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Herbal Remedies--Nature's Green Alternative

For millennia man has studied and used herbs as remedies and today is no exception. In fact, an unprecedented rising trend towards their use has been taking place in the USA, according to the Department of Commerce statistics. While native Americans have used herbs for a long time, the Anglo-Saxon American has not, until fairly recently. In Europe, in countries like Germany, medicinal herbs are regulated much the same as medicinal drugs, and therefore there is research sponsored by the government to determine their medicinal validity, concentration ratios, potency standards, side effects, safety, etc. Some years ago The German government created "Commission E" to precisely do that with some 150 herbs. For those interested the Commission E Monographs, which have been translated into English, are available through the American Botanical Council, Austin, Texas, telephone 517-926-4900.

There are some important tips you should know about herbs so that you can get maximum benefit from them:

1. Some herbs lose their medicinal effects in about 10-14 days after you begin to use them. So after 10 days of using them stop. Wait another 10 days and then resume their use. This is particularly true of herbs such as: echinacea, astragalus, etc.
2. Herbs lose their potency with the passing of time. Thus, do not buy herbs with a remaining shelf life expiring in less than 1 year, check the date on the bottle
3. Buy "standardized" herbs whenever possible. The label should say so
4. Buy your herbs from a reputable herbal store or internet business that has been successfully in operation for several years
5. Prices can vary considerably, thus, shop around before you decide on a purveyor
6. Read the labels for possible contraindications and conflict with other remedies as well as side effects

There are three herbs you should be acquainted with:

1. Echinacea (echinacea angustifolia)
2. Astragalus (astragalus membranaceous)
3. Thyme (thymus vulgaris)
   

Also known as "purple cone flower" echinacea is, indeed, a beautiful flower grown in many areas of the USA as a home garden flower. It is purple, with long and narrow, swept back petals and a bulky dark brown cone sticking out in the middle of the flower. You can buy this plant in almost any nursery across the country. As for astragalus, frankly, I have never seen the living plant, pictures only. Both echinacea and astragalus are very good to boost the immune system. They are sometimes called: "nature's antibiotics."To be effective as such, however, they must be used at the very outset of an infection, such as sinus infection, or viral attack. Otherwise their effectiveness is lost. I always have a bottle of each in the house. Refer to the 6 tips on herbs, above, to make better use of them. Thyme, on the other hand, is often used as a decongestant in the form of a tea also.

Let's remember that herbal remnedies--from roots, leaves, bark, wood--was just about all the medicine used for centuries and often very effectively.