by Vince Smith

Created on: March 09, 2009

Herbs are a powerful and effective remedy for just about every type of ailment or malady you can imagine. Your local health food store is full of them, but which ones are right for you?

Everybody knows about certain herbs, like Gingko Biloba for better memory, Ginseng for stamina and the like but there are hundreds more you may never have heard of. If you walk into any vitamin store, you will find herbs are mainly in pill form. While convenient, they do not give anywhere near the benefit of the actual herbs themselves. Most health food stores sell them in liquid form, which is both a convenient and effective way to administer the remedies.

You won't get recommendations for herbal remedies from your doctor or clinic. Holistic medicine is not something they want to promote. They are looking to cure you pharmaceutically, which sometimes is not the best choice for your greater health.

A few essential herbs to keep on hand are:

American Ginseng which is good for energy and stamina. It is much more effective than the other varieties of Ginseng from abroad.

Ginkgo Biloba which is great with Gotu Kola for memory, concentration and mental focus.

Arnica in liquid form is not for ingestion as it is poisonous but when placed on a wound will heal it up very quickly. It's been called "Soldier's Root" because they used to put it on wounds in wartime.

Saw Palmetto promotes urinary health.

St. John's Wort is an effective mood enhancer and will bring balance and harmony.

Lavender is great for your immune system and the scent is great aromatherapy and will make you feel good about life. Make sure you get real Lavender because there is a plant called Lavendus that is much more plentiful than Lavender and smells like it but does not give the health benefits. It is much cheaper to use and is used in many products that are "Lavender scented".

Garlic is good for your heart and your circulation, and is always a good bet to spice up your favorite foods.

Almond Oil is really good for your skin.

There are hundreds more available, all with different properties and benefits available at your local health food store or retailer, as well as many books on the subject. My advise would be to pick up a book on the subject such as Herbs For You by Dr. A.B. Howard, a renowned Naturopathic Doctor that lists all the herbs and what they do for you and try them for yourself. I use them frequently and they have made a positive impact on my life and I hope they will on yours as well.

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