TEN CARDINAL RULES OF HERB USAGE ...Continued.

4. Relief: single herbs and herbal formulas designed to relieve pain are best taken in between meals, and periodically throughout the day (say every 4-6 hours or on an "as needed" basis).  Dosages: 2 capsules/tablets every 4-6 hours ; 15 drops fluid extract/tincture beneath the tongue or in a glass of water, every 4 hours ; or 1 cup warm or cool tea (depending on the situation) every 4 hours. RULE 8 - The effectiveness of an herb depends upon a wide variety of factors, some of which are human-related and others enviornmentally based.  Some include: age, sex, diet, ethnicity, soil, climate, storage, ect. RULE 9- When purchasing herbs, always keep in mind that the best values are often found in an herb shop, health food store, or nutrition center.  There is no inflationary markup costs as there are always in direct marketing companies, which has legions of sponsored distributors who must be paid monthly bonuses on what they sell. Eliminate the middlemen and your hebs immediatley become more affordable! RULE 10 - Fresh herbs and dried herbs have near equal advantages. The former contain essential oils which are lost in the drying process. On the other hand, were it not for the drying proccess, some herbs would still retain volitale components that can evoke drastic side effects.  Fresh herbs grow moldy fast once they're picked, but dried herbs will keep for several years with proper storange.

HERBAL ACTIONS click here for definitions of terms used in Herbalism when the herbs are used as remedies.