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Herbs properties and uses

Flavors and Actions of Herbs

by Susan Marynowski 

In the recent discussion of cranberry, someone said that they drank pure cranberry juice (without sugar) and that it was "bitter." Cranberry is actually a "sour" flavor! This has prompted me to write about the flavors, which I believe are a doorway to understanding the plants and their actions. As a perpetual student, this will be a review for me and hopefully interesting for the newer herbalists on the list.

Many traditions categorize plant medicines based on their flavors. Flavors are a great way to understand plants because they relate to the chemical composition of the plants, and therefore the actions of those plants. The Chinese have a 5-flavor system, while the Ayurvedic tradition honors 6 flavors. Native Americans also had flavor categories for plants, as did the ancient Greeks and other lost western traditions. Not every herb fits neatly into these categories, and some herbs have more than one flavor, but this is a great start to understanding plant chemistry. There can be many subdivisions and nuances in flavor, but here's just a basic description of some of the flavors of plants, from a multi-ethnic perspective.

PUNGENT: Also called "acrid" or "spicy," herbs with this flavor are warm or hot and drying in energy. Pungent plants usually contain volatile oils. Many of our favorite essential oils come from pungent plants. They are excellent digestive herbs ("carminatives") and blood purifiers and they move poor circulation and dispel conditions of cold and mucus. They often move energy from the inside of the body to the outside of the body ("diaphoretic"), opening the pores and allowing sweating to occur. They are relaxing and also possess antimicrobial activity. They have a direct effect on the lungs and the colon. Great bunch of plants for "cold" colds without fevers! Think of herbs in the mint family (marjoram, rosemary, thyme, lavendar, mints), ginger, herbs in the Apiaceae family (angelica/dong quai, fennel, coriander, cumin, dill, anise), prickly ash, cayenne, black pepper, garlic.

SWEET: The sweet flavored herbs are warm-to-neutral and moist in nature. This kind of sweetness is the full flavor of complex carbohydrates and other macronutrients, not the empty sweetness of pure sugars (which are cooling in nature). These herbs/foods tend to build, harmonize, strengthen, tonify, and nourish the body, especially for those with a lack of energy or weak blood. They have an inward and consolidating action. These plants actually form the bulk of most diets around the world (e.g., grains, beans). It is now believed that the polysaccharides (long-chain carbohydrates) in mildly sweet herbs and foods are the reason for their long-term nourishing and immunostimulant effects. In excess, however, sweet (esp. empty sweets) can cause congestion and lethargy and dampen (quell) the digestive fires. Examples of sweet herbs include ginseng, jujube dates, cinnamon, licorice, astragalus. (While classified as a bitter herb, echinacea also contains these immunostimulating polysaccharides.)

SOUR: The understanding of sour herbs is divided among different traditions. Some of the sour herbs are warming and moistening. This warming group tends to gain its flavors through the presence of organic acids and bioflavonoids. These foods cleanse the body of toxins and promote digestion. Some are cardiac tonics. They stimulate digestion by directly affecting the liver and galbladder. Sour herbs are high in vitamins (e.g., Vitamin C = ascorbic acid). Examples of these warming sour herbs/foods include citrus, berries (blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, etc.), plums, peaches, pineapple, hibiscus ("red zinger"), rose hips, hawthorn berry, vinegar.

ASTRINGENT: Astringent herbs (also called "sour" by the Chinese) are typically cooling and drying and condensing. They gain their flavor from the presence of chemical constitutents called tannins. These herbs are most useful for tissue contraction and fluid absorption, such as in stopping excess perspiration, loss of fluids, diarrhea, or excess mucus secretion or bleeding. They are especially tonifying to the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, urinary tract, uterus, and kidneys. In excess, astringent herbs can actually harm digestion by coating the mucus linings of the digestive tract, just as tannins act to toughen the flesh when tanning hides. Examples include blackberry leaf, raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, schizandra, black walnut hulls.

BITTER: The bitter herbs are generally cooling and drying in nature. The bitter flavor comes from chemical components such as alkaloids and glycosides. Bitter herbs are detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral in action. They stimulate the secretion of bile, which stimulates the digestion and normal bowel elimination. They also help clear the blood of cholesterol. This taste stengthens the hearts and small intestines and cleanses the blood. Bitter is America's least favorite flavor, with the notable exception of coffee, with its stimlulating alkaloid, caffeine. Bitter to excess can cause too much cooling and drying. If bitter herbs are being used for more long-term digestive treatment, they often are balanced with warming "carminative" pungent herbs. Examples include dandelion, gentian, turmeric, any of the berberine-containing plants (goldenseal, barberry, etc.) 

