# For those that use a lot of herbal medicine



## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

I am doing a bit of research. I am working on the final edits of my book (fiction) and one of the things I have left out until now is what kind of herbal tea my character should be drinking.

This particular character suffered severe injuries and lots of blood loss. The healers (fantasy) can heal her wounds and remove the infection, but they can't put blood back in veins or strength in her body. So they use herbs to help with this.

What is a good herb or mix of herbs for blood building and strength building? 

AND -just as important

How would would such a tea taste? Bitter? Sweet? Somewhere in between? Will have a pungent odor?

I could probably google it, but I would really prefer getting the info from those that might actually have used it.

Yes, I know the book is a work of fiction, but there are some things that I would like to be real.

Thank you for any help you can offer. Even if it's just a link to something that might help.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

If it's fantasy perhaps you may want to use old English names or a shortened phonic spelling of a current herb if set in the future. For example, kyann instead of cayenne. Depending on the ability of the healers, subjecting the body to prolonged heat would build blood volume. Blood is just like the water in a car's cooling system. It serves to cool the body. The body retains heat in cold weather by keeping blood flow to the internal organs. People who freeze to death often experience a strong heat flash as the body gives up and blood flow returns to the skin. People in warmer climates have slightly more blood volume than those who live in cooler climates. Thus the heat treatment.

There are formulas to alleviate weakness. Building blood volume is an interesting quirky way of looking at recovery.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

I will be sticking to the modern spelling of the herbs.

I know nettle is an iron rich herb that can be used as a tea to help with anemia. But, I don't know if it works best mixed with something else, or how it would smell or taste, or if there is something else that would work even better.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

There's a difference between having enough blood and having enough iron in the blood. If I understand, you're looking for a tea recipe to aid the body in producing blood. Your approach is what is throwing me. There are concoctions for weakness. Increasing the amount of blood isn't something that herbals describe. It helps to think about the symptoms that the healer would address.

A tea specifically for weakness uses astragalus, ginseng, dong quai and licorice. There's a more American recipe using alfalfa, comfrey, burdock ginseng and dong quai to which barley malt syrup and honey is added. That is not a tea.


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## goatlady (May 31, 2002)

From Susan Weed's book ..."Blood Builders: 

Yellow Dock builds strong blood. Strong blood is rich in iron and other minerals needed for health. Strong blood is nutrient-rich - so vital organs get the nourishment they need for optimum functioning. Strong blood helps muscles work well without cramping and aching. Strong blood is low in cholesterol and moves easily through the circulatory system. Strong blood is packed with plenty of energy, for life, for work, and for sex. 

Other green allies that build strong blood are Dandelion leaves, Red Clover blossoms, and Plantain leaves. (And for strong veins, Burdock root vinegar is a trusted ally.) Daily doses of Yellow Dock root - vinegar (see below) or tincture (5-20 drops once or twice a day) - often increase iron levels in the blood twice as fast as iron supplements. If you wish to avoid alcohol, soak chopped fresh Yellow Dock roots (or any of the other plants mentioned here) in vinegar to cover for 6 weeks. I use 1-2 tablespoons a day of the resulting medicinal vinegar to build strong blood."

If it was me the tea would be red clover blossoms, very mild flavor, lovely color, easy to sip all day long, may be sweetened with a bit of honey if desired.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Thank you both. You have been most helpful.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Darren said:


> There's a more American recipe using alfalfa, comfrey, burdock ginseng and dong quai to which barley malt syrup and honey is added. That is not a tea.



What is it exactly?


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Nettles are a great resource for many blood disorders including a BLOOD BUILDING HERB being so high in Chlorophyll, Calcium, Vitamins and Minerals as mentioned above by a leading homeopath, Susan Weed, here is that link for you. 

http://www.livingawareness.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?hArticle=57 

My older sister has gout and her doctor told her to pick up Nettle Tea. He was very surprised when she told him I had just given her some. It is a blood cleanser per homeopathic remedy, helps to equalize the acid level, good for pain relieving and helps with the kidneys. It is also a good tea for men to drink to keep their prostate healthy. It is prescribed by doctors in Europe for this purpose. At 40% protein by leaf volume, it doubles as a protein and veggie in one! It is more nutritious then spinach. As a tea, it is mild and pleasant with mellow undertones. I drink it with a touch of honey and even my younger son really likes the tea too. Nettle Tea would be an ideal tea for your book being that it was used by the ancient people around the world. Even the Romans used it, very widely used in Europe for making cloth and even sheets some time ago. There is a great deal of history with Nettles and being the Stinging plant that it is, makes for an interesting twist in your story. The gathering or search for them to heal your character could get quite creative.... They are here even in the snow and grow in unique places! This variety towers up to 10 feet tall making them the tallest of the Nettles. You can drink the tea and eat the tea leaves afterward or cook them into soups etc, zero waste.

Nettle Salve is anti bacterial so it is used for small cuts and abrasions as well. As an oil, it is very soothing for pain relief after the breaking on a bone, wonderful for rashes and skin issues. Another healing herb for topical treatment would be Comfrey but not to be used on open skin, closed wounds only, it is not anti bacterial but is good for bruises, and all kinds of skin issues including pain relief. Although many say it is good for broken bones as it was always used for in the past including ancient times, there are folks that say it is not proven scientifically to help mend bones.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Excellent! Thank you Romy!

What happens if you gather it with your bare hands? The particular place may character lives is near a large bay like area that looks suspiciously familiar to another mountainy location near a very large bay like area that exists in real life.  So if it grows where you are, that would be great.


