Herbal and Botanical medicine, in this article you will learn about some of the most popular and best natural medicine being used to day.
What herbs are used for Best Herbal and Botanical medicine
Herbal medicine, also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine, is the use of a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medical purposes.
Herbalism has been used outside of traditional medicine for a long time. Herbal medicine is becoming more popular as improvements in analysis and quality control, as well as advances in clinical research, show its value in treating and preventing illness.
How did herbal medicine come to be?
Plants have been used as medicines since before history was written down. As early as 3,000 BC, Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings show how plants were used as medicines.
Indigenous cultures, such as African and Native American, used herbs as part of their healing rituals.
Other cultures, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, used herbal therapies as part of their traditional medical systems.
Researchers found that people in different parts of the world often used the same plants or plants that were similar for the same reasons.
When scientists could do chemical analysis for the first time in the early 1800s, they started taking the active parts of plants and changing them.
Later, chemists started making their own versions of compounds found in plants, and over time, Herbal and Botanical medicine, became less popular and were replaced by drugs. Almost a quarter of all pharmaceutical drugs come from plants.
80% of people around the world use herbal and Botanical medicines
The World Health Organization recently said that 80% of people around the world use herbal medicines as a main form of health care.
In Germany, there are between 600 and 700 plant-based medicines that about 70% of doctors prescribe.
In the United States, herbal medicine has become more popular in the last 20 years because people are unhappy with how much prescription drugs cost and want to go back to natural or organic remedies.
How do Herbal and Botanical medicine work?
In many cases, scientists don’t know exactly what part of a herb helps treat a condition or illness.
Whole herbs have a lot of parts, and those parts may work together to make a good effect. How well a herb works depends on a lot of different things. For instance, the climate, bugs, and quality of the soil where a plant grew will affect it, as will when and how it was picked and processed.
How do you use Herbal and Botanical medicine?
Over the past 30 years, people have used herbal supplements a lot more. The U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 calls herbal supplements “dietary supplements.”
That means, unlike prescription drugs, herbal supplements don’t have to be tested to show they are safe and effective before they can be sold. But good manufacturing practices must be used when making herbal supplements.
In the U.S., these are the best Herbal and Botanical medicine supplements that people use most often:
- Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea and related species)
- The herb St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
- Garlic (Allium sativum)
- Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)
- Ginseng (Panax ginseng or Asian ginseng) and Panax quinquefolius or American ginseng)
- Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
- Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
- Chamomile is a flower (Matricaria recutita)
- The feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- Thistle milk (Silybum marianum)
Herbs are often used together because they work better when used together.
When recommending herbs, doctors have to think about a lot of things, like the plant’s species and variety, its habitat, how it was stored and processed, and whether or not it has any contaminants (including heavy metals and pesticides).
What are the benefits of Herbal and Botanical medicine?
Herbal medicine is used to treat many conditions, including
- allergies,
- asthma,
- eczema,
- premenstrual syndrome,
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- fibromyalgia,
- migraines,
- menopause symptoms,
- chronic fatigue,
- irritable bowel syndrome,
- and cancer, among others.
Herbal supplements are best taken with the help of a trained provider.
For example, one study found that 90% of people with arthritis use alternative treatments like herbal medicine.
Before taking any herbs, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Herbal medicines can sometimes interact with prescription drugs and may make some medical conditions worse. Here are some common herbs and what you can do with them.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
has been used to treat problems with
blood flow and improve memory.
dementia
ginkgo may be especially good at treating dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and intermittent claudication (poor circulation in the legs).
It also looks like it could help older people remember things better.
improves blood flow by widening blood vessels
Studies in the lab have shown that ginkgo improves blood flow by widening blood vessels and making blood platelets less sticky.
In the same way, this means that ginkgo may also make some blood-thinning medicines, like aspirin, work better.
People who take medicines that thin the blood should talk to their doctor before taking ginkgo. People who have had seizures in the past or who are having trouble getting pregnant should also use concern. Talk to your doctor.
Kava kava (Piper methysticum)
make people feel better and happier
Kava is said to improve mood, make people feel better and happier, and relax them. Several studies show that kava may help treat nervous disorders like anxiety, insomnia, and others.
But there is a lot of worry that kava could hurt the liver. It’s not clear if a few people got liver damage because of the kava itself or because they took it with other drugs or herbs.
It is also not clear if kava is dangerous at the doses that have been recommended in the past or if it is only dangerous at higher doses.
Kava has been taken off the market in some places. It is still available in the United States, but in March 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers about the “rare” but possible risk of liver failure with products that contain kava.
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)
noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.
• More than 2 million men in the U.S. use saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.
