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Sage Advice

The Arukah Book of Herbal Healing: the wisdom of the master herbalists, from ancient remedies to Dr. Christopher and Dr. Schulze, for your own kitchen.

By Mayim Vega

Cover of Sage Advice: The Arukah Book of Herbal Healing by Mayim Vega

Sage Advice is a free online herbal by Mayim Vega, founder of Arukah. It gathers the wisdom of the master herbalists, from the healers of the ancient world to Dr. John R. Christopher and Dr. Richard Schulze, into one book you can use in your own kitchen: how herbs work and how to use them safely, how to make every kind of remedy, first aid with herbs, wild plants and survival herbalism, essential oils and acupressure, and homeopathy, with a reference entry for 144 herbs.

Read it straight through, or use the search box to find an herb or a topic.

Part One: The Teaching Chapters

  1. IntroductionWelcome to Sage AdviceWhy herbs, the teachers behind this book, and how to use it
  2. Chapter 1Ancient Roots and the Herbalist's WayHow people have healed with plants since the beginning, what herbs do, and how to use them safely
  3. Chapter 2Making RemediesThe herbalist's kitchen: teas, decoctions, tinctures, oils, salves, syrups, capsules, poultices and more
  4. Chapter 3Dr. Richard Schulze: Cayenne, First Aid and SuperFoodThe herbalist who rebuilt his own heart, his first aid kit, and two of Arukah's three most important remedies
  5. Chapter 4Dr. John R. Christopher: The School of Natural HealingThe master herbalist who taught a generation, his famous formulas, and Arukah Herbal Calcium
  6. Chapter 5Christopher's Herbal SyllabusThe families of herbs, what each does, the herbs that lead each family, and how to build a formula
  7. Chapter 6Survival Herbalism and WildcraftingFinding, identifying and harvesting wild medicine, growing a medicinal garden, and caring for a family when help is far away
  8. Chapter 7Essential Oils and AcupressureThe concentrated oils of plants, how to use them safely, and Merina Ty-Kisera's method of pairing oils with acupressure points
  9. Chapter 8HomeopathyLike cures like: Hahnemann's system, how remedies are made and chosen, the home remedies every family should know, and the debate

Part Two: The Herbal Syllabus

An entry for each herb Dr. Christopher taught, and the other herbs this book uses, grouped by what they do. Chapter 5 explains the families.

13 herbs

Alteratives

Herbs that gradually cleanse the blood, lymph and skin and restore healthy function: red clover, burdock, yellow dock, echinacea, plantain, garlic and Christopher's other blood purifiers.

  1. Plantain
  2. Red Clover
  3. Poke Root
  4. Burdock
  5. Chaparral
  6. Oregon Grape
  7. Blue Flag
  8. Sassafras
  9. Sarsaparilla
  10. Echinacea
  11. Purple Loosestrife
  12. Yellow Dock
  13. Garlic

11 herbs

Anthelmintics

Herbs that expel intestinal worms and parasites: black walnut, wormwood, pumpkin seed and the old strong vermifuges, always given with a laxative to sweep the parasites out.

  1. Black Walnut
  2. Wormwood
  3. Male Fern
  4. Pomegranate
  5. Jerusalem Oak
  6. Kousso
  7. Pink Root
  8. Tansy
  9. Pumpkin Seeds
  10. Santonica
  11. Hyssop

11 herbs

Astringents

Herbs whose tannins tighten and tone tissue, stop bleeding, dry discharges and heal diarrhea: bayberry, white oak, red raspberry, witch hazel and Christopher's other astringents.

  1. Bayberry
  2. White Oak
  3. Red Raspberry
  4. White Poplar
  5. Cranesbill
  6. Sumac
  7. Ground Ivy
  8. Bistort
  9. White Pond Lily
  10. Tormentil
  11. Witch Hazel

13 herbs

Cathartics

Laxative herbs, from gentle aperients to strong purgatives: cascara sagrada, senna, rhubarb, the bile stimulants and Christopher's other cathartics.

  1. Cascara Sagrada
  2. Barberry
  3. Butternut Bark
  4. Mountain Flax
  5. Turkey Rhubarb
  6. Senna
  7. Mandrake
  8. Wahoo
  9. Balm of Gilead
  10. Balmony
  11. Culver's Root
  12. Bitter Root
  13. Cape Aloe

10 herbs

Diaphoretics

Herbs that open the pores and bring on a sweat, the herbalist's fever remedies: yarrow, elder, boneset, pleurisy root, catnip, chamomile and Christopher's other diaphoretics.

  1. Yarrow
  2. Chamomile
  3. Pleurisy Root
  4. Boneset
  5. Blessed Thistle
  6. Thyme
  7. Sage
  8. Catnip
  9. Spearmint
  10. Elder

9 herbs

Diuretics

Herbs that increase the flow of urine and clear, soothe and disinfect the kidneys and bladder: parsley, juniper, uva ursi, gravel root, cleavers and the rest.

