Blood cleansing
The term alterative was once described as being “blood cleansing”, which is suggesting that blood is dirty to begin with, which would be a very different scenario than what these herbs are actually intended for. They are meant to used toward altering the body toward health. Alterative herbs are used for problems like psoriasis or eczema and used for core body metabolism- they are manipulators. This is a property that orthodox medicine does not recognize, but it is a property that should be acknowledged even if we aren’t really sure how they work, we know that they do and some of them are very strong. Green leafy herbs such as red clover, nettles, and cleavers also tend to be diuretics and are gentler than the rooted herbs which are more hepatic, and they push the body a bit more. Choosing the right alterative herb can be pivotal. Red clover, cleavers, and nettle have worked really well for eczema in children, not so much for adults. Cleavers are great for cleansing of the lymphatic system. Those three herbs were also used in the past for fighting lymphatic cancers. Red clover is very relaxing for children under 7 years old and can be boiled and put in a bath for hyperactive children. Phytoestrogens in this plant were thought to treat hot flashes by German pharmaceuticals, but as David Hoffman says, “don’t believe everything the ‘white coats’ say.” Yes, they do work, but Vitex works better for hot flashes.
