General herb safety notes

Ancient Herbs and Modern Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference Guide
to Medicinal Herbs, Human Ailments and Possible Herbal Remedies
by James Kedzie Sayre.

General herb safety notes

Common sense and intelligence will take you a long way in this life. Since the advent of modern antibiotics and other manufactured medicines, our culture has lost touch with much of the old folk knowledge of plant remedies and plant poisons found in the natural world. Folk information used to be passed down verbally in tribes and families. In general, one should obtain herbs from reputable dealers or sources. Some expensive herbs have been diluted with inexpensive materials, which themselves may be toxic. If harvesting in the wild, careful identification is a must to avoid harvesting poisonous plants which may look very similar and be growing in the same locale. For example, the Fennel plant, Foeniculum vulgare, has a similar growth characteristic to the extremely poisonous Hemlock plant, Conium maculatum. Both are naturalized in California and may be found growing close together. Too much of any substance, even water, can be toxic to the human body. One ancient philosopher said it best, when he said "moderation in all things."

It is best to start any new herb in small dosages. It is also wise to start new herbs one at a time, so that any negative reactions or side effects can be directly traced.

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Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please feel free to Email the author at sayresayre@yahoo;com. sayresayre@yahoo.com

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Contact author James K. Sayre at sayresayre@yahoo.com. sayresayre@yahoo.com

Web page last updated on 14 May 2003.