Herb Description and Medicinal Use

Herb description and medicinal use of the herbs has a long history. Even the ancient Egyptians used herbal therapies to treat disease states and this was 1500 years before the first recorded use by the Chinese!

The Egyptians listed over 700 herbs and some of these, such as senna and aloe vera are in use today. That makes about 3500 years.

The first Egyptian physician was Imhotep (no not the mummy from the movie..)and he became so famous for his healing that he was deified as a hero, worshiped and later became the god of medicine.

The most widely used system of herbal medicine in the work is most probably in China. the Chinese produced the earliest medical textbook in the 2nd century B.C. which included elements of herbal treatment, magic and astrology.

Principles of Herbal Remedies

When considering using herbs to treat conditions, common sense must apply. You should always rely on conventional treatment for an emergency. This may sound a little silly, but some people are so wedded to the idea of alternative medicine that they fail to see that complementing traditional medicine with alternative medicine is sometimes best. The following require prompt medical attention:

• A painless lump
• Chest pains
• Suspected stroke
• Suspected bone fracture, poisoning or overdose
• Fever over 102F, coughing with green or yellow mucous
• Loss of conciousness
• Uncontrolled bleeding, diarrhea, or vomiting

More Is Not Always Better

After you choose the correct herb for your condition, the next step is to get the right dosage. The therapeutic range for and herb or any prescription drug is the range between the smallest dose that will do good and the largest dose that a person can take without causing harm. Drugs and herbs with narrow ranges are dangerous; a broad range is what is desired so as to be able to vary doses to find the correct response. While large doses of herbs are usually safe, generally this is not needed. Always take the smallest dose you can of and herb, then gradually increase the dosage to the maximum recommended if symptoms do not improve.

Plan For Long Term Improvement

In general when it comes to herb description and medicinal use, herbs act gently and may take many months to have their full effect. Indeed, in the field of conventional medicine, this is also true for many medications. Unlike herbs however, conventional drugs may act very quickly. This is good if you need immediate relief, say from a low fever. But drugs that act quickly can also cause side effects which may become intolerable.

Learn about the 7 conditions for which herbal treatment is best and all about more online herbal remedies advice.

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