Herbal Medicine

Herbal Medicine Today
There are two main ways in which herbal medicine is accessed in this country at the present time:

• Over the Counter Medication (OTC) from health food stores and chemists
• Via a consultation with a professional medical herbalist.

Whilst OTC remedies are marketed very much in the line of a particular herb being the remedy for a particular complaint, medical herbalists will work rather differently. A herbalist will think of herbs as having a number of actions (such as promoting wound healing or as being anti-inflammatory) or qualities (such as being drying or cooling), and will try to match these as carefully as possible to what they have learned about the patient and their needs. To do this they will usually make up a mixture of herbs which will be dispensed as either a tea or as a tincture. The aim of this prescription will be to support the body's own tendency to heal itself, and will be uniquely formulated for each particular patient. Two people suffering from, say, rheumatoid arthritis, are likely to be offered the same anti-inflammatory herb from a health food shop. If the same two people visit a medical herbalist, they will probably each be given different prescriptions according to how long they have had the illness, how it affects them and which factors alleviate or aggravate their condition. The herbalist will also take into account the patient's general state of health and medical history.

A wide range of herbs is used in this country, from all over the world. These range from common British "weeds" such as dandelion – a powerful diuretic and liver tonic; to exotics such as the bark of the South American Lapacho tree – an immune-system stimulating plant used for its antibiotic and anti-fungal actions. While most of the plants used as remedies are very gentle in action some need to be treated with great respect. Many herbs have lots of actions, some of which will be deleterious for particular users. For example sage is a useful first aid remedy for mouth infections and sore throats, but it also reduces the supply of breast milk in feeding mothers. Other herbs may interact with orthodox medication and a few are poisonous in the wrong dosage. For these reasons it is wise to consult a trained medical herbalist, or at least to refer to a good reference book.

Although the government is seeking to register herbalists in the UK, there is currently no legal restriction on the title "herbalist". Whilst there are very few people practising as herbalists without training it is wise to check someone's credentials if you are seeking a consultation. Ask about a herbalist's training, their medical knowledge and their willingness to communicate with orthodox medical practitioners if necessary. Word of mouth referrals are probably useful in finding out about a particular herbalist and their approach. There are a confusing number of professional bodies covering herbalists from both western and other approaches. Those organisations whose members are likely to be state registered in the near future will be members of the European Herbal Practitioners Association.

In recent years the huge demand for herbal remedies in the OTC market has damaged populations of some plants that are harvested from the wild. Most herbalists in this country see their role as looking after the plants that they use as well as the health of their patients. To this end they seek to obtain their supplies from ecologically minded suppliers.

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