Herbal Medicine For Every Body

By Miriam Young

If the whole of humanity knew what I know about herbal medicine, all those in the Western world using orthodox medication for their primary form of health care would consider, if not make the full change to herbal medicine.

Herbal Miracles

Mary, (not her real name) is 43 years old, working part-time and has two children. When I first met Mary, she had a respiratory infection, (with fluid on the lungs), a urinary tract infection, an ovarian infection resulting from a cyst, as well as thrush due to years of repeated use of anti-biotics. She was currently taking antibiotics for her infections, on anti-depressants as well as on medication for her asthma. She was tired of being on medicines, which were “not making me any better” and wanted to try something different.

I prescribed two bottles of herbal tinctures (liquid concentrates), one for her lung infection and one for her urinary and ovarian infections.

Two weeks later Mary came back to see me, a different person.  Her lung infection had cleared up, she had no congestion in her nose or throat and the fluid on her lungs had completely lifted.  She was no longer short of breath and had experienced no asthma attacks since being on the herbs. (And therefore had taken no asthma medication). When I saw her this second time Mary had only been taking her anti-depressants every other day, but now hadn’t taken them for 3 days and didn’t feel she wanted to go back on them. Mary reported that she could now think straight, was more alert and didn’t “just accept things!” Her symptoms of stinging upon urination had disappeared along with the frequency of visits to the toilet. Her symptoms of thrush had also disappeared.

Two weeks after I saw Mary the second time, I had a quick telephone conversation with her. She was absolutely thrilled as the day before she had received the results back from a pelvic ultrasound and the cyst had completely disappeared. The specialist said to her that it must have hemorrhaged and that she must have experienced a lot of pain. And in response Mary said, “actually I have been taking herbal medicine and there was absolutely no pain involved whatsoever!”

If these kinds of results can be achieved within a few weeks on herbal medicine, imagine what a lifetime of herbal medicine, for preventative care as well as treatment, can avoid and treat.

Herbal medicine may be an integral part of a child’s life and well being just as much as it can be for an adult. In fact the younger you start children on herbal medicine the better. I regularly worm my 5-year-old daughter, Elle with Wormwood, Black walnut, Fennel and Barberry. She takes the medicine in water with a water chaser and does not complain as I explain to her what the herbs are for and she understands. Colds and flu are also treated with herbs such as Echinacea, Licorice, Thyme and Mullein and Elle has never had an anti-biotic or immunization in her life. My clients who are parents often have my “Children’s Coughs Colds and Flu Mix” on hand for when their children come down with that inevitable bug. They take great delight in treating their children naturally and drugs are a thing of the past.

I once met a friend of my parents, who said to me “oh yes we’ve tried herbal medicine, for my husband’s prostate problem, he brought some Saw Palmetto tablets from the chemist and took them for 5 days, but they didn’t work.”

In response to this I explained that liquid herbal tincture concentrates (preferably 1:1) need to be taken if a person wants to treat a specific health complaint. From my experience, tablets although manufactured by many natural medicine and pharmaceutical companies, often do not give the powerful results experienced by those who take herbal tinctures prescribed by a Medical Herbalist, formulated especially for their specific health condition.

For the treatment of prostate conditions, such as benign prostate Hyperplasia, herbal medicines, such as Saw Palmetto, Small Leafed Willow, Nettle Root, Hydrangea etc need to be taken at the dose of 10mls 3 xs per day for 3-6 months straight. I have achieved many positive results with shrinking prostate enlargements with frequent visits to the toilet a thing of the past by using these doses with these herbs sometimes up to 9 months if necessary.

I have met numerous female clients over the years whom have expressed their concern that their doctor has told them they will never be able to have children because of their reproductive health complaint such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease etc. Yet time and time again I have seen these women over-come these health issues and many go on to have natural births and healthy babies. These types of conditions cannot be cured in 2 weeks; sometimes it takes 2 years for the symptoms of endometriosis to be alleviated. But it is worth the journey and definite health improvements may be enjoyed often as early as 2-4 months into herbal treatment.

The Medical Herbalist

The medical herbalist will often use iridology (iris analysis), tongue and nail observation in order to make a naturopathic assessment of an individual. Some herbalists will also use Live Blood Assessment (LBA), which helps to determine the health status of an individual. Using only one drop of blood, the practitioner will use LBA to investigate the size, shape and ratio of red cells, white cells and platelets in a person’s blood.

The blood magnified and viewed in this manner can reveal your current health status involving your cardio-vascular system, digestive system, any possible liver stress or pathology, your nutritional status and immune function, potential inflammation and oxidation, existing allergies and/or infestation (parasites). Many medical herbalists also have a heightened sense of intuition when working with clients, which guides them in their treatment regimes.

The Herbalist’s Philosophy
The herbalist’s philosophy comprises the fact that humans, like plants, are biologically complex. This means that to achieve a long lasting medicinal benefit with few or no side effects, a plant with its complex active principles will be utilised by the body more easily than a single isolated drug.

A major aspect of the philosophy of the medical herbalist is in the treatment of the person as a whole, rather than treating mere symptoms in an isolated part of the body. Herbalists use the whole herb.In fact, use of the whole herb is the very foundation of herbal medicine. We know that the whole part of a plant be it the berries, roots or leaves etc, is the most powerful part of the plant, in its entirety, having a gentle but long lasting affect.

Orthodox Medicine and Herbal Medicine

It has always amazed me that the mainstream view in the western world is to trust orthodox medicine over the healing herb. Since the beginning of time humans have used ONLY remedies from nature, the pharmaceutical industry has only been around for approximately 75 years. The pharmaceutical industry is the world's most powerful industry. It would seem the result of powerful marketing and millions of dollars. Herbal medicine is natural, created by Mother Earth - orthodox medicine is created by humanity, scientists in laboratories.

In earlier years, when humanity was more in harmony with nature, we would have been more suspicious of a substance concocted by scientists in laboratories, than a plant that grew wild in the meadows that we would pick seasonally and make into tea.  Today however the opposite is true, drugs are more the norm and herbs are something to be feared.  The Doctor is God and the Herbalist may be considered a dangerous weirdo.

The medical herbalist does not attempt to play doctor and nor does he/she want to. If someone you love contracts meningococcal disease, take them hospital, give them antibiotics and do it quickly! (I would also grab the homoeopathic remedy for meningococcal after the trip to the hospital)

Billy Connolly makes a mischievous comment about the natural therapist who hops out of her car, post motor vehicle accident where two people are bleeding all over the road. She is heroically clutching a bottle of lavender oil! Thanks Billy we get the message!

At it’s very best, herbal medicine is preventative medicine. Sometimes it can be difficult for a person to make the change from orthodox to herbal medicine. This may be due to the fact that they are used to the ‘quick fix’. Generally speaking, although not always, orthodox medication may be seen to work much faster than herbal medicine.

Orthodox medicine in the way that it works is a bit like a moving arrow. It has a particular target inside the human body and reaches it very quickly, however along the way it can sometimes destroy and create havoc. Herbal medicine will also reach its target, but tends to do so at a slower pace. However, herbal medicine also tends to heal other ailments along the way. For example when dissolving a person’s gallstones, herbal medicines may also clear their headaches, resolve their acne, reduce their fatigue and apathy and may motivate decision-making along the way.

A medication will have one action. An herbal medicine has many. Herbal medicine works on the physical body, and will often produce a wonderful balancing affect on the emotions simultaneously.