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Herbal Properties
Herbal Property | Definition |
---|---|
Alterative | Also known as Blood Purifier. Help the body to assimilate nutrients and eliminate waste products. |
Analgesics | Taken to relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness. Some analgesics are also antispasmodics, relieving pain by reducing cramping in muscles. |
Antacids | Herbs that are able to neutralize excess acids in the stomach and intestines. In most cases these also have demulcent properties to protect the stomach lining. |
Antiabortives | Herbs that help inhibit abortive tendencies. |
Antiasthmatics | Herbs that relieve the symptoms of asthma. |
Antibiotics | Substances that inhibit the growth of, or destroy bacteria, viruses, amoebas. While many herbal antibiotics have direct germ killing effects, they have as a primary action the stimulation of the immune system |
Anticatarrhals | Substances that eliminate or counteract the formation of mucus. |
Antipyrectics | Cooling herbs used to reduce or prevent fever. |
Antiseptics | Substances that can be applied to the skin to prevent the growth of bacteria |
Antispasmodics | Herbs that prevent or relax muscle spasms. |
Aphrodisiacs | Substances used to improve sexual potency and power. |
Astringents | Substances that have a constricting or binding effect. They are commonly used to check hemmorrhages and secretions, and to treat swollen tonsils and hemorrhoids. |
Carminatives | Herbs and spices taken to relieve gas and gripping (severe pain in bowels). |
Cholagogues | Substances used to promote the dlow of bile into the small intestine. These will also be laxatives, as the bile will stimulate elimination. |
Diuretics | Herbs that increase the flow of urine. Used to treat water retention, obestiy, lymphatic swelling, nerve inflammations such as lumbago and sciatica, infections of urinary tract, skin eruptions and kidney stones. |
Demulcents | Soothing substances, usually musilage taken internally to protect damaged and inflammed tissues. Usually they will be used along with diurectics to protect the kidney and urinary track. |
Diaphorectics | Herbs used to induce sweating. Sweating teas should be given hot. When cold, teas act as diurectic. |
Emetics | Substances that enduce vomiting and cause the stomach to empty. |
Emmenagogues | Herbs that promote menstruation, usually causing it to occur earlier, and sometimes with increased flow. |
Expectorants | Herbs that will assist in expelling mucas from the lungs and throat |
Galactogogues | Substances that increase the secretion of milk. |
Hemostatics | Substances that arrest hemmorrhaging. These include astringents and herbs that affect the coagulation of blood. |
Laxatives | Also known as purgatives. Substances that promote bowel movements. |
Lithotriptics | Herbs that help disslove and eliminate urinary and biliary stones and gravel. |
Nervines | Herbs that calm the nerves and nourish the nervous system. |
Oxytocics | Substances that stimulate uterine contractions to assist and induce labor, thus hastening childbirth. |
Parasiticides | Substances that destroy parasites in the digestive tract and on the skin |
Rubefacients | Substances that increase the flow of blood at the surgace of the skin and produce redness where they are applied. Their function is to draw inflammation and congestion from deeper areas. They are useful for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism. |
Sedatives | Herbs that strongly quiet the nervous system. These will include antispasmodics and nervines. |
Sialagogues | Substances that stimulate the flow of saliva and thus aid in digestion of starches. |
Stimulants | Herbs that increase the energy of the body, drive the circulation, break up obstruction and warm the body. |
Tonics | Herbs that promote the functions of the systems of the body. Most tonics have general effects on the whole body, but also have a marked effect on a specific system. |
Vulneraries | Herbs that encourage the healing of wounds by promothing cell growth and repair. |