The Sunlight Experiment

Herbal Actions

Tonic

Restores, nourishes and strengthens overall vitality

Restores, nourishes and strengthens — building tone and resilience in a particular organ or system, or in the body as a whole. Taken steadily over time rather than for quick relief; use the filters to find tonics for a specific system.

How it works

Tonic is not one mechanism but several overlapping ones. Each of these is its own herbal action — follow a link for the herbs strongest in that mechanism.

Adrenal Tonic Supports and restores adrenal function. Male Tonic Supports male reproductive and hormonal health — from libido and fertility to the prostate. Female Tonic Supports female reproductive and hormonal health across menstrual, fertility and menopausal complaints. Cardiac Tonic Strengthens the force of the heart’s beat — the core tonic action on the heart muscle itself. Uterine Tonic Strengthens and tones the uterine muscle. Ovarian Tonic Supports and tones ovarian function. Respiratory Tonic Strengthens and restores tone to the respiratory tract. Vascular Tonic Strengthens and tones blood vessels, especially veins. Nervine Tonic Rebuilds and restores frayed, depleted nerves over time, rather than simply calming them. Qi Tonic Tonifies qi (vital energy) in the Chinese tradition — restoring stamina, digestion and resilience. Nutritive Nourishes with readily absorbed vitamins and minerals — foods as much as medicines, building strength during recovery or depletion.

Herbs with a tonic action (29)

Key herbs

Herbs for which tonic is a headline action.

Amaranth

Amaranthus blitum

NutritiveDemulcentAnti-inflammatoryAntioxidant

Black Ant

Polyrhachis spp.

AdaptogenNutritiveImmunomodulatorNootropic

Chaste Tree

Vitex agnus-castus

GalactagogueFemale TonicProlactin InhibitorUterine Tonic

Codonopsis

Codonopsis pilosula

AdaptogenAntihypertensiveNootropicHypolipidemic

Kid Ginseng

Pseudostellaria heterophylla

TonicAdaptogenNutritiveDemulcent

Rehmannia

Rehmannia glutinosa

AntiallergicAntihemorrhagicAnti-inflammatoryAntipyretic
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Amaranth

Amaranthus blitum

NutritiveDemulcentAnti-inflammatoryAntioxidant

Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera

AdaptogenSedativeTonicAnti-inflammatory

Asian Ginseng

Panax ginseng

AdaptogenImmunomodulatorCardiotonicStimulant

Black Ant

Polyrhachis spp.

AdaptogenNutritiveImmunomodulatorNootropic

Burdock

Arctium lappa

AlterativeBitterDiureticLymphatic

Camu-camu

Myrciaria dubia

NutritiveAntioxidantDiureticMucolytic

Chaste Tree

Vitex agnus-castus

GalactagogueFemale TonicProlactin InhibitorUterine Tonic

Cleavers

Galium aparine

LymphaticDiureticAlterativeAstringent

Codonopsis

Codonopsis pilosula

AdaptogenAntihypertensiveNootropicHypolipidemic

Coffee

Coffea arabica

AntioxidantBronchodilatorCardiotonicDiuretic

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

BitterCholagogueCholereticDiuretic

Eleuthero Root

Eleutherococcus senticosus

AdaptogenStimulantImmunomodulatorTonic

Erva Tostao

Boerhavia diffusa

DiureticHepaticAnti-inflammatoryAntispasmodic

Horopito

Pseudowintera colorata

AnalgesicAntibacterialAntifungalAnti-inflammatory

Jatobá

Hymenaea courbaril

AntifungalAntimicrobialAstringentAnti-inflammatory

Kid Ginseng

Pseudostellaria heterophylla

TonicAdaptogenNutritiveDemulcent

Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca

CardiotonicNervineAntispasmodicFemale-tonic

Muira Puama

Ptychopetalum olacoides

AdaptogenAntidepressantStimulantAphrodisiac

Peony

Paeonia lactiflora

AntiandrogenicAnti-inflammatoryAntispasmodicDopaminergic

Pine

Pinus spp.

AnalgesicAnti-inflammatoryHypolipidemicAstringent

Rehmannia

Rehmannia glutinosa

AntiallergicAntihemorrhagicAnti-inflammatoryAntipyretic

Schisandra

Schisandra chinensis

HepatoprotectiveAntioxidantAdaptogenNervine

Shatavari

Asparagus racemosus

AdaptogenFemale-tonicDemulcentTonic

Slippery Elm

Ulmus rubra

DemulcentEmollientNutritiveExpectorant