Organic Herbs and Medicinal Herb Uses

Written by greenandcleanmom on Jan - 02 | Comments | Related : Green Health

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Science has no doubt given us some miraculous medicines. Healing a wound, cut, cold or sore it is amazing how the body works. The medicines we use today came from humble beginnings and I believe we forget this, I do. Herbs and medicinal plants have served civilization for thousands of years and many of the herbs are still used today.

When I have a cut, scrape or my head is pounding I reach for the medicine cabinet, not the pot of herbs at the window. This is all good and well but some medicine treatments aren’t good for us and are causing problems for people. The cough medicine scare for children is a good example. This has led people to turn back to their roots and start using herbs to treat common bodily ailments. For me personally, I have turned to Hylands for many alterntive remedies for myself and my children.

I’ve come to learn that with herbs there’s a lack of side effects. Many herbs act like medicines and should be taken carefully, but the ingredients are all natural. With herbs you don’t have to be worried about harmful side effects as with some traditional medicines. Most herbs, luckily, are easy to find and don’t cost as much as brand name medicines or prescriptions. My natural food store offers a great selection of alternative herbal medicines and supplements.

Herbs work to heal the body and not fight against it. The effect of the cure many not be immediate but the herbs are effective. I haven’t seen any news on lately touting the bad effects of herbs, have you? I have with antibiotics or recently children’s asthma medicines. Our bodies are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics because we use them so frequently and if you have an infection and need a particular antibiotic, this isn’t such great news. I worry about this with my own daughter and her ear infections.

What I love about herbs are the different ways they can be used. Herbs can be eaten, steeped for tea, ground into powder or even made into a cream. Some herbs are used to speed the bodies healing process. Here’s a list of just a few popular ones you might have heard of:

Cinnamon – lowers blood sugar and cholesterol
Ginger – prevents motion sickness and nausea
Turmeric – helps with arthritis pain
St. John’s Wort – creates a stable mood in mildly depressed people
Garlic – lowers blood pressure and risks of some cancers
Red yeast rice – lowers cholesterol

Except for the St. John’s Wort and red yeast rice, we have most of these items on our kitchen shelves. Adding a little to your food each day can assist with these conditions without even causing an upheaval in your routine. Other helpful substances include: apple cider vinegar and Aloe Vera. Luckily, I eat plenty of garlic and love to add cinnamon into my recipes!

All natural herbal formulas seem to be a milder alternative to mainstream medicine. I highly suggest consulting your doctor before using any type of herbs for medicinal purposes. The very last thing you want is a drug interaction or something strange to happen. Treat all herbs as medicines and do your research before beginning a herbal supplement routine, this helps you get the most from them.

A great resource: Herb Research Foundation

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I’m off to VASKA my clothes

daddydoctor

As a dad and a doctor, I find children’s cough and cold medications a very scary topic. I used believe the drug companies, and think that as long as my patient’s or I dosed the children’s cold & cough medications right, then everything would be OK. But when I researched this further, it turns out that children have died from “over dose” of ALL THE MAJOR CHILDRENS COLD AND COUGH MEDICINES even when given the correct dose.

The number of infant deaths attributed to cold and cough medicines is dramatically underreported. New research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics demonstrated that there were at least “10 unexpected infant deaths that were associated with cold-medication” in 2006 alone in the state of Arizona. Extrapolated over the US and Canadian population, that would be over 500 deaths a year associated with cold-medication! (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/conte...)

The FDA recently said that they do not want to pull the medications for children under 6 because they are afraid that parents will give children adult doses because “parents would have no other alternatives.” The truth is that the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that buckwheat honey is a safe alternative.

Parents now have a safe, effective, yet natural choice for their children. Recent research from Penn State showed 100% pure Buckwheat Honey out performed children’s cough and cold medicine for children’s nighttime cough.

Buckwheat Honey is considered safe for children 1 and older, so it is the perfect choice for conscientious parents and doctors. Currently, “Honey Don’t Cough” is the only company packaging 100% pure Buckwheat Honey in ready-to-use packets for children. A growing number of pharmacies are providing “Honey don’t Cough,” it is available on Amazon.com. To learn more you can visit Check out http://www.honeydontcough.com/

-Daddydoctor

herbyourlife.com

very interesting article, i think alternative medicine is in more eyes every year !! plz. check also my website for organically grown herbs: www.herbyourlife.com

<abbr>herbyourlife.coms last blog post..Gasolve Relief - $29.95</abbr>

Green & Clean Mom

@ Susan, Yes, always consult a qualified herbalist when taking herbs for medicinal purposes. I agree with you there. There are some side effect and interactions. Great comment and information, thank you.

@Kate, you have to realize, I have said over and over to consult a medical professional and that from MY experience I have learned that there is a lack of side effect. I didn't say that there were no side effects. I am speaking from my own experience. Sure, there are deadly herbs and lethal side effects but if you read the entire post you notice I say, consult your doctor. I'm not advocating making your own remedies and concoctions for medicinal purposes. I speak in general terms. As for the FDA, it might do some good for the FDA to keep an eye on not only alternative medicine but traditional medicine!

Susan

Well, actually, I would suggest that you consult with a QUALIFIED HERBALIST before taking medicinal herbs. Doctors don't know squat about herbs. Herbalists are trained specifically in the use and preparation of herbs and in herbal side effects and interactions.

Consult with the American Herbalists Guild website for a referral to a qualified herbalist, or ask around at your community farmer's market.

Kate

"I’ve come to learn that with herbs there’s a lack of side effects. "

Sigh. You really should go learn some proper science before making such sweeping statements. I'm not going to argue with specifics here, just to remind you that things like deadly nightshade are both effective herbal drugs and extremely dangerous because of their potentially lethal side effects. It's people like you who make it necessary for the FDA to keep an eye on alternative medicine.

Green & Clean Mom

It's amazing to me how skeptical people are because herbs aren't ok and approved by the FDA! What? BPA is and that's messed up. I use caution with everything but I don't rely on the FDA.

patricia skinner

Great post on Herbs. I use Herbs not just for tea but for medicinal purposes as I am battling MS and need my immune system boosted. Here is one example: I get alot of inflamation that brings pain that puts pressure on my nervous system with is already over taxed by MS.

Chamomile tea relieves swelling naturally. So you get a double benefit because it tastes good and it benefits your body.

Ferienwohnung oder Appartement

I believe in the healing powers of herbs and medicinal plants. When I was a kid, my grandma used to heal my wounds or cuts using an aloe vera. If we travel, she would make me chew some ginger so that I may not get nauseous and it works! Herbs can cure naturally without any side effects.

Dylan

Yes, it's true that herbs haven't been reviewed by the FDA, but they have been used safely now for thousands and thousands of years. If there was a problem with one of these natural medicinals, it would disappeared a long time ago.

Don't forget that the word drug comes from the Dutch word droog, or "dry," referring to medicinal plants preserved by drying them.

While I'm commenting, I would also like to plug Children's Winter Health by Herb Pharm. It's a tincture used by a child's body weight. My son has never been healthier, and made it over his only cold in a day or so.

<abbr>Dylans last blog post..Bisphenol-A in Formula Containers</abbr>

Dan

Yeah, but herbs go under no FDA review. In fact, there is no government review of any claims or ingredients in herbs. I never understood how organic foods and herbs were grouped together. Organic food is great because it meets higher standards. Herbs meet zero standards.