Celebrating National Herbal Medicine Week!
It's no secret that I absolutely love herbs. I love learning about them, growing them, cooking with them...and using them with my clients in my naturopathic health clinic. Despite the fact that herbs have been used medicinally for thousands of years, I never cease to be amazed at just how much more there is to find out about these fascinating plants. There also seems to me to be a kind of 'rightness' about using herbs - I feel like it's a great way to re-establish our connection to the earth and nature (something that we tend to forget, when distracted by our busy 21st century lives!)
Before the arrival of pharmaceutical medications, herbs simply were what people used to help facilitate healing. Without pills, disinfectant or antibiotics at the ready, our forebears really did need to 'think outside the box', be resourceful and use what was ready to hand. Many of the plants used by these early healers are actually still used today – including parts of the poppy plant, garlic and eucalyptus.
Here are a few more facts about herbal medicines:
- Many pharmaceutical medicines were originally sourced from plant ingredients. These include the contraceptive pill, aspirin, digitalis heart drugs, morphine and anti-malarial drugs. As science has evolved, more often than not the active constituents from the plant were replaced with synthetically-produced versions (as these are easier and cheaper to produce).
- There is evidence of herbs as medicine in virtually every civilization that has appeared on earth - including ancient Egypt, China, India, Arabia, Europe, historical Britain, the indigenous peoples of Australia and ancient Rome.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that up to 80% of people in some third world countries depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care - particularly in rural areas, or places where access to modern healthcare may be scarce.
- There are many popular ways to consume medicinal herbs. These can include adding herbs to the foods we eat, using a dried herb to make a tea, using a liquid herb (the dried herb is soaked in a water/alcohol mixture in order to release active constituents), decoction (where hard/woody parts of a herb are boiled), or in aromatherapy (the oil is extracted from the plant and inhaled).
- Herbs are constantly being researched to help us learn more about their potential therapeutic activity. Certain herbs are being investigated to see if they may be useful for cancer treatments, diabetes, heart function/cholesterol, kidney disease, depression, anxiety, dementia, blood pressure and reproductive issues. And there is more research happening around the world all the time!
- Herbal medicines do face some challenges – these can include variations in the plant itself when it is being grown (eg. climatic conditions, soil quality), overharvesting and pesticide use. Herbs can also be stored incorrectly (exposed to heat or damp) which can impact the quality & safety of the herb. There is a very real potential for a herb to be incorrectly identified, and substitution of a similar species (which may not have the same therapeutic effect, and in fact may be harmful) can be common.
- Despite being ‘natural’, herbs can potentially have safety issues, such as allergic reactions, overdosing, and side effects. Some herbs are also known to interact with pharmaceutical medications (this can be in a positive or negative way), or are not suitable to use when pregnancy/breastfeeding. If you are considering taking herbal medicine, it is wise to consult a qualified herbalist, who will be aware of potential issues and can adjust your herbal prescription accordingly.
- Medicinal herbs are experiencing a surge in popularity - and many people use them to help relieve modern-day ailments including stress management, anxiety, depression, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, menopausal symptoms, infertility, low immunity, inflammation, thyroid issues, allergies, insomnia, cognition, pregnancy, skin problems such as eczema, and urinary tract infections….and many more.
- Centuries ago, the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’ was a popular concept. This was the belief that God had ‘stamped’ on plants the keys to deciphering which herbs were to be used for different ailments. By looking at the size, shape, and colour of the plant, and seeing if it matched a body part or characteristic would influence which herbs chosen for healing purposes. For instance, a yellow-coloured plant may have been used for disorders associated with the liver, and heart-shaped leaves were used for heart problems.
- Different parts of herbs are used medicinally. For some herbs the flowers are the part commonly used, in others the berries, seeds, leaves, roots/bulb, sap, or bark are considered medicinal. The part used may have an effect on the herb’s therapeutic action – for instance, American Indians used to use the root of the Echinacea plant. Modern research has shown that it is the root of a certain species of Echinacea that has a higher level of the active constituent than the leafy parts of the plant.