This is draft 1; this article is now cleared for newsletter use.
I added a new paragraph, and reworked others. I hope you find it
of interest. I think a short companion piece, addressing the questionable
logic of the "all herbs are toxic, there is no such thing as medicine"
claim that one occasionally encounters in the raw world, would be a good
companion article for this. I may eventually write such an article
(I have posted on the topic before), but that will have to wait - I have
many projects on-going, many "irons in the fire". Maybe in January or
February??

Thanks to those whose feedback on an earlier draft of this paper,
helped to improve the final draft.

P.S. this is draft 1; draft 0 was posted only on the veg-raw list;
this draft is on 3 lists: raw-food, veg-raw, and living-foods.

Regards,
Tom Billings
[log in to unmask]

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RAW VS. COOKED MEDICINAL HERBS, AND RAW HERBAL JUICES
by Tom Billings
[Written November 1997]

The question of whether (medicinal) herbs should be used raw or cooked, and
the efficacy of raw herbal juices, comes up often. This paper briefly
addresses those questions.

Fresh, raw herbs are generally seen as the strongest form in which to take
medicinal herbs. In particular, raw herbal juices are assimilated more
readily than other ways of consuming raw herbs.  The use of raw juices and
herbs is recognized in Ayurveda, the traditional medical/wellness system
of India, and in Western herbalism as well (see the book, "Healing With
Herbal Juices", by Siegfried Gursche, for a Western herbal approach to
the use of raw herb juices). The widespread use of wheatgrass juice (also
barley grass, alfalfa juices) in the raw foods movement, provides an
excellent example of using raw herbal juices for health and healing.

However, real life doesn't always conform to our preferences, and the use
of raw herbs is constrained by a number of factors.  A discussion of these
constraints is as follows.

* Form: some herbs are (very) difficult to use raw.

Clearly, leaves and juicy fruits can be juiced and/or consumed raw. However,
it is difficult to eat bark, wood, seeds, or dry pods/fruits in the raw
state. Some dry pods can be eaten as-is (carob, for example) or rehydrated
and eaten (e.g., cassia). However, it is very difficult to eat wood/bark/
hard seeds, unless they are finely ground (and then they may cause stomach
upset on occasion).

* Availability: use of formulas.

Most herbal medicine systems use combinations of herbs, i.e., formulas,
in preference to single herbs. The solitary use of specific herbs is
not very common, in general. Whereas one might be able to get one herb
raw, it is considerably more difficult to get all 5-12 herbs that are
in a formula, fresh and raw, all at once. Additionally, the form constraint
(e.g., some herbs in the formula are wood/bark) presents an additional
challenge. Because of this, dried herb powders and tinctures are widely
used in herbalism, so that the formula is readily available.

* Method and timing: the method (and timing) in which herbs are taken may
be significant.

Both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine regard the method and timing
in which herbs are taken, to be important. Depending on the condition
of the person, and the nature of the ailments, herbs and/or formulas
may be taken before meals, after meals, between meals, at night, in the
morning, etc. Similarly, the vehicle - route of administering the herbs -
may vary as well: hot water, cold water, milk, aloe vera juice, honey, etc.
Those who wish to use raw herbs, may have to change the method and/or
timing, of their herbs - consult your herbal advisor on this.

* Vehicles: use of warm water/milk and/or alcohol.

Warm water (milk) and/or alcohol, are often used as vehicles to administer
herbs.  For those herbs used in a form that is difficult to use raw (e.g.,
wood/bark/hard seeds), heating allows more of the alkaloids (active
ingredients) in the herbs, to dissolve in the media (warm water/alcohol),
hence the active ingredients can be more bio-available. Presumably, raw
herbs contain more active ingredients than cooked herbs; however if the
raw herbs are in a difficult-to-assimilate form, they can pass through you
without being digested and assimilated. When that happens, the active
ingredients are literally wasted. In such cases, a heated tea or tincture,
containing less active ingredients, but which you actually absorb, may be
more effective.

* Dosage: some herbs are very harsh in their raw form.

In my own personal experiments, I discovered that raw (refrigerator) tea
made from raw neem leaves is extremely harsh (and very diuretic as well).
Tea from boiled neem leaves is not as harsh as the raw, and I would
not recommend raw neem leaves. Side notes on neem: Mahatma Gandhi used to
regularly eat chutney - pickles - made with raw neem leaves, as an aid in
the practice of celibacy. He would also go to bed with young girls,
to test his celibacy! Finally, neem is widely used in anti-diabetes and
anti-cancer programs in Ayurveda. For another example, a friend (Bodhi)
reports that the raw juice of gingko leaves is so strong that it literally
takes your breath away. So, one must use discretion with raw herbs - they
can be very strong indeed.

On the other hand, some raw herbs can be easily used raw,  for example:
corn silk and dandelion roots (the latter via refrigerator tea). Getting
the dosage correct is important, especially if the herb is raw and very
strong. It is easy to overdose when using raw herbs.

Side note: how to make raw refrigerator tea.
Take herbs (dried OK), place in water in a clean glass bottle (with lid),
shake well. If the herbs are fine powder, refrigerate immediately. If not,
allow the herbs in water, to set at room temperature and become re-hydrated
- may take 1-2 hours. Then put herbs and water in clean blender, and blend
on medium or high speed (to grind up the rehydrated herbs). Return to
bottle, place bottle in refrigerator, leave in refrigerator overnight -
raw tea is ready the next morning. Note: if the herbs are in powder form,
you might prefer to let them set at room temperature for an hour or two,
shaking occasionally, then use immediately.  Caution: long periods without
refrigeration should be avoided, due to risks of bacterial
growth/contamination.

* Taste: may be (very) unpleasant.

The unpleasant taste of raw herbs can sometimes be masked by eating them
with food (but this is not always appropriate). If the herbs are in juice
form, they can be mixed in raw celery juice or raw carrot juice. Raw
carrot juice is an excellent vehicle, as it is absorbed quickly by the
body. (Carrot juice is not appropriate for everyone - too much sugar
for some people, especially those struggling with diabetes or hypoglycemia;
also carrot juice is heating and increases pitta, in Ayurvedic terms).

In closing, I recommend that those with serious health problems should
consult a qualified health professional (preferably one with knowledge
and experience with herbs), before changing their herbal programs to
include fresh, raw herbs. Those of us that are healthy, of course, are
free to choose whether to experiment with raw herbs, or not (at your own
risk, of course).

I hope the above is of interest to some readers. I wish you good health!