Ep 40: You need to know this about herbal remedies | Dr. Stephen Tates

Dr. Stephen Tates shares the truth about herbal remedies in this eye-opening video. If you're interested in naturopathic and holistic medicine, this is a must-watch!

In this conversation, David Maloof interviews Dr. Steven Tates, a master herbalist, about herbal remedies. They discuss the importance of proper herbal formulas, the safety of herbal remedies, and the need to be cautious of false claims and marketing. 

Dr. Tates emphasizes the importance of understanding the properties and interactions of herbs, as well as consulting with naturopaths and herbalists. He also offers his contact information for those seeking guidance. The conversation concludes with a call to share the podcast and support natural approaches to good health.

Contact information:
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Dr. Tates Herbal Tinctures & Tonics: 404-459-8696
Dr. Stephen Tates directly: 404-459-8696

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Contact information:
Our Sponsor: Dr. Tates Herbal Tinctures & Tonics: https://www.drtates.online/
Dr. Tates Herbal Tinctures & Tonics: 404-459-8696
Dr. Stephen Tates: 404-943-1171

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Transcript

Herbal remedies. What exactly is that supposed to mean? I mean, if you go on YouTube or almost any social media account, you'll find all kinds of things about herbal remedies. Well, I've got some questions about what exactly is meant by herbal remedies and just because something is herbal, does that mean that it's safe and are they effective?

Well, to help answer those questions is my guest today, Dr. Stephen Tates. Doc is a master herbalist. He's also a naturopath, an author, an ambassador of integrative medicine, and he has over half a century of herbal medicine experience. My name is David Maloof. I am the host of Adventures in Good Health, the place where we discuss natural approaches to good health.

All right, so Doc, after that half a century of experience intro, I think you are the right person to have on the show to enlighten, to enlighten us on herbal remedies. So, Doc, just a really quick question. When you hear the term herbal remedies, what do you think? What comes to mind? When I hear the term herbal remedies, believe it or not,

somebody who's been doing this for half a century, you'd think I would be happy. Actually, it makes me cringe when I hear that because people think because they're plants or herbs or flowers or oils, that they're all safe. So, I look at these remedies or these formulas and I'm like, it's all wrong. It's all wrong because people just say, oh.

I want to have some laxatives, so let me grab this one, let me grab some center, let me grab some chickweed, let me get some buckthorn, let me get some aloe, and I've got an herbal remedy to help the balsam move. But then that's too many herbs, and some of them don't mix well together. So I see all these things about herbal remedies. Many of them, the big red flag I always see is that if you see an herbal remedy, and it's got

Eight, 10, 12 different herbs as potty ingredients run, walk away. Because we have in herbal medicine something called the odd of sampling. Odd of sampling means one, two, three herbs mixed together, maybe four, it's all you really need. But I have people say, oh, this must really work because it's got 23 different herbs in there. No.

The body's not going to know what to do because some of them could be stimulating, some of them could be relaxing, and then they end up clashing. So, I tell people when you see a remedy, don't make them, don't use them until you've checked with somebody who's had their experience. If it's not me, somebody you know that's been doing this for a while, because I see on the internet, see a lot of times formulas and it's like, these are all wrong. They're prepared wrong.

You have roots mixed with leaves, or leaves mixed with roots, or flowers and leaves mixed with roots, and a lot of times they don't blend well. One more thing. The other aspect is that people always think that herbs are safe. Well, they're all natural. If it's all natural, it has to be safe, right? Well, arsenic is all natural. You can't take arsenic. Mercury.

Yeah, mercury. That's Uranium. All right. So just because something says it's all natural doesn't mean it's necessarily safe. So what is kind of the thought process there? Well, that process, first, as I said, is that if it's true, if it's a bunch of herbs, you need to walk away from it. Okay. And somebody gives this guarantee. This is absolutely.

going to get rid of your migraines or get your bowels in move has been time tested and all this kind of stuff. Marketing. You know, another kind of issue. It's like going to a used car salesman. I hope none of the used car salesmen listen to our podcast, take offense, but it's like a bad used car salesman. Say, this car never had any accidents, and it runs really well. Uh -huh. You know, so it's that same kind of a

when you see herbal remedy. Better for you to go to an herbalist. But just say for example, you can't find an herbalist. So you live someplace where there's no local herbalist, then you need to make a long distance call. Another way people don't think about is if you say, if you just look up garlic, for example, in an herbal, and then, here we go, yeah.

