Tips for Herbal Medicine

Herbs and food that are being used for medicinal purposes are also called drugs. You have be aware to reinforce this notion because when you by herbal remedies in your local health-food store, they are usually labeled as "nutritional supplements" and carry a recommendation to take a certain amount of the product daily in addition to the diet.

Are herbal Medicines safe?

There's been a lot of talk about herbal remedies being safe, but the fact is that there are some herbs that should be avoided, but most are unlikely to harm you. Toxic conventional medicines are currently responsible for one-third of all hospitalizations. There are standard herbal treatments for some common ailments but it is always wise to visit a health-care practitioner who is an expert in natural remedies for guidance. The following steps to increase the chances that your natural medicine will be effective are as follows:

- Don't buy loose, herbs because dried plants of all kinds lose their potency if they sit around.

- Buying "standardized" extracts are guaranteed to contain a minimum amount of the ber.

- Use tinctures. The alcohol used to extract the active constituents of the herb preserves the herb's potency as well.

- Freeze-dried extracts are concentrated and stable, so they tend to retain their potency longer.

It's relatively easy to put together an herbal arsenal that may help you fight most of the illnesses that you and your family are likely to encounter. Here's what you should have readily available:

- Chamomile tea- A mild relaxant and excellent as a remedy for colic and stomach upsets, it can be safely used by children, too. Placing chamomile tea bags on the eyes is a form of treatment for conjunctivitis. Place the tea bag in a little boiling water. When the tea bag has cooled but still warm, place over closed eyes, lie back, and relax with tea bags in place for 15 minutes two or three times a day.

- Echinacea- It's like a work of magic boosting disease-fighting white blood cells. Take it if you have a cold, the flu or any other type of infection.

- Feverfew- Take it to prevent and treat migraine headaches.