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## NataliaTwoDoes (Mar 24, 2011)

Nettle stings when fresh and it does grow on the pacific coast near the SFBay area so your terrain sounds right on.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Thank you Natalia! Actually, not the SF bay area. More like the Sound in Washington.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Oat Bucket Farm said:


> Excellent! Thank you Romy!
> 
> What happens if you gather it with your bare hands? The particular place may character lives is near a large bay like area that looks suspiciously familiar to another mountainy location near a very large bay like area that exists in real life.  So if it grows where you are, that would be great.


You are very welcome! They love wet areas but grow all over the island even in my front yard behind a double trunked Cedar I call the Grandpa Cedar who has a nice patch of Nettle growing behind him. They are found throughout Washington usually in wetter areas. As I gather a lot of Nettles and harvest the seeds as well, even plants plus roots easy to question me, plus I have had some stings as well! To gather leaves with your bare hands, easy. The stings are from the underneath of the leaf, pinch a leaf from the top and fold with finger tips, no sting. What grows here is the tallest of the Nettles so it makes for an interesting inclusion. From pine needles, a tea can be made that supplies Vitamin C. We thought it tasted good but you use it lightly as it can be hard on the kidneys if you drink too often. You probably know about the edible dandelions, and all kinds of other wild edibles? With the different kinds of berries, that is also a nice inclusion for diet, all the seafood from a Bay area as well.


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Oat Bucket Farm said:


> I will be sticking to the modern spelling of the herbs.
> 
> I know nettle is an iron rich herb that can be used as a tea to help with anemia. But, I don't know if it works best mixed with something else, or how it would smell or taste, or if there is something else that would work even better.


A good tonic that can be made to build up blood and strength would be nettles infused in strong reduced beef broth mixed with red wine or dark ale and black molasses - it doesn't taste too bad and is something that was recommended by midwives for women who lost a lot of blood during childbirth. 

And since this is a fantasy story you can feasibly add one other thing which may sound fantastical but actually does work and is used by crystal healers around the world to this day. That is to steep a piece of common tumbled bloodstone in the herbal concoction for an hour in order to infuse the drink with the vibrational energies of the stone. Bloodstone is full of iron oxide and known historically for thousands of years as a warriors stone that helped to build strength, strengthen the heart, build up the blood and purify blood when applied over wounds or steeped in strong herbal wine to be drunk.

This is what bloodstone looks like in precious gem form - a.k.a. Heliotrope:










.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

romysbaskets said:


> You are very welcome! They love wet areas but grow all over the island even in my front yard behind a double trunked Cedar I call the Grandpa Cedar who has a nice patch of Nettle growing behind him. They are found throughout Washington usually in wetter areas. As I gather a lot of Nettles and harvest the seeds as well, even plants plus roots easy to question me, plus I have had some stings as well! To gather leaves with your bare hands, easy. The stings are from the underneath of the leaf, pinch a leaf from the top and fold with finger tips, no sting. What grows here is the tallest of the Nettles so it makes for an interesting inclusion. From pine needles, a tea can be made that supplies Vitamin C. We thought it tasted good but you use it lightly as it can be hard on the kidneys if you drink too often. You probably know about the edible dandelions, and all kinds of other wild edibles? With the different kinds of berries, that is also a nice inclusion for diet, all the seafood from a Bay area as well.


I didn't realize there were any more posts in this Thread.

Thank you again Romy. This is most helpful. Yes, I know all about dandelions (we even made dandelion jelly this past summer) and I know about the wild berries and such.

I've fished off the docks, ate wild strawberries growing around the Concrete airport, and eaten many a wild black berry while hiking up there. There is a reason the landscape surrounding my Utopian-like city resembles the PNW. 

But, I know there are ton more edible wilds up there than that.

One other question. Is it best to gather nettles fresh for the tea, or is dried better?


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

naturelover said:


> A good tonic that can be made to build up blood and strength would be nettles infused in strong reduced beef broth mixed with red wine or dark ale and black molasses - it doesn't taste too bad and is something that was recommended by midwives for women who lost a lot of blood during childbirth.
> 
> And since this is a fantasy story you can feasibly add one other thing which may sound fantastical but actually does work and is used by crystal healers around the world to this day. That is to steep a piece of common tumbled bloodstone in the herbal concoction for an hour in order to infuse the drink with the vibrational energies of the stone. Bloodstone is full of iron oxide and known historically for thousands of years as a warriors stone that helped to build strength, strengthen the heart, build up the blood and purify blood when applied over wounds or steeped in strong herbal wine to be drunk.
> 
> ...



I love it. I'm trying to picture how this particular liquid would look. Dark I imagine. Thick maybe? I like that it has the herbal side to it and yet works in other types of alternate medicine as well.


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Oat Bucket Farm said:


> I love it. I'm trying to picture how this particular liquid would look. Dark I imagine. Thick maybe? I like that it has the herbal side to it and yet works in other types of alternate medicine as well.


The tonic would be black, and it would be somewhat thick like a light syrup in consistency due to the molasses. Reduced beef broth is dark brown and thick, molasses is dark brown to black and very thick, then the dark ale or red wine, plus a green herb (nettles) infused in all that - you will end up with a syrupy black tonic with a sweet/salty/earthy/musty taste and smell. Like most other strong medicines it wouldn't look or taste very appetizing, :yuck:  that's for sure, but it wouldn't taste so terrible that a person couldn't force it down for their own good. It could be diluted with more herb infused wine or ale to make it easier to sip on.

If I as going to make that for building up blood I would use dark ale instead of red wine. Ale has more of the similar constituents as blood that wine does not, plus more of it could be consumed.

.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Thank you! This has been extremely helpful.


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