The herbal remedy book, okay? The herbal remedy book. Okay. And you look up, say garlic. Now you could read what the author says. Right. About what it does. And that may or may not be true. Cause I've heard people say red clover is an excellent blood cleanser. No, it isn't. It's a mild blood cleanser, but it's not that great. Oh, red clover is good for cancer. No, it isn't. So I've read and seen things.

There's a thing we call the signature or personality of an herb and say, golly. And I wanted to really know for myself, because I want to learn and not make mistakes. Then when you've got an herb book and you look up golly, you don't listen to what the, read what the author says, you read the properties. Is it an astringent? Is it a diuretic?

Is it an expectorant? Is it a fever -fuge? Now, in most cases, you may not know what these particular terminologies mean. Might say diuretic, might say diaphoretic. You write all them down for the garlic. Then, in that book, if it's a legitimate book, or you can go online, what is a diuretic? What is a diaphoretic? What is a fever -fuge? You know, what is a stimulant?

then when you read the properties of a particular herb, then you get what we call the signature or the personality of that herb. Like, you know, if I'm describing me, I'm 5 '10", know, 180 pounds. White cantankerous, I might add at times. Yeah, I'm like, yeah, yeah. I'm joking. Yeah, yeah. A little cantankerous, you gotta do a lot. You gotta go for the big, but again, this is a...

little known secret about understanding a formula or understanding a single herb. You want to know if this works well, you read up the properties. Now suppose it has two herbs, two different herbs. So you look up the properties in one and you look up the properties in the other. Then you get an idea of how it's going to affect the body. So if you have five herbs and they all are blood thinners, that's blood thinners times five.

That's too much. So that's how we get to understand if a formula makes sense. But that's for those who really want to understand the herbs. We've talked about ginger and cayenne, turmeric and all that kind of stuff. People say, oh, it's good for anti-inflammatory. It's good for blood circulation. And I'll say, well, how do you know? We talked before this podcast about somebody that came in and wanted to sell me.

a Goddard -based tonic. And he said, Goddard's a good antibiotic and it helps with infections and stuff. And me being contrary, which I can be sometimes, I said, no, it isn't. I know it is, but I said, no, it isn't. He said, yes, it is. I said, well, prove it to me. Could not, because he just had a sheet that was explaining what Goddard was supposed to be doing. And then I says, well, Goddard is an antibiotic and it does help. It helps with infection.

So he wanted to reverse and he said, we'll prove it. I said, well, here's the book. See, it says antibiotic, it says diuretic, it says diaphoretic. Look what this means. Now I know and I've proved to you but got it because really good. So, you basically gave that salesman a little lesson. Yeah, yeah. You should have seen his face when I said, prove it to me. He didn't know what to do. So, and that's something that, you know, sometimes if you go into an herbal store,

A lot of the herbal stores will either the owner or someone who works there really is quite knowledgeable. But you just have to be aware that sometimes they're just employing someone, and it could be someone who's just working the cash register or something. And they're not necessarily an expert at all. So, you just gotta be careful about who you talk to. This is very interesting. Now, when we talk about herbal remedies,

I've seen some conversations, whether articles or YouTube videos and things like that, where they talk about, oh, this replaces your medications. If you do this, you take this, you don't have to take these particular medications. Do herbal remedies, can they interact if someone is already on a prescription medication? Is that a consideration?

That's a consideration. They can interact positively or negatively. They can work real well if you know what you're doing. If you don't, don't try it without supervision. And the problem could be like, I could be on a blood thinner, kubernetes or heparin or something like that. And then somebody says, well, for your cold,

you might want to use echinacea or goldenseal, or a combination of echinacea and goldenseal. Now, echinacea and goldenseal are good short  term for respiratory ailments and stuff, but echinacea and goldenseal are blood thinners. Now, if I'm already on a blood thinner, and then I take an herb that's a blood thinner, now I've created a problem. But stepping back a little bit, some herbal farmers can be phenomenal.

and helping reduce inflammation, build the immune system, help the body to heal, help it to speed up in its healing when it's done right and supervised by people who know what they're doing. It could be phenomenal. It could slow down the aging in your body, increase the circulation, help start the reversal of acute and sometimes chronic diseases or ailments in your body. They're phenomenal for that. So I don't want to take away from it as...

