vampireapologist:
i think one of the most common dangers I run into in the edible and medicinal plant scene is the problem of “can you eat it” vs. “should you eat it”
a lot of websites and books these days will be like “ten wild plants you can use to make tea” without then listing the actual use for those teas because all they care about is the novelty of making your own tea from things you picked in the woods.
They tell you stuff like “A wonderfully cleansing medicine, it supports the liver, stimulates the flow of urine and the removal of waste by the kidneys.”
And people are so into the idea of cleansing their bodies of supposed toxins, that sounds great!
But what I know is that what they really mean is, this plant is a diuretic, meaning if you use it for tea, you’re going to peeing All. Day. Long. Every. Ten. Minutes.
Which isn’t fun if you’re on a hike or about to get back in your car and drive an hour home.
Some popular plants recommended for teas are used as contraceptives and morning after treatments. So here you are, trying to get pregnant, drinking your natural to rid your kidneys of impurities, being healthy as can be, and all along you’re taking birth control!
And if you’re already taking birth control and trying to not get pregnant, the plant can mess you up too.
There are plants that mess with antidepressants, and with blood pressure medicine, that make you sick to your stomach, that messes with your blood, and on and on.
And all of these sources will just list them as something you can eat, because hey, you won’t die if if you do!
Which is true, you’ll live, but at what cost!!!
Please remember herbal remedies and edible plants have always been consumed and applied with a PURPOSE, and unless you know what that purpose is, don’t consume them just because you can. It’s a bad idea.
THIS.
CBD, for example, interacts STRONGLY with a lot of medications that process through specific liver pathways, including a couple of meds that don’t usually have that kind of problem because they use multiple pathways. So pot can be a problem for people on other meds, but CBD *specifically* can be an issue so even “medicinal hemp” can be problematic. I have the bloodwork to prove it.
St.John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an amazing herb…which is not compatible with many medications for similar reasons. Problems can range from too much anticoagulation on blood thinners to seratonin sydrome. I’ve wildcrafted St. John’s Wort, tinctured it, infused it, and used it. I won’t use it now because it would not be safe for me to do so.
Elderberry syrup is incredible! It can really help you get over the flu faster, and actually DOES boost the immune system… by promoting the production of tumer necrosis factor. It might even help cancer? BUT… I take a drug that specifically inhibits tumor necrosis factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis and elderberry was basically an antidote to that $8000 medication. Worth it to get over the flu with as sick as I was, but jesus.
Garlic? Great stuff. Also a blood thinner.
It is possible to use herbs intelligently with a mind to drug interactions, where those drug interactions are known, but for fuck’s sake, do your homework before you stick stuff in your body.
I’ve used milk thistle to help stabilize warfarin levels (worked, to a point)… but I take it because it SPECIFICALLY messes with the liver in a way that I needed. So it can affect other drugs.
Magnesium to reduce asthma symptoms (amazingly effective!) but has to be taken separate from some other meds (antibiotics can be very sensitive to mag)
Dandelion as a mild diuretic to keep edema at bay and help my liver function which is not great… but again, things that mess with liver function mess with drugs. This speeds my clearance of some meds.
Vitex to regulate hormonal cycles (works gangbusters, knocks back some of the PMS) but don’t take this if you’re on drugs that affect dopamine!
wupacing 