Growing up, it had always been made clear to me that there were plants in nature that you never messed with. Other plants were safe for some but not for me (see: my dog vs. me running through poison ivy), and still other plants that could surprise us by showing us the widom in the adage, The poison is in the dose. Believe it or not, I learned that last lesson with strawberries *shudder*
I remember being taught about snake berries as a suuuper young child. They grew in our yard in the corner of our village lawn that sloped down by the road and all over the places I liked to roam as a pretty free-range kid. Learning about snake berries was extremely important because they are tempting to little mouths, but these juicy red gems are very poisonous. I put that lesson with the others like it in my pocket and never ate a snake berry, amen.
Contact with nature was a daily interaction from the start, not just an idea for me. As I grew into an adult though I began to see that many people hadn't received these nature lessons and had the idea that everything natural was A-OK. So how does that look in practice?
Many, many years ago (2005 maybe?), I had a customer who was nice enough whenever he popped into the place I worked, but I learned he wasn't the best listener. He came in and wanted something to address his constipation. He felt he needed a cleanse. After a couple of questions, it became clear he hardly drank any water. I explained how that might be the first thing to address. Without the water, there can be a real traffic jam in gut. Well, he said, I don't drink water on account of my prostate - I end up constantly in the bathroom if I do. Especially at night and then I never sleep!I could appreciate his problem, so we talked a bit about that, but I could feel him still inching toward a bowel sweeping product, and so I put my foot down and said, Because of the fiber used in products like that, if one doesn't drink LOTS of water with them, constipation with get much, MUCH worse. He understood, he said. He also later double backed and bought the bowel flush after I left. Cut to Friday night about two days later. It's a call for my department and I pick up and immediately recognize his voice.
"I have a problem with one of your products," I hear.
I already knew what was coming. He took XYZ product, he said, and now he is so backed up that he thinks he needs to go to the hospital. Did I have anything in the shop to help?
I didn't let on I knew who he was, simply asking him if he was drinking water with that product. No? Then I suggested he go see a doctor.
Would that fiber in his product be considered natural?
Yes!
Could it have helped the next person to walk in?
Yes!
Was it the right solution for this challenge in that amount?
Nope, in fact it made it worse.
Nature accounts for all things, all reactions, including the bad.
Consider if your herb clears medications from the liver faster and renders them less effective like St. John’s/Joan’s wort.
Does that herb require us to drink more water or to be taken away from meds so as to not hinder med absorption like fiber?
Other herb may seriously interact with medications or conditions.
So this is a lot of my work. Remembering for the community that there are herbs that we never mess with, herbs that are right for my neighbour but not for me, and some where the poison is in the dose.