Interview With an Herbalist

Scott Stewart, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and teaches herbalism classes at the American College of Healthcare Sciences in Portland, Oregon. I caught up with him and asked some basic questions about herbs that I think you will find useful.

1. Do you ever recommend the use of herbal teas or infusions to your patients?

I recommend herbal teas/infusions to my patients.  I also recommend tinctures.  Most often I recommend traditional Chinese herbal formulas in patent pill, capsule or tablet form.  The ease of prepared herbal remedies makes it easier for a busy client to be compliant with a course of herbs.

2. What teas or infusions do you recommend for prevention of illness? Why?

As far as teas for prevention, most commonly I recommend nettle herb tea.  Nettles are nourishing and strengthening and gently stimulate most physiological processes.  If someone has stress, I would add lemon balm.  This combination in infusion (and especially as a tincture) is generally relaxing and restoring to those experiencing the general “burn-out of life in the modern world.  For heart issues both organic and emotional, hawthorn berry (possibly spring blossoms as well if possible).   If I am recommending an immune boost, then I will go with patent pills or capsules that feature astragalus, or astragalus and reishi mushroom.

3. Name some teas or infusions you use for illnesses? List some illnesses and which teas or infusions you recommend for each.

For colds, I begin with thyme and add herbs according to symptoms.  For muscle and joint aches that come on or get worse in cold weather, ginger.  For stress & digestive issues (also insomnia), chamomile or chamomile mint (catnip, lemon balm, too).  Fatigue/lack of mental focus, rosemary, possibly sage.  I once recommended tepid or cool sage tea for a person with spontaneous perspiration.

If one is able to get at a cold right at the instant of onset, I like to make miso-tofu-seaweed soup with lots of strong, fresh ginger and scallion infusion.  Sip it hot while wrapped in a cozy blanket.  Break a mild sweat.  

4. Why do you suggest the use of herbal preparations?

Mostly they are safe, inexpensive.  I also think it helps people get a little more engaged in the natural world.  The small ritual of making a tea/infusion engages a person in their own healing process, and activates the senses of sight, small, taste and touch.  This ritual, if you will, often brings one into the here and now, and focuses intention on feeling better, even if only for a short while.

The use of herbs goes beyond the masking of symptoms.  The best use is to help the body heal itself.  This takes time.  A course of treatment is typically much longer than in conventional medicine, and results accumulate more slowly.  I think there is value in this for those who are willing to commit to this process.

5. What do you think of green tea as opposed to black tea?

Green tea is less stimulating and has more antioxidants.  I believe that one would have to drink a lot of green tea to really get the benefit.  I really have no qualms about someone drinking green or black tea.  I prefer Oolong, actually. 

6. What is your favorite tea and why?

For just the pleasure of relaxing at the end of the day, chamomile is a favorite.  I will typically add other herbs depending upon how I am feeling.  The herbs I keep on hand for steeping an end-of-the-day sipper are chamomile, catnip, lemon balm, nettles, tulsi  (aka holy basil), rose buds, skullcap, passion flower.

7. What do you think of detox teas? Do you use them yourself? For your patients?

I don’t as a rule use detox teas.  I will use dandelion in the early spring, or a combination of herbs that feature dandelion (turmeric, milk thistle for example).  Spring is the time to work on the liver, and when dandelions are popping up all over.  Dandelion has an affinity for the liver and kidneys—the important organs for detox.

  If I am able to wild craft fresh cleavers in late spring, I will make an infusion of cleavers in white wine and drink a wineglass every day or every other day for a couple weeks.

Each spring and each fall I also do a course of fresh vegetable juices made at home with a Champion juicer.  My juice combo is made of 2-3 carrots, 2-3 celery stalks, a little beet, some fresh parsley, fresh cilantro and perhaps a little wheat grass.  I will take 12 to 16 ounces daily for a couple weeks and then every other day or three for another week or two.  In the fall, I add an ounce or two of fresh organic burdock root.  I have recommended this to people who have juicers.  It works well for gouty conditions and some kinds of arthritic joint pain.

I think the best detox, if needed, is to go on a diet of healthy soups and stews (easy to digest) for a week or so and use herbs in the cooking that tonify, balance and strengthen the organs of digestion, absorption and elimination.

8. What are the advantages of herbal preparations?

In terms of my practice, I typically combine acupuncture with appropriate herbal remedies.  I often treat pain, acute and chronic.  As most people I see are also stressed, I will focus acupuncture on addressing pain and add a Chinese patent formula for the stress.  The herbs in some of the stress reducing formulas also reduce inflammation, pain, and spasms.

The herbal preparations I recommend are not costly and patients are quite willing to pay out of pocket, as insurance in almost all cases will not cover them.  The ease of taking a prepared herbal remedy goes a long way to keeping patients compliant. 

And, of course, few or very mild side effects.

9. Do you see a trend in America toward the increasing use of plant medicines? If yes, why do you think this is happening?

There has been a trend towards increasing use of plant medicine for decades.  There is a general dissatisfaction with our “Health Care” system and its chemical/surgical approach to medicine.  A for-profit system managed by insurance companies requires that, in order to make profits for investors, greater and greater degrees of so called efficiencies are instituted.  These measures are antithetical to the emotional and spiritual needs of most people.  Those whose practices encompass the use of herbal medicine are holistic in nature, and will take more time to listen and get the whole story.  What conventional medicine eliminates in the interest of profit and efficiency, the herbalist tends to embrace in the interest holistic care.

10. Any additional comments?

We are a country, a world, of broken hearts.  True healing takes into consideration the spiritual heart and its healing.  Indeed, ancient wisdom tells us that healing begins with the “Heart”.  I have recently begun a study of herbs for the spiritual heart.   Most are best in tincture form and taken in 3-5 drop dose, so I have received prescription privileges at the local naturopathic school’s pharmacy.  They will create custom tincture formulae for my patients.  Their pharmacy includes whole herbs and tinctured herbs as well as herbs from the Chinese materia medica in both whole herb and granulated herb form.   They have vastly more herbs than I could ever tincture, grow or wild craft.

Among the “Heart” herbs are uplifting herbs such as basil, cassia, coriander, fir tips (Abies alba), lavender, lemon balm, mint, rose, and frankincense.

Heart centering herbs include rose, motherwort, white peony root, and verbena.

Heart protector herbs include hawthorn, rose, motherwort, devil’s club.

Heart wisdom herbs include wood betony, basil, gotu kola, rose, coriander, skullcap (the tincture and the tea of skullcap are considered different herbs.  Here we are talking about the tincture).

When understanding a client’s “Heart” needs, the herbalist can select an herb or combination of herbs to assist in healing of spirit.  Herbs, however, are only an assistant in listening, talking, and letting go of the false tales we tell ourselves (and allow others to tell us) about ourselves and our world.

This is a new direction, or addition to, the way I work with my patients.  I am excited to see how things begin to shift and change. 

I am also beginning to use some Essential Oils on acupuncture points, but my use and skill levels are slight at this point, so I only mention this is passing.  Too soon to comment on any details.

Scott Stuart, L.Ac.  Oregon City Acupuncture       

www.OregonCityAcupuncture.com

I hope you find this interview interesting and helpful in your quest for health and longevity. Your comments are welcome.

NOTE: Many herbs and medications do not mix. Be sure to ask your healtlh care provider before starting an herbal regimin.

Valerie Lull, Author, Ten  Healthy Teas

Lullval@hotmail.com

www.valerielull.com