Herbal medicine is the use of plants or plant parts in their natural state--without chemical processing-- as medication for aches, pains, and illness. Herbal remedies contain many chemical ingredients, some helpful and others dangerous. Herbs are sold dried, finely chopped, powdered, in capsule or liquid form. Products may include only the leaf, root, or another specific part, or they may contain the entire plant. Herbal remedies also are sold as a combination of different plants. They may be swallowed as tablets or capsules, brewed as teas, applied to the skin as gels, or added to bath water.
The basic difference between herbal medicines and medicines prescribed by a doctor or sold over-the-counter (OTC) is that herbals contain the entire plant or plant part, while prescribed OTC medicine contain chemical processed active ingredients. Prescribed and OTC medicines may come from natural plants or herbs.
The use of herbs as self-prescribed medications is growing rapidly in the United States. It is an industry with more than $1.5 billion in annual sales. If you use herbs as medicine or are thinking of doing so, here are some important points to remember:
Just because a plant or herb is "natural" or unprocessed, doesn't mean it's safe.
Unlike prescribed drugs made by pharmaceutical companies, there is no government regulation of herbs and other "food supplements," except that companies are not supposed to make direct claims for cure. Herbal products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), unless it appears that a product is causing death or serious toxicities. Before 1994, the FDA eliminated from legal sale many herbal ingredients. Today, however, products containing those same ingredients are available, because the millions of health minded individuals successfully backed the 1994 Federal legislation restricting FDA authority to make dietary supplements available by prescribtion only basis.
How Does It Work?
There are two general groups of herbs: culinary herbs are used in cooking to season food, and medicinal herbs are used as medication to treat illness. Medicinal herbs are self-prescribed in the United States and Canada, but often are prescribed by doctors in other restrictive cultures. They have a long history of use in virtually every ancient culture, and many groups in some areas of the modern world still depend on herbal remedies to treat ailments of all kinds.
In the earliest days, herbs were chosen for medicinal purposes by what is now called the "doctrine of signatures." If a plant's leaf were heart-shaped, for example, it would be used to treat heart ailments. If its flower were red, it would be used to treat blood problems. And so on.
Today, of course, we know that it is the herb's chemical make-up, not its shape or color, that make it useful as a medication. Indeed, many herbs or chemicals taken from them, have become modern scientific remedies. About one in four medications prescribed today come from herbs.
Will It Help?
As a general rule, many herbal remedies can be used safely as alternatives to over-the-counter medications for ailments that people tend to treat themselves. However, herbal medicines should not to be used to combat life-threatening diseases without a doctors advice.
Guidelines for the safe use of herbs are given below. After that, safe herbal remedies that may help cancer patients are listed, followed by a list of dangerous herbs that should be carefully avoided.
Rule One: Investigate before you buy or use. There are many resources in libraries and on the Internet. Rely on materials by trained experts in botanical medicine or the study of herbs (pharmacognosy).
Rule Two: Check with your doctor before you try an herbal medicine. He or she may or may not be thoroughly versed in all herbal medicines, but hopefully your doctor will become educated or refer you to one who has the knowledge.
Rule Three: Do not take an herbal remedy instead of the medicine prescribed by your doctor without discussing it first.
Rule Four: Avoid herbal remedies if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
Rule Five: Don't depend on any herbal medicine to cure cancer or any other serious disease. See a health professional.
