Reply To: Materia Medica
Hey Jessica! I know you wrote that you found some of the information you were looking for but I thought I’d weigh in on how to taste herbs as simples.
You certainly don’t need to ‘need’ the herb for any medical condition in order to experience its temperature, flavour, effect, body organ affinity, or anything else. When I first started tuning into herbs like this, it reminded me of tasting wine. When tasting wine as a learning process, you’re paying attention to its mouthfeel to give you clues about constituents (tennis, acids, sugars, etc). You’re paying attention to aroma/flavour to tell you about how the wine was made, how much heat and sunshine the grapes were grown with, what processes went into getting the wine into your bottle, and so much more!
Tasting single herbs can be a really fun thing to do with a friend or partner. Especially if one of you don’t know what the herb is, and have to guess the plant part, where it came from, and the effect it has on the body.
I hope you’ve found some clarity on this and feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss further!