Herbalism
Herbalism
Herbalism (pronounced: /ˈhɜːrbəlɪzəm/, from the Latin herba, meaning "grass, green stalks, or blades") is the study or practice of the medicinal and therapeutic use of plants, now especially as a form of alternative medicine.
History
The use of plants for medicinal purposes predates recorded history and forms the origin of much of modern medicine. Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food yield useful medicinal compounds.
Practice
Herbalists tend to use extracts from parts of plants, such as the roots or leaves but not isolate particular phytochemicals. Pharmaceutical medicine prefers single ingredients on the grounds that dosage can be more easily quantified. It is also possible to patent single compounds, and therefore generate income. Herbalists often reject the notion of a single active ingredient, arguing that the different phytochemicals present in many herbs will interact to enhance the therapeutic effects of the herb and dilute toxicity.
Safety
The use of herbal remedies is more prevalent in patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, asthma, heart disease, and end-stage renal disease. Some herbs may amplify the effects of anticoagulants. Certain herbs as well as common fruit interfere with cytochrome P450, an enzyme critical to much drug metabolism.
See also
- Phytotherapy
- Traditional medicine
- Ayurveda
- Chinese herbology
- Ethnobotany
- Pharmacognosy
- Phytochemistry
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Herbalism
- Wikipedia's article - Herbalism
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