Even before the turn of the new century, herbal supplements had become tremendously popular among a wide range of consumers concerned about their health. The use of these supplements reflects not merely a group of treatments, but a distinct approach to treatment. The consumer, evaluating what might be best for his or her health, has to sort through a great deal of information and disinformation.
One of the commonly expressed features of the herbal approach is that it leans toward an emphasis upon preventative medicine. Conventional medicines were typically developed as treatments against diseases that had already taken firm hold in the body and made people very sick. They often use chemicals in powerful combinations, designed to kill pathogens which the body isn't resisting on its own.
The root of "herbal" is, of course, "herb". This is a class of supplements that is processed from various plants or fungi, many of them quite common, and typically in very concentrated form. They reflect the result of folk wisdom, sometimes tested scientifically, sometimes not, but used more to prevent disease from taking hold of the body than to cure it once it has.
Ginkgo biloba is perhaps the most familiar and tested natural supplement. It is used to improve circulation, which it effects by dilating the capillaries. This in turn improves brain function, from alertness to memory. Another treatment, red yeast rice, comes to us from Chinese medicine, and is used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Some of these natural objects are in fact so natural that they are taken in raw, unprocessed form. Cayenne pepper has numerous uses. A spoonful on the tongue is said to avert on oncoming heart attack. Sprinkled on the floor and baseboards, it is said to form a barrier against ants and roaches.
One should remember to be somewhat skeptical about claims made for natural health solutions, which typically receive little medical testing if any. It is often better to think of them as belonging to nutrition than to medicine per se. Common garlic, for one example, is taken as blood-thinner and as an antibacterial agent.
All this further suggests why institutionalized medicine might well offer resistance to the accepts of these remedies. No one stands to make much money from a pinch of cayenne pepper or a capsule of garlic extract. One must not, however, take such suspicions too far, assuming that because doctors are mute about a certain herb's efficacy, it must therefore be effective. No wonder herbal supplements keep their controversial status.
One of the commonly expressed features of the herbal approach is that it leans toward an emphasis upon preventative medicine. Conventional medicines were typically developed as treatments against diseases that had already taken firm hold in the body and made people very sick. They often use chemicals in powerful combinations, designed to kill pathogens which the body isn't resisting on its own.
The root of "herbal" is, of course, "herb". This is a class of supplements that is processed from various plants or fungi, many of them quite common, and typically in very concentrated form. They reflect the result of folk wisdom, sometimes tested scientifically, sometimes not, but used more to prevent disease from taking hold of the body than to cure it once it has.
Ginkgo biloba is perhaps the most familiar and tested natural supplement. It is used to improve circulation, which it effects by dilating the capillaries. This in turn improves brain function, from alertness to memory. Another treatment, red yeast rice, comes to us from Chinese medicine, and is used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Some of these natural objects are in fact so natural that they are taken in raw, unprocessed form. Cayenne pepper has numerous uses. A spoonful on the tongue is said to avert on oncoming heart attack. Sprinkled on the floor and baseboards, it is said to form a barrier against ants and roaches.
One should remember to be somewhat skeptical about claims made for natural health solutions, which typically receive little medical testing if any. It is often better to think of them as belonging to nutrition than to medicine per se. Common garlic, for one example, is taken as blood-thinner and as an antibacterial agent.
All this further suggests why institutionalized medicine might well offer resistance to the accepts of these remedies. No one stands to make much money from a pinch of cayenne pepper or a capsule of garlic extract. One must not, however, take such suspicions too far, assuming that because doctors are mute about a certain herb's efficacy, it must therefore be effective. No wonder herbal supplements keep their controversial status.
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