Each society has its unique herbal remedies, many of which are not supported by scientific research.
What are the pros and cons of these herbal "treatments"?
What areas of research might help?
Please read this article:
https://www.cottonwoodcare.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-herbal-medications
I don't know how it works but just believe in natural remedies and peoples' practical experiences. So that I'm always interested to try it out.
Some herbal remedies have been shown to be quite efficacious. Their potencies are however sometimes apocryphal. At least in my country, one will have to take in "a gallon" of some herbal remedies to achieve the desired effect. Some do not even achieve the desired effect at all. Their crudeness (at least in my country) is also another factor to be considered. Nonetheless, It should be noted that some of them actually do work.
I came across many over the years. Have to listen to individual cases to see if any of them can help others that you know or even myself. I tried some while I avoided others that I read that they have some adverse effects.
I support if patients use herbal remedies as the supportive therapy to official medications in some chronic/malignant diseases. “If it does not harm” principle, patients have right to use them. BUT! - Many of these remedies and substances have, in many cases, serious adverse effects, especially in anesthesia and surgery! Different types of teas have anticoagulation effects (e.g. coumarin) which can lead to serious bleeding without obvious reason. On the other side, patients rarely mentioned to the doctors their practice to take them, sometimes even several times a day.
Definitely, each society has its unique herbal remedies, many of which are not supported by scientific research. The same is true in our area of living where some people try for herbal treatment or a mix of both herbal medicine and allopathy medicine. I know one person who treat people by herbal medicine as well as spiritual powers and they have been doing it from generations.
I have seen that hundreds of people visit him on daily basis and getting treatment. I think that this area of medicine needs through understanding of how its works, its pros and cons on a scientific basis.
My research area in northern Ghana that lack modernized medical facilities mostly depends on Herbal medicine to treat all sort of illness and over the years people move from urban Ghana to rural Ghana for various treatment. It is a major research area that the international pharmacological companies will not allow it grow.
There was no such thing as the pharmaceutical industry when humanity existed. Treatments were made by healers with different herbals or other substances. As the medicine progressed and technology evolved, these herbals were replaced by medicines. As a result, herbals are the source of many drugs used today. Therefore herbal treatment may be beneficial. These herbals may have many known or unknown side effects (eg anticholinergic side effects).The difference between the drug and the poison is the dose. Therefore herbal treatments must be given by experts in the field. But I think medical therapy should be the basis of treatment. Because these drugs have undergone many tests, side effects and safe dose ranges are known.
Not all herbal products. Do not forget that most studies nowadays are dwelling in-depth on toxicological properties. However, there are still more cons than the scientifically proven pros. It is not only herbal products, whatever that lacks dosage is poisonous, going by the definition of poison. So, herbal products remain one, but not all time so categorized.
Yunus Emre Sarı
Very good point....it's easy to forget how many of our modern drugs and older ones,are derived from either herbal remedies,or are at least plant based.
Aspirin,digoxin,vinca alkaloids and similar are but a few.
Much more research needs to be done into classifying,testing (and preserving the diversity of plants given our environmental problems) and developing from herbal products.
Unlicensed and untested products do of course have problems with purity and contaminants,and for instance high levels of heavy metals and plant based steroids have been found in some preparations.
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