Herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, is the use of whole plants to treat whole people; in other words – it treats people holistically.Knowledge of herbal remedies has been passed down the generations and we can draw upon thousands of years of experience to use Nature’s own medicine today.Herbalism is still the most widely practised medicine in the world and, until the nineteenth century, it was the main form of medicine in the West.Indeed, modern pharmacology grew out of herbal medicine.A major difference is that single plant constituents are used in orthodox drugs.They are isolated and chemically synthesised, whereas herbalists use the whole plant part (eg leaf, flower, root, berries).
Herbal drugs contain many plant constituents (phytochemicals), which work together and balance each other.Meadowsweet, for example, contains salicylic acid from which aspirin is synthesised but it also contains an ingredient that treats stomach ulcers.Aspirin alone can cause stomach irritation and bleeding, which can lead to ulcers.Additionally, for many herbs, their chemical constituents work in synergy with those in other herbs, with the result of enhancing the overall healing effects.
