Herbs: original, real healers

Medicinally and traditionally in most parts of the world, an herb is a part of a plant used for treatment. Botanical medicine is the name given to this ancient, yet very modern, science and craft. About 15% of current medications are derived from plants (in 1987, the percentage was 85%), and 80% of cancer drugs come from plants. Worldwide, 80% of the population uses herbal medicine. Presently in this country, herbs are classified under the DSHEA of 1994 as dietary supplements, and treated legally as food. 

The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.                                     Ecclesiasticus 38:4

It is said that public dissatisfaction with the high cost of drugs, side effects, and depletions of nutrients, combined with an interest in returning to natural or organic remedies, has led to an increase in the use of herbs.  About 1/3 of Americans use herbs, and the majority are well-educated with above-average income. Two years ago a study in Houston revealed that certain groups of people use herbs 40% of the time. Many of the health trends of the days of Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance — herbs and the Mediterranean diet — are popular again. Scientists are scouring the planet in jungles and oceans for plant-derived cures for our worst diseases. With millions of years under her belt, constantly refining and improving her products, Mother Nature is the ultimate chemist and healer.

Herbs are a rich source of raw materials provided by Mother Nature that have been used for thousands of years. Well known plant-derived drugs include aspirin from willow bark, quinine for malaria, Taxol from the Pacific yew tree for ovarian cancer, digoxin from the Foxglove, morphine from the Opium poppy, and vincristine and vinblastine from the Rosy periwinkle for leukemia and Hodgkin’s diseases. The widely-used anticoagulant (blood thinner), warfarin (Coumadin®) was originally developed from moldy sweet clover. Calanolide A is a new drug for AIDS from a Malaysian plant, and genipin, a chemical just discovered in the Gardenia fruit offers hope to diabetics by restoring insulin sensitivity to the pancreas.

Differences between pharmaceuticals and herbs

Most pharmaceuticals are single chemicals, synthesized or isolated in vats, refined, and packaged. Most herbs contain hundreds to thousands of related compounds. The safety and effectiveness of herbs is often related to all of its components working together. Herbalists treat people as total individuals, not just a disease, and try to stimulate their own healing ability using herbs, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.

Conventional physicians use potent pharmacological agents—chemicals—to attack single biochemical reactions basic to disease.  As a consequence, herbologists consider herbs typically do not cause as many significant side effects.  This ignores the individual in favor of the disease, and in some cases the side effects of treatment are as bad as the disease itself.  Blocking one specific chemical reaction to a great degree has multiple consequences spreading throughout the body, like ripples from a pebble thrown into a quiet pond.  Of course, herbs do have the potential to cause side effects as well, and therefore guidance and prudence is needed.

Herbal remedies generally contain several related compounds, or multicomponent mixtures. In a sense, each of these related compounds help each other, so their effect is greater than their sum. In other words, they are “synergistic.” In some cases, though, one may inactivate or neutralize the good in others. For a discussion of this important topic in herbal quality, please request our white paper on quality supplements.

Effectiveness and spectrum of herbal preparations

Herbs have been used for 4000 years, have been generally regarded as effective, with innumerable scientific studies  confirming the successful uses of herbs under certain conditions.  Some herbs may be as effective as drugs in specific instances. According to research studies, examples of herbal uses are St. John’s Wort in depression, valerian to promote sleep, garlic and guggul for high cholesterol support,  saw palmetto for prostate health, and milk thistle in liver “cleansing”.  Many medical schools are conducting on-going studies on herbs, including the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, in cooperation with a University Cancer Hospital in Shanghai. Nearly all medical schools, including those in Houston, may support such research in the departments of biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, medicine, pathology, immunology, as part of their study of fundamental mechanisms, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations of disease that might relate to nutrition, herbal medicine, and applied biomedical science.

Will herbs “work” for me, and how long will it take?

Herbal healing is an art, as well as a science. Consulting a professional helps greatly in choosing the right herb preparation, formula, concentration, dose, form, and a source that is most likely to help you.  There are well over 8500 herbs available. In simple conditions, it might seem easy to find an herb that might assist in an aspect of health.  In complex situations, there is great need to seek expert advice. Several herbs are often used together to increase effectiveness and synergy, while reducing toxicity. Depending upon the condition, and how the person follows directions, it may take from 30 min to 4 months for results to be seen. Herbs typically work slower than prescription drugs, but are gentler with fewer side effects. For this reason, most people return for a follow-up in two to four weeks. Inadequate doses and inferior preparations, used incorrectly in very ill patients, have resulted in a spate of recent, confusing negative studies about herbs. Efficacy of herbs in specific situations is the subject of many conflicting studies and debate. The designs of those studies have been severely criticized. Supporters cite hundreds of positive studies  and the good record of efficacy and safety for most herbs spans over centuries.

