Why use Herbal Medicine?

Orthodox drugs differ from whole plant medicines in two important respects.

Orthodox drugs are usually composed of one single chemical compound, which is designed to have a specific action on the body.  Whole plant medicines however, contain a wide variety of compounds, which may have many different actions.

Plants therefore contain many complex constituents that serve to balance each other and have a more rounded effect.  Herbalists believe that the whole is superior to the sum of the parts. This provides a much more balanced medicine, which the body may see as food (think of garlic, parsley & sage for example).

Herbal medicine works by supporting the body’s own healing resources. Plants can provide nourishing & supporting tonics (i.e. milk thistle for the liver), or they can also have specific actions (i.e. Echinacea on the immune system)

Herbs may be chosen to either stimulate or soothe the body systems appropriate to the situation. Much skill is employed in achieving the right combination of herbs to suit individual patients.

In properly qualified hands Western Herbal Medicine has an impeccable safety record.  Concerns with regard to side effects do not appear to be as critical as do those for orthodox drugs. It is thought that this may be in part due to the fact that, as the body may recognise and metabolise whole plant medicines as food rather than drugs, they do not have the same impact upon the system as a large dose of one chemical.

Herbalists practice holistic medicine.

This means that we treat mind, body & spirit – i.e. we treat the whole person, not just the illness. This important therapeutic philosophy was first propounded by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. It means that taking a full and detailed case history from the patient becomes vital in order to get as detailed a picture of each individual as possible. This makes combining the medicine to suit the person an easier task. It also means that we will advise patients to seek other forms of therapy if we feel they are more appropriate (i.e. physiotherapy, counselling, orthodox medicine).