How to choose herbal remedies like a herbalist

Herbal remedies aren’t one-size-fits-all. Your body has its own story and herbs can meet you where you are. Choosing a remedy is never about fixing a symptom - it’s about listening to your body and supporting its return to balance. Here’s how to choose wisely, with confidence.

1. Start with curiosity.
   Ask: What is my body trying to do right now? Is it clearing, slowing down, protecting, expressing? Your body is not broken. It's communicating. It's responding. It’s always trying to return to balance (homeostasis).Ask: What is the body attempting? Clearing? Slowing down? Protecting?
   Herbs support this innate intelligence - they don't override it.

1. Go to Tinctures & Elixirs
   Browse by Body System (e.g. Nervous, Digestive, Immune, Reproductive, Circulatory...)
   Then look at your symptoms through the lens of process, not problem. You don’t need a herbal/medical degree, only curiosity. Example: Is it a dry cough from irritation or a wet cough trying to clear mucus?Different herbs support different processes - know the terrain. Learn the "why behind the what" - even in simple terms.

1. Check in with your current constitution.
   Am I feeling: Hot or cold? Tense or sluggish? Dry or damp? Choose herbs that bring balance, not mirror the imbalance. Everyone processes imbalance their own way. Warm, cold, tense, lax - these patterns do matter.Example: 3 people have headaches, but only one will respond to feverfew. Constitution shifts in response to what’s going on - it's not a label. It's a snapshot. Treat it as a guidepost.
2. Zoom out to your life terrain.
   Is this a recurring pattern tied to stress, cycle, sleep, emotions or food?
   Choose remedies that support your system, not suppress symptoms. Symptoms are clever messengers to welcome, not enemies to fight. Zoom out: What’s happening in your life? (stress, diet, rest, environment)? “Treating the headache” isn't the same as addressing the why (especially if recurring!) Thinking like a herbalist is about the ability to see underlying patterns, reading the land of the body and the mind for clues.
3. Read the remedy descriptions.
   Each blend is crafted to support both the body and the why behind the what.
   If you're stuck between two, trust the one that feels more like a partner than a pill.
4. Start slow, trust your rhythm.
   Choose a sovereign dose, tailored to you by scanning the QR code on the side of the bottle which takes you to a Sovereign Herbal Dosage guide. Frequency matters too. Sometimes weekday-only is enough.
   Herbs work best when your life is also in harmony. Herbs can’t outwork chronic stress, poor sleep, weak boundaries or victimhood. Healing is daily living, not supplements. Herbs are most effective when your whole life is on board.Be radical: rest, nourish, say no, play.
5. Still unsure? Ask our herbalists.
   Book a consultation or DM @wisewomenvillage or email us for guidance - we’re here for real connection, not quick fixes.