9 things to LOVE about herbal medicine

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Herbal medicine is local and accessible.  Every region and culture of the world has its own unique materia medica and medicinal practices.  Wherever we are, there is always medicine available to support our basic health care needs and overall wellness. These medicines don’t have to come in capsules at Whole Foods or be written up in Natural Health magazine either.  Tannin-rich tree barks can be used in case of severe burns (oak galls are best).  Dandelion  grows nearly everywhere and is a great diuretic, digestive bitter, and liver-supportive herb.

Herbal medicine is sustainable.  Although there are some slow-growing medicines (like root bark medicine or Asian and American ginseng), most herbs grow quickly enough that we do not need to worry about decimating the supply.  This is in contrast to their pharmaceutical counterparts, which can lead to practices as extreme as the clearcutting of rainforests, for example, in order to get enough of a single constituent.  Also, most herbal medicines can be grown by individuals—and not necessarily farmers.  You can grow a valerian plant or even a Jamaican dogwood tree, but you can’t grow an ibuprofen or an ambien.

Herbal medicine is whole.  You know how TV commercials for pharmaceuticals warn you of a hundred side effects?  The reason is that when chemical constituents of plants are isolated in order to make drugs, a complex system of balance within the plant is thrown off.  An herb can contain hundreds, even thousands of constituents—while some of those chemicals could cause headache or nausea, others block those effects.  With pharmaceuticals, a single chemical is extracted from a plant and then synthesized into a tablet or capsule, and because it’s not whole, it is missing that checks-and-balances… which is one reason why there is such a long list of possible side effects with most drugs.  

Courtesy www.herbalremediesinfo.com

Herbal medicine is versatile.  It can be eaten fresh or in dried powder form, or taken as a tea, tincture, glycerite, suppository, or enema.  You can apply it externally as a poultice, compress steam bath, or wash.  You can add it to smoothies, oatmeal, salad dressings, or seltzer water.  Teething babies can chew on chamomile ice chips or frozen tea bags.  It can be folk medicine or based in clinical evidence.  It can be simple leaf, or a complex formulation.

Herbal medicine is personal.  No one herb is perfect for everyone, and the same symptoms may be treated in quite different ways.  Two women may both be experiencing cramps, but an herbalist might make very different recommendations to these two women based on their individual constitution, their stages in life, and their lifestyles.  Or, many herbs--including valerian, hops, California poppy, skullcap, and Jamaican dogwood—can be effective for insomnia, depending on the person and their experience of insomnia. 

Herbal medicine is safe.  While it’s not without its risks and side effects (and of course, there are some herbs that are very strong and need to be taken with caution), herbal medicine is remarkably safe.  In the past ten years, 490,000 people in the US alone have died from complications related to prescription drugs—not counting the Vioxx scandal.  (Which, incidentally, makes them at least 16,400 percent deadlier than terrorism). No deaths from herbal remedies have been reported in the last ten years.

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Herbal medicine helps your body to help itself.  There are relatively few herbs that work by eliminating symptoms directly.  Instead, the vast majority of herbs work by enhancing the body’s natural ability to carry out the processes that keep us well.  For example, milk thistle.   A lot of the time, it’s thought of as a liver-purifier, blood cleanser or “detoxifying” herb—but it’s not as if the herb is moving through the circulatory system, scrubbing blood cells or scavenging for toxins.  Milk thistle works because its primary constituents block the entrance of toxins into the body’s cells by altering liver cells’ outer membranes.  Milk thistle works by protecting the liver and allowing it to function strongly. 

Herbal medicine is cost-effective.  Herbal medicine costs far less than drugs—we don’t always notice this because if we are insured, our $10 co-pay masks the fact that medical insurance companies often pay these inflated costs.  Whenever I complain about paying $15 for a bottle of triphala capsules, one of my grandmother’s own favorite phrases comes to mind: “Well, it’s a lot cheaper than the doctor.”  Another reason it’s cost-effective is because of my first point—it’s locally accessible and can be grown, harvested, and prepared at home.

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Herbal medicine is empowering.  Herbal medicine is empowering to individuals, families and communities.  You don’t have to go to medical school (or any school) to learn it.  We can be self-taught or learn from others in the community.  We can learn to identify and grow our own herbs, to prepare our own medicines, and develop a good understanding of everyday herbal medicine, including first aid. We can use herbs as a powerful tool for taking responsibility for our health and wellness.