Most people think that herbal medicine is the same thing as Ayurveda, Siddha, or Unani. It is true that these three Indian systems of medicine also have some pure single as well as multi-herb medicines. All three systems also use extensively animal products, minerals, metals, calces, acids, alkaline substances, raw sugar, and spices. They also use a wide variety of fermentation and distillation processes.
Herbal medicines, on the other hand, are made from only edible and non-toxic plant substances. They do not involve fermentation and distillation processes. A true herbalist does not use any branded medicines in the market. He makes his own medicines from raw herbal substances.
The principle of herbal medicine is that good health is the natural state of the human body and that the human body has an inherent healing power to restore itself to good health if you assist it. Even contagious diseases are unlikely to affect a person if the body's immunity to disease is high. A high level of immunity to disease, robust health, and plentiful energy make a person happy, enthusiastic, and productive until death.
According to practitioners of herbal medicine, drugs that are taken on a daily basis to maintain health are contrary to the basic principles of total health care. Mere absence of disease is not good health.
Herbal medicine treats the root causes of disease. It treats the person, not just the disease. It treats a wide variety of modern chronic diseases with a view to a permanent cure and not just for temporary relief from symptoms. These include cardiovascular blockages, arthritis, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, sinusitis, and gall bladder stones.
Adverse factors relating to diet, life style, physical exercise, state of mind, and the quality of environment in which a person lives, travels and works degrade the body's immunity to disease. So, along with herbal medicines, these physical and environmental factors have to be rectified for permanent cure and robust health.
Even when the same disease affects several patients, the root causes can be different in each patient. So, customized medicines and treatment for each patient are important in restoring a person to good health. How can an herbalist do this? An herbalist keeps each herb in a processed and readily usable form for use in different combinations for different patients.
Herbal medicine is participatory medicine. The patient has an important role to play in curing a disease. So, a herbalist has to seek and obtain full cooperation from the patient in terms of diet, life style, and physical exercise. A properly qualified herbalist is also a competent nutritionist.
Article Source: http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/article2292939.ece
