Herbal Medicine


Herbal Medicine, also referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the oldest healthcare known to mankind. Herbal medicine is the utilization of herbs for therapy or medicinal purposes. Derived from plants, herbs are used for their medicine, aroma and spice. Herb plants produce and comprise a mariyad of chemical substances that interact with our bodies. From food, to clothing, to medicine and even shelter; plants have proven invaluable throughout the history of mankind. Through trial and error and based on observations of wildlife, plants have been developed for medicinal use. Over the centuries, mankind has documented the medicinal value of herbs.

Most of our medicines used today are derived from native cultures. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs in the US contain at least one active plant material ingredient. Currently, over 4 billion people or 80% of the world population use herbal medicine for some forms of healthcare. Ayurvedic practitioners, homeopathic practitioners, naturopathic practitioners, traditional Oriental practitioners and Native American Indians commonly utilize herbal medicine. Today, pharmaceutical companies are extensively researching rain forest plant materials for their medicinal potential.

Herbs remain the foundation for a large amount of commercial medications used today for treatment of heart disease, blood pressure regulation, pain remedies, asthma and other health problems. A prime example of herbal medicine is the foxglove plant. Used since 1775, this powdered leaf is known as the cardiac stimulant digitalis which preserves life in millions of heart patients in modern society. From Aloe to St. John's Wort, herbal medicines are mainstream in modern civilization. To learn more about the benefits of herbal medicine, peruse our site for the latest holistic health remedies today.


More Resources

Laughter and Your Health
Alternative medicine: jokes and humor for your healthWhen thinking about alternative medicine, most people picture plants, crystals, needles, maybe some bugs and leeches, but few realize that jokes, humor and comedy are truly medicines, in their own right. It has long been established that optimists live longer than pessimists, but now there is some hard evidence that people with a better sense of humor also have longer and healthier lives.
Constipation Home Remedies Using Juices
Apple Juice, Figs and RaisinsHere's another constipation home remedy using apple juice with other fruit. Eat it the first thing in the morning before breakfast.
3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache
Only a migraine sufferer understands the pain. Regardless of how the migraine starts the end result is the same - excrutiating pain that renders you helpless.
Teas From Plants Around You and Their Benefits
All teas unless specified are brewed with 1 teaspoon dry material or 2 teaspoons fresh material to 1 cup of water. Always steep.
What Is A Home Remedy?
Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?Myths and legends often have their basis in a grain of truth. So I wondered if home remedies, alternative treatments, and folklore cures might also be based on truth.
The Sense of Smell and Emotional Response
Smell is a specialised chemical sense. It is interesting to note that the olfactory cells are the only place in the human body where the central nervous system is in direct contact with the external environment.
Stopping Colds in Their Tracks
We all know the nasty sensation of coming down with a cold: when you feel like your head is stopped up, when your nose is constantly running, and when nothing tastes right.Most of what we call colds are technically known rhinitis, and are caused by various micro-organisms settling on nasal or throat surfaces, and the body's reacting to them.
Tobacco Hypnosis: Cigarettes Are My Friend
Practicing hypnotherapists hear many peculiar statements from smokers who ask for help in quitting. The idea that cigarettes could be someone's "friend" is just one of them.
Revolutionary Medicine: Shockwave Therapy for Chronic Pain Sufferers
Stripped from the scenes from science fiction novels and films, shockwave therapy is a newage alternative to chronic pain sufferers. Utilized not only on humans for over 25 years for urologic and orthopedic conditions, shockwave therapy has even been introduced to veterinary and equine medicine as well.
I Want To Be Able To Function and Not Be Stopped by My Pain
Why Your Subconscious May Be Able To Give You a Powerful Tool for Doing That--A Good Night's SleepBeing able to function starts with good sleep--without it you're a mess. Yet pain prevents you from using the reliable sleep advice that works for other people.
Everything Old Is New Again: Rebuilding Your Vision
Glasses, contacts, or surgery. These are the usual choices offered to those of us with bad vision.
Your Body's Secret Wisdom-- Eating from the Tree of Life
Your body's secret wisdom is as ancient as humankind and encoded in every cell. It knows the perfect food for you to eat at any point in time.
Is Shiatsu Massage the Ultimate Stress Relief Treatment?
My first shiatsu massageI opened my eyes suddenly. He was smiling at me.
Pediatric CI Therapy - An Interview with Dr. Stephanie C. DeLuca
As each day passes, medical research communities strive to find alternative means of evaluating and treating specific conditions. One of those communities is comprised of a professional and highly educated team of PhDs at Alabama University at Birmingham, located in Birmingham, AL.
Lavender Pure Essential Oil
Lavender pure essential oil is cultivated and harvested in the Mediterranean today. More specifically, lavender is grown in Provence, France.
At-Home Relief For Ingrown Hairs
#1 Use Antibiotic SoapAntibiotic soap helps to clear up and prevent the infections caused by ingrown hairs. There are a number you can purchase on-line or at the drugstore, two are PanOxyl (with 10% hydrogen peroxide) and Reviva (which makes a whole line of hydrogen peroxide products).
Strengthen the Immune System Naturally
"Among the most exciting applications of herbal medicine lie in treating abnormalities of the immune system. Clinical studies have shown that various herbal products are effective in treating allergies, asthma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
What AreThe Symptoms Of A Sinus Headache?
Problems with sinuses, give rise to headaches, so you have to know the symptoms of a sinus headache in order to know if you actually have one. The sinuses are small spaces in the facial bones just below the facial skin.
Mosquitoes? No Itch, No Bite!
When you are in the season of the mosquito, it is looked upon with horror for those who suffer allergic reactions. But even if you do not get these reactions it is still looked upon by most as an unpleasant, unavoidable summertime irritant.
Super Bee Nutrition
Bee's and Bee NutritionWhat is the buzz about bee Nutrition? Well, you cant get more down to nature then bee products. Powerful anti-oxidants, skin creams, supplements, and much more.

