Careful with your herbs

The rise of many natural medicines and alternative remedies along with the pursuit of organic produce, whether it be vegetables or livestock, has slowly invaded at what was then termed at modern lifestyle. 

Now to be in the know is to also be aware of natural remedies and available food that do not have any genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Having noted the effects of processed intakes like medicines and food, many advocates are pining for what is natural.  Even some doctors have already begun to adopt natural remedies and some have even specialized in homeopathy and naturopathy. 

Homeopathy being an approach in preparing alternative medicine through dilution of natural substances to reach its efficacy, studying with it the entirety of a person's  physical condition and his or her exposures, manners, habits and the impact of the said exposures to the body.

Naturopathy, which like homeopathy, looks into natural remedies to ailments and employs different approaches like herbal medicine, acupuncture, and diet modifications.

Others take on a more conservative vein of oriental medicine.  That one could imagine the medic preparing on a pestle and mortar medicinal herbs with the right incantations.  Oriental medicine has long been practiced in the east and it has had its reported successes.

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Although many scientific minds sneer at this natural approach to disease, no one can prevent the increasing number of supplements that have claimed to be a panacea to many lingering discomforts that have not been addressed by the regular pharmacy.

Many have set up businesses that are anchored on herbal medicine and have concocted different tea that have claimed the potency of their preparations to be able to heal some diseases. 

Testimonies have been published on the various successes of particular herbal drugs or supplements. Business is good and I see nothing wrong with finding your own mix as long as it ends up as being the right fix. 

A follower of natural medicine should always look into the components of what he or she is taking. Not taking things blindly because a friend gave a reference. One should be cautious about what puts into one's body. A doctor or a highly trained herbal-scientist would be a good consultant but not just anyone.

My natural medicine doctor has had several years of experience in her practice.  But she is a medical doctor. There are many medical practitioners who also advocate the use of natural remedies.  But these medications should be regulated and not just picked out from any source.

I recall, when the popularity of guyabano as a source of a high dose of vitamin C that would prevent and even heal cancer, many people took on to eating the fruit. For a time, it was always out of stock in the market and at certain times its price would be so unreasonable.  A friend told me her yaya would prepare tea from the guyabano leaves that would make her react in a different way.  She would feel feverish and bad. When she checked on the source she noted that the trees where the leaves were taken were along the canals near a dumpsite. Whatever good elements there must have been in the leaves, may have been lost in the absorption of more toxins.

When malunggay or moringa became popular, people looked at the old Filipino vegetable with better attitude.  But it also made the stalks more expensive as others also took advantage of its popularity and pulverized the dried leaves into teas notwithstanding the source.  They released their preparations with unverified measurements.

There must be proper training in the picking of herbal remedies before one can, on his or her own, use whatever leaf or bark they see from a recognized healing plant as medication.  It must be doctor supervised and have its own scientific measures.

I do not believe that herbal medications do not have side effects.  Too much of anything can still clog up our own biological processors.  One does not take the medications at any time on whim.  They must be prescribed and progress must be monitored.  Otherwise kidney and liver problems may result.

Years ago when my mother got very sick, I took a lot of beta carotene, as it was considered a good anti-cancer drug then.  But taking beta carotene for long periods can also result to yellowing and had I not consulted a doctor, who knows how bad my liver or kidneys may have been suffering?

Sometimes herbal medications may contradict each other and may have fatal effects.  So if you are into the natural way of healing, do consult a natural medicine doctor so you can truly get the real healing you expect.  There have been many claims of healing from natural medicine.  My doctor has even shared that her success rate in managing cancer patients has a good turnout of reversals of around 80 percent.  That is why I often wonder why insurances have not yet included natural medicine among the things they could cover.

Well, with the way things are going, maybe government can look into this as well so people are not indiscriminately popping pills in the guise of its being natural. That way people are better protected – naturally.

Source: Careful with your herbs