Posts Tagged ‘Medicines’

« Older Entries

Herbal Medicines What is Old is New Again

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Herbal medicine has been used for centuries all around the world. Relegated to the status of folk medicine for years by the medical establishment, herbal medicines are experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to the dangerous side effects of many of today’s pharmaceutical drugs.


Herbal medicine has three traditional forms. Western herbalism began in Europe, and crossed over to North America with the European settlers. Some Native American influences can be found in some of its lore. Chinese medicine is herb-based, and breaks everything into yin or yang… cooling herbs or heating herbs are prescribed for illnesses that either cause the body to be cold or hot. Rounding out the herbal medicine trio is Ayurvedic medicine from India. With a history 5,000 years in the making, Ayurvedic medicine is based on balancing any imbalance found in the body.


Today, more people are turning back to herbal medicines, finding them more effective and gentler than pharmaceuticals. The entire pharmaceutical industry is based upon herbs and the medicines derived from them. Most of today’s medicines however are made from synthetic compounds rather than those derived directly from plants.


Herbs are also whole foods. They offer nutrition, minerals and vitamins along with medicinal compounds. Herbs can be taken fresh as food, or made into teas, tisanes, tinctures, syrups, drops, poultices, salves, creams or dried and put in capsules. Depending on your illness, some methods of taking the herbs will work better than others.


Still other herbs are taken as supplements. An example would be alfalfa tablets, which can supply you with vitamin K (it helps your blood clot), among other nutrients. Supplements can be found at health food stores both in your local area and online. When buying supplements, look at the herbs for freshness. Any herb that is dried should still be a fresh green color, not brownish. If the color has deteriorated, it means the herb was dried using a method that removed nutrients from the herb.


If you are on pharmaceutical medications, please check with your physician or a certified herbalist before adding herbal medicines or supplements. Some herbs will interact with pharmaceutical medications and cause reactions or will counteract your regular medication. For instance, if you are prescribed blood thinners for a health condition, taking the aforementioned alfalfa supplement would be ill-advised, since vitamin K promotes clotting.


It is important to remember that just because herbal medicine is natural doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you. If you are not familiar with an herb and its effects, consult with a certified herbalist. Herbs need to be taken appropriately so you don’t overdose or end up with an effect you didn’t count on. Like any other medicine it is important to follow instructions for any herb.


Herbal medicines are a good way to treat quite a few illnesses and deficiencies. Do your homework and read about an herb and its actions before taking it. And before mixing herbs or adding a new herb, it doesn’t hurt to consult an expert. Herbs have a lot to offer and can greatly benefit your health when taken appropriately.


Complementary and alternative medicine is the combined use of medical practices and products that aren’t a part of conventional medicine. Many are using the CAM approach in hopes that they can prevent disease and live a more enhanced quality of life.

Herbal Medicines the Primitive Healing Practice

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Medicines are there to eliminate numerous health problems in the body. And with advancement of science and technology, production of medicines for different purposes is enhancing and thus we can get rid of several health related troubles. By the term herbal we mean the medicine extracted or synthesized from the plants and its products. Medicines are the part and parcel of today’s living where development has reached the peak, at the same time this development lead to the emergence of different fatal and non-fatal health problems.

Herbal medicines are the primary health management and this practice of healing a broad range of complaints or to boost health with plants and plant extracts are the principle of herbalism or phytotherapy. The concept of herbal medicine is the most primitive form of healthcare playing a vital role in the development of recent medicine which we are using today.
In other words we can define herbal medicine as the utilization of plants along with herb extracts intended for their therapeutic and curative value. The majority of the plants species found to have and produce chemical essences that facilitate in healing and supplementary physical treatments.

Herbal medicines are using at greater extent as these are associated with least side effects. Medicines though give immediate solutions to the health problems or illnesses, leave some side effects which become more fatal to the remaining body functioning system. Herbal medicines are extracted from the natural substances basically the plants and its products.

The practice of herbal medicines are prevailing since the prehistoric days and in India it is very famous and Indian Ayurveda has a big position in the world of herbal medicine. Nearly 80% of the world population is utilizing the herbal products in curing and preventing numerous diseases and its effects. Herbal medicine is associated with the primary health care programs.

All plant life generates certain chemical complex during their ordinary metabolic activities which can be further categorizes as primary metabolites for example fats and sugars available in the entire plants species and the secondary metabolites though found in smaller varieties of plants, particularly in specific species or genus. The identification of healing powers in the plants has lead to growth of various herbal medicines manufacture from different plants and plants extracts.

More than 80,000 plants species are found to contain medicinal properties and widely used in treating and preventing diseases. Herbal medicines are also using in association of other therapeutic programs like acupuncture and a good deal of prescription drugs are manufactured from the plants and plants extracts. Several herbal ingredients are found in the drugs used for healing and preventing diseases for example aspirin manufactured from Salix species whose common name is willow bark and digitalis made from Digitalis purpurea, foxglove.

The most common question arises is that if all the herbal products are beneficial and are they capable replacing the modern medication that is with drugs and associated chemical substances? The answer is that herbal medicines are used generally for treating mild cases and are less effective in case of the serious diseases, this can also be considered on the basis of the longer duration required for the herbal medicine s to effect. At the same time all the plant and plants extracts are safe to use and therefore is essential thing to consult the experts and doctors of the specific field.

