HERB FORMULAS FOR CLINIC AND HOME BY MICHAEL MOORE 75 Formulas for making Herbal Preparations, including Tooth Powders, Tincture Formulas, Constitutional Tonics, Tea Blends, Salves, Ointments, Liniments, Elixirs, Cough Syrups...even Guarana Fudge, with a Materia Medica that defines the herbs, formats, and preparations discussed SOUTHWEST SCHOOL of BOTANICAL MEDICINE PO Box 4565 Bisbee, AZ 85603 HERBAL FORMULAS FOR CLINIC AND HOME by Michael Moore CONTENTS: INTRODUCTION 1. MOUTH/NOSE/EYES/EARS 1.1 LIP and SKIN BUTTER 1.2 TOOTH POWDER (Michaels) 1.3 TOOTH POWDER (Jareds) 2. GASTRO-INTESTINAL 2.1 STOMACH TEA 2.2 LAXATIVE TEA 2.3 COMFREY-MINT-LEMON TEA 2.4 PAPAYA-MINT-LEMON TEA 2.4 COLON TONIC (Modified Thomsonian) 2.5 BITTER TONIC 2.6 ILEO-CECAL TONIC 2.7 CATNIP-FENNEL TINCTURE 2.8 NEUTRALIZING CORDIAL (Modified) 3. LIVER/BILIARY 3.1 LIVER TONIC 3.2 ROBERT'S BILIARY FORMULA 3.3 ALTERATIVE TEA 3.4 LIVER DEFICIENCY TINCTURE 3.5 LIVER EXCESS TINCTURE 4. RESPIRATORY 4.1 DECONGESTANT TEA 4.2 WHITE PINE COMPOUND COUGH SYRUP 4.3 OSHA COUGH SYRUP 4.4 COMPOUND SYRUP OF RED ROOT 4.5 WINTER SOLTICE COUGH/COLD SYRUP 4.6 MONARDA HONEY 4.7 TONSILITIS FORMULA 4.8 ALLERGY FORMULA 5. REPRODUCTIVE 5.1 CANDIDA FORMULA 5.2 FEMALE BALANCER 5.3 MENOPAUSE: EARLY FORMULA 5.4 MENOPAUSE: LATER FORMULA 5.5 PMS FORMULA, LONG CYCLE 5.6 PMS FORMULA, SHORT CYCLE 5.7 CERVICAL DYSPLASIA SUPPOSITORIES 5.8 HPV (Venereal Wart) SUPPOSITORIES 5.9 CANDIDA DOUCHE 5.10 HAYDEN'S VIBURNUM COMPOUND(Modified) 6. URINARY TRACT 6.1 URINARY TINCTURE (all purpose) 6.2 ALKALIZING TEA 7. LYMPH/IMMUNE 7.1 LYMPH TONIC 7.2 IMMUNE STIMULANT #1 7.3 IMMUNE STIMULANT #2 7.4 LYMPH ANTI-EFFECT (for mumps, mono, etc.) 7.5 TONSILITIS FORMULA 7.6 IMMUNE TONIC 8. CARDIO-VASCULAR 8.1 GREASEBALL HYPERTENSION 8.2 HYPOTENSION FORMULA (Kidney deficient) 8.3 TACHYCARDIA FORMULA 8.4 CIRCULATORY STIMULANT 8.5 ARTERIOSCLEROSIS FORMULA (health good, memory bad) 9. TOPICAL 9.1 PODOPHYLLIN OINTMENT 9.2 CHAC SALVE (Calendula, Hypericum, Arnica,Cajeput) 9.3 MUSCLE BALM 9.4 "TRAUMA TINCTURE" 9.5 ROTGUT LINIMENT 9.6 ECHINACEA SALVE 9.7 GOLDEN SEAL SALVE 10. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM 10.1 RELAXING TEA 10.2 NERVE TONIC 10.3 SPEED DETOX FORMULA 10.4 V's NERVE TONIC 10.5 B's ANTIDEPRESSANT 10.6 K’s SYRIAN RUE FORMULA 10.7 COMPOUND TINCTURE OF CANNABIS (1910) 10.8 POST-TREATMENT RELAXER 10.9 POST-TREATMENT STRENGTHENER 11. ACUTE DISEASE 11.1 EGO CAPSULES 12. CHRONIC/METABOLIC 12.1 ALTERATIVE SYRUP 12.2 DETOX FORMULA 13. FOR PLEASURE OR FUN 13.1 FIVE MINT TEA 13.2 ROOT TEA 13.3 FLOWER TEA 13.4 MESOMARBLES 13.5 GUARANA FUDGE (AKA Speed Fudge) SIMPLE SYRUP MATERIA MEDICA INTRODUCTION These are a variety of formulas I have used in my business and practice over the years. Some are elegant, some are silly and trivial, some are very useful therapeutic formulas. I have mixed them all together with little by way of editorializing. Some of the herbs are readily available in commerce, some are obscure, since I have been gathering, selling, using, teaching and writing about herbs in the Western United States for 25 years and have come to know a lot of useful plants not often encountered in commerce. Many former students market them commercially, but since I try to teach bioregional herbalism, they TOO are mostly in business in the west. Herbs Etcetera of Santa Fe, Dragon River Herbals, Wyoming Wildcrafters, Bisbee Botanicals, The Herbalist (Seattle) and The Herb Store are some of the more visibly marketed of these lines (there are many more with a more local focus) and some of these obscure herbs are now to be found in the catalogues of Eclectic Institute, The Herb Pharm, Herbalist and Alchemist and Blessed Herbs. Anyway, scrambling around to try and locate some wierd exotic 'cause Moore says so isn't the point. I have offered some substitutes, if you know YOUR herbs real well make your own substitutes and otherwise just try the stuff that you can get the herbs for. I have always maintained that formulas are the LEAST important part of herbalism anyway. You can get the same effects from 100 different variations of various herbs. You need to know the craft well in order to get the same end result using other paths, but the actual formula isn't all that important...knowing the palette is. Anytime