What is Herbal Medicine?

Condensed into a single sentence Herbal Medicine is the use of plant remedies in the treatment of illness and disease. However, in reality tra-ditional Herbal Medicine (of whichever system) is so much more than that. In conjunction with a consultation from a suitably qualified practitioner Herbal Medicine strives to create balance in a person so that their own innate healing systems can be employed in the healing process. This differs from allopathic medicine (GP’s, NHS etc) which tends to be much more reductionist in its approach and the medication itself is designed to take over the specific function that is having a problem rather than working with the body to gently adjust its own systems towards wellness.
Herbs and plants can be prepared and used in many ways. They can be taken internally as tinctures, teas, powders, syrups, or capsules. Externally, they can be applied as lotions, oils, salves and in baths. Such remedies have been used since the beginning of human history. Many of today’s pharmaceutical drugs are based on isolated chemical parts of plants. In contrast, herbal medicines are extracts of the whole plant (i.e. the whole root or entire leaves) and contain numerous plant constituents. Herbalists believe that the therapeutic actions of a plant are the result of a balanced relationship between all the plant's constituents. Using whole plants this way can prevent the many side effects that are often associated with pharmaceutical drugs

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