“What can I take for…”

 When people learn that I am an herbalist, I often get asked, “what can I take for an upset stomach”, or “what can I take for depression”, etc., etc.  I often tell them that there is no simple answer, like “take a few aspirins if you have a headache.” Or take an antacid if you have upset stomach.”

I have a friend whose mother-in-law saw Dr. Oz talking about the herb California Poppy. This woman now wants her entire family to take this herb because they are all “nuts, anxious, depressed, and in pain”. According to Dr. Oz, this herb can take care of it all! I am glad that Dr. Oz is raising awareness about herbs, but this is a poor approach to using herbs and more likely to fail than an individualized approach.

Working with herbs is often not so simple. If you are depressed, what is making you depressed? How is your digestion and elimination? (most people are surprised to learn that many cases of depression stem from a dysfunctional gastrointestinal system). Maybe your depression is of “hepatic” origin. Is it hormonal depression? Do you feel stuck in your job or in a bad relationship? Are you lonely or bored? Are you depressed because you fear death or illness? Is your depression a drug side-effect? Are you hypothyroid? Have nutritional deficiencies? Blood sugar imbalances? Is your depression seasonal?

There is no single herb that will work for all types of depression. St. John’s Wort has been pigeon-holed as the “Depression herb”. While St. John’s Wort may be effective for a specific type of depression, it does not work for all. I have seen that many people take a “take this for that” approach to herbs because they have heard that an herb is “good for” this or that, and when it does not work, they declare herbs ineffective. The herbalist strives to discover the underlying cause and aims to correct it with a very individualized approach.

Herbalists rarely use a single herb; rather, we use thoughtfully constructed formulations of herbs that work synergistically together – uniquely tailored to the individual.