Herbal Medicine vs. Allopathic Medicine

Have you ever taken a look at what was growing around you outside your door? Did you know that many of the plants growing along the edge of your driveway, or even on your lawn, have medicinal value? Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years. Cultures on every continent have passed down empirical knowledge regarding the use of plants and trees as medicine. It has only been in the last 200 years or so that its use has been eclipsed by the promise of modern medicine.

Taking a more natural approach to medicine requires you to slow down, and listen to the signals your body is giving you. It is a holistic approach, treating the whole person, not just the symptoms (as allopathy does). Herbal medicine utilizes whole parts of the plant (including leaves, flowers, roots, and bark) in teas, tinctures and oils. The active components of plants have a synergistic effect, supportively nourishing the body. Along with the medicinal affects, some of plants also confer nutritional benefits as well: nettles are a good source of iron, and rose hips contain vitamin C. In allopathic medicine, one chemical has been separated from the whole and then magnified to proportions that could never be recreated in nature.

The debate between herbal medicine and allopathic medicine is controversial. I am not trying to say that I don’t believe in modern allopathic medicine- if I fall and break something, I will go to a hospital for treatment, the same goes with most any acute trauma. But it doesn’t need to be the answer for everything. Superficial burns can be treated with aloe, honey, and/or a poultice of lavender and calendula flowers. A blend of peppermint, hyssop, yarrow, and elder flowers has been used for centuries as a cold remedy. Bee stings can be treated with a paste made from plantain leaves.

One of the biggest benefits of herbal medicine, in my opinion, is that you know exactly what you are being treated with; this is especially true if you grew or harvested it yourself. I just don’t like the idea of taking a little white pill that is supposed to make everything better. I see the arsenal of medicines that my parents are taking; one pill for blood pressure, one for pain, one to relieve the swelling caused by the other pill, and so on and so on. After a while, people become utterly chained to their medication, never thinking that there might be another option.

*It should also be noted that just because herbs are natural, it doesn’t mean they are all safe. Some should never be taken during pregnancy, others can cause side effects if used improperly. All natural medicines should be used with respect and caution.

Here is a good article if you are interested in more information about this topic: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/herbal-medicine-000351.htm


Definitions:

Allopathic medicine: allos meaning opposite and path meaning disease. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary also defines it as a "term applied to that system of therapeutics in which diseases are treated by producing a condition incompatible with or antagonistic to the condition to be cured or alleviated.”
(http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-definition/Allopathic_medicine/)

Herbal Medicine: Herbal medicine is the art and science of using herbs for promoting health and preventing and treating illness. It has persisted as the world's primary form of medicine since the beginning of time, with a written history more than 5000 years old. While the use of herbs in America has been overshadowed by dependence on modern medications the last 100 years, 75% of the world's population still rely primarily upon traditional healing practices, most of which is herbal medicine.
(http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/fundamentals)