About Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is the study and practice of the medicinal and therapeutic uses of plants. Plant medicine is the oldest form of medicinal healing and has been utilized since before our records are even able to indicate. Archaeologic evidence shows that the use of medicinal plants dates back to at least the Paleolithic age, some 60,000 years ago.
Plant medicine is the most widely practiced form of medicine used worldwide; The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 65-80 percent of the world’s healthcare practice involves its use. How herbal medicine is used may vary from culture to culture, but regardless of which geographical region our ancestors came from, traditional medicine was relied upon. In this way, herbal medicine is a common ground that unites each of us to each other and back to the earth. Although not everyone is very familiar with herbal medicine I think plant medicine is more familiar to humans as a species than we realize.
It is said that the first written record of medicinal plants was created over 5000 years ago by the Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq) and was written on clay tablets. In 1550 BC the ancient Egyptians wrote The Ebers Papyrus, a medical paper of herbal knowledge that listed over 850 plant medicines.
Herbal medicine has come a long way. Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377) spent 20 years in prison for believing that disease occurred in the body by means of pathological processes rather than being inflicted by superstitions or gods. The latter was the accepted belief of authoritarian figures during his time.
The use of natural bioactive herbal preparations may date back thousands of years but the application of plants as isolated compounds to modern drug discovery and development only began in the 19th century. Up to 50% of approved drugs during the last 30 years are either directly or indirectly from natural products. When we look at the history of drugs used in cancer treatment from the 1940s to now, 85 out of the 175 drug molecules are either natural products or their derivatives.
Currently 35,000 - 70,000 plant species have been screened for medicinal uses. The first pure natural drug to be commercialized was morphine, a pain medication of the opiate variety, isolated from the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) and marketed by Merck in 1826.
The first semi-synthetic pure drug was aspirin, based on the active constituent salicin isolated from White Willow (Salix alba) and introduced by Bayer in 1899. From here we had the isolation of drugs such as cocaine from Coca (Erythroxylum spp.), codeine from Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum), digitoxin from Foxglove (Digitalis spp.), antimalarial quinine from Cinchona (Cinchona officinalis) and pilocarpine from Jaborandi (Pilocarpus microphyllus) used to treat increased intraocular pressure and dry mouth. We also have Paclitaxel from Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia) for lung, ovarian and breast cancer, Artemisinin from Wormwood (Artemisia annua) for mutlidrug resistant malaria, and Silymarin from Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) for liver disease.
In the last decade more plant derived drugs have been introduced including galantamine from Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) for Alzheimer’s, apomorphine (a semisynthetic compound derived from morphine via the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) used in Parkinson's disease, and Tiotropium from Belladonna (Atropa belladona) for COPD, to name a few. When people have difficulty believing that herbal medicine truly works I like to call on these examples. These are the plants that are well-known for their active constituents. Imagine the active constituents in the 35,000 - 70,000 other plant species that have been screened for medicinal uses. As a Clinical Herbal Therapist, I have a deep reverence for the many invaluable herbs whose active constituents I collectively rely on.
When a whole plant is used, there are often constituents that protect against adverse effects which may be experienced when using an isolated drug. Many people opt for herbal medicines because they are associated with less side effects and risks than pharmaceutical drugs. I encourage people to look up adverse drug reactions in a CPS manual (Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties) or an FDA drug insert prior to implementing a new pharmaceutical. Sometimes the side effects from one drug can lead to further symptoms which then call for more drugs. It is important to discuss with your MD the expected duration for which any medication's use is intended.
When you consult with a Clinical Herbal Therapist we are able to make you customized formulations that best suit your needs. Rather than walking into a health store and picking up a pre-made generic formula off of the shelf we are able to make deeper connections about what you truly need, as a unique individual. Even if you were to implement one herb into your daily routine you might be surprised at the difference it could make.
