History of Herbal Treatments vs. Conventional Cures
The discovery of medicinal properties of plants is credited to observation of food habits of animals. Many times animals prefer to nibble at plants, usually bitter, that they would otherwise reject. Animals somehow come to know which plants have secondary metabolites like tannins and alkaloids. These non-nutritious but biologically active plants have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. This was interpreted as self-medication by animals.
There are specific examples of lowland gorillas consuming a ginger-like fruit to keep infections at bay. A recent research revealed that some birds use antimicrobial agents in nesting material to protect their offspring form harmful bacteria. At the same time, the digestive systems in various animals have evolved typically to meet requirements of particular species.
A plant may be dangerous for one species while another species may easily live on it. A plant that may be harmless to a particular animal may be unsafe for ingestion by humans. It can be safely assumed that these observations and discoveries were noted and collected and passed on to future generations.
Similarly, the seasoning used in different cultures points towards cogent evidence of medicinal properties of herbs. Tropical climates have the highest proportion of pathogens and it is in these regions that the cuisines are highly spiced. The choice of spices in these regions has been of herbs that have the most potent antimicrobial properties. Similarly, in most cuisines, vegetables are less spiced than meats as they resist decomposition.
Over time, some cultures developed logical systems of herbal treatments and some of them are still accredited therapies in and around the regions they were developed in (mostly in the East). Some of these therapies are now widely accepted and find mention in the portfolio of therapies in Europe and North America. Ayurveda from India and Traditional Chinese Medicine are two of the most popular therapies that have rational herbal treatment modalities and even surgical procedures based on natural remedies.
Modern medicine, however, is all about scientific evidence based on standardized repeated, randomized, large scale and double-blind tests. Herbal treatments have developed without such modern scientific checks, making it difficult to determine without suspicion whether the herbal treatment is actually effective, a placebo effect or the body’s own healing properties.
Many herbs have shown positive results in small clinical tests and few randomized double-blind tests that were conducted are contested by conventionalists. Herbal specialists on the other hand criticize such studies as they do not account for historical evidence. Their main contention is that tradition can effectively guide optimal use, species, time of harvesting and target population for these herbs.
Due to the twist that modern society has taken towards commercialization, herbal remedies and herbal treatments have nothing but history to support their claims of effectiveness. This is also more relevant because initially nature’s remedies were treated as God’s gift and had a strong humanitarian association.
References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbalism
