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.
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