As I'm explaining, the value of herbal remedies, when they're made right, when they're planned right, when they're done by people that know what they're doing, the effects can be phenomenal, even if you're still on medication, just knowing when and how to take it. Like, you don't take it at the same time you're taking your medication. Now you're going to take, you know, a cup of tea or something, two close together.

But if you know what you're doing, it can be really, really helpful. So you mentioned people who know what they're doing. If you're on a prescription and you've heard that there's this herbal remedy that could be beneficial, is that something that you would talk to your doctor about, your medical doctor, the doctor who prescribed the medication? Do they need to know if you're considering taking an herbal supplement? Depends on the doctor. I have a lot of...

medical doctors that understand what I do. And we share information. You know, I'm going to send you a patient, they're on these medications, you know, let me know what you're thinking about recommending. Or I may have somebody's on an herbal remedy but might need to see a doctor. And I say, well, go see Dr. X or Dr. Y and tell them about your diet and your exercise and herbs and supplements. And then we compare. No, then there was some that, oh no.

If it's an herbal plant, don't take it because it's bad. But they have no training. They have no understanding on how it's going to work. So it really depends on the doctor. In many countries, they have what's called complementary medicine, whereas the natural poultry and the medical poultry are blended together. A lot of Asian companies like Japan and China, Korea, some European countries like Switzerland and Denmark and stuff.

They do that blended kind of medicine, even in the hospitals. Now in this country, there's some hospitals now that employ naturopaths and herbalists to help balance what they're doing with their medication, but it's still very slow. So if you ask a doctor, you don't know about these herbs, but they can work and then they also can hurt if you don't know what you're doing. All right, so you just mentioned herbalists and naturopaths.

and I used those two terms when I was introducing you. What is the difference between a naturopath and an herbalist? Well, a naturopath is like a general practitioner. He has an understanding on diet and nutrition, exercise, the value of sleep, water, some of your herbal mixes. So he's a general practitioner, so he'll create a program that deals with different aspects of the natural approaches.

whether you need a tea or a tonic, how much water you need to drink, all those kind of things. An herbalist, a master herbalist, that's especially. It's like going to a hematologist that deals with blood disorders. And you can ask a hematologist, like, well, what else do you do besides hematology? And he'll look and say, I just do hematology. I'm the blood doctor. That's all I deal with. He's an expert in that.

Your master herbalist tends to be, if they're real, true master herbalist, you know, the master of that particular profession. They could take you out in the woods and pick and identify plants and herbs and have you take it from the ground to your cup, you know, or how to mix the tinctures and tonics. So that's their particular specialty and just stay with that. It's naturopath. It's like combined stuff.

And fortunately, I'm both. I'm an anthropologist and an herbalist. I can take you in the woods. We can sit down and we can develop programs. So you want somebody who's an anthropologist and an herbalist if you're lucky to get somebody because you know somebody's a master of herbs, but then they also know the general practice and have a background in modern medicine. The medications would be in use, which I have as well because...

I specialize in what's called integrative medicine. So I have to blend the natural approaches with the other kinds of approaches and blend them right. And that's important as well. Okay. So Doc, you mentioned that people would want to reach out to a naturopath or an herbalist in their area or call one if necessary. If someone cannot,

that they don't have access to one of those people in their area or they're comfortable to, they can reach out to you, is that correct? Absolutely, absolutely. And I want to add one more thing is that sometimes people will call me and say they're, oh, in Chicago and can't find somebody. But I may know somebody in Chicago that I'm real, real comfortable with, you know, because I know they're mad scientists like me.

