(Microscopic images show how herbs develop their flavor.)
Herbs used in Gullah Geechee traditions
Elder: Elderflower can be drunk cold on a hot day or warm to reduce fever, while elderberry, which is also effective as a cold remedy, is known for its antiviral properties.
Sumac: The velvety red fruit of the sumac has long been used by folk as food, medicine, a cooling agent (lemonade) and as a cold prevention agent due to its high vitamin C content.
Witch Hazel: Commercially available astringents are a useful base for skin care treatments, but herbalists also often use the sprigs and leaves in a strong eyewash, sitz bath, or facial steam.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
At the heart of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the concept of life essence, or Qi, an invisible force that travels through invisible meridians (channels through which energy flows) in the body.
In TCM, life is in movement and change is constant. Blockages and stagnation can impede the flow of Qi and inhibit the essential dynamism of life. Balance is managed with respect for the fundamental principle of Yin and Yang, which exemplify the complementary duality of universal energies within each of us. In its simplest form, Yin is cold, heavy, slow and stagnant; Yin is lacking, inward-looking and peaceful; Yang is hot, light, fast and active; Yang is excess, outward-looking and more stimulating.
A skilled TCM practitioner makes a series of observations on a patient to assess a range of phenomena: some people, for example, are cold, damp, and stagnant (too much yin), while others are dry, hot, and stimulated (too much yang).Generations of observers have assigned five-element classifications to herbs and foods, and also designated energies based on their taste.Traditionally, five tastes are identified: sweet, salty, bitter, pungent, and sour.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, foods and herbs inherently evoke a variety of sensations. They can be warming, like ginger, cooling, like herbal medicine, or neutral, like shiitake mushrooms, but also stimulating or stagnant. They can moisten or dry, tonic or deplete. The basic principle is that herbs and foods are thought to warm or cool the body, thereby relieving symptoms resulting from a constitution that is too hot or too cold. For example, someone who suffers from rheumatic chills and pains that are worse on humid days may find relief from a herbal formula that has a drying and warming effect.
