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Some are also classified as "adaptogens," meaning they appear to help the body adapt better under stress.
Some tonics overlap entirely with foods; parts of oat, wheat, asparagus, and artichoke have been used as both.
Dietary supplements like evening primrose oil have further blurred this distinction. Other tonics are more
dynamic, such as the "yang tonics" (e.g., Trigonella, or fenugreek) and "qi tonics" (e.g., Panax ginseng) used
in Chinese medicine, which move beyond simple sustenance.

Many modern chronic conditions—such as low-grade infections, persistent catarrh, recurrent migraines,
allergies, skin diseases, chronic inflammation, and stress-related neuroses—are marked by a failure of the
body to cope or defend itself.

Within this spectrum, a vast range of remedies is used in modern phytotherapy to support specific body
functions: Silybum (St. Mary’s thistle) for the liver; Crataegus (hawthorn) for the cardiovascular system;
Plantago lanceolata (ribwort) for the upper respiratory system; Hypericum (St. John’s wort) for the nervous
system; Foeniculum (fennel) for digestion; Echinacea for immune defense; Vitex agnus-castus for the female
reproductive system; Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) for the prostate, and many others. While tonification was
often the final stage of traditional treatment, modern prescriptions often begin with at least some tonic element.

Approaches to using herbal medicines

Instant treatments: trigger-point phytotherapy

In modern times, herbal medicine has gained a reputation as an innocuous alternative to conventional drugs,
often perceived as working only after weeks or months. However, many traditional techniques provide
immediate effects. The techniques of emesis (vomiting) and catharsis (purging) are strong examples, while
bitter digestives, circulatory stimulants, topical rubefacients (skin-warming agents), and expectorants are
gentler examples of immediate remedies. Measures for symptom relief, such as demulcents (soothing agents),
carminatives (anti-gas), and spasmolytics (anti-spasm), also provide short-term effects.

Long-term repair

Patients often expect herbs to take time to work. This perspective, however, says more about the chronic
nature of the conditions being treated than about the herbs themselves. Chronic diseases cannot be corrected
quickly. An informal rule of thumb for some practitioners is to allow three months of treatment for a problem
of one year’s standing, and one month for every subsequent year. While such formulae are only approximate,
they are indicative. Generally, herbal treatment for chronic conditions involves relatively smaller doses, less

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