If one looks at the labels in the herbal section of any store that sells them, one could almost imagine people picking weeds, drying them, and shoving them into a bottle. Many of the medicinal herbs have names of common everyday plants that can be construed as weeds such as mustard, nettle, and even milk thistle. What many people do not realize is that a we modern drugs on the market that are derived from plants; a few examples would be morphine comes from poppies, digitalis comes from the ornamental plant fox glove, and aspirin comes from the bark of the willow tree (Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2012). The logic would then be that if there are plants we use in modern medicine, then there must be others.
Marrubiam Vulgare is more commonly known as horehound and is view as a noxious weed around most of the globe. It is part of the mint family, so it has fuzzy stems and leaves; the leaves are heart shaped and grow staggered up the stem that originates at the root ball. Unlike most mints, horehound is very bitter and when used, it is often mixed with a sweeter mint to hide the flavor...
The multiple use of plants used for nourishment, medicinal purposes and practical use were ignored by Lewis and Clark during their monumental trek across the United States. Rather than consider the Native Indian’s use of native plants they persisted on using Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolt pills that probably caused more problems than the condition that inflicted them. Many modern day cultures continue to ignore native remedies and have come to depend on synthetic pharmaceutical drug production. In recent years the wealth of indigenous knowledge has been acknowledged revealing the use of native plants and the importance it had in the survival of indigenous people.. Pharmaceutical companies have utilized the immense knowledge of the indigenous people and their use of natural plants. The application of natural plant species have revealed the main reasons mankind has survived into present day. Following is a few of the plants, their application and their specific purposes.
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
Today, many people around the world smoke marijuana for therapy or recreation, which is grown from nature, but in some countries, nature is illegal, except a substance which is legal: alcohol. In fact, Marijuana or Marihuana from Spanish language also can be known as cannabis, hemp, weed, and pot. Marijuana is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of leaves, flowers, stem, and seeds from the hemp plant, whose scientific name is Cannabis sativa (National Institute Drug Abuse, 2012). Marijuana has a long history of use as a medicinal herb, and the use has been expended around the world from China to India and the North Africa and leaded to Europe for thousands of years. They also have several different cultures in various ways. For example, it was recorded as medication to treat many kinds of health problems by the Chinese, and the earliest fabric and rope were believed that it has been woven from dried hemp, and around 6000 B.C., marijuana seeds were used as food in China (Canadian medicinal Marijuan, 2010). The Persian prophet Zoroaster also wrote a sacred text on “the Zend-Avesta”, which listed that marijuana was at the top from 10000 medicinal plants in 550 B.C. (Canadian, medicinal Marijuana, 2010). The marijuana has been adapted in people’ lifestyles and social environment over thousand years.
One of the reasons that there is so much confusion is the lack of involvement by Federal Food and Drug Administrations in herbal remedies. The Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994 put herbal remedies into the category of dietary supplements. This means that these herbal remedies are not subjected to the same sort of testing that over-the-counter or prescription medications are (USFDA). Michael Mc Guffin, the president of the American Herbal Producers Association has said that testing of these products is unnecessary because, “ these products are tested by years and years of use”.
Goldenrod is common name for certain related plants of the composite family. The Canada goldenrod is really “Solidago canadensis”. They are typical autumn flowers of the United States that grow in a great variety of habitats: woods, meadows, hills, and rocky ground. For many years goldenrod was considered a major cause of hay fever, but experiments with goldenrod pollen have indicated that it is virtually harmless. It is so heavy that certain types of bugs actually have to lift it out. It is the state flower of Kentucky and Nebraska.
This process is the same as to how pharmaceuticals work within the body. Because herbs naturally occur, they are thought to have significantly fewer side effects over western medicine.
Herbal Medicine: plant constructed goods that can be included as part of a personalized treatment plan. The majority of these products will be sourced and produced by synergistic-wellness for patients to conveniently fill prescriptions. These products may be prescribed as part of a personalized treatment
...ariety of shapes and forms. There are so many different ways to take these medicines, ways as simple as inhaling the aromas of a hydrolat. While some doctors believe that alternative medicines are just a waste of time and effort because it’s a “junk science”, it has effects on people that in most cases most medicines don’t have. For example medicinal marijuana is often prescribed to patients with eating disorders or taking medicines that completely eliminates the appetite. Alternative medicines may not have and scientific evidence behind it but it does have a lot of visual evidence behind it. By visual evidence I mean evidence provided by observation of patient on the treatment, how they react to it, does it help, will it cause long term effects etc. Alternative medicines are becoming more diverse and they are multiplying like crazy and is the medicine of tomorrow.
Our friends the Native American people held a knowledge of plants used for medicine that has held true to this day. The Native Americans used more than 500 healing herbs thought to be healing secrets that are used in many modern day drugs. Native American healers regarded plants as relatives with the same energy, elements, minerals, and living compounds that are found in the natural world. Researchers in laboratories estimate that 25 percent of the drugs in use have actual ingredients either derived from or chemically similar to those in plants. Some of the drugs that have their roots in nature are the cancer drug tamoxifen, the heart drug digitalis, and painkillers morphine and aspirin. The powers of observation and the passing on of
The knowledge Native peoples have gained over generations of trial and error about what different species of plants do medically far exceeds what modern drug companies know about them. For instance, Natives in Latin America knew the uses of what is now known to be Vitamin C, and they knew that it could be found in the barks of certain trees, leafy plants, and even mosses that are totally different from each other in appearance. Currently, there is a great deal of interest among natural scientists and drug researchers in Native American traditions of medicine, especially regarding their knowledge and use of drugs. Since anthropologists began documenting Native people’s use of plants for healing, they have been responsible for contributing
An herb is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavour, or therapeutic properties which are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. People use herbal medicines to maintain or improve their health. Herbalism or the use of plants for medicinal purposes has existed for centuries and their knowledge has been relayed from one generation to another. Written evidence of herbal remedies dates back over 5,000 years, to the Sumerians, who created lists of plants. A number of ancient cultures wrote on plants and their medical uses. Herbs are mentioned in Egyptian medical papyri and depicted in tomb illustrations (Nunn and John, 2002). In India, the oldest known ayurvedic texts, Susrutha Samhita and Charaka Samhitha speak of herbal preparations for treating diseases. One such plant which has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for diseases including parkinsonism is Mucuna pruriens. Mucuna is rich in L-Dopa (L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) or levodopa which is the precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is deficient in Parkinson’s...
Drugs have been around for thousands of years but their reasons for being used has changed. Drugs were originally intended for medical uses. In ancient Egypt, physicians prescribed tannic acid to treat burns. The early Chinese and Greek pharmacies included opium used as a pain- killer, while Hindus used cannabis and henbane plants as an esthetic. With the advances in technology drugs have become more helpful yet more deadly.
Herbal medicines are sold in different ways from tablets, teas, extracts, capsules, powders, and fresh or dried plants. Many consumers believe that these products are safe and free of harm due to the labeling of the product with words such as “all natural.” The downside of taking these “natural” medicines are some ingredients can cause harm to a consumer’s health. According to the U.S .National Library of Medicine, some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. It is also reported that herbal
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.
Modern medicine mixes chemicals and does extensive testing, while herbal remedies come from naturally grown herbs. For every argument there is two sides, herbal remedies lack dosage instructions, regulations, and may interact with current medication, as well as modern medicines also have improved treatments. With improvements made on information and studies of herbal remedies, they would prevail over modern