People began to use medicinal herbs and plants for medicinal purposes in ancient times, therefore, the healing properties of many plants have been known to us for a long time. For treatment, both stems and rhizomes are used. The effect of medicinal plants on the body has been tested for many centuries.

Medicinal plants are a gift from nature. For many centuries, plants have been used for medicinal purposes against various diseases. Unfortunately, many recipes for storing herbs and making decoctions have been lost over time. not everything has passed from generation to generation.
Most people today would like to take advantage of the healing properties of plants, because no synthetic drug can replace the power of wildlife, but not everyone knows how to properly apply one or another medicinal plant.

It has become quite dangerous to take effective synthetic drugs because they have too pronounced side effects - this is a risk to the body, while the medicine we need is under our feet. It's no secret that for treatment medicinal plants it takes a longer period of time, enough patience and faith in oneself, but plants are proven folk remedies for centuries and they do not give such a negative effect that the body receives from a synthetic drug.

Part medicinal herbs includes macro- and microelements, various vitamins, as well as complex organic compounds.

Before starting treatment with medicinal herbs, you need to consult with a specialist who understands medicinal herbs and decoctions, because not all herbs can be healing, there are also toxic ones.

So it doesn't hurt to be careful. When using the fees, it is imperative to know that the individual tolerance for the combination of certain active substances is not always known, therefore, before taking the broth, you need to consult a specialist.

The world of plants and medicinal herbs is a miraculous treasure of nature. Unfortunately, many do not notice this healing world under their feet, thereby depriving themselves of the real healing power.

Be attentive to the surrounding world of herbs, take care of your health and then beauty and longevity are guaranteed to you!

One of the most persistent misconceptions of our time is the myth about the harmlessness of medicinal herbs and the inevitable destructiveness of chemically obtained drugs. In fact, a child of nature and a child of a chemical plant are not so far from each other: "grass" can be harmful, and "chemistry" can also be harmless. Herbal medicine or herbal medicine is not a panacea, it is based on several myths. Let's take a closer look at them.

The first myth is that medicinal herbs contain only natural and, therefore, harmless components and no chemicals. Excuse me, but chemistry so widely spreads its hands in human affairs that in the cycle of substances in nature a lot of harmful things "turn around". Naturally, all this gets into medicinal plants, and with them into infusions, balms and other panaceas.

Pure alpine, Himalayan and other meadows are a utopia. Chemical clouds travel everywhere, but there are many other ways to get the "chemistry" to the Alps and Himalayas. Of course, the concentration of "chemistry" in such parts of the world is less, but there are not many herbs either. Are you sure that they will be enough for everyone and for you. By the way, lethal poisoning with Chinese herbs contaminated with arsenic is already known.

The second myth is that weed does not cause allergies. It is not clear who invented this. There are many known allergies to a wide variety of components in a wide variety of plants. Moreover, in the treatment of herbs, cases of the most severe form of allergy - anaphylactic shock - have been described.

The third myth - herbs are not foreign substances for the body, and their action is limited to the regulation of the body's natural forces. This is a serious misconception. Most of the herbal medicinal components do not copy natural human bioregulators. Like most chemical drugs, it has only some similarity with them, providing a therapeutic effect.

The fourth and main myth is that herbs are harmless to the body. Everyone knows that some herbs are poisonous, but for some reason no one can admit that medicinal herbs can also contain toxic components. Herbs can not only heal, but also increase blood pressure, kill the liver and kidneys, cause gastritis, hemolytic anemia (destroy red blood cells), reduce the number of platelets and present many other "delights".

