Herbal Healing
Herbs and herbal remedies have been around for as long as we know. Natural remedies were mainstream therapies that were used before modern medicine reached the East.
However, the basis of many early conventional medicines lay in natural herbs. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, once prescribed willow bark, whose active ingredient, salicyclic acid, ultimately led to the discovery of aspirin when it was isolated. Over time other synthetic drugs were also produced. With the advancement in medical science and the emergence of new synthetic drugs, nature’s remedies were relegated to a secondary position in the East.
Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in herbs across the world. The renewed interests are mainly due to a realization of the adverse effects of conventional medicine. The search for an alternative to conventional synthetic medicine has led people back to oriental, traditional and herbal medicine. There is also a curiosity to understand how herbal healing actually works.
As part of their normal metabolic process, plants produce chemical compounds called metabolites. There are basically two types of metabolites - primary and secondary. Primary metabolites are sugars and fats and are found in all plants.
Secondary metabolites are mostly phytochemicals that are biologically active but not nutritive. These are created as part of a more complex process and are found in a smaller number of plant species. The biochemical processes that produce these secondary metabolites change based on the variety of microorganisms, herbivores and pollinators present in the locality. This results in a change in the chemical profile of such a plant according to the environment.
It is the secondary metabolites that have therapeutic value in treating human and animal diseases. Although there is an astonishing variety of phytochemicals produced by plants, most of them fall under four general categories - alkaloids, turpenoids, carotenoids and glycosides.
Alkaloids are natural bases that contain nitrogen. Many alkaloids have a striking affect on the central nervous system. Caffeine, an alkaloid, lifts mood to some extent. The alkaloids in datura (thorn apple) are extremely toxic and hallucinogenic.
Many herbs used in homeopathic remedies are also poisonous in their unadulterated form. The dilution and succession that is typical to producing a homeopathic medicine reduces the ratio of the poisonous herb and transforms it to its therapeutic dose. That is why it is always suggested that herbs and herbal supplements should be taken only after thorough study or after consultation with an expert.
The herbal healing process involves multiple compounds that work together to heal. These compounds complement each other and produce a better healing effect. Furthermore, multiple compounds in herbs have accompanying benefits of promoting the body’s own capacity of self healing. Single compounds tend to become ineffective as bacteria metabolize them to develop resistance over time.
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