Herbal Remedies for Common Ailments

Medicinal herbs can provide natural, safer remedies to dozens of common ailments. This chart shows you more than 75 herbal remedies that do just that. For more information about herbal remedies, check out 75 Safe and Effective Herbal Remedies.
As with any health issue, always be sure to talk to your doctor before trying a new medicine — including herbal medicines — or other remedy. In conjunction with a discussion with your primary healthcare provider, you can find more safety and usage information on the herbs below in Micheal Castleman's The New Healing Herbs and in  Dr. James A. Duke's book, Dr. Duke's Essential Herbs.

Ailment	Herb
Acne	Calendula, aloe, tea tree
Alcoholism	Evening primrose, kudzu
Allergy	Chamomile
Alzheimer’s disease	Ginkgo, rosemary
Angina	Hawthorn, garlic, willow, green tea
Anxiety and stress	Hops, kava, passionflower, valerian, chamomile, lavender
Arteriosclerosis	Garlic
Arthritis	Capsicum, ginger, turmeric, willow, cat’s claw, devil’s claw
Asthma	Coffee, ephedra, tea
Athlete’s foot	Topical tea tree oil
Attention-deficit disorder	Evening primrose oil
Bad breath	Parsley
Boils	Tea tree oil, topical garlic, echinacea, eleutherococcus, ginseng, rhodiola
Bronchitis	Echinacea, pelargonium
Burns	Aloe
Cancer	Bilberry, blackberry, cocoa (dark chocolate), green tea, garlic, ginseng, maitake mushroom, pomegranate, raspberry, reishi mushroom
Cankers	Goldenseal
Colds	Echinacea, andrographis, ginseng, coffee, licorice root (sore throat), tea (nasal and chest congestion)
Congestive heart failure	Hawthorn
Constipation	Apple, psyllium seed, senna
Cough	Eucalyptus
Depression	St. John’s wort
Diabetes, Type 2	Garlic, beans (navy, pinto, black, etc.), cinnamon, eleutherococcus, flaxseed, green tea
Diabetic ulcers	Comfrey
Diarrhea	Bilberry, raspberry
Diverticulitis	Peppermint
Dizziness	Ginger, ginkgo
Earache	Echinacea
Eczema	Chamomile, topical borage seed oil, evening primrose oil
Fatigue	Cocoa (dark chocolate), coffee, eleutheroccocus, ginseng, rhodiola, tea
Flu	Echinacea, elderberry syrup (also see “Colds”)
Gas	Fennel, dill
Giardia	Goldenseal
Gingivitis	Goldenseal, green tea
Hay fever	Stinging nettle, butterbur
Herpes	Topical lemon balm, topical comfrey, echinacea, garlic, ginseng
High blood pressure	Garlic, beans, cocoa (dark chocolate), hawthorn
High blood sugar	Fenugreek
High cholesterol	Apple, cinnamon, cocoa (dark chocolate), evening primrose oil, flaxseed, soy foods, green tea
Hot flashes	Red clover, soy, black cohosh
Impotence	Yohimbe
Indigestion	Chamomile, ginger, peppermint
Infection	Topical tea tree oil, astragalus, echinacea, eleutherococcus, garlic, ginseng, rhodiola
Insomnia	Kava, evening primrose, hops, lemon balm, valerian
Irregular heartbeat	Hawthorn
Irregularity	Senna, psyllium seed
Irritable bowel syndrome	Chamomile, peppermint
Lower back pain	Thymol, carvacrol, white willow bark
Menstrual cramps	Kava, raspberry, chasteberry
Migraine	Feverfew, butterbur
Morning sickness	Ginger
Muscle pain	Capsicum, wintergreen
Nausea	Ginger
Premenstrual syndrome	Chasteberry, evening primrose
Ringing in the ears	Ginkgo
Seasonal affective disorder	St. John’s wort
Shingles	Capsicum
Sore throat	Licorice, marshmallow, mullein
Stuffy nose	Echinacea
Tonsillitis	Goldenseal, astragalus, echinacea
Toothache	Willow, clove oil
Ulcers	Aloe, licorice
Varicosities	Bilberry, horse chestnut
Yeast infection	Garlic, goldenseal, Pau D’arco

For toothache, make a paste with red pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon and apply directly to where it hurts.
For GI tract problems -- including indigestion, nausea, bad breath, mucus, cough, gas, diarrhea, flatulence, and even ulcers -- mix honey, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon into warm milk. For sore throat or headache or general aches and pains, add red pepper and turmeric to the mix.
Red pepper contains capsaicin, which numbs pain. Turmeric, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon are all highly anti-inflammatory, which reduces pain, swelling, allergies, itching, and other auto-immune responses.
Both nutmeg and cinnamon have been scientifically shown to be a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin (inflammatory agent) biosynthesis, acting like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but without the adverse side effects and toxicity of aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. The prostaglandin action is also implicated in why these spices act as a digestive tract tonic. They have for millennia been used to treat these digestive issues. Nutmeg is actually an ingredient in some commercial cough syrups and vapor rubs. Both spices also have strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and tend to enhance immunity. They have been found to be active against Candida albicans, Helicobacter pylori (the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers), and the bacteria responsible for halitosis (which is why they are incorporated into some toothpastes, mouthwashes, and chewing gums).

STREP

There is no need to go immediately to antibiotics in the case of strep. Strep bacteria can easily be killed with a solution of raw honey, garlic and cayenne. The ratios are: 1 Tbls honey; 1/4 tsp. cayenne; 4 cloves garlic - minced or put through a garlic press. Take 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture every 30 - 60 minutes; let it coat the throat. This remedy will generally relieve you of strep within 24 hours.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar works great for athlete's foot fungus, just soak your feet in it for about a half hour or so and no more fungus. May require a second time if your fungus is very severe. Also sage tea bags work fantastic for a toothache. Put a tea bag in a small amount of hot water (as hot as you can stand) to moisten it. Then place it on your pain for as long as possible, I usually put it on my toothache and lay down and take a nap or sleep all night and when I awake, I no longer have a toothache or inflamation from it. And making a rosemary mouthwash, take Rosemary boil it in water, strain and let cool works great for gingivitis. Also makes a great hair rinse, good for helping to stop hair from falling out.