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May 25, 2008, 8:57 pm
Flag as Inappropriate Phinn  

I know that there is has ben a huge buzz for using plants occuring naturally, in various ways, to cure or teat many different ailments. How safe are these 'remedies'?

It depends on what ailment you are using them to treat, and how serious it is. I do not think I would forgo chemo, in favour of natural remedies but for many things I would try natural before I hit chemical treatments.

Plants contain natural chemicals that can help diseases. Because it is natural then the theory is that the body can take it in and use it with few side effects. When scientists make the chemical compounds that are useful to treat a disease, because it's made in a lab, the body might not be able to use the drug without getting some side effects too.

Your question is an old one. There's no way to know exactly how much of the helpful chemical is in a plant so there is no one douse that can be prescribed for you to take. You won't know how much of the helpful chemical you will be getting. At the same time the chemical that is made in a lab can be measured and so you know exactly how much you are getting in any pill.

The way you treat any condition has to be a question that you think about hard and long. Both ways have pros and cons, but it's up to you to decide what kinds of medication you are going to go with.

Some of these 'cures' are the stuff of folklore and I give credit more to the power of the mind than to their efficacy. Still I'm not prepared to knock them because I still think they have their benefits.

I think natual medicine needs to be given respect. A lot of remedies are actually toxic and should only be used under the direction of someone trained in herbology.

Many things are indeed toxic in the wrong amounts or in combination with the wrong things. I do enjoy using a more natural remedy when I can, but the bottom line doesn't always let me use a natural cure which is oftentimes more expensive and slower to take effect.

I do believe in natural remedies but want to make sure that someone who knows what plants do what instead of trying to figure it out myself is best. I know my Dr is always looking for better ways to do things and is always open-minded about natural remedies.

George

All palnts are the base for a variety of common drugs. Willow is aspririn. Of course today we balk at using willow for pain, but it does work.

Codeien, true codiene comes from the bark of the cherry tree. Yes its seems like folklore but without the original stuff we coudl not synthesize the drug. that is mimic is molecular structure through chemicals. Folk remideis liek Mustrad plaster or onion plaster for breaking up chest congestion works. Boit the heat and teh fumes act as a decongestatnt and it breaks up.

Tea, good old cOOlong tea has been known for eons to help keep kidneys clear. And we see that now woth all the information on drinking green tea for your antioxidents.

Terpinhydrate is a derivitive of pine,

Morphine and opium are pain killers from the poppy.

Red Raspberry si a decongestant and will help alleviate cramps.

Chemical names ahve beome mnore popular than original plant anmes, simply because we placed more value on them as being new. If you consider that a simple Sulfur rock is the precuros some of teh sulfa drugs, or Penicillian is made by molding food stuffs then you would see that names change but the origins dont.

Plants, on average, are actually no safer than many synthesized medications.

You can have a bad reaction to a plant just as frequently as you can to a pharmaceutical. Its being "natural' doesn't automatically make it safe.