What is herbal medicine?

Herbal Medicine is the use of plants for healing. Naturally balanced medicines are produced, which are easily absorbed and less likely to cause the unwanted side-effects that are often associated with pharmaceutical drugs; they are used to support the body’s own healing mechanisms in order to restore a balanced state of health.

Holistic herbal medicine has been used for over 2000 years to treat illness and restore good health and 75% of the world’s population continue to depend on plants as their major source of medicine. It is the origin of present day medicine as practicised today by doctors. In the west the use of herbs declined when powerful drugs such as penicillin were discovered. However recently Herbal Medicine has been enjoying a resurgence, both as a result of the growth of research-based evidence for the effectiveness of the traditional therapeutic uses of specific herbs and of disenchantment with drug driven medical practices.

While the chemical nature and classification of plant constituents has been studied for hundreds of years, modern advances in pharmacology and chemistry have allowed a greater understanding of how these plant chemicals interact within the human body. Laboratory research on particular herbs has shown pharmacological effects consistent with their traditional uses, while human studies have confirmed the therapeutic effects of specific herbs.

The world-wide best selling drug ever produced – aspirin- was first isolated from a compound found in a number of herbs including meadowsweet. Both the drug and the herb are analgesic, reducing pain and fever. But while prolonged use of aspirin can cause stomach irritation and bleeding, meadowsweet can actually help to heal the stomach wall.