More Alternative Information:

Related Articles

Snoring - A Small Change Can Make A Big Difference
We all know how annoying snoring can be, both for the snorer and the partner. The effects and seriousness of snoring are becoming more apparent with snoring being linked to conditions like high blood pressure and coronary disease.
Neuro Emotional Technique
NET or Neuro Emotional Technique is one of the newer "power therapies" and stress reduction techniques that along with TFT (Thought Field Therapy), and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) have become popular in the last ten years. These therapies seem to work quicker than traditional talk therapies.
You Don't Have to Live With Stiff Neck Pain
Getting quality sleep has, for many, become an elusive goal in the modern day. We work longer hours, take less time off, and try to overcompensate by micromanaging what little free time is available to in order to enjoy all facets of our lives.
Feeling Helpless in the Face of Pain?
Here Are 4 Ways That Visualization May Be Able to Ease You Back into ControlUsing visualizations to reduce pain may be unlike anything else you've tried. It not only gives you the chance to feel better, but does so in a way that may be able to relieve your sense of helplessness.
More Sinus Headaches Home Remedies
One of the best sinus headaches home remedies, is called acupressure. All you got to know is your sinus points and then you can use this acupressure method to treat your self and rid yourself of the pain, and the best thing about the acupressure method is that it has no side effects.
Herbal Medicine for Diabetes
Herbs used in traditional Indian medicine to treat diabetes seems to lower blood sugar and insulin levels in a manner similar to prescription drugs, a new study reports.Researchers gave extracts of the herb Salacia oblonga to 39 healthy adults, and the results were promising.
Top 10 Trends in Healthcare
America is undergoing a dramatic shift in healthcare. Actually, ten distinctly different shifts.
Aromatherapys Mind-Smell Connection
Why is smell so strongly linked to memory and emotion?It is not fully understood, but this is no surprise as the complexities of brain activity are still far from being unravelled and understood. The brain holds far more secrets than we have discovered.
Limitations You Should Know About When Using the Subconscious For Pain Relief
As powerful as the subconscious can be in relieving pain, it has a number of limitations that you should be aware of before attempting to use it to ease your pain.The use of the subconscious to ease pain can be not only helpful but in some cases may be the only thing that seems to produce lasting relief.
Alzheimer's Home Testing Manual Now Available Online
If you're concerned about the condition of an older family member or loved one, you are likely asking yourself: "I know there's something wrong. Could it be Alzheimer's?"You aren't alone.
Natural Remedy for Bronchitis
Bronchitis is a condition defined as the inflammation of the bronchi which results in persistent cough that produces considerable quantities of sputum. A respiratory infection such as a cold is the initial stage of the development of bronchitis.
Cleaners And Our Health
Many people use strong cleaners or acid cleaners to make the house clean and to get hard to clean stains out, but people don't realize that many cleaners are bad for our health they contain ingredient that irritate the skin and the fumes that those cleaner produce are dangerous if we inhale them.Many people suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems and using those type of cleaners in a place not well ventilated can be harmful for the health.
Eating Junk Food -- The Hidden Price
You probably are very familiar with the benefits you get from NOT eating healthy. You get to eat food that tastes good, you get to be lazy and sit on the couch and veg out and watch TV.
Medieval Remedies That Still Work Today
Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?In a previous article we looked at several possible definitions of a home remedy, and patched together a definition that met our mental image of such a remedy. If you missed it, here's the definition we derived.
The Power of Ganoderma in Oriental Medicine
Ganoderma, a rare variety of Mushroom credited with the highest medicinal qualities by the classic Chinese 'Seng Nong' is indeed a subject of much research from the ancient china of 100 B.C.
Mental Anchors
Have you ever noticed when you remember something pleasant in your past, that your current mood changes to a happy mood? Or when you remember a troubling thought, you become more agitated and your mood becomes full of negative thoughts?When you are in a highly emotional state of mental thoughts and feelings, your mind creates "links" or "anchors" to things that you may see, hear, feel, touch or any other sense you can imagine. If, for instance, you are in a loving, caring mood, feeling loved, feeling great and you hear a song a few times, your mind links or anchors that song to those feelings.
The Effects of Stress
Stress can affect you in four different ways:The Physical Effects of StressThese result in a physically perceived overload. These are present in many forms.
Eating Healthy Myths Destroyed
All Refined Carbohydrates are Hazardous to Your Health. The average American eats over 300 pounds of sugars each year.
Bach Flower Remedies
Bach Flower remedies are 38 plant and flower based remedies which where created during the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach.
Why Detoxify?
Have you been hearing about detoxification more often?That's because we are now recognizing and appreciatingthat our bodies are not just separate parts, but a connected system which must be in "balance" if we are tofeel and be well.So what is detoxifying?Well, it is an internal cleansing of toxins, from our bodies.