What’s uniquely interesting about herbal medicine is the fact that despite it having been around since the very dawn of mankind, we’re only just now beginning to learn the truth about it. The reason being that while human beings have relied on all manner of herbal treatments for centuries, there were never really any questions asked as to why things worked the way they did or if they in fact worked at all. Instead, it was just a case of believing what you were told and putting your faith in what was available.
Of course, the result of all this was and is a million and one herbal treatments and remedies of which half are fantastically capable and half are wholly bogus. These days, the world is more heavily-focused on research and scientific explanations than ever before, which is why so much research is being carried out on herbs, natural remedies and the properties of treatments that are wholly organic.
Which all leads to one important question – are herbal remedies a good thing or a bad thing?
If you were to ask the experts at home-cures.co.uk, the answer would be that there really is no simple answer. Just as is the case with all standard medicines and treatments across the board, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all remedy for any condition and nor is there a drug that’s suitable for every human being across the board. As such, you have to judge each specific example of a remedy or treatment on its own merit alone, rather than simply labelling a whole approach to medicine as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.
Just like modern medicine, herbal remedies have their pros and cons to take into account before deciding which way to go.
Herbal Medicine – The Benefits
As far as the benefits go, there are certain areas in which herbal meds wholly outshine conventional medicine. For example:
- Side-Effect Risk – Though there will of course always be exceptions, it’s nonetheless safe to say that the majority of herbal remedies present a side-effect risk that’s exponentially lower than that of lab-made medicines. In addition, side-effects attributed to medicines are not always noticeable in the immediate but can build over time, which is why standard drugs should ideally only ever be taken for the shortest time period possible. By contrast, herbal meds tend to have no long-term risks at all.
- Bodily Resistance – What’s also interesting to note about herbal medicine is the way in which the human body doesn’t appear to be nearly as inclined to building a resistance to them as is the case with conventional meds. This can be ideal for chronic conditions as it’s inevitable that over a long enough period of time, standard lab-made drugs will lose their effectiveness while herbal meds may continue to be just as powerful and beneficial.
- Affordability – The world’s biggest drug companies made the most money in the history of the industry in 2014 for a pretty obvious reason…their products are getting more expensive by the year. At the same time, the price of herbal meds is actually decreasing over time as more brands than ever before are joining the race and putting out their own products.
- Convenience – And then of course there’s the convenience of being able to pick up herbal treatments without needing a prescription or even having to see a doctor. It’s as simple as ordering online and having them delivered right to your door.
Herbal Medicine – The Drawbacks
On the other side of the fence, critics insist that the negatives outweigh the positives…even if the reality of things points to quite the contrary.
- Quality Control – It’s rare to find two competing herbal medicine brands that put out products of identical quality. Some are always much better than others, which is why it’s of crucial importance to make the necessary checks and ensure the brand you’re buying from is one of solid quality.
- Research and Development – Many of the herbal medicines on the market today haven’t been tested nearly as intensively as their lab-made counterparts, which can make it difficult to gauge their effectiveness in some cases.
- Conflicting Information – Last up, there’s so much conflicting information on the web when it comes to the effectiveness or otherwise of herbal remedies that is can be tricky to make a wise and informed decision.
Of course, the most sensible course of action would be to write off neither herbal nor manmade medicines as both have their pros and cons. By carefully balancing the two, it’s possible to benefit from the best of all worlds.