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Agatha Christie well knew the lethal properties of the common
foxglove! She knew that the young foliage of the Foxglove is very similar in
appearance to the rather delicious (in salads) Comfrey which relieves
anxiety attacks fast without side effects! Both plants often grow side by side in
old cottage-style gardens! It proved to be a very effective manner in which to
kill off one of her many unfortunate victims! In this case - Herbal Medicine was
Not Safe! Nevertheless, herbal medicine and it's safe use is our oldest and most reliable form of healthcare.
It got us all where we are today! Most modern drugs are based upon chemicals
obtained, or synthesised from plants. For instance, the humble willow tree is
the forerunner of aspirin - containing Salicylates from the bark of the willow
(Salix). Cows are well aware of this, and often seek out a willow when they have
a headache! (Now there's a thought - a cow with a headache! But perhaps we have
something to learn from them about safe use of herbal medicine!)
Just to prove that some
cows do get headaches. The cow got out ok!
Back in the days when technology was unheard of,
primitive men - and women - used the vast array of plants around them to the
fullest extent, observing both plant and animal life and their
components, eventually giving birth to herbal medicine. This is still the case
in many areas of the world today.
A
study by the World Health Organization on herbal medicine use,
found that about 80% of the world's populace still rely on herbal medicine
to cure certain ailments and approximately 74% of the drugs we use today
contain at least one botanical element.
Herbal medicine is,
first and foremost, holistic. It aims to address not just a
particular symptom, but also to help the whole body rejuvenate
strengthen itself in a safe manner. Whilst there is no scientific evidence
that all herbal medicines have healing powers, a number herbal medicines that have
been placed under clinical testing have proved their worth. The
list of known kinds includes echinacea, which is used to temper
colds, St John's wort, used to treat mild depression (without
using Prozac), and hawthorne berries, which help in the
recovery process from mild heart failures. All of these are safe herbal
medicines.
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| Echinacea |
Hypericum - St johns Wort |
Crataegus - Hawthorn |
Herbal medicines are still medicines and share the likelihood of having side effects as
regular commercial drugs. Some of us have this misconception
that because herbal medicines are natural, they are 100% safe.
This is not true all the time!
Back to A-Z of Herbs |
