Natural Herbal Remedies – 5 Reasons to Choose Herbal Supplements For Health and Wellness
Do you ever wonder how people stayed healthy before modern medicine and prescription drugs? For thousands of years cultures around the globe have relied on what was at hand for healing and maintaining good health. What was plentiful and easily available were plants, or herbs. Herbs have been the basis of natural medicine for countless generations. An herbal supplement can be made from almost any plant and from any part of a plant, including the roots and bark. With some herbs, each part of the plant has different healing properties.
Here are five reasons herbal remedies are good for maintaining your optimum health and wellness:
1. They are natural. We have eaten plants since the earliest days of mankind, so what could be more natural than herbal remedies and supplements? We have been connected to plants and gardens since our beginnings. The image of gardens as places for physical and spiritual healing, like the Garden of Eden, has persisted down through the ages. The term “natural” here refers to herbal constituents which are easily recognized by your body and are readily digested and absorbed into your body. Traditional herbal remedies, such as tinctures and teas, are prepared using methods that preserve the plant constituents and their active properties. Often it can be the combination of several constituents in a plant that make it so effective. When a single constituent is isolated and made into a drug, it may not work as well.
2. They grow locally. Healing herbs grow everywhere. Indeed, it is said that the most potent medicinal herbs are the ones most plentiful–like the dandelion. Every ancient culture developed its own medical practices using the herbs readily available locally. Native Americans were the first, of course, to experiment with and categorize uses for specific native plants in North America. And much of their ancient wisdom continues to be utilized. In the United States today, there are hundreds of native plants which still provide excellent sources of healing properties. With the new focus on growing foods locally, why not grow your own herb garden, incorporating local plants known to have medicinal properties. Though everyone’s nemesis, dandelions are wonderful at aiding healing for a variety of ailments, and they grow everywhere. It is easy to make some herbal remedies, such as herbal teas, and it can be fun as well as healthy for you. And if you want an international flavor to your herbal remedies and supplements, try planting some traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic herbs. Seeds for local and imported plants are generally available in local garden stores.
3. They have been proven to work. Because of today’s global economy, we can draw upon the herbal knowledge of many different cultures which have developed over thousands of years. By observing the reactions to different medicinal plants, ancient herbalists were able to determine which herbal remedies were best for a particular condition. Sometimes a single herb worked best, while at other times a combination of herbal supplements produced better results. Each system has served its constituency well for many centuries, carefully synthesizing the knowledge gained from trial and error and observation of the results. What didn’t work was discarded, while plants that worked well were preserved. We even have copies of very old medical texts from different parts of the world which carefully describe hundreds of medicinal plants and what ailments they help.
4. They rarely have side effects. Side effects are problems that occur in addition to the desired therapeutic effect. When your body can make use of the healing properties of herbs without reacting in a negative way (e.g., side effects produced by unnatural or unnecessary ingredients), you can heal faster without causing additional damage or stress to your body. Herbal remedies work with your body to enhance your natural healing ability and to develop a healthier body that can resist disease. Medicinal herbs don’t just attack the problem; they strengthen your body and its resistance as well. This is a key benefit of herbal remedies. It doesn’t help to knock out an infection with drugs, only to weaken your natural immunity and leave your body vulnerable to more disease. There is little question that some medical conditions call for prescription drugs, but these drugs often have unwanted and unpleasant side effects. At times their side effects can be as bad as the ailment you are trying to cure. What if you could obtain the same results without side effects? There are many medical conditions that can be helped just as effectively, with only the use of herbal remedies, and you will be better in the long run.
5. They can help prevent illness. When colonists first came to America, they marveled at the good health of Native Americans. They noted that the natives rarely had diseases and their “cures” for ailments, such as wounds, were very effective. Of course, Native Americans were using native plants and they taught many white settlers how to grow and utilize these plants. Even Thomas Jefferson had a large herb garden containing medicinal herbs. Regular use of plant-based supplements can help you achieve an optimum state of health and wellness. Think of it as preventative medicine. If your body’s systems are functioning at their peak, your body is more resistant to invasive bacteria and viruses. Each person is different, however. We don’t all respond to the same remedies in the same way. It is therefore vitally important to consult with trained and reputable herbalists, as well as your regular health care practitioner, before you embark on a regimen of herbal medicine to heal and to achieve optimum health and wellness.
Natural herbal remedies can be very effective for achieving health and wellness, but by themselves, they will not be as successful as they could be when used in combination with a healthy diet and physical exercise. A well-balanced diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables is essential to natural health. The elimination or reduction of sweets, caffeine and alcohol in your diet will also produce positive effects for your health. Exercise is essential to keep your body’s systems working properly and to maintain strong bones and well-toned muscles. Haven’t worked out in awhile and feeling stiff and sore? Try rubbing arnica salve on the sore spots.
Yes, in our frenetic, fast food world it is challenging to fit good eating and exercise habits into your life. Yet all three practices–herbal supplements, good diet and plenty of exercise–should be integrated into your lifestyle to attain optimum health and wellness. And don’t forget to take time to go outside and enjoy the wonders of the world around you. Being in the outdoors can be nearly as therapeutic as good diet, exercise and herbal supplements.
By Anonymous
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