Okay, so I will know, and I said, we'll go see doctors so -and -so. But I only recommend people that I know communicated with it or worked with. So if there's somebody in your area and you don't know about it, I will refer you. Otherwise, people can call me and I can guide them. We can get on Zoom calls, FaceTime, phone consultations. Sometimes people fly into the city I'm in just because they don't have anybody.

that they feel comfortable with and I'm available to help wherever I can. Well, I mean, I know that you are like an institution in the world of herbalism in the Atlanta area. Everyone seems to know who Dr. Steven Tate is, but you have people who are outside of the Atlanta area and like you said, you do phone consultations, Zoom calls, things like that, so you can help them. If someone would like to reach out to you, what is the best phone number to reach out to you? Best phone number would be 404 -

943 -1171, I'll say that again, 404 -943 -1171. And as I've always mentioned, if you call, mention that you're part of the podcast family for adventures and good health. I watch the videos all the time. And David Malouf is my favorite interviewer, stuff like that. Let me know, because then I know I'd do that in a Thanks, thanks, Doc.

And actually, you are good, because I've been interviewed by people and it's like, okay. But you know, you are good. You do a lot of radio. I know you do a lot of radio interviews too, don't you? Yes, I do. Call in radio shows, stuff like that, you know. And when you do a call-in radio show, you better know what you're doing. Yeah, you never know what someone's going to call in. What of questions, what are you get, you know. But I like call in. Not because it's a challenge, but because I know I can do it. But you know.

people who are part of the podcast family, you'll get extra consideration. I treat everybody right, whether they hear the podcast or not, but I'm saying if you're part of the podcast family, and then you're happy with what you hear, and then you talk with me and you're happy how I approach it, then the best thing you can do is let other people that are family and friends know about the podcast. So, I've met Dr. Tate's dude.

Podcasts on adventures and good health you might need to tap into the podcast so we get more people because the more people we have on a podcast and in my Line of work that means the more people we are actually guiding and helping and keeping them from making mistakes So as you all are listening tell other people because this is about a learning experience Which is actually rare, you know in this day and time, you know, everybody's just trying to

Oh, come to me, I'm the best. So, oh, just take my stuff. Nothing else is better. We like to share information that's going to help and guide people. Doc, I most certainly appreciate that. Now, when you were mentioning earlier about people making all kinds of promises and grandiose claims and marketing, all that, I was just having a flashback. There's this old Disney movie called Pete's Dragon.

came out in the seventies. I know there was a newer version. I'm talking about the old seventies version. I don't remember the actor's name, but he came in on his cart, like a little Vardo or something, and he was selling his snake oil. And it's like every, as everybody was asking him, does it fix this and does it fix it? He goes, oh, it does this. Oh, it does that. I don't know why that came to mind. I haven't thought about that. That's a good example, you know, cause.

There's a lot of those kind of people out there. No one herb treats everything. No one formula treats everything. And it's not just herbal mixes, it's the whole process. You've got to eat right. You've got to exercise. You've got to drink your water. You've got to get some rest, you know, and then know what you're taking, whether it's medicine or otherwise. Just like we talked about, people need to research the medicine, the herbs they're taking. They need to research the medicine.

The doctor recommends something you can go on beauty with the computer. Now you can go online and say, oh yeah, he's got me on digitalis or something else. Let me see what that's going to do to the body. Let me see what side effects I'm saying. As you check in the herbs, you also need to check the medication you're taking. So you know the side effects. All right, doc. Thank you very much for sharing your expertise and your wisdom with our audience. Thank you for having me.

All right, so I hope you all found that information very helpful. Kind of, we're just keeping it real on this channel. Herbal remedies can be wonderful and fantastic, but you gotta know what you're taking. It is medicine and should be respected as such. All right, so.

please like and comment. If you have a suggestion for this podcast, there's a topic that you would like us to talk about, or maybe you'd like to have me bring Doc back on the show and have him expand on a particular topic, put that in the comments, because if you put that in the comments, I will reply and I'll say, oh, well, why not? Let's talk about that. Also, if you haven't done so already, please subscribe and press, ooh, the notification button, because when you do that,

It helps the algorithm, which helps the channel. It helps us spread the word of what we're saying. And also it notifies you every time we put a new video up on YouTube, which we're always putting one or two new ones every week, and it's high quality content just like this one. So thank you very much for helping the show. All right, that's it for this week. My name is David Maloof, and I'm exploring natural approaches to good health.

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