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Herbal Actions and Bioactive Solubility: A Practitioner's Reference Guide

Learn from a real herbalist (not AI) how and why herbal remedies workBy Tristan Anderson, MA, CHHP
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Every herb works through its actions, which are the characteristic ways it influences bodily systems and physiological processes, and its bioactive compounds which deliver those actions when drawn out in the right solvent. This Reference Guide brings both together: a glossary of the major herbal actions and a practical explanation of the three solubilities (water, fat, and alcohol) that determine how a plant's medicine is best extracted and absorbed.

What you'll find here is the same framework I use when building my Herbal Protocols: actions grouped by the body systems they support, and constituents mapped to their solubility, so the form of every herb (tea, tincture, or oil infusion) is matched to the chemistry that makes it effective.

Read the full Guide below or sign up to receive the complete Guide as a free PDF you can download and have easy access to.

Man with a beard sitting in a garden with flowers and plants

Meet Your Guide

My name is Tristan and my holistic herbalism training began in 1995 when I was 15 through the expert guidance of my Grandmother who was a master herbalist.

She and other great teachers taught me how herbs work (the actions), why they work (the bioactive compounds), and how to properly extract the bioactives (solubility).

This Reference Guide is a distillation of their wisdom, my own research and experimentation over the last 31 years, and coaching. None of the content is AI generated.

My Credentials

~ Certified Holistic Herbalist
~ Certified Holistic Health Practitioner
~ Master’s Degree in Nutrition
~ Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner
~ Certified Natural Chef

Digestive System Actions

Antispasmodic: Relaxes involuntary (smooth) muscle, easing cramps and spasms in the digestive tract.

Aperient / Laxative: Encourages a natural, unforced bowel movement. 

Bitter: Stimulates the flow of digestive secretions (saliva, stomach acid, enzymes, and bile) through the taste receptors. This is the main reason in herbalism we say to taste your herbs. Capsules do not have the same effect and the contents are not absorbed as well.

Carminative: Relieves gas, bloating, and cramping while soothing and toning the digestive tract.

Cholagogue: Promotes the release of stored bile from the gallbladder, supporting fat digestion and elimination. 

Choleretic: Stimulates the liver to produce more bile. 

Demulcent: Coats and soothes irritated mucous membranes along the digestive tract. 

Hepatic: Supports, tones, and protects the liver and its many metabolic functions. 

Stomachic: Tonifies, strengthens, and improves overall gastric activity.

Nervous System Actions

Analgesic: Relieves pain, whether taken internally or applied topically as a salve to an affected area.

Anxiolytic: Eases anxiety and nervous system tension without necessarily inducing sleep. 

Nervine: Relaxes, tonifies (restores over time), or stimulates the nervous system. 

Nootropic: Supports cognitive function, memory, and concentration.

Sedative: Quiets nervous system activity, eases tension, and encourages deep restful sleep. 

Cardiovascular System Actions

Antithrombotic: Prevents excessive blood clotting.

Cardiotonic: Strengthens and tonifies (restorative over time) the functions of the heart and its rhythm. 

Circulatory Stimulant: Drives blood to the periphery, increasing circulation.

Hypotensive: Helps lower elevated blood pressure. 

Vascular Tonic: Protects, repairs, and strengthens the walls of veins and capillaries, preventing permeability and swelling.

Vasoconstrictor: Constricts blood vessels. Reduces bleeding and swelling.

Vasodilator: Relaxes and widens blood vessels, improving circulation.

Respiratory System Actions

Antispasmodic: Reduces involuntary muscle cramping and spasms during wheezing or asthma.

Antitussive: Calms and reduces the cough reflex. 

Astringent: Tightens and drys up excess fluid in mucous membranes.

Bronchodilator: Opens and widens restricted lung airways.

Diaphoretic: Promotes sweating and supports the body through fevers and the early stages of a cold.

Demulcent: Coats and soothes irritated lung mucous membranes. 

Expectorant: Loosens and promotes expulsion of mucus from the lungs. 

Immune System Actions

Anti-inflammatory: Reduces tissue swelling and excessive inflammation caused by immune responses.

Antimicrobial: Inhibits or destroys microorganisms. An umbrella term covering antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal actions. 

