Herb Journal: Oregon Grape Root

Mild, compared to a lot of root teas. Tastes like earth and all of that, well, understandably, it is a root. I have to say, I love roots. I love bark, they are so grounding. Such intense and beautiful medicine, something that gave life to a plant, that was rooted in the earth, we are so lucky to have these beautiful things at our disposal. This tea is not yummy, nor offensive. Its just.. okay. But nevertheless, understanding its enormous power, it demands so much respect. Since Goldenseal is becoming endangered due to overharvesting, I'm glad we have a local plant that offers similar medicinal properties. The tea is sort of yellow-ish brown and very mild. It is a little bitter, and for that reason, I think i'd rather take it as a tincture if I were to be using it in great quantities. It had a head-clearing effect on me, which stands to reason, as one of the things that it is indicated for is headaches. Specifically headaches starting at the occiput and sreading over the right side of the head to the eyes, which is similar to the one I had, sort of, on one side, much like a stress/tension headache or a migraine but less intense. I love Oregon Grape Root for it's potent anti-bacterial, anti-microbial/anti-viral properties, great for acute infections but as well to keep your immune system strong (immuno-modulating) and to bring your body back into balance (alterative).