I'm not so much into home remedies and the like as I am into teas, and quite a number of them are herbal.

Enzymatic Therapy makes a Complete Liver Cleanse with milk thistle, it's a 2 week cleanse. If you're still nursing/taking prescriptions/etc. you'll want to talk to your doctor before doing it. They also have a product called Liv-A-Tox which is a 3-a-day supplement that is meant to cleanse and support the liver that can be taken periodically but not long term. It does not contain milk thistle, but they also make a milk thistle product that can be taken daily. There are other cleanses out there, but Enzymatic Therapy is pretty affordable and good quality.

Also there are plenty of detoxifying/milk thistle teas out there. I like anything from Celestial, personally.

/This has been a post from the resident supplement buyer. ^_^;

aloe vera leaf juice is good for cleansing your body. burdock root and fenugreek purify your blood :) i believe gingko may help purify blood as well? i dont quite remember, however it helps you keep good memory. hawthorne berry promotes a healthy heart. thats all that comes to mind for internal health :p this is only stuff i've read about and since i'm not a doctor or have any serious health issues i cant claim any miracles. HOWEVER i do know from experience psyllium husks make you poop and are good for your colon. ^_^; ask a doctor of course for anything internal. i know calendula is one of the many things to avoid while nursing.

herbs aren't meant for long-term use though. they arent meant to be used on your body for longer than 30 days and its good to alternate days when using herbs internally. one day on, one day off. i know this guy who consumed kava kava root everyday and developed the green scaly skin rash that comes with prolonged use.

Honestly, I'm not really into herbal remedies but I do really enjoy drinking herbal teas and they seem to help when I'm starting to get a cold.

If you're planning on nursing, fenugreek is a wonderful thing to help both purify the blood and up your milk supply.

Just realize you're going to smell like a pancake house.

Do the teas you drink seem to have the effect they advertise? :)

Ill definitely look into that! I'm looking for something organic, but I'm going to do a bit of research before I decide what I'd like to try. I'm thinking about purchasing a book.

thank you for the info! :) yeah, im definitely not planning on doing this for longer than most likely a 2 week period,just a lil cleanse, couldnt hurt. Did he know that may develop? o.O

thanks for letting me know! Ive bought fresh fenugreek before and....it was so strange smelling and tasting. A....pancake house? xD

Yes, the way you know you're getting enough into your system to help with nursing, is you begin to smell like maple syrup.

And now I want pancakes...

TO THE IHOP!

I have mixed feelings about herbal and so-called natural remedies. First of all, i don't at all discount the effectiveness of some herbal preparations. After all, many proven drugs were originally isolated from plants, like aspirin. There are also less processed/refined natural herbal preparations which provide some relief for certain conditions, such as insomnia and mild depression. I most certainly am not trying to advertise for the big drug companies here! I would caution against relying on herbal remedies for anything serious though, like major depression or other severe mental health problems (i personally know someone who suffers from extreme paranoia and went off his prescribed medications and turned to herbs, aromatherapy, crystals and other "new age" cures and ended up murdering his landlady for no reason; he's been institutionalized ever since).

Also, i wouldn't recommend that anyone bother with homeopathic cures. The whole principle behind them is ridiculous. Like 1 part per trillion of ANYTHING is going to do a damn thing. I suggest that if you're going to go botanical, at least use standardized USP preparations so you know what you're getting. Otherwise you really have no idea.

As for the detox thing, i really have no idea; i've never tried it. I know that there is a senna "diet tea" product sold in Asian stores that causes...well...let's just say it certainly seems to clean you out good. >_> So obviously that herb has verifiable effects on the body! lol I wouldn't go near that again after that experience, and apparently the only "weight loss" you're going to get from that is water weight. But i'm a big fan of green tea and most herbal teas. From my experiences, i do believe they are useful combined with a good diet and exercise for weight loss (not a magical cure, but you know, good for you). Some of the very aromatic ones with mint and stuff help relieve cold symptoms too.

TL;DR - i think some herbals can be useful. But make sure you're getting a product formulated with a proven-effective dose (not diluted down to nothing) or you're wasting your time and money, and don't rely on them solely for serious medical conditions. In that case, consult a real doctor. An open-minded one, but not someone with some BS made-up credentials. Not some new-age herbalist or "empathologist" (that's what that quack my acquaintance went to called herself; they're not real doctors despite the -ologist).

as far as I can tell, they have no effect at all, whatsoever, so.. Nope.

what do you think all indigenous people did? plants, herbs, flowers, everything was put on earth for us to use to our benefit. that's how nature works, everything in harmony. obviously serious internal problems should be handled by modern science, but if you are eating right and exercise and have good general health there are many things a basic herbal concoction can fix. seasonal allergies, heartburn, gas, head aches, male impotence-- all cured or improved through use of herbs. we dont need to run out and by drugs created with artificial chemicals in labs to cure everything. they dont work with the snap of the finger, nothing does, they need to be incorporated into the body.

we are meant to be living in harmony with earth. taking from it and giving back. like all the stuff coming up from the ground is just for looking pretty? there have been many studies conducted on the proven use of herbs. a quick google search will give you many. If eating freaking cheerios can help cholesterol, herbs can help you more than youd probably think