About Herbal Supplements

What Are Herbal Supplements?

People have used medicinal plants for millennia in cultures all across the world to address a wide range of medical conditions.

An herb, or botanical, is a plant or part of a plant that people use to try to stay healthy, or to treat health conditions and illnesses. An herbal health product or supplement, also called a botanical product, is a type of dietary supplement that contains one or more herbs. They are available in many forms, including in tea bags, capsules, tablets, liquids and powders.

Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is considered to be one of the most ancient forms of healing.

From the earliest times, herbs have been prized for their pain-relieving and healing abilities, and today we still rely on the curative properties of plants in about 75% of our medicines. Over the centuries, societies around the world have developed their own traditions to make sense of medicinal plants and their uses. Some of these traditions and medical practices may seem strange and magical, others appear rational and sensible, but all are attempts to overcome illness and suffering, and to enhance quality of life.

Taking supplements in addition to a healthy diet and exercise program supports total mind and body wellness.

The general consensus for taking herbs to correct a health problem is that it will take a month of consistent herbal use to correct one year of the problem’s effects.

One reason that herbal remedies are so popular is that plant medicines are safer and cause fewer side effects than conventional ones. However, herbal remedies are not always safe, and like medicines of every kind they need to be used with care.

Herbal medicine often compliments conventional treatments, providing safe, well-tolerated remedies for chronic illnesses. Following a few simple rules will normally ensure that the worst that happens when taking an herbal remedy is that there is no improvement in your illness. In some cases herbal remedies can cause harm, and a handful of medicinal herbs have been shown to interact with conventional medicines. If at any time you think that you are reacting badly to an herbal remedy, stop taking it immediately, and contact a qualified healthcare provider. We recommend consulting with your physician before using herbal remedies, in consideration of your specific needs and any conventional medications you might be taking.

Herbs and Body Systems

One of the most common ways of classifying medicinal plants is to identify their actions, for example whether they are sedative, antiseptic, or diuretic, and to the degree to which they affect different body systems. Herbs often have a pronounced action on a particular body system, for example a plant that is strongly antiseptic in the digestive tract may be less so in the respiratory tract. Examples of how herbs may work on the body are given below.

Skin – disinfect the skin, reduce itchiness, redness, and soreness, tighten the skin, aid the healing of cuts, wounds, and abrasions.

Immune System – encourage the immune system to ward off infection.

Respiratory System – help the lungs resist infection, stimulate the coughing up of mucus, soothe irritated membranes, relax bronchial muscles.

Endocrine Glands – help the body adjust to external pressures and stress, stimulate production of hormones, encourage or regulate menstruation.

Urinary System – disinfect the urinary tubules, tighten and protect the urinary tubules, stimulate the flow of urine.

Musculoskeletal System – relieve joint and nerve pain, reduce swelling in joints, relax tense and cramped muscles.

Nervous System – support and strengthen the nervous system, relax the nervous system, reduce nervous activity, increase nervous activity, improve nerve function and tone, and help to restore the nervous system as a whole.

Circulation & Heart – some slow heartbeat rate, while others increase it, some improve the regularity and strength of the heart’s contractions, improve the circulation of blood to the extremities, encourage blood flow to the surface of the body, promote sweating, and lower blood pressure, relax the muscles, helping to lower blood pressure.

Digestive Organs – protect against infection, tighten up the inner lining of the intestines and create a protective coating over them, stimulate secretion of digestive juices by the stomach and intestines, relieve gas and cramps, improve the flow of bile into the intestines, stimulate secretion of bile by the liver, soothe the digestive system and protect against acidity and irritation, stimulate bowel movements, protect and support the stomach.

This incredible complex of systems – part electrical, part chemical, part mechanical – must function harmoniously if good health is to be maintained. In health, the body has a seemingly infinite capacity, via its controlling systems, to adjust and change to external pressures. This ability to adapt to the external world while the body’s internal workings remain constant is known as homeostasis. Herbs work with these complex body systems to help the body adapt more effectively to stress and strains of all kinds: physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual. They are effective because they work in tune with the body’s processes.