Back to nature

When confronted by ill health, human beings have always sought medicines from the natural world, in particular from plants. Today, we have the opportunity to combine traditional knowledge of herbal medicine with the clarity that scientific research can provide.

Strange as it may seem to us today, one reason why herbal medicines fell out

Of favor among doctors and scientists in the 19th and 20th centuries was

Because they were natural! While conventional medicines, such as aspirin,

lavender
Herbal medicines such as lavender (Lavandula
officinalis) are natural products and vary in quality
in the same way as is found in wine.

are mostly made up of single chemical compounds, herbal medicines may

Contain many hundreds of different constituents. As a consequence, it can

Be a daunting task for researchers to discover how an herb works and to

Identify the constituents responsible. No wonder it has been found much

More straightforward to focus attention on single chemicals, which, if necessary,

Can be extracted and purified from medicinal plants. Herbal medicines are also viewed with suspicion because they are prone to natural variation. Different seasons

Produce slightly different crops. As one authority has put it, good quality in

Herbal medicine is not too different from good quality in wine. As in the

Case of grapevines, medicinal plants need to be tended with care, harvested

at the right time, and processed appropriately to achieve the best results.

Even then, some crops will be better than others. The most serious complaint laid

Against herbal medicines, however, is that they can easily be adulterated. To

Most people, one pile of dried green leaves looks very much like another.

If one is worth five times more than the other, the temptation will always

be there to  “cut” the more valuable one, or to substitute a cheaper variety. In order

to prevent poor-quality material from being sold and to guarantee safety, quality control is essential.

Why use herbs?

If herbal medicines are so complicated and variable, why use them? Some of

The strengths of herbal medicines are listed below, and you will find examples

Of them.

• Human beings have evolved alongside plants, using them as food and medicine.

• Herbal remedies are often dilute and can be adjusted to individual strength.

• They usually work with the body’s own physiological processes.

• When used sensibly, they have an enviable safety record.

• Medical research endorses a number of key herbal remedies where safety and effectiveness have been established.

• Other remedies have longstanding traditional use as evidence of their efficacy.

• They can be safely self-administered in minor acute and chronic conditions.

• Some remedies can be taken long-term in low doses.

• Many remedies can be taken to prevent illness or enhance performance.

• As natural products, they are a permanently renewable resource.

When grown organically, they can have a positive impact on the environment.