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Do your innards need a pick-me-up? Maybe you should grab a beer and chill. No, not a cold one
on tap, but an herbal non-alcoholic brew, just one of the many ways you can get your worts and
weeds these days. That would be St. John’s wort, good for lifting sagging spirits; and milkweed thistle, for livers overdue for a spring cleaning.
Can’t wrap your teetotaling instincts around the notion of health in a six-pack? You might
instead indulge your pill-popping urges and stoke up on capsules and tablets, the common
packaging for ginkgo bilboa, astragalus, or echinacea, some of the heavy hitters in plant
therapy. Pills stick in your craw? No problem: Swig cranberry juice for a better bladder, or
make your own healing elixirs from a mix of tinctures, essences, and extracts—all available at
a health store near you.
Herbal history
Whether you just want to gain home field advantage during the upcoming flu season with some
golden seal or overhaul your entire approach to caring for your personal temple, herbs are back,
big time. Of course, in some parts of the world, they never went away. Treatments with the
leaves and roots of plants have always been potent weapons in the arsenal of tribal healers
and country doctors alike.
Early explorers discovered people in Peru treating eye ailments and malaria with barks and
herbs, stunning their enemies with curare found in the forest; Irish farmers once sought molds
for infections. Gotu Kola, also from the Andes, was your go-to guy if you needed a love potion.
Now, if you’re trying to snag the love of your life, you’re on your own, but it is
worth noting that we rely on those other substances, morphed into pilocarpine for glaucoma,
quinine, anesthetics, penicillin and digitalis. Healing traditions, such as India’s
ayurveda and Chinese medicine, trace the origins of their herbal remedies back 5,000 years.
Practitioners of these ancient systems study long and hard to diagnose and treat with herbs; do
not try them at home.
In the 19th century, mainstream America began to view herbs as an alternative to nasty
treatments such as bleeding and leeches. Echinacea, used for centuries by American Indians
for a variety of complaints, and now a popular flu preventative, was picked up by
physicians in the 1880’s seeking a replacement for lethal concoctions laced with mercury
and lead. Soon word of its efficacy jumped the pond and echinacea’s numbers shot up among
the European set, as well.
Other approaches, such as Bach flower remedies, gained popularity as aids to help maintain
emotional and mental balance. But herbal remedies took a beating when penicillin and other
miracle drugs appeared in the first half of the 20th century. Westerners came to rely more
on pharmaceuticals, less on natural remedies and mid-century herbs fell into disuse by the
general public. But the toxicity and side effects of some of these synthetic wonders sent
more than a few patients reeling and many people have started taking a fresh look at what
Mother Nature can do on her own.
Herbs today
In recent years medical science, often skeptical of claims not subjected to the scientific
method, has begun studying some herbal products. When western medicine likes what it sees, such
as St. John’s wort’s seemingly non-toxic mood enhancing properties, it boosts consumer
confidence among people not normally predisposed to alternative therapies.
How do I know which herbs to take?
We aren’t here to debate the virtues of one brand of medicine over another; that’s
your choice. But don’t start prescribing these substances for yourself without doing a
little homework. MD’s can scan through the PDR, the famed Physician’s Desk
Reference, for a listing of a medications uses and side effects. The consumer looking for
an herbal cure, however, must do independent research. Read herbal manuals before you try an
unfamiliar product. Bookstores and health food stores are both good places to start. The Web
is a rich source for information about specific herbs and systems of treatment. Many sites try
to help you match ailments with remedies. But don’t make a decision based on one claim for
a particular herb’s miraculous powers; make sure three or four sources say the same
thing.
For instance, one site on the Web advises arnica for sore muscles, stating that mountaineers
used to nibble it on an arduous trek to revive their tired bodies. But a second author cautions
that arnica should not be taken internally, only applied to the skin, sending off an alarm for
anyone who has purchased and ingested arnica tea. A third source states that only the roots are
edible but the flower is toxic. Further searching finds a study by the botany department of a
leading university listing poisonous plants explaining that undiluted arnica from any part of
the plant causes blistering on the skin and in the stomach, but topical preparations and other
highly diluted forms are safe. A final probe finds identical information at a fifth herbal site.
If you were to have looked at the first citation only, and nibbled on some of arnica’s
yellow buds on your next mountain climb, your buddies may have had to carry you down.
What should I look out for?
Look for contraindications, as you would any other form of medicine. For example, note whether
an herb should or should not be taken with other preparations, or if certain medical conditions
are present. Many herbs are not recommended for pregnant women, for instance, because
either the substance might be harmful to the fetus or might induce contractions. If you are
attempting to treat a serious illness, check first with your health care provider. Then look for
an experienced herbalist to provide guidance.
Find out if a preparation is intended for topical use only, such as comfrey leaves, which may
be toxic if brewed as a tea, but in a hot water soak may help ease inflamed feet after an
arduous hike. Some herbs lose their potency in the digestive tract. Does the item you’re
interested in need to be taken in capsule or enteric coated pills to survive the gastric
juices?
Because dosages are relatively low, there is generally less concern about the safety of an
herb, than whether an over-the-counter herb is effective. But just because a product comes from
natural sources, doesn’t mean it is bulletproof. (Think: hay fever and poison oak.) Also,
people develop allergies to many growing things, some of which could be in your packet of
herbs. If itchiness, redness, difficulty swallowing, or other symptoms appear, discontinue
immediately and seek medical help. Some herbs upset pH balances. The milkweed that your
neighbor swears by might give you a yeast infection. In addition, if symptoms for which you are
taking a particular preparation persist, it’s time to pay a visit to your health care
professional.
How much should I shell out for herbs?
Do some comparison shopping. Large chains often package their own brands and can offer herbs and
supplements at discount prices. The cost of a basketful of herbal preparations can add up and normally, reimbursement from your
health insurance stops short of anything not prescribed by a licensed provider. Some plants are
difficult to harvest and available only in the wild, other herbs are on the endangered species
list and carefully controlled, all of which can drive up the cost. Mint teas, on the other hand,
which may aid digestion, should be relatively inexpensive.
Can I pick my own?
If you were to go hunting and gathering in the woods, you run the risk of snipping a toxic
substance mistaking it for something helpful. Unless you know what you are doing, stick
with commercial preparations. On the other hand, many cooks keep an aloe vera plant on the
kitchen counter; the juice in its spiky leaves speed healing of minor nicks and burns.
Gardeners love to brew relaxing teas from their herb borders. But other herbs require
processing that is difficult—if not impossible—at home. Cayenne, for example, which
some claim eases joint pain, grows easily in the backyard, but has to be dried, ground, and
stuffed into a capsule or risk burning the mouth.
Bottom line, do they work?
Remember that aspirin works, but that doesn’t mean it will cure every headache. Likewise
with herbs. What helps your neighbor may have no effect on you. Or you may have
misdiagnosed a condition and actually need to seek medical help. If you are taking a medication
to promote and maintain health, such as echinacea or golden seal to ward off the flu, you may
not notice any outward change in the way you feel, except that you have greater resistance to
the bugs circling your office. Others, such as chamomile tea, may send you off to peaceful sleep
almost before you can turn out the light, helped in part by the reassurance that you have done
all you can to educate yourself about herbal health enhancers and are taking them
safely.
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