Ask the Herbalist: Questions about Combining Herbs
Ask the Herbalist--Combining Herbs
QUESTION: I have several questions about some herbs I am taking. I�ve read that its best for absorption to take most herbs on an empty stomach- and I have been taking all of the herbs I have, all at once or back to back, upon waking up. This morning I did that, and added two additional herbs (damiana tincture) and cilantro metal detox in a glycerin base which I took yesterday for the first time and had no problems. The damiana tincture is one I usually take at night but I just randomly took it this morn too. In addition, I have a whole food organic vitamin, L- cysteine, chaste tree berry organic capsules, ashwaganda tincture, pau d�arco tincture, and 1 drop of lugols iodine (to hulda clarks specifications) in water. I went for a long while without taking any vitamins herbs or supplements- but I recently realized the value of them ( I was on a raw food vegan diet a while back and I think I wasn�t getting enough B 12 or something because my legs started feeling weak). So I started looking into herbs again, I even made my own herbal pills in a honey base the other day! I also will be growing a lot of my own herbs this summer, so I�ve been trying to learn as much as possible.
ANYWAY, about 20 minutes after I took all those herbs this morn, I got the worst pain in my lower belly. It felt like I had to poop combined with terrible menstrual cramps all at once! (but I don�t have my period and BM is normal) I was at the store and had to go sit in the car due to the extreme discomfort. Anyway, the discomfort is slowly subsiding, but I�m wondering if it�s foolish to take all those supplements on an empty stomach all at once like that? I�m not sure if this matters but the benefits I am seeking from herbs are nutrient balance and support, hormonal balance (I have very painful periods) vitality support, and internal cleansing of pollutants, parasites, etc (I had very bad candida which is under control if not cured now, I used to have tinnea versicolor spots all over) Any advice or suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks!
ANSWER: Your goals are very possible, but I think that the combinations you are ingesting will either make you sick or will not work.
From hormonal balance and detoxification I would encourage you to drink Dandelion root tea and add these tinctures or extracts 20 drops Chinese angelica, 10 drops Wild Yam and 15 drops Agnus castus. Sweeten only with a bit of honey and drink 3xs day. There are also several traditional Chinese formulas that would be of help, but in order to determine which would suit you individually, I would need to do an evaluation. If interested, please click on the link above. With an evaluation (usually 3 to 5 pages long) I would be able to individualize a treatment plan for you.
Oh, herbal supplements or formulas should always be taken with a light snack, a bowl of soup, a small sandwich, crackers, yogurt or the like. Hope this helps.