So, speaking in the jargon of healers, you can "plant" the liver not only with "chemistry", but also with "weed". The alkaloids of pyrrolizidine, which are very harmful to the liver, are found in many plants. And not just any exotic herbs, but very much a mother-and-stepmother, butterbur, cucumber herb, wild rose, medicinal comfrey (larkspur), heliotrope, sparrow, black root medicinal, willow herb (ivan tea), henna, volovik drug. According to the International Foundation for Safe and Effective Medicines, some of these herbs are banned in Belgium, and in Germany all of them have already been withdrawn from their use. Veno-occlusive liver disease caused by these plants is not only difficult to pronounce, but also difficult to diagnose and treat. Most of all, it is similar to chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Doctors are well aware that it is often not possible to determine the cause of these diseases, it is possible that behind many hepatitis and cirrhosis there is a venous occlusive disease acquired by herbal medicine.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are also not indifferent to the cardiopulmonary system. They can increase pressure in the pulmonary circulation, contributing to the development of cor pulmonale. All these "surprises" in herbal medicine are so serious that the decision of the German Federal Health Authority looks quite sensible. We discuss these problems little and modestly. Meanwhile, medicinal herbs can hide many other surprises, like these alkaloids. After all, each of them contains so many components that they still have to be studied and studied. But here we come to the next myth.

The fifth myth is that medicinal herbs are better than tablets because they contain many components. Sometimes this can be a disadvantage as well. When doctors combine several drugs in one tablet, they take into account the mechanisms of their action, assess how the components are combined with each other. Mother Nature created plants not only to heal us, and, therefore, the healing components of herbs sometimes combine unsuccessfully, they can neutralize each other, duplicate, have an opposite effect and generally interact unpredictably with each other.

One example. Infusions of foxglove and adonis contain various cardiac glycosides. All of them improve the work of the heart, but with varying degrees of success - some are better, others are worse. Pharmacologists removed the most toxic glycosides, isolated the most successful ones and obtained them chemically. Now the core has wonderful drugs - digoxin, celanide, isolanide and many others. They are easily dosed, and this is very important - it is easy to overdose glycosides, which was quite often the case while foxglove tinctures were used.

And this is evidence of the weakest point in herbal medicine: medicinal herbs cannot be accurately dosed. The concentration of medicinal components is not the same in two bushes of grass growing side by side, and if they are collected in different regions, even more so. In tinctures, extracts, balms and other dosage forms made from herbs, the concentration of medicinal components varies widely. And if the exact concentration is unknown, then overdose is inevitable, or vice versa "underweight" of the drug. This will definitely affect the quality of treatment. It is no coincidence that in severe cases they are treated not with herbs, but with "chemistry". The main place of herbal medicine is the prevention or mild treatment of minor diseases, especially in the initial stage.

And although medicinal herbs have been used for thousands of years, they are much less studied than young "chemistry". Each chemical medicinal substance is studied in the most thorough way, but many points still remain controversial. Thus, the pressure-lowering reserpine, by the way, obtained in the image and likeness of one of the alkaloids of the rauwolfia plant, according to some studies, contributes to the development of breast cancer. Large-scale studies have been carried out, but a definite answer has not yet been received. The doctors continue their search. And now remember that such studies were carried out by herbalists, or that they at least once came up with such a frank statement about some medicinal plant, at least about the same Rauwolfia. And at the same time, remember how many of the most serious patients were cured by the healers, and how many of them had documented evidence of the existence of an indistinguishable disease. I don’t remember one. On the other hand, healings of non-existent diseases often become an excuse to proclaim another panacea.

Have you ever studied herbs a lot? It is impossible to consider countless collections of herbal medicine as a science, where the same recipes are repeatedly rewritten. Keep in mind that studying the properties of any one chemical is not easy, but studying the properties of each component of the herb is incomparably more difficult. Let's be honest, for scientists, medicinal herbs are still terra incognita.

All this is not written in order to cast a shadow over herbal medicine. It is necessary to stop the hysteria around angelic "herbs" and devilish "chemistry", and begin to objectively study the merits and demerits of both methods of treatment.

Now there are a lot of diseases that prevent patients from undergoing treatment for a long time with a certain type of drug. For example, such medicines have a large number of side effects, contraindications for long-term use, or a persistent allergic reaction to medicines. But, after all, it is necessary to be treated, therefore, doctors recommend paying attention to medicinal herbs. Moreover, it will not be traditional medicine, but herbal medicine.