Several studies suggest that the herb can help treat symptoms like having to go to the bathroom often, having trouble starting or keeping urination going, and having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Not all studies agree, though. At least one well-done study found that saw palmetto didn’t help with BPH symptoms any more than a sugar pill.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
moderate depression
People know that St. John’s Wort can help with depression. Most studies have shown that St. John’s Wort may help treat mild to moderate depression and has fewer side effects than most other prescription antidepressants.
But the herb can interact with a wide range of medicines, including birth control pills, and can cause unwanted side effects, so it’s important to only take it with your doctor’s advice.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
for better sleep
Valerian is a popular alternative to sleeping pills because it is thought to be safe and gentle. Some studies agree with this, but not all have found that valerian works. Valerian may have fewer side effects, like feeling tired in the morning, than many prescription sleeping pills.
But Valerian can interact with some drugs, especially psychiatric drugs, so you should talk to your doctor to find out if Valerian is right for you.
Echinacea
stronger immune system
Preparations of Echinacea (made from Echinacea purpurea and other species of Echinacea) may help the body’s natural immune system. Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal remedies, but research isn’t sure if it can help prevent or treat colds.
A review of 14 clinical studies that looked at how echinacea affected the number of colds and how long they lasted found that taking echinacea supplements cut the chance of getting a cold by 58%. It also cut a cold’s length of time by 1.4 days.
Echinacea can react badly with some medicines and might not be good for people with certain conditions, like autoimmune diseases or allergies.
Talk to your doctor about it.
Should I keep an eye out for anything?
Herbs can help treat a wide range of conditions when used the right way, and in some cases, they may have fewer side effects than some traditional medicines.
Don’t think that herbs are safe just because they are “natural.”
Some herbs might not be good for people with certain health problems.
Since herbal products are not regulated, they are often mislabeled and may contain additives and contaminants that are not on the label.
Some herbs can cause allergic reactions or interact with regular medicines, and some can be dangerous if they are used wrong or in large amounts.
so it’s important to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking herbal medicines. Here are some examples of how some popular herbs can make people sick.
• St. John’s Wort can make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s UV rays.
It may also cause an:
- allergic reaction,
- stomach upset,
- tiredness,
- and restlessness.
Clinical studies have shown that St. John’s wort also reduces the effectiveness of many drugs, such as:
- the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin),
- HIV drugs called protease inhibitors,
- birth control pills,
- some asthma medicines,
- and many others.
Also, you shouldn’t take St. John’s Wort with antidepressants that your doctor has given you. Many of these interactions have been warned about by the FDA in a public health advisory.
• It has been shown that kava kava is bad for the liver if taken to often.
Valerian may make you feel sleepy, but in some people, it may have the opposite effect and make them feel too alert instead of calm.
Some herbs, like garlic, ginkgo, feverfew, and ginger, can make you more likely to bleed.
Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) may make people more likely to have seizures or bleed if they have a bleeding disorder or take blood-thinning medicines like warfarin (Coumadin).
Some herbal supplements, may have a lot of heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium in them.
It’s important to buy herbal supplements from reputable companies.
Many herbs can cause unwanted side effects when taken with prescription drugs.
For example, there are a lot of interactions between herbs and drugs among people who are being treated for cancer. Before you try any herbal products, you should talk to your doctor.
Who takes medicine made from plants?
Herbs are used by about one-third of Americans. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who took herbal medicines were reluctant to tell their doctors that they used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Are there herbal medicine experts?
Herbalists, chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, pharmacists, medical doctors, and people who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine can all use herbs to treat illness. Naturopathic doctors think that the body is always trying to find a healthy balance, and that natural therapies can help it do this.
They go to 4-year postgraduate schools that teach both traditional medical science like:
- pathology,
- microbiology,
- pharmacology,
- surgery
and herbal medicine like:,
- homeopathy,
- nutrition,
- and lifestyle counseling in the real world.
How do I find a good herbalist near me?
Visit the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) site at www.americanherbalistsguild.com for more information or to find an experienced herbalist in your area. The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) can help you find a licensed naturopath in your area. You can reach them at www.naturopathic.org.
Where does herbal medicine go from here?
Unlike the U.S, some European countries treat herbs like drugs and have rules about them. The German Commission E is a group of medical experts who study how safe and effective they are.
Herbal medicine is still not widely accepted.
and medical schools and pharmacy schools are teaching it more. More doctors are learning about the good and bad things that can happen when herbal medicines, are used to treat health problems.
Some doctors and pharmacists, for example, have been trained in herbal medicine. They can help people come up with treatment plans that include herbs, regular medicines, and changes to the way they live.
suggested reading HERBAL REMEDIES FOR MIGRAINE
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