Herbal Medicines - The Most Popular and Effective Natural
Remedies
We've Come So Far - How Much Better Can Alternative Medicine
Get?
Herbal and natural medicine has gained so much more attention
than it ever had in the past seven to ten years. So, why is
that? There must be something to it other than a consumer trend
or a fleeting fad. And there is - a whole lot more. Consumers
are finding that herbal medicines are helping them in many of
the same ways as traditional medications prescribed by
physicians - without the high cost, sometimes adverse side
effects, and over-prescribing and combining of too many meds at
once.
Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of healing and aiding
the human body and mind and eliminating or alleviating human
suffering. Hippocrates, one of the most famous philosophers and
earliest proponents of natural medicine and herbal healing,
believed that humans were meant to live in harmony with nature,
and that nature itself prescribed cures and antidotes for human
ailments - we just had to find out through trial and error which
of nature's plants were the best choices to heal various human
illnesses of the mind and body.
Hippocrates notoriously believed that we should "let food be our
medicine and medicine be our food", meaning we only had to look
as far as our environment and natural surroundings for cures and
remedies to heal and mend ourselves, as well as to keep our
bodies in optimal condition for as long as possible in order
that a productive and meaningful life may be lead.
Herbs, natural compounds and botanicals were discovered to have
dramatic healing capabilities as well as therapeutic properties
for health maintenance and prevention centuries ago, before
modern medicine evolved into what it is today. The most
interesting part of the history of herbal medicine is that
herbalism simultaneously occurred in vastly different areas of
the globe.
What we know today as Indian herbal medicine, or Ayurvedic,
Chinese herbal medicine and western herbal medicine, all have
deep roots of ancestry going back as far as 202 BC. The fact
that so many cultures came up with their own version of natural
medicine is pretty staggering. What's even more fascinating is
the culmination of all of these cultural medicines paved the way
for modern, man-made medications that we all know today.
What are the Most Popular and Effective Alternative Remedies
Today?
Remedies for lack of sleep, stress relief and relaxation,
depression, anxiety, pain, weight loss, hair loss, skin problems
and more are some of the most popular and in-demand herbal
products currently on the market today. Along with these, there
are more obscure remedies for illnesses and physical conditions,
such as hemorrhoids, smoking cessation aids for withdrawal
symptoms, cold remedies, and even herbal medicines purported to
help people with cancer and even to help prevent cancer cells
from forming.
While herbal medicine may be regarded by some with skepticism,
especially those in the medical and pharmaceutical profession
(go figure), its long standing usage and history of
effectiveness is nothing to be scoffed at by any stretch of the
imagination.
If you really examine what herbal medicines are and how they are
discovered, is it really all that different from modern
medicine? Not only that, but most modern medications have been
derived from nature, albeit they are in an altered and corrupted
form in the final stages of manufacture. Still, they have
largely begun in a naturally biochemical state.
Herbal medicines have come a long way since their ancient
origins, and are making new strides every day, just like modern
medicine. Not only that, pharmaceutical engineering and medicine
have actually helped to make more powerful and effective herbal
remedies. In a way, the real journey for herbal medicines and
alternative methods of healing has just begun!