A tonic is an agent which restores or increases body tone. The term tonic is applicable to all those medicines which are neither stimulating nor directly sedative or depletory. Tonics act slowly in the body and have a cumulative, rather than immediate, effect. In natural healing, tonics are herbs that strengthen and enliven either a specific organ, or system, or the whole body. The value of tonic herbs lies in their normalizing, nurturing effects. They are all gentle remedies that have a mild yet profound effect upon the body.