The SCD™ Knowledge Base

Herbal Remedies

Karen writes:
First I have to say that as a student of herbalism, I really do like
herbs. But they are being misused right and left these days. The way herbs
are being marketed as "this herbs is good for that problem", is usually
contrary to the principles of real medical herbalism. We have to remember
that the herb industry and medical herbalism are like night from day, and
that what we hear about the benefits of using particular herbs are usually
coming from industry.
For chronic conditions, medical herbalism rarely uses one herb alone, but
uses formulas that are balanced in certain ways, and are tailored to the
individual's specific condtion. In other words, one person's UC for
example will be treated differently from another's, even though they have
the same conventional medicine diagnosis. So it becomes more of a skill
and and art to match herbal formulas to a particular person's needs.
That's a long-winded way of saying that it's best not to use herbs on your
own for chronic conditions. For first-aid-type situations, drinking some
peppermint tea and such, that's fine. But I would consult a medical
herbalist for everything else. Even naturopathic-type doctors who like to
use herbs in their practice, at least here in the U.S., usually don't know
the fine art of herbal formulation, and tend to get their info from
industry. So I'd go to someone who's trained in traditional herbal
medicine, if you want to use herbs.

Originally from the Long Island listserve.