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. Chapter 5 teaches this family as a whole.
- Plantain
- Red Clover
- Poke Root
- Burdock
- Chaparral
- Oregon Grape
- Blue Flag
- Sassafras
- Sarsaparilla
- Echinacea
- Purple Loosestrife
- Yellow Dock
- Garlic
No. 1Plantain
Traditional uses and main actions
Christopher's great remedy for blood poisoning, infected wounds, stings, bites and splinters: it draws out infection and poison and cools inflammation. Taken as tea it cleanses the blood and soothes the gut and urinary tract. The seeds (psyllium is a close cousin) are a bulk laxative. Alterative, vulnerary, drawing, demulcent, astringent.
How it's prepared
Fresh leaf chewed or crushed as a poultice; tea; salve; tincture.
Typical amounts
Tea, 1–2 teaspoons dried leaf per cup, 3 cups a day (Christopher's plantain treatment: poultice kept fresh on the wound plus at least 3 cups of tea a day). Tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
One of the safest herbs, fine for children. The seeds swell: take with plenty of water and apart from medicines.
Taught in Lessons 4, 5, 6 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapters of the same number in this book).
No. 2Red Clover
Traditional uses and main actions
Christopher's chief alterative and the base of his Red Clover Combination. Gently purifies the blood and lymph over time; used for skin conditions, swollen glands, chronic coughs and as a long-term cleansing tea. Rich in minerals and in plant estrogens (isoflavones), so also used in menopause.
How it's prepared
Tea (infusion of the dried blossoms); tincture; in formulas.
Typical amounts
Tea, 1–2 teaspoons per cup, 3 cups a day; tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
Use fresh, well-dried, sweet-smelling blossoms; moldy clover can thin the blood. Adds to blood thinners. Hormone-sensitive cancers and pregnancy: avoid large amounts.
Taught in Lessons 5, 6 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapters of the same number in this book).
No. 3Poke Root
Traditional uses and main actions
One of the strongest alteratives, used by Christopher and the old American herbalists in small amounts for swollen lymph glands, mastitis, sore throats, tonsillitis, chronic skin disease and hard swellings and growths. It powerfully stimulates the lymph. A part of Christopher's Red Clover Combination and Schulze's D-Tox Formula.
How it's prepared
Tincture of the dried root; small part of formulas; oil or poultice outside for swollen breasts and glands.
Typical amounts
Small doses: tincture, 1–5 drops up to 3 times a day, or as a small part of a formula.
Cautions and interactions
A strong herb: too much causes vomiting and diarrhea. The raw berries, leaves and fresh root are not eaten; keep children away from the berries. Not in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 4Burdock
Traditional uses and main actions
A deep-rooted blood and lymph cleanser, used for acne, eczema, psoriasis, boils and arthritis. It supports the liver and kidneys, gently moves the bowel, and feeds the good gut bacteria with its inulin. The root is also a food (gobo in Japanese cooking). The seed is a diuretic.
How it's prepared
Decoction of the root; tincture; eaten as a vegetable.
Typical amounts
Decoction, 1–2 teaspoons dried root per cup simmered 15 minutes, 3 cups a day; tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
Very safe. Gather carefully: young burdock rosettes can be confused with foxglove and other plants, and the burrs cling to everything. Mildly diuretic.
Taught in Lessons 5, 6 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapters of the same number in this book).
No. 5Chaparral
Traditional uses and main actions
A desert shrub prized by Native peoples of the Southwest and by Christopher and Schulze as a powerful blood purifier and antioxidant. Used for skin disease, arthritis, chronic infection and, by Schulze, for tumors. Antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral; used outside on wounds and fungus.
How it's prepared
Tincture; capsules; in formulas (Red Clover Combination, D-Tox); tea is extremely bitter.
Typical amounts
Tincture, 10–30 drops 2–3 times a day; 1–2 capsules 2–3 times a day; take for weeks, not continuously.
Cautions and interactions
Rare cases of liver injury have been reported with chaparral capsules taken for long periods: stop if there is dark urine, yellowing or pain under the right ribs. Not in pregnancy, or with liver disease.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 6Oregon Grape
Traditional uses and main actions
A bitter, yellow root rich in berberine, used as a liver tonic and blood cleanser for skin conditions (especially psoriasis), sluggish digestion and infection. Often used in place of goldenseal, which is endangered.
How it's prepared
Decoction; tincture; ointment for psoriasis.
Typical amounts
Tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 2–3 times a day; decoction, 1 teaspoon per cup, 2–3 cups a day.
