The Whole Herb vs. Standardized Herbal Products

I frequently do radio call-in shows. Every time I’m on the air, and maybe two or three times if the station is in the Midwest, I’ll get a politely worded question about buying herbs over the internet for “enlarging certain body parts.” I’ll almost always get one question about using herbs for sexual dysfunction and another about using herbs for lowering cholesterol. And I’ll usually get one question from a listener to a certain radio doctor who claims that any “magic bullet” that can be extracted from an herb can be synthesized and improved by modern medical science. Sure herbs work, the subtly anti-herbal doctor would tell you. You just need to grind them up, soak them in solvents, leach out the right part, and concentrate it a hundred or a thousand times so it can “kill” a germ or “knock out” a disease. Then you can figure out a way to do the same thing without any herbal components at all.

Our idea of effective herbal medicine takes a kinder, gentler approach.

 

Taking a whole herb gives your body tiny amounts of a variety of healing substances. The whole herb offers “just enough medicine” for your body to finish the work of healing on its own. It doesn’t give you so much of any one chemical that you experience the same kinds of side effects had you taken the drug you were trying to avoid.

 

The whole herb or natural plant oil is almost always the best remedy when your condition is on the borderline of your doctor’s standard of care. If your blood pressure is running 135/92 and you’d like to get it to 120/80, for instance, your doctor might not give you a prescription, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. It’s a good idea to try adding some olive oil to your cooking and just a little Onion and Garlic either as a food or a supplement to your daily routine.  Try taking Hawthorn, or drinking teas with calming Chamomile or colorful Hibiscus. Within a few weeks, your blood pressure may be down.

 

Blood sugars running just a little high? Try cinnamon. Worried about your cholesterol? Take Hawthorn for a few months. Not sure about asking for that prescription for Cialis, Levitra, or Viagra? Try Ashwangandha, Muira Puama, Ginseng, Yohimbe, or Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium).

 

These traditional aphrodisiacs for men may not work quite as quickly as their chemical counterparts, but effects are often noticed within 24 hours of the first dose. You may even find you’re a happy man after taking a little Eleuthero tea.

 

The whole herb is also useful when the prescription medication presents problems of its own. If you have hay fever, you may not want to go to the doctor for Clarinex—especially when an allergy tea containing Nettle leaves works as well. Hot flashes can be aggravated by Evista only to be relieved by Effexor, but before you take bring out the pharmacological heavy artillery, try a hot flash tea with Sage and Chickweed, Dandelion, Elder flowers, and Oatstraw.

 

Even when an herb is used to treat a serious health condition, the whole herb often has a more balanced effect. The Milk Thistle extract silymarin, for instance, has proven usefulness in treating liver disease. The drawback to using silymarin is that, if the doctor prescribes other drugs, such as steroids, silymarin can interfere with the liver’s ability to detoxify them. Milk Thistle seed has the same healing effect on the liver without interfering with the organ’s ability to detoxify drugs or environmental chemicals, and a side benefit of normalizing blood lipids as the liver heals.

 

We believe in whole herbs. The healing potential of the plant is preserved when it is taken in its most natural form. The vibrant, life-supporting plant gives your body just the boost it needs to bring itself back into balance and vigorous health.

 

All content and articles Copyright © 2005 Mountain Rose Herbs
Written and composed for Mountain Rose Herbs by Robert Rister
robert@mountainroseherbs.com
www.mountainroseherbs.com/staff/robert-riser.php

 

This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.