I see references to some "secret formula" I walk away. The VAST majority of physiologic reactions produced by herbs are repeated OVER and OVER endlessly in different plants, the physioogic effects that are beneficial in plants that are ingested are really only a few. Although a specific herb may offer a subtle range of physiologic colors that warrant a homeopathic profile or a classic Eclectic Specific Indication seperating its energy completely from other herbs, the mixing of stuff together reduces the subtleties to a gentle grey noise and you are left with the predominate effects. The Eclectics often raged against polypharmacy for the simple reason that botanical subtleties are lost. At the very same time most of them grimaced and ended up using formulas most of the time. They are simpler, effective, and, since most disease is self-limiting and not always so subtle, often all that's needed. Besides, having a bunch of useful formulas around the house (or, if you are a practitioner or physician, around the clinic) covers most bases and allows YOU to control the resources. You don't need to go trundling about seeing an Eclectic M.D. (100 years ago) or trying to figure out where to find a professional herbalist in the yellow pages (there aren't many of us). Most formulas I use these days are made for a specific person, and are the end product of constitutional evaluations and counseling. For the 20 years I SOLD herbs, I put together a number of these formulas to wholesale, knowing that, without a Professional Herbalist (giggle) around, the formulas needed to be shotguns, covering the common problems that herbs are most appropriate for, and where subtleties are unnecessary (or could not be defined legally on the label and therefore could not be communicated to the innocent user). Besides, if you can't make it simple, you don't know what you're doing. When we pack for our endless numbers of field trips we pile boxes with enough tinctures, salves, fluidextracts, patches and herbal junk to outfit a dispensatory for a practicing Physiomedicalist in 1885 (another one of those schools of Medical Practice long extinct, may Flexner be cursed!). What we ACTUALLY end up using, however, if we get sick, are those same old formulas I used to wholesale. We always run out of Neutralizing Cordial, Hayden's Viburnum Compound, the latest version of some analgesic balm I put together in pharmacy lab and Mouth Tincture. We dutifully drag back all the subtle stuff until the next field trip. I figure it's our version of the gallon jars of organic soybeans and mung beans (for sprouting) that were bought in the holy flush of some dietary asceticism in 1987 and, in over 470,000 households across this land, get dragged sheepishly from house to house with NOBODY willing to either use them or risk Bad Karma Points by tossing them...an alternative lifestyle equivalent of the Christmas Fruitcake from Hell, and related to the Ma Rollers, Pyramid Hats, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Extract bottles, Willard Water and the half- finished Orgon Box that clutter the symbolic attics of those of us that have resided in North American Alternative Village. 1. MOUTH/NOSE/EYES/EARS 1.1 LIP and SKIN BUTTER 20 ounces...... ........................Almond Oil 1/2 pound.... ........................Anhydrose Lanolin 8 ounces........ ........................Glycerin 3 3/4 ounces.........................Beeswax 5-10 drops of Essential Oil Over low heat, dissolve the lanolin in the almond oil, add the glycerin and stir until all three are dispersed. Add the finely-chopped beeswax, stirring until just melted, add the essential oil, and pour the salve into containers. Stir the pot frequently and pour as quickly as reasonable. If you take too long the lanolin and glycerin may begin to separate. 1.2 TOOTH POWDER (Michaels) Arrowroot Powder..............12 ounces. Orris Root Powder.............. 4 ounces Baking Powder.................... 1 ounce Licorice Root Powder......... 1 ounce Myrrh Gum Powder........... 1 ounce Cloves, fresh pwd............... 1 ounce Cinnamon, fresh pwd.........1 ounce Yerba Mansa Powder......... 1 ounce Peppermint Oil....................20 drops Wintergreen Oil...................10 drops. Thoroughly mix all constituents, blend briefly in 1/2 cup batches and remix. 