Using Tonic Herbs for Health and Vitality

Reader Contribution by Jane Metzger

Herbs can be powerful allies for our health and wellness. Many of us are familiar with Echinacea and yarrow as antimicrobials, wild cherry bark for a cough, ginger for nausea, and a host of other herbs used in acute situations to restore health. Herbs can be very effective used in this manner, but herbs also shine when used as daily building and strengthening tonics.

What are Tonic Herbs?

In a previous article I discussed nourishing herbal infusions, which are made from nutrient-rich herbs that are safe to consume on a daily basis, as we do food. In this article I delve into tonic herbs – those herbs which can be consumed daily to enhance vitality, longevity, and energy. We may be familiar with the concept of tonics from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), wherein they are used “to supplement deficiencies and enhance energy and well-being” [1].

Tonic herbs slowly build and strengthen, restoring our body systems to a balanced state, thus supporting optimum function of our physical bodies as well as enhancing our emotional well-being. They reflect the essence of herbalism, which we emphasize in ouronline herbalism classes– integrating plants into our diets on a daily basis as supportive, building, strengthening allies used as preventative medicine or to heal chronic disease. Hippocrates hit the nail on the head with his oft-cited declaration, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food.” In recent years as we have linked the sad state of the Standard American Diet to our health struggles, there has fortunately been an increased emphasis on letting food be our medicine. We can focus on the second half of Hippocrates’ mandate and let medicine be our food by supplementing our diets and nourishing our bodies with tonic herbs.

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