MOST POPULAR SINGLE HERBS

The value of a professional

Herbs are commonly sold in grocery stores, drug chains, health outlets, and over the internet.  The extent of misinformation in salespersons, magazines and online ads, is remarkable. In addition, many factors affect herb effectiveness—environment (soil, water, climate, and insects), harvesting, and processing—and this information is not included in ads or on labels.

Unlike pharmaceuticals, manufacturers do not have to follow strict quality control and may use any part of the plant. In many cases, e.g. echinacea, only one part of the plant contains the active ingredients, the flowers. However, under current regulations, manufacturers may grind up the entire plant, including stalk and roots, weigh it, place this in a capsule and label it “echinacea”. Even though it may read “250 mg”, there may be very little of the active ingredient. In other words, you have just wasted your money if you buy such a product.

Since there is no way of knowing that the amount of herb stated on the container is actually in the bottle, it is essential to use only quality preparations.  Following Good Manufacturing Practices is just a beginning in quality assurance. Verification of identity and potency on every lot, microbiology (yeast, mold, bacteria counts)-, aflatoxin-, heavy metal-, solvent- chemical residue-, herbicide-, pesticide-, fungicide-, PCB-, dioxin-, furan-, stability-, and finished product-testing are all necessary to assure quality. Tests have to be done by independent, certified laboratories. Contamination and adulteration in some preparations has also been found.  Finally, products should contain no hidden coatings, binders, fillers, shellacs, artificial colors, and be free of allergens, preservatives, and hydrogenated oils.  Use only manufacturers that follow pharmaceutical standards. It costs more, but you will be buying the actual product at a consistent dose, and be sure when you take it it — it is there and pure. Ask for our complete white paper on nutrient quality, an essential guide for you and your family.

In April, 2006, WebMD featured an article on black cohosh, reporting  that of 11 commercially available products, 3 did not even contain the herb.  An author said, “it is true that sometimes you do get what you pay for.” Dr Tod Cooperman of ConsumerLab wrote an article in Bottom Line Health, Sept. 2006, reporting that one out of four supplements fails quality testing — and on these bottles of failed items it states “potency guaranteed”. You most certainly do not want to put any questionable preparations like these in your body. The actual number of defective supplements in nutrition stores, drug chains and on line may be  45%. More significant than doing no good, a full 25% of them will do you harm, since recent studies report they are contaminated with heavy metals and illegal adulterants. There is no way for you to know this, other than use a knowledgeable practitioner for advice.

On Dec. 26, 2006, HealthCentersOnline reported the World Health Organization found that half — 50% — of the prescription medications sold illegally online are counterfeit and potentially dangerous. Can you imagine what the figure is for herbs where independent testing is not required?

In our office, we use only the highest-quality, pure products, that have had their authenticity verified, meet potency claims, and are uncontaminated and unadulterated. Other potential concerns are interactions between drugs and herbs, nutrients and herbs, nutrients and drugs, potential depletions of nutrients from prescription drugs, and contraindications in the use of herbs. Part of our professional service to you is assuring you that recommendations are not only effective, but safe in all respects.

Clearly, taking four bottles off a shelf in a store based upon unverified ads and a low price is not a good idea. You may not get what you are looking for, suffer some interactions, and wrongly conclude that herbs are not for you, besides wasting your time and money.  Ordering  blind from the web also has pitfalls, due to lack of  oversight, etc. Our practice offers single herbs, formulas, tinctures, concentrated extract powders, and aqueous solutions of verified potency and purity from the most respected sources in the world. In addition, we can custom blend liquid herbs to meet your needs.  For additional information, please see our white paper on supplement quality.

We are members of the American Herbalists Guild, American Botanical Council, British Herbal Medical Association, American Nutraceutical Association, and the American Herb Association.

Rudolf Steiner, teacher and philosopher, said “for every human illness, somewhere in the world there exists a plant which is the cure.”

The components of health that drive our purpose and methods are summarized in our logo:

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) combined art and science to create the perfectly proportioned human (c1492). Building on Greek mathematical principles, the Vitruvian Man is an illustration of how balance and symmetry in health can produce extraordinary results from several core principles. The most basic of these components were emphasized by Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. Years later this was expressed as Sit mens sana in corpore sano.

The original work is stored in the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice. One of Da Vinci’s most memorable quotes was: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This is a variant of Occam’s razor [William Ockham (c. 1285–1349)]: Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, or “Don’t make things unnecessarily complicated.” Razor refers to shaving off unnecessary assumptions to get to the simplest explanation, which has been used to guide scientists to basic explanations. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung the other way, since the more science advances, the more we see that Mother Nature is extremely complex.

Commitment includes personal responsibility and ownership of your own health.