|
Herbs Before there was penicillin, before there were CAT scans and before there
was Viagra, there were herbs. The medicinal history of every civilization in
every part of the globe owes a debt to these powerful, but often overlooked
natural wonders. Today, about 80% of the worlds population uses herbs as their
only source of health care. Yet here in North America, they wallow in the fringes,
their full potential untapped.
Herbs contain many of the nutrients that we are deprived of in our modern life.
Often we try and replace them with processed pills and treatments. While effective,
these remedies can be confusing, costly and ridden with side effects. Often
herbs can be just as powerful, but far milder, and have millennia of results
as proof of their merit.
While herbs are by no means a quick fix cure-all, their worth has stood the
test of time. A testament to power of herbs is that they can also be dangerous
if not used properly. You should always do a little research before embarking
on a herb treatment. If you have any hesitations at all, please consult a registered
naturopath or doctor.
The word "herbs" refers to any part of any plant used for flavoring
or medicine. People have sought all kinds of medicinal help through herbs for
thousands of years. Herbs have the advantage of being natural remedies. Unlike
drugs, which come with all kinds of risks and side effects, herbs can realign
the body's defenses and help it heal itself. Herbs are generally safe and pose
few, if any, side effects.
People who research and recommend herbs are called herbalists. Herbalists use
the leaves, flowers, stems, berries, and roots of plants to prevent, relieve,
and treat illness.
Herbal Medicine Systems
Today’s most popular herbal medicine systems are:
- Western
- European
- Native
- Chinese
- Ayurvedic
The differences in these systems lie mainly in terminology and types of herbs
used. For example, Western herbal medicine considers how herbs act upon specific
body parts and systems, while Chinese herbal medicine considers how herbs act
upon chi (a Chinese term that loosely translates into “life force”).
Ayurvedic medicine (based on the ancient scientific tradition from India, older
than any other recorded body of human knowledge) believes that herbs can help
the body live in harmony with the external universe. All of the systems, however,
treat the body as a whole system—that is, rather than target one specific
area, they believe in achieving a holistic healing effect throughout the body.
In general, herbs are used for energy, for maintaining the body’s natural
immune system and for preventing and treating ailments and disease.
What do herbs do?
Specific functions of herbs, according to the Western (American) system, include:
- Cleansing the body
- Regulating and toning the glands
- Providing the body with vitamins and minerals
- Boosting energy levels
- Promoting “good” bacteria in the body
Herbs convert substances from the earth into vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats that our bodies use for nourishment and healing. Most herbs
contain several active substances, one of which is primarily responsible for
that herb’s healing benefits. Usually, though, the herb contains many
ingredients that bring “secondary” benefits or treat other conditions
in the body as well.
Classifying herbs
There are many ways to classify herbs. One popular way in Western herbal traditions
is to classify them according to the type of active ingredient they contain:
- Aromatic (volatile oils)
- Astringent (tannins)
- Bitter (phenol compounds, saponins and alkaloids)
- Mucilaginous (polysaccharides)
- Nutritive (food stuffs)
This category system is useful when needing to substitute one herb for another.
Some herbal systems also perceive herbs to have varying combinations of the
qualities heating or cooling and drying or moistening. Heating herbs are believed
to produce warmth in the body. This category includes all aromatic herbs and
many of the bitter herbs. Cooling herbs, on the other hand, are believed to
take heat away from some part of the body. This category includes herbs that
contain highly volatile oils. Drying herbs are astringent or diuretic herbs.
Usually, aromatic herbs fall into this category. Meanwhile, mucilaginous herbs
are considered moistening.
Regulation of herbs
Traditional herbology uses empirical observation, rather than laboratory analysis,
to investigate healing methods and herbs. In European herbal medicine, herbs
are checked by the German Commission E, a team of scientists, physicians, pharmacists
and toxologists who check the medical benefits of herbs and watch out for drug
interatctions. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which licenses
all substances thought to be medically benefticial for use in the United States,
does not recognize or accept findings from other countries. Since much more
research is carried out on herbs in China and Europe than in the U.S., many
herbs do not get FDA approval in spite of their safety and benefits.
Herbs in conventional medicine
Herbal medicine has a long tradition. Many familiar medications of the twentieth
century were developed from ancient healing traditions that treated health problems
with specific plants. Rather than using a whole plant, however, pharmacologists
extract and combine individual components to capture its active properties.
This process is problematic, as it potentially eliminates any or all of the
minerals, vitamins, volatile oils, glycosides, alkaloids, bioflavanoids, and
other substances that contribute to the medicinal properties of a particular
herb. Most of the research that is done on plants and herbs continues to focus
on isolating active ingredients, rather than studying the medicinal properties
of entire plants. Herbalists, however, consider that the interaction of all
its ingredients is responsible for the healing powers of a given plant.
Herb forms
Herbs come in a variety of forms:
- Fresh root
- Dried root
- Tablets—contain ground or powdered form of the raw herb; less potent
than tinctures.
- Capsules—contain ground or powdered form of the raw herb; less potent
than tinctures.
- Tea—loose versions of herb ready for steeping, or ready-made tea bags
containing herb.
- Tincture—contains active extracted ingredients of the herb dissolved
in alcohol.
- Bath
- Compress
- Ointment
- Lozenges—herbal based, naturally sweetened candies.
Growing herbs
Herbs can be wild-grown or organically grown. Wild-grown herbs grow in their
natural habitat without human interference. However, no guarantee exists that
such herbs have not been exposed to pesticides or other pollutants. Organically
grown herbs, meanwhile, grow on farms under the careful supervision of highly
knowledgeable farmers.
Herb administration
In general, herbs, when taken in recommended doses, tend not to produce adverse
reactions. Severe side effects usually occur only when very large doses of the
herb are taken and/or when the herb is taken for too long a time. Many herbs
work best when two to three week pauses are made during treatment. Others should
be given only during specific periods, such as during times of illness.
Herb fraud
Some herbalists recommend using the fresh root forms of herbs, when available,
to avoid “fake” herbal products. Cases have been reported of herbal
preparations that contain no actual active ingredient. Buying a standardized
product when purchasing tinctures, capsule, or tablets may reduce the possibility
of this occurrence. Look for products that are clearly labeled with the ingredients
contained and amounts. |
