Is Herbal Therapy The Ultimate Answer?

Herbal medicines are today supposed to treat anything from acne to cancer. Still, be it an ant bite, or angina, people’s tendency is to rush to the physician to get a prescription drug or take something that gives them immediate relief. Is it because they have not heard about herbal medicines? Or is it because they have no faith in herbal remedies? Surely, the discipline of herbal treatment is not something that has to be kept at arm’s length.

For a person to be convinced about the powers of herbal cure, he should first of all understand how it works. Herbal therapy is a system of medicine which treats all forms of illnesses with natural herbs that have medicinal properties. Herbal therapies aim more at improving overall health and uprooting the cause of a problem, rather than curing the symptoms. Most of the alternative systems of medicine work on the basis of herbal therapies.

There is an underlying commonality between allopathic practices and herbal therapies. Most of the drugs, which pharmaceuticals manufacture, cure diseases by some chemicals present in them. Some of these chemicals are present in its natural form in certain herbs, and it is these natural herbs that form the basis of every herbal treatment. For example, saponins are a set of chemical compounds, found in plenty in some plants. These compounds have the power to break down mucus and help in bowel movements and so is a very useful herbal medicine. Similarly, tannins are astringents that have antiviral and antibacterial properties, and reduce bleeding from a cut. These are found in many plants and their medicinal properties make them highly effective herbal therapy agents.

There are many methods of recommended consumption for herbal remedies.
One of these is as herbal tea. Some other natural herbs can be taken in the form of a tincture, which is an herb in a liquid and concentrated form. Many natural herbs, for example garlic, can just be directly chewed in, to preserve to the fullest, their effect as an herbal medicine. Yet other herbal medicines are more suited for external application, independently or in combination with other oils or creams. Or they can be taken as herbal supplements, since extracts of natural herbs are now available in market in capsular or liquid medicine form.

Herbal therapies are effective in curing specific diseases, or improving the general health of the individual. Herbal medicines can be used in isolation, or in combination with other herbal remedies, or in combination with other systems of medicine itself. Sometimes an herbal medicine might cause a negative reaction with a medicine in another type of treatment, though at times natural herbs are used to neutralize the side effects of certain medicines.

Herbal treatments are most effective in treating chronic conditions where modern medicines fail. Skin ailment, diabetes, arthritis, or heart conditions respond to herbal remedies positively, even when they have become chronic. However, even useful natural herbs have dosage restrictions and different types of responses in combination with other drugs. For herbal therapies to be successful, its rules, regulations, and dosages have to be strictly adhered to, under the guidance of an experienced practitioner of herbal medicine.