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Herbal Crisis
- By Steven Horne
- Published October 18, 2008
- Herbals and Supplements
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Steven Horne
Steven Horne is professional member and recent past president of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) and a professional member of the International Iridology Practitioner’s Association (IIPA). He has also served on the board of directors of both organizations.
An herbalist, natural health teacher, author, and consultant, Steven is the father of 5 children who have been raised on natural remedies. You can learn more about him at http://www.steven-horne.com.
View all articles by Steven Horne
As a child and young adult I was plagued with serious sinus problems. I was extremely susceptible to colds, sore throats and sinus headaches. Often it would take me weeks to shake off acute illness.
In my early 20s, I started to dabble in herbs and natural remedies and got some relief, but it wasn’t until I started working with my herbal mentor, Edward Milo Millet in 1981 that I really started to get dependable results.
Ed introduced me to the ABC concept of healing (Activate, Build and Cleanse). He had three formulas he used as the core of his system, an herbal activating formula, an herbal building and an herbal cleaning formula. I used all three of Ed’s formulas, but the one that I had the most success with was his herbal activating formula, Herbal Crisis.
As a little background, the crisis is the point in an acute illness when the symptoms reach their peak, the disease turns and the body starts to recover. I remember seeing an old time movie where a doctor was attending a sick patient and came out and announced, “the crisis has passed.” This is the point when the body has successfully gained the upper hand and is starting to successfully expel whatever was irritating it.
The Herbal Crisis formula helps stimulate the body’s healing energies to fight off disease so the body can more easily rich the “crisis” and get rid of what is irritating it. It is based on a formula from the 19th century herbalist, Samuel Thomson, called composition powder or composition for short.
Thomson used three herbal products as his primary healing agents. His number one was lobelia, his number two capsicum or cayenne pepper and his number three was composition. Using enemas and steam baths along with these three agents, Thomsonian practitioners were able to effectively heal many of the acute infectious diseases of that day.
Ed’s Herbal Crisis formula basically mixed Composition with lobelia and goldenseal, another herb popularized by Thomson. (Composition already contains capsicum.) Thus, it puts all of Thomson’s primary remedies into one formula. The recipes for both Herbal Composition and Herbal Crisis are found in my Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad course and my Herbal Preparations and Applications course available from Tree of Light Publishing.
Herbs in the Crisis Formula
The primary ingredients in Herbal Crisis are bayberry root bark and white pine, two aromatic astringents that break up and thin mucus so the body can expel it more effectively. They also help to tone mucus membranes to reduce excessive drainage and fight infection.
Herbal Crisis also contains lobelia, an antispasmodic herb that relaxes muscle cramps, eases pain, promotes lymphatic circulation, calms coughing and promotes perspiration. Lobelia has been called “the intelligent herb” because it seems to be able to relieve a wide variety of unrelated problems and act where it is most needed. I have found that blue vervain can be used in place of lobelia in the Herbal Crisis formula and it still works great.
Another herb Ed added to composition (besides lobelia) was goldenseal. Goldenseal helps reduce inflammation and irritation on mucus membranes and to fight infection. Unfortunately, golden seal is becoming endangered, so we often substitute Oregon grape for goldenseal in the Crisis formula and find it works equally well.
The final ingredients in Herbal Crisis are three aromatics, ginger, capsicum and cloves. These herbs stimulate circulation and digestive secretions. Cloves has both disinfectant and anti-parasitic activity. These ingredients help promote perspiration to break fevers and also help the body expel excess mucus
Personal Experience with Herbal Crisis
I had some great experiences using Herbal Crisis formula. For example, I was working at a Target store in early spring while I was studying with Ed. The store was receiving its first shipment of evergreen trees for the lawn and garden department, and I was one of the people assigned to unload them. I had only a light jacket, and there was a bitter, cold wind blowing outside. I was also feeling the beginning stages of a cold. My sinuses were starting to run, and my throat was just on the edge of being sore.
Normally this situation would spell big trouble for me. I’d get sick and would take days to recover. Fortunately, I had some of Ed’s Herbal Crisis formula made up as an herbal glycerite with me. I mixed a tablespoon of Herbal Crisis into a quart jar of water and drank some before going outside. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I would step back into the building to warm up for a few minutes and take another drink of the Herbal Crisis. I spent two hours unloading trees in a cold wind and yet, at the end of the two hours, my sinuses had stopped running and my throat felt fine. I never did “come down” with that cold.
Ever since that day, I’ve learned that if I load myself up with Herbal Crisis or even just some pungent herbs to the point that I get my sinuses running at the very first sign of a cold, I never come down with it. In other words, instead of trying to stop my sinuses from draining, I help my body drain my sinuses faster, thus reaching the crisis sooner and expelling the irritants that are causing the disease in hours rather than days.
Other Uses for Herbal Crisis
I’ve also used Herbal Crisis as a first aid remedy for minor injuries. All one has to do is soak a cotton ball or gauze pad with it, put it over the affected area and cover it with tape or bandages. It promotes rapid healing of cuts, scrapes, burns and other minor injuries.
Another great use for Herbal Crisis is as a gargle. Dilute it about with about 1 part Crisis to 4 parts water and gargle with it. It stings a little a first (because of the capsicum), but then it rapidly cuts the pain. It also loosens any mucus at the back of the throat so you can get rid of it.
Another use for Herbal Crisis is as an enema solution. I use about 1 tablespoon to two quarts of water. It knocks down yeast in the colon very fast, and relieves respiratory congestion extremely rapidly when used in this manner. If there is any mucoid matter in the colon, it helps get rid of it. Once, I had a colonic where something in my colon just didn’t seem to want to budge. After I got home, I took an enema with crisis in the water and passed a stringy piece of mucoid matter very quickly and easily.
