General Notes on Herbs Pt. 1

Most herbal knowledge is in the public domain and accessible to everyone. There is no great fortune to be made with herbal remedies, unless exclusive patent to an herb is possible. Big pharmacy research companies make their money on the stolen patented drugs they create, and natural substances cannot be patented, or can they? One disturbing trend is for pharmaceutical companies to get exclusive patents to an herb and completely disenfranchise the culture out of which it came. Many people have started looking for alternative approaches to medicine, wellness, and health care due to the prohibitive costs of prescription drugs and the dangerous side effects experienced with synthetic drugs.

Many people grew up on home remedies. Their mother or grandmother would do seemingly strange things such as boiling a potato for arthritis or putting marigolds on varicose veins.

Of course, herbal and alternative healing practices take a completely different approach than modern medical science usually does. Most prescription medications available today are designed to treat specific symptoms of a disease or condition. They don’t want to cure the problem, because they wouldn’t be able to continue selling drugs to people if they get better.

The herbal approach to health however, is all about healing. Herbal remedies take a whole body approach and attempt to actually correct, reverse, or cure the health related problem. There are herbal substances which can address symptoms only, such as using White Willow for pain relief. But the true herbal remedy approach usually involves figuring out what’s causing the health problems, and making corrections the body needs to health itself entirely.

Some things you’ll learn about herbal and alternative remedies may sound quite strange. Sometimes things you’re told to do in order to heal yourself even sound disgusting and repulsive too. So using herbal and alternative remedies to start healing yourself requires an open mind, a desire to learn, and the willingness to give things a try.

Most general consumers don’t really know how to use herbal remedies and supplements properly, so learning about this is critical to your healing success. Many people also don’t realize that herbs are not magic, and they can create unwanted side effects. Some herbs such as Lobelia for instance, work very well to calm and soothe frazzled nerves. If taken in large doses however, this herb will induce vomiting.

This is just one example of many you’ll start learning about as you study herbal and alternative remedy options to improve the overall health and wellness of your body.