Crucial components to know about herbs before formulating remedies with them:1
- herbal action: how is an herb acting on our physiology
- herbal affinities: what bodily organs or systems does an herb work on?
- taste: how does it taste? how will that interact with other tastes in the formula?
- energetics: is the herb warming/cooling, moistening/drying, tonic/relaxant?
- specific indications: symptomatic patterns that might indicate this herb in particular; its “special potency” (prabhava in Ayurveda)
- method of extraction: how to best extract the herb’s constituents? infusion, decoction, alcohol-based tincture, oil-based salve etc.
- interactions: how does it interact with pharmaceutical drugs and other herbs?
- dosage: what’s the right amount and frequency for this purpose?
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Sajah Popham, Vitalist Herbalism Mini Course ↩