Integrating Herbal Medicine with Modern Healthcare: Benefits and Challenges
Medicine has been around for as long as humans have existed on earth. In the beginning, it was folk medicine. Healers and doctors practiced healing, making potions and ointments from plant, animal, and mineral ingredients.
With the development and establishment of chemical science, traditional medicine gradually faded out of people’s sight. Drugs have emerged that have proven effective in treatment. Despite this, people have not stopped turning to alternative medicine and seeking salvation from it.
In this article, we will discuss the best herbal medicine manufacturer and how it can help people in the 21st century. Can herbs really cure diseases? Find out in the article.
What is herbal medicine?
Phytotherapy (from Greek phyton, plant, and therapeia, treatment): treatment with plants. Phytotherapy utilizes medicinal plants or their parts in fresh, dried states or in the form of juices, syrups, and tinctures to treat disease. The main art of the phytotherapist is to know how and when to correctly collect, dry, and prepare medicinal infusions from herbs, as well as what bioactive substances and properties (antioxidants, preservatives, etc.) the plants contain.
History of the development of herbal medicine
Herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years. Archaeologists have discovered the first evidence of the use of plants as medicine. For example, dishes of ground herbs or clay tablets describing diseases, medicines, and how to use them. The first discovery takes us to the time of the Sumerians (6000 BC), Babylonians, and Assyrians, the oldest people in the world.
Features of herbal medicine
Herbal treatments provide antibacterial, antiviral, antiallergic, and diuretic effects, relieve pain, and influence the immune system.
This type of therapy is distinguished by three factors:
- Take internally, orally, or externally;
- Has a mild and cumulative effect on the body;
- It takes time to achieve results (from months to years).
Most commonly, herbs are used to treat chronic diseases of the system.
- digestive,
- respiratory,
- cardiovascular,
- urogenital,
- endocrine,
- nervous,
- musculoskeletal system,
- as well as skin.
Seven principles of herbal medicine
Clinical phytotherapy has been incorporated into the curriculum at some universities, which means there are experts trained in the basics of herbal medicine who you can turn to for help. Don’t self-medicate!
Phytotherapy is more than just “drinking herbs.” The method is based on scientific knowledge and experience. You need to know when, where, what time of day, on which day flowers bloom, how to collect plants, how to use them, and in what form to consume them. You also need to know which parts to use for processing: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and detoxification.
In herbal medicine, there are seven principles for treating patients:
Principle of individualization: Consider the specific patient’s condition, the nature of the disease, and the patient’s response to the plant species.
Complex to Simple: The simple to complex principle is characterized by knowing which herb to prescribe in which treatment cycle. These can be multi-ingredient or low-ingredient ranges with nourishing or cleansing properties.
Principle of dispensing medicine: When the collection contains 20 kinds of medicinal materials and has a wide range of effects on the body, it can treat multiple diseases at the same time.
The principle of small and medium dosage. Large doses can cause adverse reactions. Start treatment with very small doses and small doses, increasing slightly if necessary.
Principle of time: The effectiveness of herbal preparations depends on the season (ginseng and lemongrass are not recommended in summer) and the time of day (morning-ddiuretic, daytime-aantisclerotic, evening-ccholeretic).
The principle of continuous treatment: herbal treatment can last for months and years. Not only do you need to monitor the regularity of taking medications, but you also need to adjust the medications every 46 weeks, taking into account the nature of the disease and biochemical indicators.
Priority principle: Drug therapy is mainly used during the middle stage and exacerbation of the disease. Phytotherapy is used as an auxiliary medicine in the prevention of chronic diseases and during recovery.
Special caution is required when treating pregnant women with herbs and medications made from them. Some substances may have negative effects on the child, and the expectant mother’s body is likely to respond to treatment in unpredictable ways. Therefore, it is crucial to use herbal medicine from the best herbal medicine manufacturer or company.