Herbal firefighters

Inflammation is behind a vast range of chronic conditions, says naturopathic herbalist Christine Herbert. Here are eight of her favorite herbs to help you dampen the flames

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Chronic inflammation crops up in almost every person most alternative therapists see. It's thought to be the underlying cause of most chronic conditions today, including allergies, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, cancer, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis.

As a naturopathic herbalist with over two decades of practice, I've found that ignoring the name of a condition or disease and considering the state of inflammation and where it's manifesting can be a useful way of understanding the problem.

My holistic treatment approach includes looking at the potential root causes of the inflammation and addressing them with diet, supplements and lifestyle changes. I also recommend a range of herbs to help my patients heal inflammation.

It appears that most, or maybe all, herbs have a positive influence on inflammation in one way or another. But the following are among the top inflammation-mediating herbs.

Herbalists use the term inflammation-mediating rather than anti-inflammatory, as the action of the herbs is not usually directly anti-inflammatory. These herbs are mediating the inflammatory reaction to bring it to resolution rather than trying to stop it.

Inflammation-mediating herbs don't target a particular enzyme or action but have many different constituents that act on a variety of targets. This results in a gentler, safer action that's admittedly not as strong as medication but comes with far fewer side effects. It also generally comes with long-term healing rather than the temporary sticking plaster of medications.

Frankincense resin

Boswellia serrata