I am a fan of Silver Sneakers, the online fitness website for those of us who are of a certain age. One of the aspects that is emphasized often is maintaining balance—falling is never a good thing, unless you're falling in love. But I digress. As important as this type of balance is, I want to share with you some thoughts about maintaining an internal balance, which is not only the key to good health, but also the objective when considering which herbal remedies are best for certain situations / imbalances. "Homeostasis" is a fancy scientific word that means "a state of equilibrium maintained by self-regulating processes." Let's just call it "balance." My mentor, Minneapolis herbalist Lise Wolff, states this succinctly on her website:
“The human body is in a constant process of rebalancing itself. Sometimes the body is stressed beyond its capacity to restore itself to balance, manifesting in physical and emotional ailments. Effective herbalism facilitates the body’s innate ability to heal itself.”
As an herbalist, I am often asked, "Do you have an herb for [fill in the ailment]?" Whereas many pharmaceuticals deal with specific ailments, herbs—when used we—address correcting the imbalance in the body that is causing the ailment. For instance, one may reach for an over-the-counter cough remedy in hopes of temporarily relieving a cough, while there are many different herbs to consider in the case of a bothersome cough—depending on whether it is a dry or wet cough, deep in the lungs or upper respiratory, involving sinuses, fever or not, headache or not, the time of day it worsens, and so on. The same goes for digestive challenges, emotional angst, and even heart issues, both physical and emotional. This is what makes herbalism so intriguing to me and frustrating to those who are looking for a "quick fix" to an issue. Herbalists understand “disease” to be just that—"dis-ease"—a person is not at ease because of an imbalance in the body. They consider the "best herbs" to be those herbs that support and encourage the body’s natural healing ability and the process of returning to a balanced state. Herbal remedies can help our bodies maintain balance, they can facilitate our bodies’ innate ability to heal itself, and they can provide immune system support to help our bodies fight off disease. I find it fascinating that much of what can help us maintain health or recover from illness is available all around us—in nature—ready and waiting for us to use. How cool is that!
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