[Herbs & Health]

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Over the centuries different communities around the world have developed their own system to use medicinal plants. Some of the systems may be difficult to understand but all are attempts to cure illness and suffering and to make life more comfortable. Aryurved or Indian system of medicines is one such attempt to enhance quality of life.

Traditional medicine

What is traditional medicine?
Traditional medicine refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being.

Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America use traditional medicine (TM) to help meet some of their primary health care needs. In Africa, up to 80% of the population uses traditional medicine for primary health care. In industrialized countries, adaptations of traditional medicine are termed “Complementary“ or “Alternative” (CAM).

Safety and Efficacy Issues
Scientific evidence from randomized clinical trials is only strong for many uses of acupuncture, some herbal medicines and for some of the manual therapies. Further research is needed to ascertain the efficacy and safety of several other practices and medicinal plants.

Unregulated or inappropriate use of traditional medicines and practices can have negative or dangerous effects.

Tried and tested methods and products

• 25% of modern medicines are made from plants first used traditionally.
• Acupuncture has been proven effective in relieving postoperative pain, nausea during pregnancy, nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy, and dental pain with extremely low side effects. It can also alleviate anxiety, panic disorders and insomnia.
• Yoga can reduce asthma attacks while Tai Ji techniques can help the elderly reduce their fear of falls.
• TM can also have impact on infectious diseases. For example, the Chinese herbal remedy Artemisia annua, used in China for almost 2000 years has been found to be effective against resistant malaria and could create a breakthrough in preventing almost one million deaths annually, most of them children, from severe malaria.
• In South Africa, the Medical Research Council is conducting studies on the efficacy of the plant Sutherlandia Microphylla in treating AIDS patients. Traditionally used as a tonic, this plant may increase energy, appetite and body mass in people living with HIV.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 1 billion people rely on herbal medicines to some extent. The WHO has listed 21,000 plants have reported medicinal uses around the world. Aryurved herbs or Indian herbs have been used since 1000's of years to produce herbal remedies. Nowadays it is a well-established fact that herbal remedies are more suitable to human body then isolated chemical medicines. India has a rich medicinal plant flora of some 2500 species, of these, 2000 to 3000 at least 150
Spicies are used commercially on a fairly large scale. Foreign researchers have always appreciated the traditional Indian healers.