1.3 TOOTH POWDER (Jareds) Orris Root Powder.............. 4 ounces Arrowroot.... ........................4 ounces Myrrh Gum..........................2 ounces Licorice Root ........................1.5 ounces White Oak Bark................... 1.5 ounces Golden Seal Root.................1 ounce Bistort Root.. ........................1 ounce Peppermint Oil....................1/2 teaspoon Mix powdered herbs thoroughly with the Peppermint Oil. 2. GASTRO-INTESTINAL 2.1 STOMACH TEA Star Anise..... ........................3 parts Ginger Root..........................2 parts Papaya Leaf..........................2 parts Fennel Seed.. ........................2 parts Camomile..... ........................2 parts Comfrey Leaf....................... 2 parts Peppermint (or Poleo)........ 2 parts Angelica or Calamus.......... 1 part As a simple infusion as needed for dyspepsia or mild gastritis. 2.2 LAXATIVE TEA Psyllium Seed...................... 3 parts Licorice Root 3 parts Rhubarb Root.......................2 parts Senna Pods (crushed)......... 2 parts Angelica Root...................... 2 parts Drink as a simple infusion in evening. 2.3 COMFREY-MINT-LEMON TEA Comfrey Leaf....................... 3 parts Peppermint...2 parts Lemon Balm.1 part Drink as a simple infusion for gastritis and pre-ulcer pain 2.4 PAPAYA-MINT-LEMON TEA Papaya Leaf..3 parts Spearmint..... ........................2 parts Lemon Grass1 part Drink as a simple infusion for indigestion and disempacho 2.4 COLON TONIC (Modified Thomsonian) Cascara Sagrada.................. 2 parts Oregon Grape...................... 2 parts Cayenne................................1 part Ginger Root..........................1 part Lobelia.......... ........................1 part Rhubarb Root.......................1 pt. Stimulates peristalsis for chronic constipation of long duration. 2 “00” caps with water, morning and evening. When feces soften up go to 1 capsule twice a day. 2.5 BITTER TONIC Gentian Root2 parts Quassia Wood......................2 parts (or Castela) ........................(2 parts) Angelica Root/Seed............2 parts Cardamon Seed................... 1/2 part Bayberry Bark.....................1/2 part Tincture 1:4, 50% alcohol. Best for chronic conditions, such as recovering anorectics, achlorhydia, chemotherapy queasiness. Take 10-15 minutes before meal..5-15 drops. 2.6 ILEO-CECAL TONIC Chaparro Amargosa or Quassia... 4 parts Bistort Root (or Geranium or Heuchera)........4 parts Bayberry Bark..................................2 parts Yerba Mansa Root...........................2 parts Ginger Root......................................2 parts Tincture 1:4, 50% alcohol. Use for giardiasis, amebiasis, especially with ileo-cecal irritability. With active diarrhea, take 1/2 teaspoon every 2 hours, alternating with 4 oz. skim milk. With poor milk tolerance, use blackberry or pomegranate juice concentrate ...1-2 tablespoons, straight up. 2.7 CATNIP-FENNEL TINCTURE Fresh Catnip Tincture.....................3 parts (1:2, 95% alcohol) Fennel Seed Tincture.......... ............3 parts (1:5, 60% alcohol) Licorice Root Tincture........ ............1 part (1:5, 50% alcohol) 15-30 drops as needed for acute gastritis or simple dyspepsia. 2.8 NEUTRALIZING CORDIAL (Modified) Rhubarb Tincture................ 80 ml Cinnamon Tincture.............64 ml Hydrastis Tincture.............. 40 ml Spirit of Peppermint........... 8 ml Potassium carbonate...........16 grams Simple Syrup........................250 ml Diluted alcohol (50%)......... 550 ml Step 1. Dissolve 16 grams of potassium carbonate in 250 ml Simple Syrup Step 2. Mix the tinctures, spirit and diluted alcohol. Step 3. Mix both liquids, stirring or blending until KCO3 is dissolved. Step 4. Add additional diluted alcohol to the total (if necessary) to bring the total volume to 1000 ml. Use a teaspoon or two for nausea, gas pains, dyspepsia, tenesmus, diarrhea AND constipation. An elegant pharmaceutical that may be the single closest thing to a universal GI tonic. Unfortunately it is no longer made by American manufacturers. 