Immunomodulator: Balances and regulates immune activity, calming an over-reactive response or supporting an underactive one. 

Immunostimulant: Acutely raises immune activity, used at the onset of illness. 

Febrifuge/ Antipyretic: Helps reduce or moderate a fever. 

Lymphagogue: Stimulates the flow of lymph, helping move waste and immune cells through the body.

Urinary System Actions

Alterative: Gradually restores healthy urinary function by supporting the body's channels of elimination.

Diuretic: Increases the production and flow of urine, supporting fluid balance and elimination. 

Lithotriptic: Helps dissolve or break down kidney and bladder stones.

Prostatic Decongestant: Reduces inflammation and enlargement of the prostate.

Urinary Anti-adhesive: Prevents bacteria from clinging to the bladder and urethra walls.

Integumentary System Actions (Skin, Hair, Nails)

Antipruritic: Helps relieves the sensation of itching.

Antiseptic: Helps prevent infections by inhibiting the growth of harmful microorganisms on the skin.

Astringent: Tightens and tones skin tissue and reduces discharge. 

Emollient: Softens and soothes the skin and hair.

Rubefacient: Applied to the skin, draws blood to the surface to create local warmth and relieve underlying tension.

Styptic / Hemostatic: Slows or stops bleeding when applied to a wound. 

Vulnerary: Promotes repair of wounds and damaged tissue. 

Whole Body Actions

Adaptogen: Helps the body resist and adapt to physical, mental, and biological stress, supporting a balanced stress response, resilience, and homeostasis. 

Antioxidant: Neutralizes free radicals, protecting cells and tissues from oxidative stress. 

Anti-inflammatory:  Reduces the body's inflammatory response when in excess and the discomfort that accompanies it.

Nutritive: Delivers bioavailable nourishment such as vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

Tonic: Strengthens, restores, and invigorates either a specific organ or system, or the body as a whole.

Water Solubility: Hydrophilic Compounds

The three main methods of water extraction are:

1. Cold water infusion: used for mucilaginous herbs (such as marshmallow root and slippery elm bark), aromatic herbs (such as the mint family and lemon balm), and water soluble nutritive herbs (such as rose hips).

2. Simmering water infusion (tea): used for delicate leafy herbs (such as rosemary and holy basil) and flowers (such as lavender, chamomile, and hibiscus).

3. Boiling water infusion (decoction): used for hearty roots (such as dandelion root and burdock root), barks (such as cinnamon bark), and medicinal mushrooms (such as reishi and chaga).

Common water soluble bioactive compounds include:

  • Mucilage 
  • Polysaccharides 
  • Tannins 
  • Astringent compounds 
  • Saponins 
  • Vitamin C
  • B Vitamins

Fat Solubility: Lipophilic Compounds

The two main methods of fat extraction are:

1. Cold oil infusion (typically 2 - 4 weeks): delicate herbs such as pine needles and St. John’s wort.

2. Warm oil infusion (typically several hours): hearty herbs such as calendula and arnica. 

Common fat soluble bioactive compounds include:

  • Terpenes and Terpenoids (such as menthol and thymol) 
  • Carotenoids (red, orange, and yellow pigments)
  • Vitamin A 
  • Vitamin D2 and D3
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin K1 and K2
  • Phytosterols 
  • Curcuminoids
  • Astringent compounds (also water soluble) 

Alcohol Solubility: Ethanolphilic Compounds

The main method of alcohol extraction is a tincture which typically takes about 4 weeks. 

Common alcohol soluble bioactive compounds include:

  • Bitters
  • Resins
  • Alkaloids
  • Alkylamides
  • Volatile essential oils
  • Flavonoids 
  • Tannins (also water soluble) 
Herbal tea, tinctures, salve, and oil infusions on a table in Nature

Ready to start implementing herbal remedies for your specific health goals?!  

1. Visit my All Protocols page to see a list of all of my herbal protocols. 

2. Enter the code FIVEOFFDISCOUNT in the discount section of the order page for $5 off your first protocol order.

I hope this Reference Guide was helpful for you and remember you can download a free PDF version by signing up above!

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Herbal Actions and Bioactive Solubility: A Practitioner's Reference Guide is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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