For example, if a person has impaired immunodeficiency and diseases (inflammatory and infectious processes) develop against this background, then in this case it is necessary to take steroid drugs (hormones). But, they cannot be taken for a long period of time, therefore, doctors recommend taking a break and taking medicinal plants for physiological support of the body and the work of the adrenal cortex. It can be cinquefoil, lungwort or Chinese tea bush.

Diseases and Panacea - Plants

The following are the diseases for which it is recommended to use medicinal plants:

• With established thymus insufficiency thymus medications are usually prescribed. But, if it is impossible to use it for a long time, pay attention to the medicinal plant, knotweed, ordinary field horsetail, and also the root. All these plants can be purchased at a phyto-pharmacy.
• If the patient has congenital or acquired tendency to form thrombosis, in this case, long-term use of aspirin may be prescribed. With its long-term use (aspirin) in humans, the work of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. You can take aspirin for a safe time and then replace it with natural anticoagulants in the form of cherries, figs, red currants, blueberries, tarragon, herbs - sweet clover, wormwood, chamomile, clover, meadowsweet, bedstraw.
• With damage to the gastrointestinal tract staphylococcus bacteria and, as a consequence, the occurrence of dysbiosis, then instead of antibiotics, you can use a pharmacy tincture of eucalyptus.
• With oncology patients in most cases are treated with cytostatics. As a result of their prolonged use, harmful substances accumulate in the stomach, which are known to everyone under the term - slags. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to use medicinal plants with antitumor or slag-removing properties. Pay attention to the treatment with beech, common forest strawberries, sea buckthorn.

Herbalists claim that absolutely any drug (antibiotic or hormonal agent) has its own analogue among plants... The only thing is that in such treatment you need to be guided not by the advice of traditional medicine, but by the recommendations of real specialists with education and experience in working with herbal medicine.

The advantage of plant treatment is that they are much easier and more easily perceived by the human body, are effective in many diseases, and at the same time do not have as many contraindications and side effects as medicines.

Principles of herbal medicine

Phytotherapy is a type of treatment for diseases with medicinal herbs, plants in the form of mushrooms and bee products. Herbal medicine specialists divide this type of treatment into two main types: traditional and scientific. In some countries, phytotherapy methods are a full-fledged alternative to modern medicine (the one that uses the tests we are used to, medications, etc.). Moreover, the supporters of herbal medicine are convinced that herbal treatment has no side effects, does not harm a person and can help cope with such serious diseases as diabetes, benign and malignant diseases.

If you carefully begin to read the composition of medicines from the pharmacy, you will see that they contain herbs in their composition. Some medicines are completely, 100% herbal and are called homeopathy. Such medicines are prescribed by doctors and can be freely purchased at a pharmacy - Avena, Avia-More, Antigerpes, Aflubin, Bronchostat, Vertihogel, Viburkol, Faringomed, etc. Some medicines consist of herbs by about 50%. In the pharmacy, you can buy ready-made (herbal) tinctures - valerian, motherwort, calendula, etc. In Japanese medicine, herbal medicines are more welcome, and traditional medicines are considered harmful and not very effective.

The nuances of herbal medicine

In the treatment with medicinal herbs (independent, without a doctor's prescription), you should take into account that not all plants have an equal therapeutic effect. For example, chamomile has healing flowers, valerian has leaves, celandine has leaves, root and stem, etc. In addition, before collecting plants, you need to take into account the area in which they are collected - whether there is a radiation background, what is the ecological situation, whether the plants were treated with toxic fertilizers and not only.

We treat ourselves

Phytotherapists still do not recommend prescribing certain medicinal plants for themselves. Beforehand, it is imperative to consult a doctor. Why? Because an improperly prepared decoction of a plant can bring the body of a sick person much more harm than good. If you do not properly prepare a decoction from plants, take the wrong dosage, or undergo an excessive or even incomplete course of treatment, this will only worsen your well-being. For example, sage and immortelle can be used in the form of antibiotics, but how do you (an ordinary person) know about the required dosage.

If you do not have the opportunity to consult a doctor for advice, then in this case, buy special herbal teas at the pharmacy and carefully read the instructions for using the plant, taking into account the dosage. This will reduce the risk of negative effects of herbs on the body.