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Top Selling Herbs Here are the top selling 25 herbs used in herbal supplements, listed in order of popularity. Mouse over them for more information and click on
them to go to the relevant page on the web site. The figures in brackets are the sales in millions of $US in 2007 (Total sales for all herbal supplements$267M) Herbs for Health Issues Which herbs are best for which health problems? Some herbs offer specific protection against the health issues listed below. Mouse over the items that interest you and get an idea of which herbs or herbal extracts to expect in your supplements. This gives you only a thumbnail sketch however and you are encouraged to read further about the herbs and their claimed benefits. |
Using Herbs for your Health Most of us have been conditioned into regarding personal health care as being a matter of waiting until we have a problem and then “going to the doctor” to get it fixed. But then, why would you go to the doctor if you weren't sick? Why indeed? I have been practice manager of a medical practice and am well aware also of doctors' frustration at patients presenting to them with a “shopping list” of ailments. They haven't got time for that. After all, they need to see 6, 8, 10 patients an hour to make a decent living.  And therein lies the fundamental difference between Western and Eastern, or modern and traditional, or natural, approaches to health care. The approach of people who practice natural medicine is to keep people healthy through embracing a good lifestyle and nutrition. Exercise should certainly be incorporated into one's daily routine and excesses should be avoided. Fortunately, today more people than ever before are questioning the cycle of diagnosis and prescription that conventional physicians practice, and are taking increasing responsibility for maintaining their own health and wellbeing. This involves pre-empting the onset of age-related diseases and discomforts by tapping into the age-old wisdoms of our forefathers.
While it would be nice to have a garden full, all year round, of medicinal herbs, so that you could snip off what you required, a snip of Black Cohosh for your menopause symptoms, maybe throw in some Wild Yam and Red Clover; mix up some Saw Palmetto, Pygeum or Nettle for hubby's prostate, Cascara Sagrada to keep the bowels moving, or a little Hoodia Gordonii to curb the appetite, and so on…let's face it that's not going to happen! I suspect the more practical way to consume herbs, apart from culinary herbs of course, is in the form of herbal supplements, which are readily available on the market. Some manufacturers of herbal products also claim that their products have “standardised” quantities the “active” ingredient of the herb. They will insist that that it is very important for consumers to know what they are getting in a quantifiable way.
In these cases scientists have been able to identify and extract the active ingredient of the plant and produce it in concentrated (and patentable) form. Very good. But is that necessarily a good idea? The other thought is that the whole herb should be consumed, whether it be the whole plant, leaf, stem or root, or in the form of an herbal supplement, because otherwise you could be missing out on some of the other healthy ingredients in the original plant. Also, once you start separating ingredient extracts you are then mimicking what the pharmaceutical drug industry – but without all the monitoring, research and testing that is mandatory before a synthetic drug is allowed on the market. It is also a good idea to learn which herbs have been, and are being, used to address specific health issues or to boost your energy, provide anti-oxidants to slow ageing, stimulate your sex drive, help your memory, relieve your joint pain; there is no end to the list.
The Herb Spiral tries to provide that some of that perspective. My database so far covers over a hundred of the most commonly used medicinal herbs. I have extracted from our source data what I hope are non-technical readable notes on each herb with reference to additional information, articles and news comments for those of you who may seek to learn more. For the more commonly used herbs I list some products from trusted manufacturers. I also love hearing from our visitors, so, if you have a spare minute, I really would love to hear what you think of the site by emailing me with your thoughts (don't change the default subject line or your comments will be deleted). |
Growing herbs in an herb spiral 
The herb spiral satisfies the most critical factor involved in successfully growing your own culinary herbs, i.e. it ensures good drainage due to the depth of soil under the plants. Provided the spiral is located in a nice sunny location, i.e. it gets at least 5 hours full sun a day, it meets the second most important requirement. The spiral build with bricks should be reasonably stable in most locations, although one of my visitors took me to task saying that where he lived – a very wet location – my spiral would be washed away in no time and recommended a more robust construction. So the construction of the spiral might have to suit the local conditions. But the concept is sound. It provides a large growing area for the area of garden it uses; it is a simple matter to transplant plants that have outgrown their allocated area to another part of the garden (by removing a brick or two, spading out the plant, roots and all) and replacing the bricks and soil. The raised beds provide easy access to the herbs for daily harvesting. And, if you like herbs, it looks great! For people who have had little or no experience with growing herbs, it is ideal. The culinary herbs I cover in this website include all of the more popular ones and provide a starting point for the beginner as well as a tried and tested alternative for the experienced herb gardener. I do not grow all my herbs in the spiral; mint and oregano are too invasive and better grown in pots; fennel and lemon grass grow too large (and the fennel tends to cross-pollinate with the dill) so I grow them elsewhere in the garden. Basil, my favourite herb, loves the spiral but does get somewhat oversized so I'm constantly faced with the difficult decision of what to do with it (apart from eating it), and I find herbs such as sage, comfrey and parsley will grow anywhere, including areas with poorer drainage and less sun, in my garden. Just remember that herbs do not really need fertiliser and they are generally pest free. What that means to me is that I have no need to add chemicals to my garden and I can safely give my freshly picked herbs only a light rinse and shake in cold water before adding them to my cuisine. Of course, you can, if you are prepared to take the risk, these days get your fresh herbs at the supermarket. The soil will benefit from the addition of organic material. Compost is best and it is worth the effort to maintain your own compost heap. Some authorities recommend animal manure but I do not enjoy the unwanted foreign plant growth stimulated by the passage of seeds through the animal's body. Most authorities recommend peat. I cannot comment because I do not use it. People tell me it is good. If you are new to it, do not let people complicate your process of growing herbs. The less you fuss, the happier they will be. Just don't over water or let them totally dry out. Do not let them go to seed – except, of course, at the end of the season if you want to collect the seed for the next season. Above all, enjoy your herbs!
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