While herbalists can get a lot of teasing, the profession is usually a great joy. There are some times, however, when I want to roll my eyes and grit my teeth. It takes a lot of self control to hear a comment made hundreds of times, is still inaccurate and could be dangerous to the person making the comment.
“It’s all natural:” Yes, many herbs and plants are all natural. Not of them are all safe. The FDA has an acronym for quite a few common herbs, GRAS. That stands for “generally recognized as safe.”
There will always be exceptions. Some herbs on that list have interactions with other herbs and with medications. Other herbs can cause problems with medical conditions. Here are a few examples:
Garlic: It’s a common cooking herb, and frequently taken as a supplement for various reasons. It may help lower blood pressure and could help deal with infections, as it may have a weak antibiotic action. What harm could it do?
For most of us, none. However, if you have a clotting disorder it could pose a serious threat. It acts as a blood thinner, which slows clotting time. If you already have a clotting problem, this is not an herb you want to use. Food amounts might be ok, but even then, talk to the doc.
It also means there are herb/drug interactions. If you take anti-platelet medications or blood thinners (including aspirin and willow bark), you need to make sure it’s safe for you to use it.
Blue cohosh: This is a poster child for “all natural” and all deadly herbs. It is traditionally used to help speed child birth, and believe me, when in the midst of it, hurrying it up is near and dear to the heart. Unfortunately, this is not the way to do it.
Blue cohosh causes blood pressure to skyrocket. That affects both mother and child. Both women and the infants being born have had heart attacks because of this herb.
“There are no side effects:” Yes, there are. Many manufactured medications don’t come out of a test tube; they come from the plants themselves. Those that are synthesized usually came from a plant first. Here are examples of this myth:
Cascara segrada: Laxatives are sometimes needed to keep the body regular, but you need to use some care when choosing an herbal one. Some of them, like cascara segrada, may give you more than you bargained for.
The side effects include explosive diarrhea, cramping, bloating, gas and “griping.” You can define griping two ways. In herbal terms, it means serious pain in the abdomen. However, when all of the above happens, you may be doing the vocal definition of griping.
St. John’s Wort: This herb may provide relief for mild to moderate depression, but it has one side effect and several interactions. It can’t be taken with traditional antidepressants or any other medication that can cause drowsiness. It’s also likely to cause you to become photosensitive. That means not only that you become allergic to the sun, you are more sensitive to all UV light.
If you are interested in herbal remedies, it pays to educate yourself before starting them. There are many sources, books and websites are great, but you may also want to talk to your doctor, pharmacist and a qualified herbal practitioner.
I've studied herbal remedies since 1981 and have been a Master Herbalist since 2004. I've written five eBooks on various herbs and the conditions they can help, including one on gout.
Visit this link for more information on healing home remedies and home remedies for it. There are articles and posts on a variety of topics including stress, headaches, back pain and cholesterol.
While there, you can also download my free report, the Top Ten Herbs. This discusses the uses, side effects, precautions and side effects of these popular products.
If you wish to contact me, you can e-mail: mary@healing-home-remedies.com.
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