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      Herbal powders.

       Tablets and Capsules

      Many herbs are available from herbal suppliers in tablet or capsule form and this is certainly a convenient way to take herbs, but it bypasses the taste buds on the tongue which may reduce the therapeutic effects in some cases. Only standard preparations will be available commercially, so should you require a specific combination of herbs to be given to a patient, these can be made up in vegetable gelatine capsules. Capsules can be filled with mixtures of the appropriate powdered herbs using a capsule maker. There are two main sizes of capsule used by medical herbalist, size 0 which holds 0.35gm of powder and 00 which holds about 0.5gm. One or two of the size 0 capsules can taken 3 times daily and one of the size 00 capsule three times daily.

       Fresh Juices

      Extracting the juice of a plant is the best way to prepare soft, juicy plants such as aloe vera, purslane, pomegranate, cleavers, ginger, marshmallow, nettle, mint or dandelion. Juice provides a concentrate, easily assimilated by the body. Cabbage juice, for example, is excellent for relieving peptic ulcers, gastritis, heart burn and ulcerative colitis. Fresh juices provide the best source of vital energy and are often preferable, but practically they can only be used where there are fresh herbs available. 10–30ml can be taken daily.

       Herbal Pastes

      Crushed dried plants or powder mixed with water or aloe gel can be used to make a paste. Pastes are generally intended for poultices and plasters which can be used externally. Herbs that speed healing and soothe the skin can be made into pastes including calendula, turmeric, slippery elm, aloe vera and gotu kola.

       Suppositories

      Suppositories can be made easily by mixing powdered herbs with cocoa butter. Warm cocoa butter in a double boiler until it melts, remove from the heat and stir in powdered herbs, enough to make a paste. Mix well then place in the fridge to harden. Next, roll it out until it is about ¾″thick and cut into ¾″ strips which can be inserted into the rectum or vagina. Insert one suppository 2–3 times daily.

      The advantage of using suppositories is that the herbal remedy can be absorbed quickly directly into the bloodstream through the mucosa of the rectum or vagina. This not only enables both local and systemic problems to be treated quickly and simply but it also obviates the laborious process of giving herbs by mouth to travel the distance of the alimentary canal before being absorbed.

      Making suppositories.

      Preparations for External Use

      Most herbal constituents are absorbed readily through the skin and the following preparations are designed to enhance this pathway into the body. The easiest way of course to use herbs externally is to apply them directly to the skin as we do when we rub a dock leaf on to a nettle sting.

       Juice

      The fresh juice of many remedies can be applied directly to the skin. Aloe vera juice, for example can be rubbed on to the skin to soothe burns, bites, and stings. The juice of dock leaves is famous for relieving nettle stings. Greater celandine is a very effective treatment for warts. Just pick a stem and it will immediately start to ooze brilliant tangerine-yellow sap. Cover the wart in the juice every day for three weeks and the wart will disappear.

       Ointments and Creams

      Ointments and creams can be applied to the skin not only to treat skin problems but also to relieve less superficial problems such as inflamed joints and headaches. Any herb fresh or dried can be included in an ointment using this simple recipe:

      1 Melt 50gm (2oz) of beeswax with 450mls (¾ pint) of olive oil in a pyrex bowl over a low heat in a double boiler.

      2 Add as much herb as possible to the oil and leave to macerate on the heat for a few hours. After this time the constituents will have been taken up by the oil and the mixture can then be poured through a piece of muslin placed over a jug and then squeezed to extract as much of the oil as possible. The herb can then be discarded.

      3 When the oil is still warm it can be poured into clean ointment jars where it will quickly solidify. Seal with an airtight lid and label clearly. Store in a cool, dark place.

      Creams can be made up easily by stirring tinctures, infusions, decoctions or a few drops of essential oil into a cream base such as aqueous cream. 2–3 drops of chamomile oil mixed into 2oz (50gm) of cream works well on many types of eczema.

       Compresses

      A clean cloth or flannel can be soaked in a strong hot or cold infusion or a decoction, a dilute tincture or water with a few drops of diluted essential oil, then wrung out and applied to the affected part. This can help relieve symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain and colic, backache, boils and painful joints. The treatment needs to repeated several times for good effect.

       Poultices

      These are similar to compresses but involve using the herb itself rather than an extract of the herb.

      1 Place the herb, fresh or dried between two pieces of gauze. If you use fresh leaves, stems or roots, they need to be bruised before being applied. If the herbs are dry, add a little hot water to powdered or finely chopped herbs to make a paste.

      2 Use a light cotton bandage to bind the gauze poultice to the affected part and keep it warm with a hot water bottle. Replace after 4 hours and apply about 3 times a day in total.

      Some herbs, such as

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