Cautions and interactions
Not in pregnancy or for newborns (berberine). Berberine lowers blood sugar and changes how the liver clears some drugs, including cyclosporine. Use for weeks, then rest.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 7Blue Flag
Traditional uses and main actions
A strong alterative and liver and lymph stimulant used by the Eclectics and by Christopher for skin disease, swollen glands, and sluggish liver and bowel.
How it's prepared
Tincture or decoction of the dried rhizome, in small amounts, usually in formulas.
Typical amounts
Tincture, 5–20 drops up to 3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
Use only the dried root; the fresh root is irritating and causes vomiting. Not in pregnancy.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 8Sassafras
Traditional uses and main actions
The root bark was the classic American spring tonic and blood purifier, used for skin conditions, rheumatism and to "thin the blood" in spring, and the original flavor of root beer.
How it's prepared
Weak tea of the root bark, in spring, for a short time.
Typical amounts
A short spring course of weak tea, ½–1 teaspoon root bark per cup, 1–2 cups a day for a week or two.
Cautions and interactions
Its oil, safrole, was banned as a food flavoring in the United States in 1960 after large doses caused liver cancer in rats; sassafras sold for tea today is often safrole-free. Never take the essential oil by mouth. Not in pregnancy.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 9Sarsaparilla
Traditional uses and main actions
A tropical vine root used for centuries as a blood purifier for skin disease, rheumatism and gout, and as a tonic for men and women. Christopher used it in his Red Clover Combination. A traditional drink flavor.
How it's prepared
Decoction; tincture; capsules.
Typical amounts
Decoction, 1–2 teaspoons per cup, 2–3 cups a day; tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 2–3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
Very safe in normal amounts. Large amounts may upset the stomach.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 10Echinacea
Traditional uses and main actions
The great immune herb of the Plains peoples, the Eclectic physicians and Dr. Schulze. It purifies the blood and stirs up the immune system against colds, flu, infections, infected wounds, boils, and bites and stings (Schulze uses large doses for wasp stings and snakebite). Strong echinacea makes the tongue tingle and go numb.
How it's prepared
Tincture (fresh root is strongest); strong tea of the root; with garlic and cayenne in Schulze's Echinacea Plus.
Typical amounts
Acute (Schulze): 2–4 dropperfuls every hour at the first sign of illness. Maintenance: 2–4 dropperfuls 3 times a day for 1–3 weeks, then a week or two off. Tea: 1–2 teaspoons root per cup, simmered, several cups a day.
Cautions and interactions
Allergy is possible in people allergic to ragweed and daisies. People on immune-suppressing drugs (after a transplant) should not take it. Buy cultivated; wild echinacea is at risk.
Taught in Lessons 3, 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapters of the same number in this book).
No. 11Purple Loosestrife
Traditional uses and main actions
Christopher listed it among the alteratives; it is also a strong astringent, used traditionally for diarrhea, dysentery, bleeding and as an eyewash and wound wash. An invasive plant in North American wetlands, so it is abundant to gather.
How it's prepared
Tea; wash or compress outside.
Typical amounts
Tea, 1–2 teaspoons per cup, 2–3 cups a day for diarrhea.
Cautions and interactions
Generally safe. As an astringent, use for wet conditions, not with constipation.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 12Yellow Dock
Traditional uses and main actions
A blood cleanser and blood builder: it gently moves the bowel and liver while its iron and its ability to help the body absorb iron make it a classic remedy for anemia. Used for skin conditions, sluggish liver and constipation.
How it's prepared
Decoction; tincture; syrup with molasses for iron.
Typical amounts
Decoction, 1 teaspoon root per cup, 2–3 cups a day; tincture, 1–2 dropperfuls 2–3 times a day.
Cautions and interactions
Rich in oxalates: avoid with kidney stones. Large amounts are laxative.
Taught in Lesson 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapter of the same number in this book).
No. 13Garlic
Traditional uses and main actions
Food, alterative, heart herb and broad-spectrum antimicrobial. Schulze calls it the best antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal herb known. Used for colds, flu, ear infections, coughs, intestinal parasites, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and in Christopher's cold formula with rose hips and parsley.
How it's prepared
Raw and freshly crushed (allicin forms about 10 minutes after crushing); garlic honey; garlic oil (kept cold); in Schulze's SuperTonic.
Typical amounts
Daily health, ½–1 clove 2–3 times a day; infection (Schulze), start with 6 cloves a day and work up. Not elephant garlic.
Cautions and interactions
Large amounts add to blood thinners: stop large doses a week before surgery. Raw garlic can burn the skin or mouth if held against it. Fresh garlic in oil must be refrigerated and used within a week (botulism).
Taught in Lessons 3, 5 of Arukah's Herbalism certification (the chapters of the same number in this book).