Herbal

Herbal medicine, also known as herbalism, is the study of botany and the use of medicinal plants. Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history, and such traditional medicine is still widely practiced today.

History

The use of plants as medicines predates written human history. Ethnobotany (the study of traditional human uses for plants) is recognized as an effective way to discover future medicines. In 2001, researchers identified 122 compounds used in modern medicine which were derived from ethnomedical plant sources; 80% of these compounds were used in the same or related manner as the traditional ethnomedical uses.

Modern Herbal Medicine

Modern medicine recognizes herbalism as a form of alternative medicine, as the practice of herbalism is not strictly based on evidence gathered using the scientific method. Modern medicine, does, however, make use of many plant-derived compounds as the basis for evidence-tested pharmaceutical drugs, and phytotherapy works to apply modern standards of effectiveness testing to herbs and medicines that are derived from natural sources.

Safety

The use of herbal remedies is more prevalent in patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, asthma and end-stage kidney disease. Multiple factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, education and social class are also shown to have association with prevalence of herbal remedies use.

See Also

• Alternative Medicine
• Medicinal Plants
• Phytotherapy
• Ethnobotany

References

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