Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is the use of plant remedies in the treatment of imbalance and ill health. Although herbalism is referred to as an “alternative” or “complementary” discipline, it is still the most widely practiced form of medicine worldwide.

Herbs were our very first medicines.

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Since the beginning of humankind people have relied primarily on plants for nourishment. Through trial and error they discovered that some plants are good for food, that some are poisonous and that some produce bodily changes (increased perspiration, bowel movement and urination, relief of pain and healing).

Humans have tried and discarded countless thousands of remedies from nature. The generations have preserved the knowledge of the herbs that have reliably eased our suffering and returned us to health.

Written evidence of herbal remedies dates back over 5,000 years, to the Sumerians, who created lists of plants.  De Materia Medica by Pedanius Dioscorides, a Roman physician, is a particularly important example of such writings.

Herbs do not suppress the symptoms of illness, but rather help the body to heal itself. The effects of taking herbs are usually gradual and accumulative: the longer you take them the better they work. There are many forms in which herbs can be administered, the most common of which is in the form of a liquid that is drunk by the patient, either a herbal tea or a (possibly diluted) plant extract. Whole herb consumption is also practiced either fresh, in dried form or as fresh juice.

The healing potential of the world of plants is an integral part of the deep bond that exists between man and nature. Those plants have the ability to heal us, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually.

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For quite a long period of time the herbal medicine has been seen by many scientists and doctors, as the step sister of the orthodox medicine, a sort of “black seep”. Hopefully this point of view  was proved to be completely wrong by indubitable facts. The science through studies and researches has proven that the medicinal plants have an enormous potential locked inside them in healing the body and many complex trials are undergoing to prove their qualities.

As a pleasant surprise, lately, we’ve been seeing that more and more physicians are giving credit to this part of medicine and face it as a reliable source in treating many ailments.