Peony

'One of the best kept secrets of the herbalists dispensary'

Peony is a herb for women, with one of the longest and safest histories of continuous use. Peony offers a kind of herbal 'total care package' for women at all stages of menstrual life, but is particularly well known for its 'cooling' action, lending itself perfectly to menopausal symptoms. It is particularly interesting in that it has no oestrogenic activity and is therefore safe with hormonal medication and stands out from the crowd of other female herbs such as Red Clover, Black Cohosh etc which are phyto-oestrogenic. This factor alone makes Peony a valuable treatment option nowadays. Peony also has other medicinal actions apart from those concerning female health that make it an essential addition to the professional herbalists dispensary.

Recently, a Peony tincture which is a liquid extract made in a base of alcohol and water, was registered under the stringent rules of the EU's 'Traditional European Herbal Medicine Registration Scheme'. This product is now available 'over the counter' through health food stores and pharmacies in the UK, and represents a herbal product produced to the highest pharmaceutical and legal standards possible. It's easy to obtain, just ask at your local health food store.

Peony is most famous for its flowers of course and is one of the most popular garden plants world-wide. The type of Peony used in herbal medicine is a white flowered variety but it is often called red peony root when it comes to herbal medicine. This is because it is the root that is used medicinally, and the root has a reddish colour!

Read more about Peony

Stuart has written a book about Peony that you can read by following the link on this page. The book is intended to be read by patients using Peony as a treatment, but also by practitioners, health care professionals and others interested in plant chemistry etc. You may find some of the information somewhat technical but just skip to the sections that interest you. When you read this book; 'Peony: A Reference for Patients and Professionals' you will learn:

Where the name Peony comes from and how it bears witness to the importance of Peony in the history and mythology surrounding the origins of medicine itself, and it demonstrates to us just how long this herb has been an important medicine.

How Peonies are actually found and used world-wide and at all times.

The traditional use of Peony as a medicine in the major traditional systems of medicine around the world. Specific emphasis is placed on 'Traditional Chinese Medicine' with its extremely detailed classification and use of not just one type of Peony but three!

The chemistry and active constituents of peony and how specific chemicals such as paeoniflorin have been subjected to in-depth scientific study and scrutiny.

What conditions Peony has been used to treat over the centuries. You may be surprised to learn that apart from its usefulness in the world of female health it is the number one herbal anti-epileptic and a powerful anti-inflammatory!

How to take Peony and how it combines with other herbs and drugs.

'Peony: A Reference for Patients and Professionals'