When building an herbal medicine cabinet, it is more important to know what classification an herb is than try to remember the minutia of details associated with each individual herb. We need to know what it does. While navigating this section you will hear a number of terms including antispasmodic, purgative, and a myriad of other phrases you might not be familiar with. It is important to note that many if not all herbs fall into more than one category and to fully understand any herb, especially for medicinal use, it is necessary to understand all aspects and actions of that herb.
In the next sections we will go over a number of primary and secondary actions / effects; and go over the myriad categories of herbs. This will help establish the foundation of your future studies in herbal medicine.