Welcome to herbal medicine Guide
Herbal Medicine School Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Millennia Herbal Medicine Still Stands Strong
from:Throughout the millennia herbal medicine has been defined as the use of herbs for the medicinal or therapeutic values. The parts of the plant that is used vary but can include any or all of the following: seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers. For millennia herbal medicine has been around. It has been used much longer than conventional medicine and once again is becoming a mainstream alternative. Almost 80% of the world population today uses herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care according to the World Health Organization. The popularity of herbal medicine has made some doctor’s today decide to use a combination of both conventional and alternative medicine to treat their patient’s ailments. In previous millennia herbal medicine was the standard.
Herbs throughout history
The practice of herbal medicine began even before records of their use existed. This fact has been proven during archaeological digs where human bones were found with herbs carefully tucked around them. For practically every culture throughout the millennia herbal medicine has been used to heal various ailments, from physical to psychological. An estimated 25% of the prescription drugs that are currently dispensed in the United States contain at least one active ingredient that has been derived from plant material. When plant extracts are not used in pharmaceutical drugs there is a good chance that at least one ingredient has been chemically synthesized to mimic the properties of natural plant compounds.
The new millennia: herbal medicine vs. synthetic medicine
Pharmaceutical medications are formulated to treat one specific illness, which can help save a life in an emergency situation making them an important part of traditional medical practices. Individual herb plants contain numerous minor ingredients that work in conjunction with their one main ingredient. The minor ingredients that herbs contain help support the function of the main ingredient. Some of these minor ingredients help the formulations get to the parts of the body where they are needed. Using herbs as a long term treatment should be avoided because it can result in the body becoming immune to the herbs. Once the body becomes immune to either a pharmaceutical or herbal medication, the medication will either lose some of its effectiveness or not work at all. There is also a chance that the herbs could build up in the body, the same way pharmaceutical medications can and cause various side effects. Alternative medicine centers on healing the mind, body and soul, instead of focusing on healing one major illness like pharmaceutical medicines do. This complete solution is one reason why alternative herbal medicine is rapidly gaining popularity, however it is wise to remember throughout the millennia herbal medicine has been around.
Herbal Medicine School News
Binge Drinking Reduced With Herbal Extract
Researchers at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School have discovered that an extract of the Chinese herb Kudzu may help to curb binge drinking. The team found that components in the kudzu root can significantly reduce alcohol consumption, without adverse effects. The study is published in the current issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. David Penetar, Ph.D...
Read more...San Francisco Acupuncture School to Host Alternative Medicine Symposium Sunday, April 29
Tired of pills and their side effects? Interested in natural remedies and alternative medicine? Then come to “Ancient Medicine for the 21st Century” at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) on Potrero Hill in San Francisco on Sunday, April 29, 2012. The student-led educational symposium is free to students and only $25 for non-students.San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 24 ...
Read more...Alternative medicines potentially unsafe: Expert
London, May 14 (IANS) You should go slow if you depend too much on alternative medicines as there is no way of knowing whether they are really safe, suggests a leading expert.
Read more...Alternative medicines 'potentially unsafe'
Alternative medicines should be treated with real caution because there is no real way of knowing if they are safe, according to Britain's foremost expert on the subject.
Read more...Headache-Plagued Kids Often Opt for Mind-Body Therapies
NEW ORLEANS — Children with common neurological conditions, such as headaches, are twice as likely to use complementary and alternative medicine as kids in the general population, a new study finds.
Read more...