Natural Medicinal Herb Information Articles | Remedy

By: Richard Bleuze

Understanding herbs and using herbal medicines

Most people are familiar with herbs as foods-for example, basil and oregano in sauces, parsley as a garnish. However, for thousands of years many cultures around the world have used herbs and plants not just to eat but to treat illness.

Many of the drugs now prescribed come from plants that ancient cultures used medicinally.  About one ­fourth of all conventional pharmaceuticals-including roughly 120 of the most commonly prescribed modem drugs ­contain at least one active ingredient derived from plants. The rest are chemically synthesized.

Some herbs and plants have value not just for their active ingredients but for other substances they contain, such as

• volatile oils
• glycosides
• alkaloids
• bioflavonoids

In the United States a renewed interest in all forms of alternative medicine has led consumers, health care providers, and drug researchers to reexamine herbal remedies. Common drugs made from plants or herbs.

Many drugs in common use today have botanical origins. Here's a selected list.

• Aspirin (salicylic acid)-from white willow bark and meadow sweet plant.
• Atropine, used to treat irregular heartbeats-from belladonna leaves.
• Colchicine, used for gout-from autumn crocus.
• Digoxin (Lanoxin), the most widely prescribed heart medication-from foxglove, a poisonous plant.
• Ephedrine, used to widen or relax the airways-from the ephedra plant.
• Morphine and codeine, potent narcotics-from the opium poppy.
• Paclitaxel (Taxol), used to treat metastatic ovarian cancer-from the yew tree.
• Quinine, a drug for malaria­from cinchona bark.
• Vinblastine (Velban) and vincristine (Dncovin), anticancer drugs-from periwinkle.

Uses of natural herbs

A plant's leaves, flowers, stems, berries, seeds, fruit, bark, roots, or any other part may be used for medicinal purposes. Most herbal remedies are used to treat minor health problems, such as colds, diarrhea, skin disorders, snoring problems, constipation, cough, flu, aches and pains, stomach and intestinal disorders as well as throat problems and ear infections. 

Some herbalists have reported success in treating certain chronic conditions and some herbal remedies for illnesses usually treated only with prescription drugs, such as heart failure have been found to be used with success.

General precautions when you are taking herbs

• Check with your health care practitioner before using any herbal product, especially if you're taking a prescription drug. Tell your practitioner about all drugs you're taking, including nonprescription medications and vitamins. Many herbal remedies can interact with other drugs.
• Make sure your health care practitioner is aware of your medical history, including allergies.
• When taking an herb, follow the instructions exactly. If not, you may put yourself at risk for potentially dangerous side effects.
• Never ignore symptoms you're experiencing.
• Don't use herbal agents to delay seeking more appropriate therapy. Keep in mind that herbs aren't necessarily a substitute for proven medical therapy.
• Discontinue herbs at least 2 weeks before surgery. They can interfere with anesthesia and cause heart and blood vessel problems.