Total Body Wellness Through Tonic Herbs:       

The New Revolution in Herbal Medicine
by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.

Wellness: The Tonic Gift to Man
I have used the word 'wellness' on purpose. The tonic concept does emphasize staying well more than it does getting cured. Someone has coined a phrase, "Wellness is better than a cure." I think that is true. The main function of a tonic is to maintain balance, or in other words, maintain wellness. However, tonics are also used to restore balance or wellness, implying therefore that they can be used when a person is out of balance or ill. Both applications are valid. But the emphasis is always on restoring and maintaining balance, not on fighting or curing disease. This subtle distinction appeals to me in several ways. Mainly, I think it reflects a healthier approach to life in general. Physically and psychologically, it is healthier to consume herbs as a part of staying well, feeling good and enjoying the vital aspects of life as opposed to viewing herbs just as treatments for disease.

To Every Herb There is a Time
There are times when your body will be overpowered by stress injury or some agent of disease, times when it will need an acute, quick boost that tonic herbs may not provide. On such occasions, the use of some form of non-tonic herb is indicated. Even an extract of a tonic herb can be used. An echinacea extract for example, is much more powerful than whole echinacea herb. Unless very carefully prepared, the extract has lost its tonic properties, but will act as a very powerful immunostimulant. Thus, if I get a sore throat, I use echinacea extract to effect an immediate reversal of that condition. Then I go back to the whole herb (along with other immunotonics) for the routine maintenance of my immune system. This brings up a rule of thumb: Herbal tonics can be used on a daily basis; non-tonic herbs, and non-tonic extracts of tonic herbs should be used intermittently, only when needed. Another example of a tonic herb that is non-tonic in its extracted form is licorice root. This herb may be the single most beneficial herb in the world, and may be used daily by almost everyone. Yet, when extracted, it may lose its tonic action, and may become inappropriate for prolonged daily consumption.

Stability: The Legacy of Tonics, Or, How to Make Tonics a Part of Your Life
Although it wouldn't hurt to support each and every body system with herbal tonics each and every day, such a prescription is not practical and it is not necessary. So here is another astounding thing about herbal tonics: Once a body system is brought into balance, usually accomplished in a few weeks, it will generally have enough strength and vitality to stay there for several months. The Europeans take advantage of this concept. Every summer many Europeans take an extended vacation at a spa where they go through procedures to restore health and vitality to their bodies, which then sustains them through the next 12 months or until time for another vacation at the spa. After decades of approaching wellness in this manner, it is amazing how accurate the system has become. In some ways, consuming herbal tonics is like that. You can take one tonic for a month or two and then switch to another for a month or two, and so forth, rotating through the entire group every nine months to a year. Consuming one or two bottles of a good tonic combination is better than trying to restore balance with a dozen bottles of non-tonic herbs.

However, long term use of herbal tonics may be necessary if you are susceptible to weaknesses in particular body systems. For example, if there is a history of cardiovascular disease in your family, or if there is a tendency among your family members to experience substantial deviations from normal cholesterol or blood lipid values, to have angina, or any other manifestation of an imbalance in cardiovascular function, it would be wise to begin now consuming a couple of capsules of the cardiovascular tonic and to maintain that for months or years, or even the rest of your life, as just a routine part of your diet. Here's another common example: The majority of men over the age of 40 will experience some problem with their prostate gland. Consumption of the male tonic combination may eliminate this risk plus keep the libido in good shape. Most people will find that there are one or two tonics they want to use all the time, and others they will want to rotate through over a six to 12-month period. Almost all baby boomers are attracted to the brain combination for its effect on memory, ability to concentrate, and so forth, but see the need to consume one or two bottles a year of each of the other tonics. Many women feel the need for the female tonic at least two weeks out of every month, and will use it daily throughout a pregnancy. Combining the female tonic with the nervous system tonic is a favorite choice of many women employed outside of the home. The musculoskeletal tonic finds daily application by people with various forms of inflammatory joint disease who are constantly fighting to maintain balance in joint fluid levels, yet will be used intermittently by athletes and others who experience occasional injuries. So you see there are numerous ways the tonics can be consumed. The beauty of it is that you don't have to worry about combining herbs in a harmful or otherwise wrong manner. All of these herbs work together, and although they are grouped according to body systems, many of them impact on several systems, and the variety of beneficial synergy is truly endless.

The Tonic Laxative!
Tonics may even be used for conditions that would, at first glance appear to be inappropriate for a tonic. For example, it is possible to construct an herbal laxative. Granted, laxative function is perhaps the most severe test of a tonic. You would think that the need for a laxative is a situation where non-tonic herbs are called for. Yet, I have found that it is possible to create a tonic laxative combination if great care is given to the components and their relative concentrations. To understand how this is possible, you need to realize that chronic laxative abuse generally leads to the loss of tone in the large bowel. Most laxatives reinforce this loss of tone through the inclusion of components that are astringent in nature. The laxative tonic, on the other hand, avoids astringency and includes components that help restore tone to the large bowel. We have shown in numerous cases where longstanding laxative habits have been completely reversed by administration of the laxative tonic.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this article and my book on the subject are efforts to accord tonics the special status they deserve and to encourage everyone to begin using them in the manner appropriate to their potential. True herbal tonics will do more for your health than any other group of herbs. In many cases the use of tonics will almost completely eliminate the need for stronger, uni-directional herbal remedies, or will at the very least reduce our dependence on them to a bare minimum. Incidentally, the routine use of herbal tonics should make the occasional use of non-tonic herbs even more effective. Learn the tonic herbs. Seek out combinations uncontaminated with unidirectional substances. Enjoy health, vitality, balance. And remember, not all herbs are created equal.

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