  1. Parsley
  2. Juniper Berry
  3. Gravel Root
  4. Uva Ursi
  5. Wild Carrot
  6. Cleavers
  7. Buchu
  8. Corn Silk
  9. Dandelion

12 herbs

Emmenagogues and Women's Herbs

Herbs that regulate menstruation, tone the uterus and help pregnancy, birth and menopause, from the gentle squaw vine to the strong pennyroyal, tansy and rue.

  1. Squaw Vine
  2. Pennyroyal
  3. False Unicorn Root
  4. Cramp Bark
  5. True Unicorn Root
  6. Blue Cohosh
  7. Rue
  8. Motherwort
  9. Life Root
  10. Southernwood
  11. Dong Quai
  12. Chaste Tree

10 herbs

Expectorants and Demulcents

Herbs that loosen and clear mucus and that soothe and coat irritated tissue: comfrey, mullein, elecampane, horehound, wild cherry, marshmallow, slippery elm, licorice and their companions.

  1. Comfrey
  2. Mullein
  3. Chickweed
  4. Marshmallow
  5. Slippery Elm
  6. Elecampane
  7. Horehound
  8. Wild Cherry
  9. Licorice
  10. Hollyhock

12 herbs

Nervines and Antispasmodics

Herbs that feed, calm and strengthen the nerves and relax spasm: lobelia, skullcap, valerian, hops, black cohosh, wild yam, passionflower, lemon balm and lavender.

  1. Lobelia
  2. Skullcap
  3. Valerian
  4. Lady's Slipper
  5. Mistletoe
  6. Wood Betony
  7. Hops
  8. Black Cohosh
  9. Wild Yam
  10. Passionflower
  11. Lemon Balm
  12. Lavender

10 herbs

Stimulants and Heart Herbs

Herbs that warm the body and speed circulation, led by cayenne and ginger, with the heart and brain herbs hawthorn and ginkgo.

  1. Cayenne
  2. Ginger
  3. Prickly Ash
  4. Peppermint
  5. Cloves
  6. Horseradish
  7. Black Pepper
  8. Virginia Snakeroot
  9. Hawthorn
  10. Ginkgo

10 herbs

Tonics and Bitters

Herbs that strengthen and restore, mostly bitters that wake up digestion and the liver: goldenseal, gentian, barberry's cousins, myrrh, milk thistle, turmeric and others.

  1. Goldenseal
  2. Gentian
  3. Calumba
  4. American Colombo
  5. Peruvian Bark
  6. European Centaury
  7. Myrrh
  8. Milk Thistle
  9. Fennel
  10. Turmeric

9 herbs

Adaptogens, Immune and Pain Herbs

Herbs that help the body cope with stress and restore balance, strengthen the immune system or relieve pain: ashwagandha, ginseng, holy basil, rhodiola, reishi, astragalus, white willow, devil's claw and Jamaican dogwood.

  1. Ashwagandha
  2. Ginseng
  3. Holy Basil
  4. Rhodiola
  5. Reishi
  6. Astragalus
  7. White Willow
  8. Devil's Claw
  9. Jamaican Dogwood

7 herbs

Wound and First Aid Herbs

Herbs that heal skin and flesh and belong in every first aid kit: aloe, arnica, calendula, St. John's wort, usnea, self-heal and jewelweed (with plantain, yarrow and comfrey in their own families).

  1. Aloe Vera
  2. Arnica
  3. Calendula
  4. St. John's Wort
  5. Usnea
  6. Self-Heal
  7. Jewelweed

7 herbs

Nutritive Herbs

Herbs as food: gentle, mineral-rich herbs to take every day, including the herbs of Arukah Herbal Calcium (horsetail, oat straw) and Arukah SuperFood (alfalfa, dulse, rose hips).

  1. Horsetail
  2. Oat Straw
  3. Stinging Nettle
  4. Alfalfa
  5. Kelp and Dulse
  6. Rose Hips
  7. Hibiscus

Topics

How to read an herb entry

  • The heading: the herb's common name, its botanical (Latin) name, other names, and the parts used.
  • Traditional uses and main actions: what the herb has been used for, and by whom.
  • How it's prepared: tea, decoction, tincture, poultice, salve, capsule and so on (Chapter 2 teaches each one).
  • Typical amounts for an adult; for children, see Dosing Children and Elders.
  • Cautions and interactions: read these first, and check them against the person's medications, pregnancy, age and health.
  • The Lesson that teaches it in Arukah's Herbalism certification.

For vitamins and minerals, see Arukah's free book From A to Zinc; for toxins and cleansing, Do This, Detox That.

Start reading: Introduction

Learn herbalism as a coach

Sage Advice is the textbook of the Arukah Herbalism certification: each of its eight teaching chapters goes with one Lesson.

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