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What is Herbal Medicine? Is it safe?

What Is Herbal Medicine? Is It Safe?
Charlene J. Nuble

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 utilized 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 rejuvenate
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.

About The Author: Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links
and information about herbal medicines, please go to:
http://herbal.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and
information on all health related topics, go to:
http://www.besthealthlink.net/

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