by Donna Drinkel

Keeping things as simple as possible is the way we should think as Herbalists. Here are some of the simplest ways in which to use herbs to help alleviate some common medical problems.

These include sitz and normal baths, pomanders, herb jars and herb pillows. We can also cultivate some of the herbs we need in our homes. Simplicity is the best key to success in Herbalism. A 'simple' originally was a remedy, and this should be remembered when dealing with dynamic medicines such as herbs. The use of one remedy for an indicated problem is usually most effective. Using combinations of remedies may look impressive to those without knowledge of Herbal medicine, but at the end of the day you end up with an unpredictable remedy and you've made things far more complicated for yourself than was necessary.

A well trained Herbalist who knows his herbs and their indicated problems, should have no difficulty in
prescribing one very effective remedy for all his patients. Still bearing simplicity in mind, we are reminded that Herbalism doesn't just have to be about infusions, decoctions and poultices. Something as simple as a bath can be a very effective way to use herbs medicinally. A normal bath or a sitz bath can prove very effective. A sitz bath is a bath where the patient sits waist deep in medium hot water, with their feet in a bowl or bucket of luke-warm or cold water. This type of bath can be useful for pelvic problems, abdominal problems and also joint and muscular problems. Things can be reversed and a cold sitz bath can be taken. In this case the patient would sit in cool water and have their feet in hot water. This might benefit a hot condition such as hot flushes in the menopause. Herbs can be added to the water either by the handful directly to the water, or wrapped in muslin. Alternatively, if an indicated herb is available in tea bag form (eg. Chamomile), then one or two tea bags can be
added instead.

Those conditions that may benefit from a sitz bath include pelvic and urinary infections, anxiety, itching, arthritis, constipation, period pains, IBS and asthma and bronchitis. To start with, the patient should only stay in the sitz bath for two or three minutes. In subsequent sitz baths, the time can be gradually extended to a maximum of ten minutes. They should be taken regularly whilst a problem persists, two or three times a week can be beneficial.

In times gone by, years and years ago, herbs would have been strewn about the floor in order to keep the living quarters smelling sweeter. Although this would be impractical today, it is nice to have herbs around the house. They can be very versatile and can feel at home in any room of the house.
Basil will thrive in the hot, humid conditions of a kitchen, whilst Lavender can make a bathroom extra relaxing. Pot-pourri is a useful way of using herbs to freshen up the home.

Some other simple ways to use herbs for alleviating problems are herb pillows, herb jars and pomanders. Pomanders were originally made for their medicinal value. Different herbs were stuck into balls and worn almost ritually. Nowadays, pomanders can be made by pushing lots and lots of cloves
into an orange. This is then left for a month or so to dry out. Once it has dried out, it is rolled in the spices of your choice with some Orris (Ireos) Root to act as a fixative. Two species, Iris X germanica Linnaeus, and its variety florentina (L.) Dykes, and Iris pallida Lamarck, have been the principal sources of Orris Root since ancient times. The pomander is then  tied with a ribbon ready to hang in the desired place.

Herb jars can also be nice and aromatic. Making these involves putting layers of half-dried herbs and salt into a jar. It is done a layer at a time, each time the jar is put somewhere out the way and left for a couple of days. The next layer will be a different herb with another sprinkling of salt, compressed and left again. The gathering layers are always mixed up before a new one is added. Once the jar is full it is left in the dark for a couple of weeks. This can be used as pot-pourri or you can just leave the
jar lid off to enjoy the wonderful smells. Alternatively, the jar contents can be put into a linen pillow. These can be made using herbs to help with things such as insomnia and catarrh.

In conclusion, although herbs are in themselves complicated and dynamic medicines, their usage needn't be complicated at all. It is the simple use of single remedies that will probably be the most effective in the long run, whichever method is chosen.