the most successful were:

raspberry or blackberry leaf tea for constipation or general stomach upsets

spearmint tea to ward off colds

valerian for all of my lady friends

since going tropical I use gotu kola every day for osteoarthritis and pain from a broken back (and new xrays have shown an old break in my pelvis)

vietnamese mint in lots of food for general well being

sennapods for constipation

valerian for menstrual pains and to calm the nerves and aid sleeping

I've use aloe vera many times to help heal scars from surgery, with doctors' approval. It worked on my baby son's bottom when he had severe (and bleeding) nappy rash and nothing else worked. (He was allergic to practically everything, as a baby.)

I make up a concoction of a combination of any of the following for UTIs, in conjunction with antibiotics if prescribed: nasturtium, cornsilk, agrimony, lovage, uva-ursi. I don't know which one helps the most, but it does help.

Years ago, when my mother had a mild stroke and had a splitting headache, I gave her a couple of cups of rosemary tea (the only herb she grew!). It eased her pain considerably.

Tea-tree oil works like magic on fungal conditions. In the hot and humid conditions of SE Qld, these aren't uncommon, as I know to my sorrow, but good ol' TT oil does the trick.

My son had some mysterious red blotches on his face, doctors couldn't figure out what it was. So he went to a Chinese herbalist, who mixed up some concoction or other (he didn't speak good English so we don't know exactly what was in it) and the blotches disappeared in a week, and haven't returned, 3 years or so later.

I was given a box of some soft-drink or other that had ginseng added, but no artifical colours etc. It made me as high as a kite! I won't touch ginseng ever again. It was an extremely unpleasant feeling.

I've used a lot of herbs, so I could go on at great length. I have found them helpful, but they work more slowly than conventional medications in most cases, and I'm probably more cautious about using them than most, because I've done my homework.

I was utterly delighted not so long ago, when booked into hospital for surgery, that I was presented with a free booklet on herbs and supplements to be avoided before surgery. It was gratifying to see that the medical profession and the government who runs the hospital are at last recognising the medicinal benefits/downside of herbs.

It was equally gratifying to be given warnings about St. John's Wort, and its interference with so many drugs, by the chemist when filling out a prescription for something or other. So even chemists are getting in on the act.

I was facing such a worst condition such as hair loss. I was worried about my hair loss rapidly. After some time one of my friend suggest the aloe vera. I applied the aloe vera directly on my hair and trust me my hair growing very nicely and even prevent hair from falling. Its really very good for hair.