Just think, it wasn't too long ago when herbs were simply a substance added to food to improve its flavor. Today about one-third of all Americans use herbal supplements to improve their health. In fact, the sales of herbal preparations nearly tripled between 1994 and 1998 increasing from 1.6 billion dollars to 4 billion dollars in sales. For quite some time herbs were considered an obsolete form of medicine and pushed aside in favor of chemically produced drugs. Most people don't realize that half of the drugs used today are artificial recreations of natural plant derived chemicals. For example, Aspirin is nothing more than the chemical imitation of salicin, a substance that comes from the bark of the white willow tree.
So why are herbs suddenly becoming so popular? It is because people are starting to learn that pharmaceutical drugs are not the wonders that they have been touted as. Many drugs are now becoming useless thanks to overuse and the constant adaptation of pathogens to these drugs. People are also becoming aware of the often dangerous and counteractive side-effects of many OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription remedies. Antacids, for example, are one the most widely used OTC drugs available even though they actually cause stomach irritation and eventually lead to worse indigestion.
Yes, it turns out that medicine is no longer about preventing problems or aiding in optimum health. It has become an industry built on money. Just turn on your television on watch the ads for drugs flash by like those for candy; nowadays there is no difference. We wait to get sick, we buy the drugs that are wrapped in the prettiest packaging, and we pop our pills according to the manufacturer's greed. At least, that is how it used to be.
I am noticing now a change among people, both common and nutrition enthusiast alike, from accepting sickness as inevitable and being more than happy to take an Aspirin a day to realizing that real medicine is in prevention. The reason herbs aren't pursued and well known like drugs is because they are not profitable; herbs, existing in nature as they do, cannot be patented. Why not take an herb to stay healthy than a drug (most likely with side-effects) when you are sick?
I want to add a quick warning before getting into more detail about herbs. This article is not intended as an aid for self-diagnosis. If you are on any sort of medication, do not quick taking it on account of what I have written. If you are going through any form of treatment or are experiencing any sort of health malady, check with a professional before making any drastic changes. I am not a doctor. I am writing this article as a source of information for those who are interested in getting to know more about herbs and how to incorporate their wondrous properties into daily life, be it general health or athletic improvement.
What Are Herbs?
An herb is defined as: 1. A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. 2. Any of various, often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning. The use of the word herb for this article will pertain to any plant-derived substance that can be used as a beneficial aid. Considering there are approximately 380,000 known species of plants with several hundred thousand yet to be discovered, there is a large potential for useful herbs.
Currently there are 260,000 plants known as higher plants which are plants that contain chlorophyll and create energy through photosynthesis. Every plant from the higher plant group has potential to be medicinal. Sadly, only ten percent of these plants have been studied for medicinal value and at the rate of development that everyday destroys more of the Amazon, we may never see the value of some plants.
The active ingredients from an herbal supplement may come from one or many plant components including roots, leaves, bark, fruit, flowers, stems, and seeds. There are scores of herbs that exert pharmacological effects ranging from targeted therapy on a specific organ to uses as a general tonic with systemic influence. Existent also are some herbs, such as Ginseng, that are known as adaptogens. The term adaptogen refers to all natural plant substances that, even in large quantities, produce few to no adverse side effects. Like the name suggests, adaptogens have a tonic effect on the body and aid in the adaptation to many types of nonspecific stressors, increase the efficiency of the healing system, and help neutralize the effects of overtraining, promote wellness, and speed recovery.
Although herbs are all natural and the majority of them are safe, that doesn't mean one can use them indiscriminately. Remember that herbs can potentially be very strong medicine and like prescription drugs, they have the ability to be dangerous in excess and to react negatively when combined with other substances. One must also keep in mind personal allergies. I'm not saying you need to worry about seasoning that famous sauce with a fresh culinary herb like basil or thyme (only about 1 percent of plants are actually poisonous), just be very aware of what you are ingesting and how high the recommended dose is.
Purchasing Herbs
The process of making herbal preparations is quite time consuming. You can grow your own herbs or search for them in the wild. Once you get a hold of what you are looking for, much effort is to be exerted in making the needed remedy. Even then, you must be aware of the many variables that can change the composition of the herb itself such as climate and location. In short, effectively creating an herbal preparation requires much experience and know-how; one must be nothing short of a master.
Nowadays, we can purchase herbs that are pre-prepared in easy-to-use forms usually grown in controlled environments and/or standardized to a specific amount of the active herbal constituent/s. What this means is that a reputable company will usually offer a guaranteed potency level of their herbal supplement and ensure that all products are uniform in composition. This effectively takes this guess work out of using herbs. If an herbal supplement does not list a standardization level then don't bother buying it. Some un-standardized herbal supplements have been shown to contain absolutely zero active ingredients. To be even surer of the product in question, check for certification by an outside laboratory.
