Open Dialog With A Herbalist: Ask Us Anything You Want

Your health is a serious matter. We herbalists dedicate our lives to understanding medicinal plants and how they affect the body. In today’s age of modern medicine, it can be a struggle to get real answers, guidance, and clarity when it comes to how we feel and why. It can be difficult to even find an educated ear willing to listen.

We are here to offer some clarity and point you in the right direction to do your own research, so if you’ve been dealing with something bothersome and want to know how herbalism might be worth learning more about, then use this as an opportunity to ask that question you’ve been wondering about.

What to know before asking… We are herbalists, not doctors. We can not provide medical advice, nor can we treat or diagnose. If you ask us to diagnose, we will tell you to ask your doctor or a medical professional. If you ask about drug interactions, we will point you to our Herb Warnings page. If you ask for dosing help or how to use one of our products, we may not respond to your question, and ask that you visit our FAQ page first.

There are some questions we will not be able to answer, or dig super deep on. In some cases, we might wish to respond directly by email, otherwise we’ll publish our answers on this blog post over the next few weeks. Please provide as much information as possible, as diet and lifestyle can play huge roles in figuring out what’s wrong. If you feel your question is much to personal, simply email us directly from our Contact page.

For life threatening situations or illnesses that require immediate medical care, we will not help you and must ask you to call your primary care physician, goto your nearest hospital, or call 911 for immediate assistance.

To ask a question, please leave a comment below and we will respond as soon as we can, but it may take us a month or so. If your question is an emergency, you can email us, but if it's truly an emergency, it would be ideal to contact an emergency health professional. Be sure to check this blog article often over the next few weeks for answers to your questions. Until then, please visit our store for a complete list of our herbal offerings and formulary, only available at www.WoodlandHerbal.com

*QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Question #1: "Hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. Is there a solution? 😆 I would love to get labs so that I have a place to start, but it's soooo confusing."

Answer #1: Other than using herbs to maintain good overall health, there isn't much in the natural world that helps problems with the thyroid gland in a noticeable way. As of right now, the only natural options that help involve secretions from monkey glands, which we do not dabble in. Getting labs is a great place to start so you know where you are, so seeking advice from your doctor or a medical professional is ideal. As mentioned, there are some herbs to support overall wellness, which can help maintain but will not cure, and so you may wish to do your own research. Look into: Ginseng, Eleuthero, Ashwagandha (only if not dealing with another chronic illness, as it can rile up the immune system), Holy Basil, Rhodiola, and Bee Pollen are good places to start your study.

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Question #2: "Do you ever let people come and do a tour of your facility or offer any classes?"

Answer #2: (Updated 06/25) Yes, we do! We have our herb store open three days a week and we teach 2-3x monthly at Clary Gardens. Click here for more information on classes.

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Question #3: "I have heart palpitations – specifically diagnosed by my Dr as PVCs – a ventricular disrhythmia. I have them almost all the time, but especially when I am stressed, anxious, or low on sleep. My doctor recommended being on a beta blocker indefinitely, but I am 31 in good shape, and I eat well, plus that feels like a long time to be on a prescription. I wanted to ask: are there tinctures or herbs that are good for helping with heart palpitations?"

Answer #3: "I am curious if you have had this only since COVID, or longer? Many individuals are noticing after effects like heart palpitations after contracting the virus. You could try a tea or tincture that could help ease your nerves to start, since that's when palpations often feel worse. Exercise and clean eating are super important, and good quality sleep and plenty of it. Absolutely no caffeine or other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco. Introduction of adaptogenic plants can help the body cope and heal. Perhaps, consider looking into our Nutritive Tonic Tea and our CALM or Nervous Rabbit Tincture. I would run the ingredients by your physician first, of course, and you can do your own research to identify any known herb warnings and interactions here.

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Question #4: "Hello, I made 3 infused oils: 1 with Goldenrod, 1 with Yellow Sweet Clover, 1 with Parsley seeds. I am going to use these infused oils in a 3:1 tallow salve, my question is – in regards of antiinflammatory properties which of these three are the most potent and which is the least? Thank you so much for your time."

Answer #4: "Our go-to's for inflammation are different, so we can't advise unfortunately. We love comfrey and hemp. We're super excited to hear about your experiences with each of these. Please keep us up to date!"

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Question #5: "I picked Canadian Goldenrod in Michigan and laid it out to dry and it is drying all fuzzy! Does it still have medicinal properties? Can’t find the answer anywhere!"

Answer #5: "Yes, it will dry fuzzy. The blooms open as it dries. Ideally, you want to create your recipe before it gets too fuzzy, but with extra filtration, it'll work just fine."

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Question #6: "I’ve got stage 4 prostate cancer, can you help?"

Answer #6: "We're so sorry to hear you've had this diagnosis. We're sure you're working with your general practitioner. Feel free to email us with more detail, and we will see how we can support your treatments. <3"

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Question #7: "I am 70 years old should I be taking a low dose aspirin everyday?"

Answer #7: "Aspirin can be harmful to organs with prolonged use. Hawthorn berries can be more effective as a heart tonic and for vasodilation, and a cup of willow bark tea is the natural equivalent of a low dose aspirin. There are also many natural alternatives for pain management and inflammation. If you would like to explore some options, please reach out to us with more detail on why you're taking it everyday. Thank you."

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Question #8: "Hi, I have a question about dried Artemisia vulgaris. Understand it’s good for a number of things and I attempted to purchase some from a herb seller in California. The product I got came in a plastic package, but it looks to me webby and clumpy and it sticks together. I can pull a clump out of the package pinched between my finger and turn it in every direction but none of the pieces fall. it’s not free flowing like I expect dried herbs to be. I had quite a back-and-forth with the company because I believe there is an insect infestation in this package of herb. It looks very much like what birdseed looks like when it’s too old and has moths nested in it. The company says that what I see/experience is “just the natural way that this herb dries” and is “normal”. I have a stand of mugwort vulgaris growing near me, and I have harvested some recently, hung it to dry and chopped it up. Mine does not look anything like what is in the bag I purchased. This makes me wonder if different varieties of mugwort have different properties that might be contributing to this presentation of the herb that I purchased. Perhaps they are selling mugwort of a different variety? I did buy some skull cap and some valerian from the same supplier and it was beautiful. It flowed freely. It was dry & didn’t stick together. So I am confused and I’m looking for someone to give me a learned opinion on what dried and cut mugwort should look like when you use it for tea. I can send pictures of what it is I got, but I think my description makes sense. I would appreciate any information you can give me."

Answer #8: "Maybe just say that several of the artemisia plants have an odd texture when dried. My mugwort and silver king both dry beautifully whole, and look nice if I chop them before drying. But if I wait until they are dry and try to tear apart the leaves, it acts more like a cotton ball than a brittle dry leaf. The center of the leaves look white and almost webby. Now I don't know if that is what happened,  or if it is in fact an insect making webs. In our line of work, we often follow the rule 'if in doubt, toss it out.' If you are local I'd be happy to take a look at the shop and bring some of my freshly dried plant for you to see. If you live far, perhaps find our counterpart in your neighborhood. Check out their  supply and show yours and make a decision together."

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Brandon Elijah Scott & Jennifer Parsons

Brandon is a wanderer and world traveler, an author and artist, a herbalist as well as a photographer, thinker, designer, nature lover, and seeker of truth and wisdom. Jenni is a life long herbalist who is a book obsessed, nature lover, who follows the old ways, and who lives and loves by wit, wisdom, and community.