What Are The Benefits Of Herbal Remedies?

Herbs have been used for food and medicine for centuries. Many modern medications, such as digitalis, antibiotics and cholesterol-lowering drugs, are based on molecules first isolated from plants and fungi. The physicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries relied heavily on herbal preparations for treating their patients. With the advent of a medical system that encouraged the development of patentable pharmaceuticals, herbal remedies fell from favor, but many people still rely on them to maintain optimal health.

Herbs as Food

Hippocrates' admonition to "let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food" remains a compelling philosophy for people who incorporate herbs into their daily lives. That plant-based diets confer better health and longevity than diets replete with animal proteins is now widely acknowledged. Many of the salutary effects of herbs are invested in the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, isoflavones and other botanical components that we collectively call "good nutrition." However, some plants that offer medicinal benefit in small doses are toxic if they are ingested in large amounts.

Herbs Work Gently

With few exceptions, modern drugs are designed to quickly address the signs and symptoms of disease. In order to do so, they must be potent -- a two-edged sword, as was shown by a 1998 "Journal of the American Medical Association" review which suggested that over 100,000 hospitalized patients die every year solely as the result of medication side effects, and over 2 million experience serious but non-fatal adverse reactions. As noted by David Hoffman in his book, "An Elders' Herbal," the concept that herbs should evoke "cures" forces herbalism into the same "allopathic mold that has affected medical practice for the past sixty years." Herbal remedies can take days, weeks or even months to elicit noticeable effects, but they do so with minimal side effects.

Combination Therapy

In most cases, herbs can be used in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities. Although the potential for interactions between herbs and prescription medications must always be considered, medicinal herbs usually blend well with conventional medical regimens. Some notable exceptions include grapefruit, which interferes with the metabolism of many medications, green tea, which can complicate therapy with warfarin, or ginkgo, which can potentiate the effects of aspirin and warfarin.

Herbs Encourage a Gentler Philosophy

In a world that is increasingly hostile to human health, herbs may not represent the "quick fix" that is so much a part of medical practitioners' and patients' expectations. But you can learn a great deal about your own body and the world around you when you investigate, grow and use your own herbal medicines. Whether you only want to use gentle herbs that are, in effect, food, or extend your knowledge and usage to more potent botanicals, the practice of herbalism inculcates a holistic philosophy that is lacking in conventional medical practice and modern life.

Precautions

You should never use an herb with which you are unfamiliar. Over the millennia, herbal practitioners have learned which plants are safe to use and which are potentially poisonous. Even though such information is often readily available in this electronic age, if you aren't certain about a plant's identity or how it should be employed, it is best to leave it alone. If you have underlying medical problems or if you are taking prescription drugs, always check with your doctor before you use any herbal remedy.