| We've Come So Far - How Much Better Can | | | | Indian herbal medicine, or Ayurvedic, Chinese |
| Alternative Medicine Get?Herbal and natural | | | | herbal medicine and western herbal medicine, |
| medicine has gained so much more attention | | | | all have deep roots of ancestry going back as |
| than it ever had in the past seven to ten | | | | far as 202 BC. The fact that so many |
| years. So, why is that? There must be | | | | cultures came up with their own version of |
| something to it other than a consumer trend | | | | natural medicine is pretty staggering. |
| or a fleeting fad. And there is - a whole | | | | What's even more fascinating is the |
| lot more. | | | | culmination of all of these cultural |
| | | | medicines paved the way for modern, man-made |
| Consumers are finding that herbal medicines | | | | medications that we all know today.What are |
| are helping them in many of the same ways as | | | | the Most Popular and Effective Alternative |
| traditional medications prescribed by | | | | Remedies Today?Remedies for lack of sleep, |
| physicians - without the high cost, sometimes | | | | stress relief and relaxation, depression, |
| adverse side effects, and over-prescribing | | | | anxiety, pain, weight loss, hair loss, skin |
| and combining of too many meds at once.Herbal | | | | problems and more are some of the most |
| medicine is one of the oldest forms of | | | | popular and in-demand herbal products |
| healing and aiding the human body and mind | | | | currently on the market today. Along with |
| and eliminating or alleviating human | | | | these, there are more obscure remedies for |
| suffering. Hippocrates, one of the most | | | | illnesses and physical conditions, such as |
| famous | | | | hemorrhoids, smoking cessation aids for |
| | | | withdrawal symptoms, cold remedies, and even |
| philosophers and earliest proponents of | | | | herbal medicines purported to help people |
| natural medicine and herbal healing, believed | | | | with cancer and even to help prevent cancer |
| that humans were meant to live in harmony | | | | cells from forming.While herbal medicine may |
| with nature, and that nature itself | | | | be regarded by some with skepticism, |
| prescribed cures and antidotes for human | | | | especially those in the medical and |
| ailments - we just had to find out through | | | | pharmaceutical profession (go figure), its |
| trial and error which of nature's plants were | | | | long standing usage and history of |
| the best choices to heal various human | | | | effectiveness is nothing to be scoffed at by |
| illnesses of the mind and body.Hippocrates | | | | any stretch of the imagination.If you really |
| notoriously believed that we should "let food | | | | examine what herbal medicines are and how |
| be our medicine and medicine be our food", | | | | they are discovered, is it really all that |
| meaning we only had to look as far as our | | | | different from modern medicine? Not only |
| environment and natural surroundings for | | | | that, but most modern medications have been |
| cures and remedies to heal and mend | | | | derived from nature, albeit they are in an |
| ourselves, as well as to keep our bodies in | | | | altered and corrupted form in the final |
| optimal condition for as long as possible in | | | | stages of manufacture. Still, they have |
| order that a productive and meaningful life | | | | largely begun in a naturally biochemical |
| may be lead.Herbs, natural compounds and | | | | state.Herbal medicines have come a long way |
| botanicals were discovered to have dramatic | | | | since their ancient origins, and are making |
| healing capabilities as well as therapeutic | | | | new strides every day, just like modern |
| properties for health maintenance and | | | | medicine. Not only that, pharmaceutical |
| prevention centuries ago, before modern | | | | engineering and medicine have actually helped |
| medicine evolved into what it is today. The | | | | to make more powerful and effective herbal |
| most interesting part of the history of | | | | remedies. In a way, the real journey for |
| herbal medicine is that herbalism | | | | herbal medicines and alternative methods of |
| simultaneously occurred in vastly different | | | | healing has just begun! |
| areas of the globe.What we know today as | | | | |