Herbal medicine is a natural system of healing that we use in our clinic. All our practitioners are fully-qualified and experienced herbalists.
what is herbal medicine?
Herbal medicine is a system of cure which uses plant based materials to encourage the body’s natural ability to heal itself. It balances areas within the body that have become unbalanced and promotes the healing cycle. A person that uses herbs to treat illness is called a herbalist.
Science has shown that many plants have healing properties – many of these properties have later been used in conventional medicine. Unfortunately the process of isolating the so-called “active principle” destroys the natural energy and vitality and in our opinion is a poor substitute.
Herbal medicine is the very first medicine that was ever used by humans. We have been using plants to heal ourselves for generations and it has been only in recent times that chemical-based illness treatments have become favourable.
how does herbal medicine work?
Most doctors tend to focus on a particular disease or symptom. Herbalists are different from doctors in the way that they look at disease. They understand that disease is a complex issue that involves multiple areas of the body (and often the mind and soul as well). They try to look at the overall picture and then decide upon the proper herbs and dosages required.
When you are taking a herbal remedy, three things occur. First the remedyactivates your normal bodily processes. Sometimes our bodies become overwhelmed and our natural ability to heal ourselves deteriorates – this allows disease to occur.
Once your body’s natural processes are activated (and stimulated) you go through a cleansing stage. This cleansing helps to rid your body of excess toxins that have been, at the very least, partly responsible for the condition you are suffering from at the moment.
Lastly, with your body process fully activated and free from excess toxins your body begins to build new healthy tissues. Herbs are simply foods after all, but they are special foods. They are special because they are chosen for their medicinal properties which stimulates the body to replace damaged cells with healthy ones.
how does herbal medicine compare to pharmaceutical drugs?
Herbs are perfectly safe when used in the dosages prescribed. Most herbs are safe to use during pregnancy or while breast feeding. They are non-toxic and rarely do they have any negative side effects. We are always careful to prescribe the proper herbs during pregnancy.
It is our opinion that many pharmaceutical drugs are poisons. We believe that often a pharmaceutical drug is used to block a symptom – not to heal it. Often this blocking action causes another more serious symptom – perhaps not immediately, but over time. Herbal medicine does not take this approach. Instead it tries to deal with the disease in its entirety using the body’s natural processes.
Because of this, it can take a herbal remedy more time to heal certain conditions. It typically takes at least three months for a condition to completely heal itself. However, many report feeling much better within the first three weeks.
