Reply To: Herbal Therapeutics
I have been enjoying the Herbal Therapeutics course. I am so glad to have the text books to follow along in as Dave teaches. I’ve been a little slow at engaging in the program due to other commitments but am hoping now to complete the Community Herbal Program by summer. It is making so much sense that along with aiming to resolve disease symptoms, we are also wanting to support the body’s stress response, immune response and elimination pathways. That is so different from my experience as a R.N.
I am beginning to understand how to create personalized formulas although I am looking for a resource that might guide me as to suggested percentages of herbs to use in creating balanced formulations. One piece of information that I find is missing from many of the infusion and tincture formulations is how long one can safely take them for in terms of days or weeks. For example, how long should one take the tea for BPH and for UTIs? I understand from the course readings that Bearberry should only be taken for 3 to 4 days. In a tea formulation for a UTI, is that long enough to have the desired antimicrobial effect?
For a class assignment I am wanting to make a herbal tea blend for a 54 year old male who has successfully dealt with hypertension and maintains a BP of 120/80. He is healthy is every way other than that he has recurrent BPH with suspected UTIs. I rationalize that since the urinary and cardiac systems are so inter related, that it would be beneficial to support cardiac and vascular health with Hawthorn and add this to the tea for either UTIs or BPH. This is also where my above question came from as to how long should he take the Bearberry tea for a UTI? I would like for him to take this for _______ number of days, followed by a maintenance tea or tincture for prostate health.
I look forward to your reply.
Cindy