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ALL THINGS HERBAL
Why Use Herbs?
Herbs can be used to help prevent illness and promote good health leading to increased vitality, longevity and optimal well-being. Herbs can be used as supplements, in their fresh, dried and liquid form. They are used for therapeutic purposes, first aid remedies and personal care and beauty products.
How Does Herbal Medicine Work?
Herbal medicines treat not just the symptoms or what appears to be the illness, they also treat the whole person. It is known that treatment or suppression of symptoms will not rid the body of the disease itself. Herbal remedies create balance in the body, so that the body rejects illness, and good health is the result.
What does Herbal Medicine Achieve?
It is also well known that the actions of herbal remedies are gentle on the body. This can be attributed to the fact herbal medicines have been extracted as naturally occurring substances.
What is the Difference between Herbal Medicines and Orthodox Drugs?
There is a fundamental difference in the way herbal medicines and modern drugs work. Herbal medicines comprise of not only single bioactive constituents that act as a medicinal substance, but a whole lot of active constituents that provide energy, nutrients, trace elements and most of all several bioactive compounds acting together.
Research
Today, plants are providing new and promising medicines in fields such as cancer. In 1950, the National Cancer Institute in the US began plant screening for active ingredients. Since then, one of their key developments has been successful isolation of ‘Taxol’. This ingredient is now used to help treat ovarian cancer (Institute of Natural Healing US).
Research Updates
“First time proof of sage’s tolerability and efficacy in menopausal women with hot flushes.”
Abstract
In an open, multicenter clinical trial conducted in eight practices in Switzerland, 71 patients (intent-to-treat population [ITT], n=69; with a mean age of 56.4±4.7 years, menopausal for at least 12 months, and with at least five flushes daily) were recruited and treated with a once-daily tablet of fresh sage leaves for 8 weeks after an introductory baseline week.
Results
The mean total number of hot flushes per day decreased significantly each week from week 1 to 8. The mean number of mild, moderate, severe, and very severe flushes decreased by 46%, 62%, 79%, and 100% over 8 weeks, respectively.
Conclusion
A fresh sage preparation demonstrated clinical value in the treatment of hot flushes and associated menopausal symptoms. 1
Reference
1. First time proof of sage’s tolerability and efficacy in menopausal women with hot flushes. Bommer S, Klein P, Suter A. Source. A. Vogel Bioforce AG, Roggwil, Switzerland. s.bommer@bioforce.ch http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21630133 Adv Ther. 2011 Jun;28(6):490-500. doi: 10.1007/s12325-011-0027-z. Epub 2011 May 16.
Fresh Herb Tips
Lemon Balm
Add fresh lemon balm leaves to a tossed salad, in tomato sandwiches and to a glass of water in the summer months for a refreshing drink and extra flavour. A sprig of fresh leaves added to a plate of fish makes an attractive garnish.
Read more about Lemon Balm here
Lavender Vinegar
Choose fresh flowers from the plant or fresh leaves when the plant is not in bloom. Sterilise a jar and half fill it with the lavender leaves of flowers. Fill with vinegar (I find white wine vinegar is a good choice), cap tightly and leave for 2-3 weeks to steep. It is best to use the Lavandula angustifolia variety because it has a light sweet fragrance. Great on salads and in stir fries.
For more Lavender recipes go to this link
All illustrations on All Things Herbal are by Vanessa Johnson from Cookoo Design & Photography
