The herbal property and what it does
Adaptogen – nervine, helps support the nervous system, helps your body adapt to what it needs, aids in memory
Alterative – blood purifiers, help assimilate nutrition and eliminate waste
Analgesics – pain relievers
Antacids – neutralize acids in the stomach
Antiaborative – help inhibit abortive tendencies
Antiasthmatic – relieve the symptoms of asthma
Anti-emetic – relieves vomiting, relieve nausea, travel, and morning sickness
Antibiotics – inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses, enhances the immune system
Anticatarrhal – dry up mucus
Anti-inflammatory – reduce inflammation in the muscles
Antimicrobial – directly kills pathogens or helps the immune system to kill them
Antipyretics – cooling herbs for use with fevers
Anti pruritic – reduces itching
Antiseptics – applied to the skin to control bacteria growth
Antispasmodics – helps relax muscles spasms
Anti-tussive – cough suppressant
Aphrodisiacs – enhances sexual potency and drive
Astringents – have binding or constricting effect, tightens tissues, used to stop hemorrhaging or secretions, dries up wet conditions, can also dry up breast milk – they are also great using as a drawing poultice
Anxiolytic – support coping for stress and anxiety, nervine tonics
Bitter – promote production of bile, helps to increase appetite, tonics
Bronchial – respiratory herbs, sooth lung tissues, ease coughs and congestion
Carminatives – relieves gas, bloating, and indigestion
Cholagogues – laxatives by promoting flow of bile
Demulcents – smoothing, usually mucilage, protects damaged tissue
Diaphoretics – induce sweating, some are relaxing, and some are stimulating
Diuretics – increase the flow of urine and reduce water retention
Emetics – induce vomiting
Emmenagogues – promote menstruation
Emollients – soften and smooth the skin
Expectorants – expel mucus from the lungs and throat
Febrifuge – help break or reduce fevers, antipyretics
Galactagogues – increase the production of milk for nursing mothers
Haemostatics – stop hemorrhaging, styptics
Hepatic – toning and supporting the liver
Inotropic – increase contractility of the heart
Laxatives – promote bowel movements
Lithotripters – help dissolve and remove kidney or other types of stones
Mucilaginous – slimy, relieves hot and inflamed, cooling, soothing
Nervines – calm nervousness and nourish the nervous system
Oxytocic’s – stimulate uterine contractions and induce labor
Panacea – heal all, cure all
Parasiticides – destroy parasites in the digestive system
Purgatives – laxatives, usually toxic, expel fluids from the body via urine, bowel, sweating
Rubefacients – increase the flow of blood at the surface of the skin, drawing from deeper areas to promote healing
Sedatives – induce relaxation and promote sleep
Sialagogues – increase the flow of saliva and aid in digestion
Soporific – strong sedatives
Stimulants – increase the energies in the body and help to increase circulation
Stomachic – help promote general body health, some are more system specific, taken long term
Styptics – stop the blood flow to an area so it can scab, hemostatic
Tonics – same as stomachic, nourishing, toning, calming, taken long term
Vermifuge – expel worms
Vulneraries – promotes healing of wounds, promotes cell growth and repair