Herbal Medicines Wheatgrass

What is herbal medicine?
Herbal medicine – also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine- refers to using a plant’s seeds, berries, root, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. It is considered as an important part of traditional medicine. Herbal medicine can be used to treat many conditions, such as allergies, asthma, eczema, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine, menopausal symptoms, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, and cancer, among others. Some commons herbal medicines are Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Kava kava (Piper methysticum), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea),…

Why has herbal medicine?
Conventional medicine and herbal medicine make unique contributions to health, but both also have their limits and shortcomings. Herbal medicine has much to offer as an alternative treatment for mild, chronic symptoms such as high blood pressure, insomnia, headache,… it’s also very accessible, affordable and has few or no side effects.

Herbal medicine can substitute many shortcomings of conventional medicine. One of the most serious problems with conventional medicines for the treatment of chronic diseases and conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes is the severe side effects of modern drugs. Side effects significantly reduce life quality and are so devastating that many patients even refuse the treatments. Since many drugs need to be taken long-term, cumulative toxic effect is also a serious problem. Psychologically, people want to self-regulate their own health, but it is  impractical for regulators to allow it to happen with conventional medicine due to safety and drug abuses. As seen in the movement of vaccination’s refusal, science is often mistrusted, sometimes even vilified. Rumors spread via social media can carry more weight than hundreds of well-designed peer-review research reports. Herbal medicine can improve science image by adding different values such as traditional, historical, and cultural elements.
Some herbal medicines have been shown to reduce many side effects of modern medicines. They also offer patients an alternative method for their treatments instead of being subscribed certain drugs, giving them the feeling of being in control of their body. Herbal medicines can help polish public’s opinions about medicine by offering to improve patient’s well-being as a whole for the long term, and not as a temporary treatment for a specific set of conditions.

However, herbal medicine also has its shortcoming. In the USA alone, it is a $32 billion a year industry. The industry fiercely defends its territory, its claims, and its profits. Aggressive marketing that makes unsubstantiated claims has antagonized many in the medical establishment. As medical professionals argue, most traditional medicines are introduced onto the market, via over-the-counter sales or the Internet, without any regulatory oversight.  These aggressive marketing campaigns have antagonized public views on herbal medication. Increasingly, many people see traditional medication as ineffective, or hoax, or both.
Many research studies also show that many herbal medicines do not yield sufficient data to prove their effectiveness. However, scientific method was not designed to accurately evaluate the full human experience. Controlled clinical trials can evaluate the intervention of the herbal product, but not patient experience as a whole. Many patients report reduction of pain, stress, and anxiety when provided with their preferred herbal medicines, even though, there are no physiological changes. This phenomenon is called the placebo effect, a well-documented scientific phenomenon. As Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn reminds both sides in the debate: “We tend to forget how powerful an organ the brain is in human biology.” Scientific research on the physiological effects of stress confirms the validity of that reminder. Due to little side effects, herbal medicine can become the patient’s positive placebo.