An herb is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, or therapeutic properties. Herbal medicines are one type of dietary supplement. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. People use herbal medicines to try to maintain or improve their health.
There are many different \”types\” of herbal medicine that spring from different cultures around the world. All these have the use of medicinal plants in common, but they vary in the plants they use, the way they prepare and use medicines from these plants, and the philosophy of their treatment approaches. Different cultures may also use the same plants but differ in how it is used, or the part they use.
Herbal medicine is increasingly being validated by scientific investigation which seeks to understand the active chemistry of the plant. Many modern pharmaceuticals have been modeled on, or derived from chemicals found in plants. An example is the heart medication digoxin derived from foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).
Using plants as medicine provides significant advantages for treating many conditions. The therapeutic activity of a plant is due to its complex chemical nature with different parts of the plant providing certain therapeutic effects.
Herbal medicine blurs the line between foods and medicines – a line that, in many cultures, was never drawn in the first place. Using herbs and spices that have disease-preventive effect in foods is one of the best ways to take advantage of their healing power. For example, it appears that the daily use of the spice turmeric in curry dishes is one reason elderly people in India have one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the world.
What Conditions Is Herbal Medicine Used For?
Herbal medicine has been used to treat or alleviate virtually every possible medical condition. Some of the most popular herbal remedies and the conditions for which they are used include:
*aloe used topically for minor burns, sunburns, skin irritation or inflammation
*arnica used topically for bruises, sprains, sore muscles and joints
*chamomile tea ingested for upset stomach, heartburn, indigestion and colic comfrey, in a topical poultice only, for bedsores, diabetic ulcers, certain spider bites and staph infections contracted on tropical beaches
*dong quai for women and ginseng for men and women, ingested to improve general health and stamina – in this application, these are known as tonics. Other tonics include eleuthero and rhodiola.
*echinacea ingested for colds, flu, sore throat
*garlic ingested to possibly reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, treat fungal infections and colds
*ginger ingested for nausea and motion sickness and as an anti-inflammatory
*mullein ingested for chest congestion and dry, bronchial coughs
*passionflower ingested for non-sedating relaxation
*peppermint tea ingested for indigestion, nausea and other digestive problems
*peppermint oil (in enteric-coated capsules) ingested for irritable bowel syndrome and other chronic intestinal ailments
*tea tree oil applied topically for fungal infections such as athlete’s foot and fungal infections of the toenails and fingernails
*turmeric ingested to combat inflammation and protect against cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
*valerian ingested for sleeping problems.
This is only a brief overview of some of the many safe and effective herbal remedies.
How do herbs work?
In many cases, scientists are not sure what specific ingredient in a particular herb works to treat a condition or illness. Whole herbs contain many ingredients, and they may work together to produce a beneficial effect. Many factors determine how effective an herb will be. For example, the type of environment (climate, bugs, and soil quality) in which a plant grew will affect it, as will how and when it was harvested and processed………………………………