SALTY: The salty taste is generally cold in energy. It stabilizes and regulates fluid balance and also has a softening effect, such as on hardened lymph nodes, tight muscles, constipation, or tumors. Salty herbs have an effect on the kidneys, adrenals, and bladder and they can improve elimination and bowel action. Salty herbs also help control gas and coughs. A craving for salt is often a sign of adrenal exhaustion. In excess, plain salt can be irritating and heating to the body, causing water retention and high blood pressure. Herbs high in mineral salts, however, will not cause these complications. Examples include nettles, plantain, seaweeds (considered warming in some traditions). 

I recommend that you and your herbal friends to get together during the cold of winter and have an herb tasting. Have one or several friends be the hosts, who prepare the "mystery" infusions ahead of time. Then, just like tasting fine wines, you can taste and describe and discuss the flavors (one at a time!) and try to guess what effects the plants would have and perhaps even identify the plants from their flavors. This is a great exercise for even experienced herbalists, and for new herbalists helps to develop the refined sense of taste needed to begin to know and understand the plants. The bitter flavor, in particular, is one for which we should all cultivate a better appreciation!

Now for the person who thought that cranberry was bitter: If you aren't sure what bitter tastes like, start with some turmeric from the spice rack, or make some strong yarrow tea, which is mildly bitter. Graduate to some goldenseal or boneset tea to really get a hit of bitter. Or try some Swedish bitters before a meal to stimulate digestion. Then compare the flavor of straight cranberry, and you will know the difference between sour and bitter. Sour makes your cheeks pucker, while bitter hits the back of the tongue in a very satisfying way! Cheers! --Susan

Specific Herbs

herb descriptions will follow this order:

Alfalfa

Aloe Vera  (aloe  barbadensis)

Angelica  (Angelica sinensis, Dong Quoi)

Anise

 

Astragalus  (astragalus membranaceus)

Bayberry

Bearberry  (Uva Ursi

Bee Pollen 

Beet root

Bilberry  (vaccinium myrtillus)

Birch  (betula spp)

Black Cohosh

Blessed Thistle  (Cnicus benedictus)

Bloodroot  (sanguinaria canadensis)

Blue Cohosh

Blue Flag

Blue Vervain

Boneset  (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Boswellia  (Boswellia sernata)

Buchu  (agathosma betulina)

Burdock

Calendula

Cayenne  (Capsicum frutescens)

Cascara Sagrada

Catnip

Chamomile  (matricaria chamomilla)

Chaste berry  (vitex agnus castus)

Chickweed

Cherry  (Prunus spp)

Cinnamon

Cleavers

Comfrey

Cornsilk

Cramp Bark

Damiana

Dandelion

Daisy

Devil's Claw

Dill weed

Dong Quai

Dulse

Echinacea

Elderberry

Elder flowers

Elecampane

Eye Bright

False Unicorn

Fennel

Fenugreek 

Feverfew 

Garlic  (allium sativum)

Gentian

Ginger

Ginko

Golden Seal

Goto Kola

memory, brain, pituitary, depression, senility

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE)

Hawthorn

Hops

Horehound

Hydrangea

Juniper Berries

Kava Kava

Kelp

Kudzu (chinese Gen gen)

Lemon Balm

Lemon Peel

Licorice

Lobelia

Marshmallow

Meadowsweet

Milk Thistle

Mullein

Myrrh

Nettles

Oatstraw

Orange Peel

Oregon Grape

Passion Flower

Pau D'Araco

Peppermint

Prickley Ash Bark

Purple Loosestrife

Red Raspbery 

Red Root

Rose Buds

Sage

St John's Wort (Hypericum)

Sarsparilla

Saw Palmettto

Schizandra berry

Shavegrass

Siberian Ginseng

Skullcap

Slippery Elm

Spearmint

Spikenard

Stevia

Tansey

Turmuric

Thyme

Una de Gato (Cat's Claw)

Uva Ursi

Valerian

White Pine

White Pond Lily

White Willlow

Wild Cherry

Wild Lettuce

Wood Betony

Wormwood

Yarrow

Yerba Santa

Yohimbe