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After
the circulation has carried nutrients to the cells,
waste matter must be removed. All too often in our polluted
world, high levels of toxicity in the body are an underlying
cause of ill health, and herbalists use a wide range
of cleansing herbs that improve the body's ability to
remove toxins. Perhaps the finest example of a detoxifying
herb is burdock (Arctium lappa), which is used extensively
in both Western and Chinese medicine. Once herbs such
as this reduce the toxic "load," the body
is able to invest greater resources in repairing and
strengthening damaged tissue and weakened organs.
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The skin also
plays an important role in good health. Antiseptic
plants fight infection, and vulnerary (wound- healing)
herbs such as comfrey (Symphytum officinale) encourage
blood clotting and help speed the healing of wounds.
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Good health depends on having
a healthy balanced nervous system. In order to ensure
long-term good health of the nervous system, it is
important to adapt well to life's daily demands, to
avoid excessive anxiety, worry, or depression, and
to get sufficient rest and exercise. The latest research
suggests that the nervous system does not work in
isolation. It is complemented by the endocrine system,
which controls the release of a whole symphony of
hormones, including the sex hormones, which control
fertility and often affect vitality and mood. The
nervous system is also intimately linked with the
immune system, which controls the ability to resist
infection and to recover from illness and injury.
This incredible complex of systems — part electrical,
part chemical, part mechanical — must function harmoniously
if good health is to be maintained.
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In health, the body has a
seemingly infinite capacity, via its controlling systems,
to adjust and change to external pressures. This ability
to adapt to the external world while the body's internal
workings remain constant is known as homeostasis.
Many herbs work with the immune, nervous, and endocrine
systems to help the body adapt more effectively to
stresses and strains of all kinds - physical, mental,
emotional, and even spiritual. They are effective
because they work in tune with the body's processes.
Some herbs are adaptogenic, meaning that they have
an ability to help people to adapt, either by supporting
the nervous system and easing nervous and emotional
tension, or by working directly with the body's own
physiological processes to maintain health. The prime
example of an adaptogenic herb is ginseng (Panax ginseng),
which is an effective remedy at times of great mental
or physical stress, but in certain cases can also
be taken when a relaxing effect is required, for example,
to relieve headaches, or to ensure a good night's
sleep.
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As can be seen, an herb
is not a "magic bullet" with a single action,
but a complex natural medicine composed of many active
constituents that work on different body systems.
By combining scientific research into active constituents
with clinical observation and traditional knowledge
of the whole plant, we can develop a rounded picture
of each herb's range of medicinal uses.
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