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Herbal Medicine: Another Medical Ethical Battlefield?

Up until very recently, herbal medicine was considered pretty much a pariah as a topic of conversation in polite medical circles. After all, why talk to a patient of an inexpensive 2,000 year-old Chinese herbal remedy for arthritis, when the drug rep for an arthritis pill manufacturer just slipped you four tickets to the playoffs? However, a quiet revolution may be taking place that may become an ethical battlefield pitting ancient wisdom against modern Big Pharma.

Parsing my words

Generally speaking, I have been critical of the outrageous prices Americans must pay for the pharmaceuticals prescribed to them as opposed to the prices a patient in Canada must pay for the identical…

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Featured

 How to Start a Medicinal Herb Garden

Herbal medicine has always been with us; in fact, humanity has survived for thousands and thousands of years – even prior to the advent of modern technologies and conventional medicine – because of it.

 Learn About Pros And Cons Of Herbal Medicine

For centuries, our ancestor's medical needs were taken care of with local plants. These herbal remedy pros knew just what root, leaf, or flower to use for almost any complaint. Modern pharmaceuticals have much to recommend but contain harmful and habit-forming chemicals and compounds. Wouldn't it be better to harvest the benefits of medicinal herbs where possible and reduce exposure to toxins for you and your family?

Articles of Interest

Neither Herbal Nor Supplements

Products labeled "ginseng," "echinacea," and "ginkgo biloba" often contain no trace of these substances, according to an investigation announced today.

A Top Hospital Opens Up to Chinese Herbs as Medicines

The Cleveland Clinic, one of the country's top hospitals, is a surprising venue for the dispensing of herbs, a practice that is well established in China and other Eastern countries but has yet to make inroads in the U.S. because of a lack of evidence proving their effectiveness.

Americans Gamble On Herbs As Medicine

Herbal medicine, the mainstay of therapeutics for centuries before modern purified drugs relegated it to the status of near-quackery, has in the last five years emerged from the fringes of health care with an astonishing flourish and now shows clear signs of joining the medical mainstream.

Do herbal supplements contain what they say on the label?

Although herbal products are often perceived as ‘natural” and therefore safe, many different side effects have been reported owing to active ingredients, side effects caused by contaminants, or interactions with drugs.

Essential Oils Might Be the New Antibiotics

Faced with increasingly drug-resistant bacteria, scientists and farmers are now looking to plant extracts to keep people and animals healthy.

Four plants that are scientifically proven to be therapeutic

Before we could grow cultures in petri dishes and mix compounds in test tubes, Mother Nature was the world’s pharmacy. Healers and shamans in myriad cultures had the knowledge to administer concoctions made out of herbs and plants to treat people of their ailments.

Herbal Healing

Whether they seek to brighten their moods, stave off disease, rev up their sex lives or retain their youth, more and more Americans are supplementing and replacing prescription medicines with a profusion of pills and potions that contain various medicinal herbs, vitamins and minerals. Some are proved safe and effective; many are not.

Herbal Medicines Gain Acceptance

There's growing acceptance that herbal medicines could be effective for medical conditions, but the scientific evidence to vault such a treatment into an approved drug is often lacking. As Shirley Wang explains on Lunch Break, researchers are making progress on a cancer treatment based on a common herbal combination in Chinese medicine.

Revisiting an Ancient Theory of Herbalism

In our own era of mysterious diseases, the supposition that some plants might cure the human organs they most resemble is surfacing once more.

The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary healthcare. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all.

Resources

5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Bitter Foods and Herbs

Many nutritionists, herbalists, and other health experts believe that far too many modern industrialized humans are deficient in bitter substances, which in part contributes to our epic rise in digestive related illnesses, inflammatory conditions, immune challenges, diabetes, and more.

75 Safe and Effective Herbal Remedies

Treat dozens of common ailments naturally.

American Botanical Council

An independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to providing accurate and reliable information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry and the media.

American Herbal Pharmacopoeia

Herbal medicines have provided the world's populations, including Americans, with safe, effective and low cost medicines for centuries.

An Alternative and Complementary Medicine Resource Guide

We are just beginning to understand the complexities of herbal medicine, with its multiplicity of active chemicals in a single herb, and the interaction of a mixture of herbs found in traditional therapies. Previously, scientific research relied on the drug development model, which focused on a single compound and mode of action.

Annie's Remedy

These herbs reflect some of the top herb searches on Annies Remedy for the last 30 days. Much of the time popularity translates into usefulness, but not always. There are some real herbal gems that don't generate so much "buzz", and wildly popular herbs that are not always the most beneficial in their class. Use the alphabetic listing above to find a herb by common name or botanical name.

