[spanishgirl]

I'm a sort of a newbie at herbs and I've got some questions! I'm sorry if these have been answered already elsewhere, but it's 4:40am here and I'm kind of done reading a gazillion threads for tonight.

1. What herbs have you used? Which of those worked or you would recommend, which ones would you not recommend and why not?
2. How long have you been using nbe herbs?
3. Where do you buy/order your herbs?
4. When buying herbs do you go for powders, pills, seeds, leaves or essence or what? :o

Thank you so much beforehand!

[Isabelle]

Welcome Angelus,

I wrote my answers between your questions:

1. What herbs have you used? Which of those worked or you would recommend, which ones would you not recommend and why not?

I tried almost every common NBE herb, except pueraria mirifica (PM). The first that worked for me was hops. Fenugreek and goat's rue added something later on. What I would recommend depends on who you are: hops is useful if you have acne, but not if you get depressed easily. PM is useful if you are on birth control, but it messes up natural cycles. I would recommend taking a phyto-estrogen, a little phyto-progestin, an anti-androgen, and an herb that increases prolactin. Most herbs combine two or more of these functions. For instance licorice has them all.

2. How long have you been using nbe herbs?

About ten years. Five years before I found hops worked for me. Almost 7 months since I found this forum, and started to understand what I was doing. Almost six months since my last break. I grew 3" in the last three months.

3. Where do you buy/order your herbs?

I prefer herb shops, oriental supermarkets, and the health food section of the local supermarkets. This lady should know where to buy: http://www.henriettesherbal.com/bio.html

4. When buying herbs do you go for powders, pills, seeds, leaves or essence or what?

I prefer my herbs with the least amount of processing, but enough to make them practical:

hops: dried flowers
fenugreek: powdered seed
maca: powdered root
goat's rue: chopped dried leaves and stems
flax: broken seeds
oats: flakes (as in breakfast cereals)