Chinese Herbs: Mahuang Benefits, Uses & Recipes

Hello and welcome back to the channel, really glad to have you here. In this video we're going to talk about the Chinese medicine herb called ma huang. Absolutely amazing, you can use the twigs and the root for that. We're going to talk about what to use it for, what are the benefits, what are the words of caution that I want you to be aware of regarding the side effects of the ma huang herb. Common recipes that are great to try at home for using ma huang and the different things that you can use it for. So let's get started. If you haven't subscribed to the channel and you like videos like this, we make daily videos discussing different herbs and wellness tactics and tips and tricks. So go ahead and click on the subscribe button if you enjoy videos like these. So ma huang is a great herbal root and also you can use the twigs, it's been used in China. Usually it's been used in China as an anti-asthmatic herb for the last 5000 years at least. It's really rich in alkaloids, it's really rich in volatile oils, in saponins as well. And when it comes to the twigs, they are very pungent, bitter and warm and the root is very neutral as well. It's quite pungent but it's very neutral in that sense. The ma huang herb was actually used by a Chinese scientist in 1924 and the alkaloid called euperdrine was extracted from that plant and it was first identified by the Chinese in 1924 and it's absolutely amazing because it helps with asthma as well. And we've got the Indian variety, the Indian type of the ma huang herb which is the species called E. gerardiana and I will include the name of the species, the name of the exact herb in the description box below just in case if I didn't pronounce it correctly. So the Indian variety is also really great because it's a potent tonic and elixir of youth. So the twigs are very amazing, they're anti-spasmodic, they're really good for detoxifying because they promote sweating as well and also they're antibacterial. They are having the antiviral properties, specifically when it comes to the essential oil of the ma huang which can be extracted using the twigs. So what the twigs are used for, they can be used to relieve bronchitis, spasms and asthma. They can also have anti-allergic properties and they're really important when it comes to tackling the hay fever and also the nasty nettle rash. So in China they also use it for specifically the colds and flus and also they use it for headaches, aches and pains, general aches and pains and also chesty cough as well. So this is the uses of the twigs of the ma huang herb. About the root, the root of the ma huang herb is used for night sweats and it's really amazing because it generally helps with excessive sweating and in traditional Chinese medicine it's also been used to help with the yin deficiency and it helps with that as well. Now one of the best ways to use the twigs is to make a tincture or purchase a tincture from your local health food store or your local Chinese herbal medicine practitioner. So the tincture is really amazing for asthma, absolutely amazing for hay fever and they're usually used to help with severe chills as well. Now you can combine the twigs tincture along with the thyme tincture specifically. It helps with bronchitis asthma and it also helps with boosting the immune system in general. Usually when it comes to that if you're living in the UK you need to be very careful because they have a maximum permitted dose by law which can be given by the holistic practitioners in the UK which is about 2.5ml of the 1-4 tincture 3 times per day but of course you need to check with your medical holistic practitioner if you are seeing one if you are living in the UK and they will be able to give you the right dose for yourself, for your condition and for everything regarding that as well. So the right dose for you needs to be given by the medical holistic practitioner. When it comes to the deconcussion of the twigs it's actually prescribed for common colds, coughs, asthma and hay fever and it's usually used as a diuretic when it comes to helping with kidney health. So in China they use it and they also use it in the US as well. You can also make a deconcussion from the root which the Chinese actually use in a condition where there is weakness in the yin and gui energy that leads to excessive sweating so the root really helps with helping to tame excessive sweating whilst the twigs help to induce sweating so they work differently. So a little bit of words of caution here, if you live in the UK under the 1968 medicine act it can be used by practitioners only so you won't find it being sold in the stores and that's quite normal. The same thing applies to Australia and New Zealand because it's actually considered a restricted herb and if you really need to use it you need to get in contact with a medical holistic practitioner in your area to help you get the herb and to help to give you the right dose for that. It should also be avoided in severe cases of hypertension, if you've got coronary thrombosis as well, please avoid using it as well as cases of glaucoma and it cannot be used by patients taking MAO inhibitors. If you are using any sort of holistic herbal remedy, if you are using any sort of essential oil, please make sure you consult your medical practitioner as well as your holistic practitioner as well if you want to go ahead and use it.