In herbal medicine, practitioners treat a wide range of conditions using extracts from plants and herbs. Many herbs are taken orally, some can be in tablet form, tinctures, creams, balms or teas.

Herbal medicine uses a holistic approach: this means that the practitioner looks at you as a whole person rather than simply treating a single part of you. A herbal medicine practitioner will assess your general and physical health before starting treatment and can work with you over a period of months or weeks. Herbal medicine is used to treat a range of conditions, including menopause symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome, skin problems and arthritis.

Introduction to traditional herbal medicine

Peter Conway is the president of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy and practises in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. He says, ‘Herbal medicine is extraordinary – it is the oldest form of medicine and is the origin of conventional medicine. In fact the word “drug” comes from a Teutonic word meaning “a dried plant”. After years of neglect this global treasure is now returning to the cutting edge as physiologists and pharmacologists begin to advocate drugs that can affect “multiple targets” in the body – this is what herbs do and which gives them their exceptional scope of therapeutic impact. The herbal approach is known as phytotherapy (“phyto” is Greek for plant), and draws upon the evidence for herbal medicine to integrate traditional and scientific approaches.’

History of herbal treatment

Herbal medicine has been practised in the UK for tens of thousands of years. In the ancient world all civilisations used plants as natural remedies. Many plants contain chemicals that are of medicinal value, and some are used in modern medicine. Practitioners down the centuries have observed the effects of using different plants on different conditions and much of what is practised today is based on these traditional observations.

Extract taken from Complementary Therapies - The Essential Guide. For more information on herbal treatment and an holistic approach to health, take a look at the book - available now in eBook and printed book formats. Buy the printed version and get the eBook free!