All prepared herbs, dry or otherwise prepared, should be obtained as fresh as possible. To be sure your herbs are still effective buy them from a store that has frequent turnover and check for expiration dates. As a rule, unopened containers of capsules and tablets are generally good for about two years. When it comes to dosages, everyone is different. To safely find how much of an herbal preparation you can handle, start with a low dose and gradually work your way to higher dosages while paying close attention to bodily changes. Remember that some herbs are quite safe when used for a short period of time but can become dangerous in instances of long-term use. Use herbal remedies (medicines) only as long as you need to.
So why are herbs suddenly becoming so popular? It is because people are starting to learn that pharmaceutical drugs are not the wonders that they have been touted as. Many drugs are now becoming useless thanks to overuse and the constant adaptation of pathogens to these drugs. People are also becoming aware of the often dangerous and counteractive side-effects of many OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription remedies. Antacids, for example, are one the most widely used OTC drugs available even though they actually cause stomach irritation and eventually lead to worse indigestion.
Yes, it turns out that medicine is no longer about preventing problems or aiding in optimum health. It has become an industry built on money. Just turn on your television on watch the ads for drugs flash by like those for candy; nowadays there is no difference. We wait to get sick, we buy the drugs that are wrapped in the prettiest packaging, and we pop our pills according to the manufacturer's greed. At least, that is how it used to be.
I am noticing now a change among people, both common and nutrition enthusiast alike, from accepting sickness as inevitable and being more than happy to take an Aspirin a day to realizing that real medicine is in prevention. The reason herbs aren't pursued and well known like drugs is because they are not profitable; herbs, existing in nature as they do, cannot be patented. Why not take an herb to stay healthy than a drug (most likely with side-effects) when you are sick?
I want to add a quick warning before getting into more detail about herbs. This article is not intended as an aid for self-diagnosis. If you are on any sort of medication, do not quick taking it on account of what I have written. If you are going through any form of treatment or are experiencing any sort of health malady, check with a professional before making any drastic changes. I am not a doctor. I am writing this article as a source of information for those who are interested in getting to know more about herbs and how to incorporate their wondrous properties into daily life, be it general health or athletic improvement.
What Are Herbs?
An herb is defined as: 1. A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. 2. Any of various, often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning. The use of the word herb for this article will pertain to any plant-derived substance that can be used as a beneficial aid. Considering there are approximately 380,000 known species of plants with several hundred thousand yet to be discovered, there is a large potential for useful herbs.
Currently there are 260,000 plants known as higher plants which are plants that contain chlorophyll and create energy through photosynthesis. Every plant from the higher plant group has potential to be medicinal. Sadly, only ten percent of these plants have been studied for medicinal value and at the rate of development that everyday destroys more of the Amazon, we may never see the value of some plants.
The active ingredients from an herbal supplement may come from one or many plant components including roots, leaves, bark, fruit, flowers, stems, and seeds. There are scores of herbs that exert pharmacological effects ranging from targeted therapy on a specific organ to uses as a general tonic with systemic influence. Existent also are some herbs, such as Ginseng, that are known as adaptogens. The term adaptogen refers to all natural plant substances that, even in large quantities, produce few to no adverse side effects. Like the name suggests, adaptogens have a tonic effect on the body and aid in the adaptation to many types of nonspecific stressors, increase the efficiency of the healing system, and help neutralize the effects of overtraining, promote wellness, and speed recovery.
Although herbs are all natural and the majority of them are safe, that doesn't mean one can use them indiscriminately. Remember that herbs can potentially be very strong medicine and like prescription drugs, they have the ability to be dangerous in excess and to react negatively when combined with other substances. One must also keep in mind personal allergies. I'm not saying you need to worry about seasoning that famous sauce with a fresh culinary herb like basil or thyme (only about 1 percent of plants are actually poisonous), just be very aware of what you are ingesting and how high the recommended dose is.
Purchasing Herbs
The process of making herbal preparations is quite time consuming. You can grow your own herbs or search for them in the wild. Once you get a hold of what you are looking for, much effort is to be exerted in making the needed remedy. Even then, you must be aware of the many variables that can change the composition of the herb itself such as climate and location. In short, effectively creating an herbal preparation requires much experience and know-how; one must be nothing short of a master.
Nowadays, we can purchase herbs that are pre-prepared in easy-to-use forms usually grown in controlled environments and/or standardized to a specific amount of the active herbal constituent/s. What this means is that a reputable company will usually offer a guaranteed potency level of their herbal supplement and ensure that all products are uniform in composition. This effectively takes this guess work out of using herbs. If an herbal supplement does not list a standardization level then don't bother buying it. Some un-standardized herbal supplements have been shown to contain absolutely zero active ingredients. To be even surer of the product in question, check for certification by an outside laboratory.
All prepared herbs, dry or otherwise prepared, should be obtained as fresh as possible. To be sure your herbs are still effective buy them from a store that has frequent turnover and check for expiration dates. As a rule, unopened containers of capsules and tablets are generally good for about two years. When it comes to dosages, everyone is different. To safely find how much of an herbal preparation you can handle, start with a low dose and gradually work your way to higher dosages while paying close attention to bodily changes. Remember that some herbs are quite safe when used for a short period of time but can become dangerous in instances of long-term use. Use herbal remedies (medicines) only as long as you need to.
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