Don't make an herb mistake

With herbs becoming more and more mainstream, it stands to reason that more people will use them. That's good, right? Well, yes and no.

On the one hand, I think it is a huge step for anyone to seek and try an alternative remedy before choosing drugs or surgery. I love that my generation is beginning to question doctors, listen to their bodies and to try and do what works best for themselves. Here's to self-empowerment!

However, self-empowerment also comes with great responsibility. The reason many doctors aren't more herb-savvy or don't recommend many alternative treatments may be because they simply don't know enough to do so. Perhaps they haven't been trained in alternative remedies, and maybe the studies they read aren't geared toward natural healing. So when it is up to us (or of course your local and preferred natural practitioner) to decide what herb to take to help ourselves, we really need to know what we are doing.
Oh, so you read the labels on the herb bottles at your local herb shop? Maybe ask the employees what they would use? Not enough, says Cathy Wong, who has put together a list of the ten most common herb mistakes people make.

It's a great list. I have been using herbs for years, and have self-educated myself through books and personal connections. However, I did not know that simply drinking my relaxing chamomile tea could cause a problem for me if I were on a blood-thinning drug.

If you use herbs or would like to, for anything from relaxing to boosting your immune system or looking for energy, do yourself a favor and self-educate yourself to make sure a certain herb is right for you. And start with this informative list.