What is Medical Herbalism?
Herbal Medicine, or phytotherapy, has been used in primary care of disease for more than 20,000 years. In fact, modern pharmacology was birthed out the clinical use of plants and elements. Now, more than ever, we have the privilege of access to many countless systems of traditional and modern healing. We all use herbal medicine, from chamomile to aspirin, from breath-mints to laxatives, cayenne to tea. With so many approaches to complementary and alternative medicine, it can be difficult as a patient or client to decide which to choose, and what is effective or safe. As the medical profession opens further to the use of complementary therapies, it is crucial to communicate the profundity of these traditional healing systems, while also providing evidence for their efficacy. Herbs don’t work like drugs do, but often are as effective. Many have met the physician that discredits all complementary therapies as “hocus pocus,” and conversely have encountered alternative therapies that were i