3.LIVER/BILIARY 3.1 LIVER TONIC Barberry or Oregon Grape.2 parts Milk Thistle Seed.............................2 parts Chaparral (Larrea).............. ............1 part Toadflax (Linaria)............................1 part Echinacea..........................................1 part Burdock Rt or Seed............. ............1 part Yellow Dock.....................................1 part Leptandra or Blue Flag Rt..............1 part An old-fashioned "shotgun" formula. Grind well and encapsulate. Echinacea is the only one of these herb that deteriorates in a powdered form, so the best compromise would be to keep it as a rather coarse grind, the rest as fine a powder as desired. Useful for passive liver "heaviness", with periodic light stools and/or frontal headaches brought on by overeating or eating rich foods when tired. Look for greasy hair, acne on the cheeks (both kinds of cheeks) and acne around the mouth. It should be tried for those that regularly work with solvents or that drink regularly, whether in moderation or excess. In general, for those that regularly eat before going to bet and are slow in waking, grouchy and sluggish in the morning...they also have to cut back on the snacks. DOSE: Pronounced liver dysfunction, but w/out pathology: 2 caps, 3X a day. No overt symtoms, but having many of the risks mentioned: 1 cap, 3X a day. 3.2 ROBERT'S BILIARY FORMULA Chionanthus (Fringetree)...............1 part Euonymus (Wahoo)........................1 part Piper methysticum (Kava).............1 part Leptandra (Culver's Root). ............1 part Marshmallow Root............. ............1 part Powder the herbs and encapsulate. 1 capsule after each meal and one just before sleeping. A biliary laxative and gallstone preventative, it is also useful for cholecystalgia or biliary cholic. Larger doses can be irritating; it is better to use the smaller dosages recommended, allowing a day or two to see if they help. 3.3 ALTERATIVE TEA Sassafrass Bark.................... 2 parts Sarsaparilla Root................. 2 parts Burdock Root.......................1 part Echinacea Root.................... 1 part A simple drinkable tea for low-level chronic liver, metabolic and immuno- depressed states...a couple of cups a day, made from a rounded teaspoon in 8 oz. water, brought to a boil and removed from the heat and allowed to cool. 3.4 LIVER DEFICIENCY TINCTURE Mahonia (Oregon Grape)...............2 parts Yellow Dock Root............... ............2 parts Buckbean...... ....................................2 parts Pleurisy Root....................................2 parts Blue Flag Root..................................1 part Ocotillo Bark 1 part Mix from tinctures, with Mahonia, Yellow Dock, Pleurisy Root and Blue Flag made from dry herb, and Buckbean (if possible) and Ocotillo (mandatory) made as fresh tinctures. Take 30 drops, morning, afternoon and before retiring. A constitutional tonic for those with catabolic or adrenergic excess. 3.5 LIVER EXCESS TINCTURE Burdock Root FE................. ............2 parts Dandelion Root FE..........................2 parts Milk Thistle Seeds...........................2 parts Larrea................................................1 part Tribulus (Puncture Vine)... ............1 part Mix from Burdock and Dandelion Fluidextracts (1:1 strength) strong Milk Thistle Seed Tincture (1:2, 75% alcohol), dry Larrea and Tribulus tinctures (1:5) Use 30- 60 drops to 3X a day, and decrease protein and fat consumption by at least one third. A constitutional tonic for those with anabolic excess. 4.RESPIRATORY 4.1 DECONGESTANT TEA Ma Huang.... ....................................3 parts Mormon Tea.....................................3 parts Yerba Santa.. ....................................3 parts Coltsfoot Leaves..............................3 parts Cubeb Berries...................................2 parts Drink frequently as an infusion. If you find it interferes with sleep or makes you jittery, lessen or delete the Ma Huang. 4.2 WHITE PINE COMPOUND COUGH SYRUP White Pine Bark (or Balsam Root)...........................3 oz. Wild Cherry Bark............................3 oz. Spikenard Root................................1/2 ounce Poplar Buds......................................1/2 ounce Blood Root........................................1/4 ounce Percolate with 50% alcohol until you have reached 16 ounces. Add 12 ounces of simple syrup OR add 8 ounces of honey and 4 ounces of glycerin