Blessed Herbs

Since 1985, Blessed Herbs has been providing over 600 premium quality bulk herbs and herbal products to herbalists, health professionals, herbal manufacturers, retailers and individuals in the United States and abroad.

Botanical.com

Home of the electronic version of "A Modern Herbal" by Maud Grieve since 1995.

Christian Herbal

The Christian Herbal is here to provide a Christian herbal education to everyone who has a desire to learn: from the young mom just getting started to the wiser woman that has been studying for years.

Cyberbotanica

Cyberbotanica is a free online botany education resource produced as a part of Indiana University's BioTech Project. This site will probably always be under construction; for now, it contains a mini-chapter on plants and chemotherapy (also still under construction), but other chapters are in the works: plants used in bioremediation, fungi which produce antibiotics, and genetically engineered fruits and vegetables.

Greenmedinfo.com

Greenmedinfo.com is an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. It is widely recognized as the world's largest and most referenced health resource of its kind, receiving over 1 million visits a month.

Henriette's Herbal Homepage

One of the oldest and largest herbal information sites on the web.

Herb Pharm

Treat yourself to better health.

Herbal Academy

The mission of the Herbal Academy is to teach the art and science of plant medicine honoring our intrinsic connection to nature. We are dedicated to teaching and promoting a lifestyle of wellness and vitality through the use of herbs, sound nutrition, and optimal health practices.

Herbal News

Herbal News Magazine is designed to be a destination for learning about natural health and herbal alternatives on the web. Daily news on alternative medicine, natural healing and health maintenance and longevity will be found here.

Herbal Remedies

Herbal Remedy Chart containing common ailments and how to make medicines using herbs and plants from the garden

HerbNET

You have reached the most comprehensive site on the Web for those seeking information on herbs, herb products and remedies, herb publications.

Herbs with Rosalee

Vibrant health is our birth right, but it can be overwhelming to paddle through the plethora of information available to us today. I would love to guide you towards vibrant health by finding solutions unique to who you are!

Learning Herbs

John and Kimberly Gallagher have combined their knowledge of how to learn herbal medicine along with their expertise in distance learning to create LearningHerbs.com and The Herbal Medicine Making Kit.

Living Awareness

The many resources on this site are dedicated to helping you use herbs in your everyday life for health and wellness. The focus is on empowerment in self-care and healing. Explore the home medicine chest garden, understanding your medicine shed, turning seasonal harvests into healing medicine and inspiring sustainable home use of herbs for disease prevention.

Longwood Herbal

The LHTF was organized in the fall of 1998 by faculty, staff and students from Children's Hospital, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to learn more about and teach other clinicians about herbs and dietary supplements.

Medherb

We provide links to medical information and to any resource we can find relevant to medicinal herbs or herbalism practiced a clinical setting, regardless of the medical tradition or system.

Medicinal Herbs Guide

Medicinal Herbs are in use for thousand of years and are renowned for their effectiveness in many diseases. These natural herbs are very effective in boosting the immune system, increasing the body resistance to infections, healing the allergies, and raising and renewing the body vitality.

Natural Medicines

A comprehensive database that provides unbiased, scientific clinical information on complementary, alternative, and integrative therapies.

Naturally Simple Living

Naturally Simple Living is a consulting group, offering educational services on healthy living and well-being, operated by Stephany Hoffelt.

Plant Healer Magazine

Featuring experience-based & adventurous writings by teachers, practitioners & plant lovers Combining inquiry, inspiration & skills in artful celebration of the evolving folk herbalism culture

SusunWeed.com

Susun Weed has appeared on numerous national radio, television, and new-media venues, including National Public Radio, NBC News, CNN, and ABCNews.com. She has been quoted and interviewed in many major magazines, including Natural Health, Woman's Day, First for Women, and Herbs for Health.

The Ginkgo Pages

The Ginkgo as a symbol, in art, as ornamental tree, its wood, leaves and seeds, a recipe and its usage as a herbal medicine.

The Science & Art of Herbalism

I warmly invite you to join me on a magical and marvelous journey into the very heart of herbalism. Realizing not everyone could leave home to study with an herbal teacher, I began offering my herbal home study course over 30 years ago and then, an online version a few years ago. The Science & Art of Herbalism has continued to inspire, inform and teach hundreds of students over the past three decades

MedlinePlus

Many people believe that products labeled "natural" are always safe and good for them. This is not necessarily true. Herbal medicines do not have to go through the testing that drugs do. Some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. Some herbs can interact with prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Traditional Chinese medicine originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years. TCM practitioners use herbs, acupuncture, and other methods to treat a wide range of conditions. In the United States, TCM is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. This fact sheet provides a general overview of TCM and suggests sources for additional information.