.

Question 14

Emmenagogues

Answer 14

Herbs stimulate menstrual flow and function. In most herbals, however, the term is used in a wider sense to indicate a remedy that normalizes and tones the female reproductive system.

Question 15

Expectorants

Answer 15

Herbs stimulate the removal of mucus from the lungs, but the term is also often used to refer to respiratory system tonics. There are two basic categories of these types of herbs.
Stimulating expectorants irritate the bronchioles, causing expulsion of material.
Relaxing expectorants soothe bronchial spasms and loosen mucous secretions, helping with dry, irritating coughs.

Question 16

Hepatics

Answer 16

Herbs that support the liver, improving functions; in some cases, they also increase the flow of bile. In a broad holistic sense, they are of great importance because of the liver’s fundamental role in health.

Question 17

Hypotensives

Answer 17

These are plant remedies that lower abnormally elevated blood pressure.

Question 18

Immunomodulators

Answer 18

These herbs assist with or are capable of modifying or regulating immune functions.

Question 19

Laxatives

Answer 19

Herbs that stimulate bowel movements.

Question 20

Nervines

Answer 20

Herbs that act on the nervous system and can be subdivided into three groups:
Nervine tonics - strengthen and restore nervous system function.
Nervine relaxants - ease anxiety and tension by soothing both body and mind
Nervine stimulants - directly stimulate nerve activity.

Question 21

Rubefacients

Answer 21

When applied to the skin, these herbs, generate a localized increase in blood flow. They are often used to ease the pain and swelling of arthritic joints.

Question 22

Tonics

Answer 22

Nurture and enliven. Truly gifts of nature to suffering humanity, these are whole plants that enliven whole human bodies. To ask how they work is to ask life works.

Question 23

Vulnerary Herbs

Answer 23

These remedies promote wound healing. While the term is used mainly to describe herbs that heal skin lesions, the action is just as relevant or internal wounds, like stomach ulcers.