Herbal therapies have been used for thousands of years by people from every corner of the planet. Based on the way that the human body responds, herbal treatments have been divided into eight basic methods of treatment. The eight methods of herbal therapy are as follows:

1.)stimulation;
2.)tranquilization;
3.)blood purification;
4.)tonification;
5.)diuresis
6.)sweating;
7.)emesis;
8.)purging.

As would be expected, different diseases require different methods of herbal therapies. The combination of two or more herbal therapies is often appropriate
in developing the most effective treatment.

Regardless of the kind of herbal therapy it is essential that any treatment is regulated according to the energy of the body. For example, an herbal therapy used to eliminate toxins through purging, or emesis, would be highly inappropriate if administered to a person who is weak or has low energy because both of these methods tend to reduce body energy further.

It is imperative that the disease is followed during the course of each day and that decisions are made on the basis of such daily observations as to which herbal therapy or combinations of herbal therapies are most appropriate. A complete understanding of the eight methods used in herbal therapies will make it possible expedite the quickest recovery.

The use of herbal therapies is a simple healing art. The “Art of Simpling” has been the term used for centuries in referring to the use of herbal therapies. Because of their abilities to treat a wade range of illnesses, herbs have long been referred to as “simples”. Take, for example, tea made from Canadian red alder bark. The same tea, when drunk instead of water, can be used to cure lower back pains and frequent urination, as well as being used to normalize blood pressure. Another example is a wash made from mugwort and comfrey which is used to relieve poison oak. This same herbal therapy is often used to treat maladies as diverse as a sprained ankle; on another person’s scratch from a pet cat; and finally, this common herbal therapy can even be used to by a person seeking relief for indigestion.

Although there are volumes of material that set forth highly complex recipes for herbal therapies, a beginning student should take care not to get lost and separated from the initial experience of involvement with a few basic herbs. Complexity has its place and herbal remedies of great complexity are needed at times to match the complexity of the individual being treated. Every student, however, should begin with knowledge and appreciation of herbal therapies in the most simple forms. The next article in this series will cover the “Three Principles Of Simpling.”