How does Herbal Medicine differ from conventional medicine? 

In conventional medicine drugs are chosen to directly attack the cause of the complaint. Antibiotics may be targeted at killing the micro-organisms responsible for disease or anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to suppress symptoms. In so doing many useful micro-organisms are also killed and the underlying causes for vulnerability to disease are not addressed.

Herbal medicine works primarily by supporting the body’s own healing resources.

Herbs are chosen to either stimulate or soothe the body systems appropriate to the situation.

Herbs contain many complex constituents that balance each other. This prevents the unwanted side effects that are such a feature of synthesised drugs which isolate an active constituent that is very powerful without including the balancing elements from the whole plant.