Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts
for their therapeutic value. Most plants contain and
produce chemical substances that aid in healing and
other physical treatments.
Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare and
constitutes a key role in the development of modern
medicine as we know it today. Back when technology was
still unheard of, primitive men utilised the vast flora
around them to the fullest extent, observing both plant
and animal life and their components, eventually giving
birth to herbal medicine. In a study by the World Health
Organization on herbal medicine use, about 80% of the
world's populace still rely on herbal medicine to cure
certain ailments and about 74% of the drugs we use today
contain at least one botanical element. For instance,
Chinese Herbal Medicine's use of ephedrine to cure
respiratory conditions still exists in the present time.
Ephedrine remains an active ingredient in most of the
commercial drugs that are being prescribed to relieve
asthma symptoms.
Herbal medicine is defined by three schools of thought:
Ayurvedic Herbalism, Traditional Chinese Herbalism and
Western Herbal Medicine. While both Ayurvedic and
Chinese herbal medicine have moved on to advanced forms,
western herbal medicine remains a part of folk
treatments. Herbal medicine is, first and foremost,
holistic. It aims to address not just a particular
symptom, but also to help the whole body rejuventate
strengthen itself. And while there is no scientific
evidence that all herbal medicines claiming to have
healing powers are actually effective, the number the
herbal medicines that have been placed under clinical
testing have proved their worth. The list of known kinds
includes echinacea, which is used to temper colds, St
John's wort, used to treat mild depression (without
using Prozac), and hawthorne berries, which help in the
recovery process from mild heart failures.
Is herbal medicine a direct substitute to modern
medication? It depends. While herbal medicines are
extracted naturally from plants, not all are safe to
use; particularly if they are taken with other types of
treatments that may not be complementary. Also, herbal
medicine is often used only for mild ailments. If the
symptoms are more serious, it is best to consult a
trained practitioner of herbal medicine who can tell you
which ones are appropriate and recommend dosage levels
and frequency. Presently, most of the recommended herbal
medicines fall outside of standard drug regulations,
thus, not all of their claims to fame are guaranteed and
true. And even as common sense tells us that herbal
medicine has been around for thousand of years, giving
an impression that it is quite an authority, it is not
recommended to self-diagnose.
Always keep in mind that herbal medicines are still
medicines and, therefore, share the likelihood of having
side effects as regular commercial drugs. Some of us
have this misconception that because herbal medicines
are natural, they are 100% safe. This is not true all
the time. The best defense against the possible side
effects herbal medicines might give is to educate
ourselves with the basics on the herbal medicine in
question and to use it with caution.