I keep this formula on hand all the time as part of my “herbal first aid kit.” It is one of the most useful and versatile remedies I know for all acute illness. I’ve attached a handout to this article, which you can download and distribute freely (provided you don’t alter it in any way except to put your name and contact information in the “Distributed by:” box.)
In my early 20s, I started to dabble in herbs and natural remedies and got some relief, but it wasn’t until I started working with my herbal mentor, Edward Milo Millet in 1981 that I really started to get dependable results.
Ed introduced me to the ABC concept of healing (Activate, Build and Cleanse). He had three formulas he used as the core of his system, an herbal activating formula, an herbal building and an herbal cleaning formula. I used all three of Ed’s formulas, but the one that I had the most success with was his herbal activating formula, Herbal Crisis.
As a little background, the crisis is the point in an acute illness when the symptoms reach their peak, the disease turns and the body starts to recover. I remember seeing an old time movie where a doctor was attending a sick patient and came out and announced, “the crisis has passed.” This is the point when the body has successfully gained the upper hand and is starting to successfully expel whatever was irritating it.
The Herbal Crisis formula helps stimulate the body’s healing energies to fight off disease so the body can more easily rich the “crisis” and get rid of what is irritating it. It is based on a formula from the 19th century herbalist, Samuel Thomson, called composition powder or composition for short.
Thomson used three herbal products as his primary healing agents. His number one was lobelia, his number two capsicum or cayenne pepper and his number three was composition. Using enemas and steam baths along with these three agents, Thomsonian practitioners were able to effectively heal many of the acute infectious diseases of that day.
Ed’s Herbal Crisis formula basically mixed Composition with lobelia and goldenseal, another herb popularized by Thomson. (Composition already contains capsicum.) Thus, it puts all of Thomson’s primary remedies into one formula. The recipes for both Herbal Composition and Herbal Crisis are found in my Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad course and my Herbal Preparations and Applications course available from Tree of Light Publishing.
Herbs in the Crisis Formula
The primary ingredients in Herbal Crisis are bayberry root bark and white pine, two aromatic astringents that break up and thin mucus so the body can expel it more effectively. They also help to tone mucus membranes to reduce excessive drainage and fight infection.
Herbal Crisis also contains lobelia, an antispasmodic herb that relaxes muscle cramps, eases pain, promotes lymphatic circulation, calms coughing and promotes perspiration. Lobelia has been called “the intelligent herb” because it seems to be able to relieve a wide variety of unrelated problems and act where it is most needed. I have found that blue vervain can be used in place of lobelia in the Herbal Crisis formula and it still works great.
Another herb Ed added to composition (besides lobelia) was goldenseal. Goldenseal helps reduce inflammation and irritation on mucus membranes and to fight infection. Unfortunately, golden seal is becoming endangered, so we often substitute Oregon grape for goldenseal in the Crisis formula and find it works equally well.
The final ingredients in Herbal Crisis are three aromatics, ginger, capsicum and cloves. These herbs stimulate circulation and digestive secretions. Cloves has both disinfectant and anti-parasitic activity. These ingredients help promote perspiration to break fevers and also help the body expel excess mucus
Personal Experience with Herbal Crisis
I had some great experiences using Herbal Crisis formula. For example, I was working at a Target store in early spring while I was studying with Ed. The store was receiving its first shipment of evergreen trees for the lawn and garden department, and I was one of the people assigned to unload them. I had only a light jacket, and there was a bitter, cold wind blowing outside. I was also feeling the beginning stages of a cold. My sinuses were starting to run, and my throat was just on the edge of being sore.
Normally this situation would spell big trouble for me. I’d get sick and would take days to recover. Fortunately, I had some of Ed’s Herbal Crisis formula made up as an herbal glycerite with me. I mixed a tablespoon of Herbal Crisis into a quart jar of water and drank some before going outside. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I would step back into the building to warm up for a few minutes and take another drink of the Herbal Crisis. I spent two hours unloading trees in a cold wind and yet, at the end of the two hours, my sinuses had stopped running and my throat felt fine. I never did “come down” with that cold.
Ever since that day, I’ve learned that if I load myself up with Herbal Crisis or even just some pungent herbs to the point that I get my sinuses running at the very first sign of a cold, I never come down with it. In other words, instead of trying to stop my sinuses from draining, I help my body drain my sinuses faster, thus reaching the crisis sooner and expelling the irritants that are causing the disease in hours rather than days.
Other Uses for Herbal Crisis
I’ve also used Herbal Crisis as a first aid remedy for minor injuries. All one has to do is soak a cotton ball or gauze pad with it, put it over the affected area and cover it with tape or bandages. It promotes rapid healing of cuts, scrapes, burns and other minor injuries.
Another great use for Herbal Crisis is as a gargle. Dilute it about with about 1 part Crisis to 4 parts water and gargle with it. It stings a little a first (because of the capsicum), but then it rapidly cuts the pain. It also loosens any mucus at the back of the throat so you can get rid of it.
Another use for Herbal Crisis is as an enema solution. I use about 1 tablespoon to two quarts of water. It knocks down yeast in the colon very fast, and relieves respiratory congestion extremely rapidly when used in this manner. If there is any mucoid matter in the colon, it helps get rid of it. Once, I had a colonic where something in my colon just didn’t seem to want to budge. After I got home, I took an enema with crisis in the water and passed a stringy piece of mucoid matter very quickly and easily.
I keep this formula on hand all the time as part of my “herbal first aid kit.” It is one of the most useful and versatile remedies I know for all acute illness. I’ve attached a handout to this article, which you can download and distribute freely (provided you don’t alter it in any way except to put your name and contact information in the “Distributed by:” box.)