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| a day taken between meals. The only side effect noted has been a temporary burning sensation in the rectal area after a bowel movement. This comes from excess unabsorbed menthol. It poses no danger and can be alleviated by simply reducing the dosage. |
| QUASSIA (Picrasma excelsor). These wood chips are a bitter tonic that is an excellent remedy for indigestion. It increases the appetite and has been used with some success in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Quassia's primary use is as an anthelmintic: It expels threadworms when taken as a tea or enema. David Hoffmann recommends brewing the tea by cold infusion, soaking 1 tablespoon of wood chips in 1 cup water overnight. |
| RHUBARB ROOT (Rheum palmatum). Also called Turkey rhubarb root, this plant is not the familiar red-stalked garden vegetable. A bitter stomach tonic, mild purgative and astringent, it has a cleansing action on the entire digestive tract and speeds elimination. Rhubarb root may color the urine red or yellow. David Hoffmann recommends combining it with carminative herbs such as chamomile, peppermint or ginger. Brew as a decoction, simmering 1/2 to 1 teaspoon root in 1 cup water for 10 to 15 minutes; let stand another 5 minutes before serving. |
| SARSAPARILLA (Similax officinalis). Sarsaparilla's familiar root beer taste makes it a pleasant addition to herbal tea blends, and its diuretic, tonic, stimulant, demulcent and carminative properties make it an important digestive tonic. Jethro Kloss considered it an excellent antidote for poisons and found it useful in treating rheumatism, skin eruptions and ringworm. He recommended taking the tea (1 to 2 cups daily) or tincture (25 to 50 drops daily) for no more than two weeks out of every three. Michael Tierra advised combining sarsaparilla with sassafras and yellow dock as a spring tonic. According to him, a hot decoction (2 tablespoons root boiled in 2 cups water) acts as a powerful agent to expel gas from the stomach and intestines. |
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