Definition Of Herbal Remedies

An herbal remedy is a preparation made from plants for medicinal purposes. These may come in many forms, including extracts, supplements, teas and topical solutions. While herbal remedies are often marketed for specific health and healing uses such as losing weight, calming anxiety or cleansing the kidneys, there has been very little definitive study on the effectiveness of herbal remedy for medicinal use. Furthermore, the FDA neither regulates nor recommends use of herbal supplements. Always consult with your physician before taking any herbal remedy.

Extracts

An herbal extract is the bioactive component of an herbal extracted by soaking the herb in an alcohol or glycerine solution. Extracts and essential oils provide the active ingredient in an herb in a readily bioavailable form without the need to ingest and metabolize any solid herbal compounds or chemical additives.

Supplements

A common form of herbal remedy found in today's marketplace is the herbal supplement. Typical sold over-the-counter, or without a prescription, these are pills, capsules, liquids and other ingestible products made with the extract or chemically synthesized active component of one or more herbal ingredients.

Teas

Soaking in hot or boiling water is another method of extracting bioactive compounds from herbs. Herbal teas, or decoctions, typically contain the dried fruit, stems, leaves, bark, roots or other desired parts of a plant which release their flavor, coloring and chemically constituents into water that's heated to a particular temperature. Herbal teas are often marketed and sold for specific therapeutic purposes that, again, have not been approved or authorized by FDA or any government authority.

Topicals

The purported healing benefits of herbs are not exclusive to internal remedies. There are many purported external applications of herbal medicine as well. Such topical herbal remedies include compresses, lotions, ointments and salves. Essential oils are a common external herbal remedy derived through distillation or cold extraction. Often mixed with water or a vegetable oil, these may be used as massage oils, mouth, eye or earwash, inhalants or on cuts and scrapes.

Eastern Medicine

While in the United States, the efficacy of herbal remedies is still under study, in other countries the use of herbs for medicinal purposes has been recognized and accepted for generations. In China, for example, herbal remedies are prominent part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which dates back thousands of years. Ayurveda, the medical science of India, also goes back thousands of years and also makes frequent use of herbal remedies.

Complimentary Medicine

The Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital affirm that herbal remedies are considered valid forms of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. Complimentary therapies such as this are meant to be used in combination with conventional medicine that has been scientifically tested, proven safe and effective and FDA approved. While conventional therapies are meant to treat and cure illness, complimentary medicine chiefly serves to alleviate the symptoms of illness and improve quality of life factors.