Immune Herbs: Chinese Herbal Medicines

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

In this world of pollution, competition and stress, health has become a major concern for us. Most of us fall ill due to our weak immune system. The function of the immune system is to defend the body against invaders. Although the immune system is intricate, its basic strategy is simple: to recognize the enemy like harmful bacteria and viruses mobilize antibodies, and attack. There are many pharmaceutical drugs available in the market which strengthens your immune system but herbal medicines are better alternative. Traditional Chinese herbs are considered as the best medicine to strengthen our immune system without any side effects.

Earlier people were ignorant about the benefits of Chinese herbs but with the advent of internet, people are getting more and more information about the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine. By logging on to www.longevityherbs.com, you will get to know a lot about the curative power of Chinese medicine. At longevity herbs, there is a range of immune herbs , which are very effective and efficient in dealing with immune related problem. Longevity herb has a team of super specialist who tirelessly research on various herbal remedies which can prove effective in dealing with immune related problem. They also take proper care that the products offered by longevity herbs do not have any side effect. A longevity herb has launched a number of immune herbs that improves body immunity and makes the body able to resist the attack of harmful bacteria and viruses.

The Chinese healing herbs like ginseng, Reishi and Chinese cordyceps are available at longevity herbs, which have proved to be the best Chinese herbal medicine to strengthen the immune system. Ginseng herb available at Longevityherbs is a wonderful herb, which strengthens our immune system, and it helps in detoxifying our body. The other wonderful immune herb is Reishi. It is called the herb of good fortune. It has been used from thousand of years and it instill calmness, improve sleep and it also strengthen and balance the immune system. Probiotics are also available at longevity herbs, which offer immune support vitamins, minerals, and healthy nutrients. The other products offered by Longevityherbs are cordyceps, energy combo and super tonic for giving energy to the body; fola pro, cinnamon poria and zi si fang for fertility related problems; menopause hot flashes and Probiotics for health and longevity; focus combo to sharpen your mind; and traumeel, yunnan baiyao and arnica for pain relief.

Chinese herbal medicines offered by Longevity Herbs are proving a boon for many of the patients, suffering from immunological disorder. The immune herbs offered here are of extremely good quality and are available at most competitive prices in the market. So log onto www.longevityherbs.com to boost your immune system and enjoy a long and healthy life.

Aids – Herbal Medicines for Aids

Friday, July 16th, 2010

AIDS is a short hand term we have for describing someone with a very weakened defenses system. In 1980 and 1981, doctors in Los Angeles and New York became alarmed about the possibility of a new disease when they noticed that some of their homosexual patients had contracted rare forms of cancer and pneumonia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the new disease—now known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)—in June 1981. AIDS is believed to be caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, which is mainly transmitted in one of three ways: in semen during sexual intercourse, from mother to fetus during pregnancy or delivery, and by the use of a syringe infected with the virus. HIV invades a person’s white blood cells and disables the body’s immune system.

A damaged immune system is not only more vulnerable to HIV, but also to the attacks of other infections. It won’t always have the strength to fight off things that wouldn’t have bothered it before.

As time goes by, a person who has been infected with HIV is likely to become ill more and more often until, usually several years after infection, they become ill with one of a number of particularly severe illnesses. It is at this point that they are said to have AIDS – when they first become seriously ill, or when the number of immune system cells left in their body drops below a particular point.

Different countries have slightly different ways of defining the point at which a person is said to have AIDS rather than HIV.

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine is the most ancient form of health care known to man. Herbs have been used in all cultures since history records were recorded. Herbal medicine has such an extraordinary influence that numerous alternative medicine therapies treat their patients with herbal remedies, including naturopathy, orthomolecular medicine, and ayurveda. Approximately 25 percent of all prescription drugs are derived from trees, shrubs, or herbs.

By using herbs in their complete form, the body’s healing process utilizes a balance of ingredients provided by nature. The World Health Organization estimates that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74 percent are used in modern medicine. Much debate has circulated as to whether or not pharmaceutical companies should extract the potent ingredients from the herbs and synthesize their own man-made herbs, or prescribe herbs in their purest form.

Aloe vera has historically been known for assisting the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, and for its properties of soothing, cleansing and helping the body to maintain healthy tissues. This plant has a reputation of facilitating digestion, aiding blood and lymphatic circulation, as well as kidney, liver and gall bladder functions. Aloe contains at least three anti-inflammatory fatty acids that are helpful for the stomach, small intestine and colon. It naturally alkalizes digestive juices to prevent overacidity – a common cause of digestive complaints.

Herbal medicine is also known as botanical medicine (in Europe it is known as phytotherapy or phytomedicine). An herb is a part of a plant that can be used for healing purposes (as a potion or remedy). An herb can be a leaf, a flower, a stem, a seed, a root, a fruit, bark, or any other plant part that can treat wounds, abrasions, cuts, and a number of other conditions. There are an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 plants on earth today.

Herbs contain a large number of naturally occurring chemicals that have biological activity. Herbs work in a similar fashion to antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, and that is why there has been such a stirring furor about the pros and cons of both. In this debate, both drugs and herbs have been compared many times over. Herbal medicine is the most beneficial when it is used to cure chronic, ongoing diseases.

« Older Entries