5 Benefits Of Herbal Medicines

By Maya Jones | January 4, 2022

According to available data, 35% of people use herbal medicines to treat various ailments. The same data also suggests that persons born before 1946 were the highest group noted for high use of herbal medicines. In 2018, it seemed that persons born between 1975 and 1985 have taken over herbal medicines as an alternative therapy to improve their health. This change indicates possible benefits of herbal medicines, including the following. 

 

• Reduced side effects

 

According to research, because herbal medicines are plant-based, they tend to agree more with the body’s metabolism than manufactured medicines. Plants usually contain compounds, enzymes,, and nutrients that the body needs to maintain optimum performance. For this reason, plant-based medicines have reduced negative side effects on the body. For example, chamomile is great for reducing inflammation, lowering blood sugar, and helping with sleep. However, when taken in large doses can cause digestive irritation leading to runny stools. Chamomile has never been proven to cause epileptic attacks or asphyxiation.

Many people continue to choose plant-based medicines because of the reduced side effects. Another reason is that herbal medicines are mostly natural and not synthesized. Therefore, the human body recognizes the compounds as favorable and healthy. When the medicinal agents get into the body, they immediately bind to neuro-connectors to treat medical conditions.

 

• Increased savings

 

Without a doubt, manufactured medicines are usually more expensive than herbal ones. The high cost is due to the process of procurement of raw materials through to the processing and manufacturing stages until the final product ends up at the pharmacy. Considering that so many processes go into producing these medicines, logically, it means more financial resources to get the drugs into the state where humans can ingest them. 

As a business rule, the cost of production is pushed on to the consumer to help offset expenses. This explanation seems to make sense because you will realize the vast difference in cost by comparing the prices of herbal medicines with Western options. Indeed, herbal medicines also undergo a few processing stages but not as rigidly as western drugs. Additionally, because herbal drugs are naturally sourced, they are cheaper. Based on that, plant-based medicines tend to be slightly cheaper than their prescription counterparts. Moreover, a lower retail cost always looks attractive to the consumer.

 

• Self-healing

 

In most cases, western medicines control symptoms of an ailment rather than deal with the source outright. This is why after taking painkillers for a headache, you might get some relief for some hours. However, when the drug’s effect wears off, the headache comes back and is sometimes even more severe than before. A possible explanation for this may be an underlying cause. For example, sleep deprivation and stress can cause headaches and migraines.

However, with herbal medicines, the natural compounds work to eliminate the root cause of the headaches. That is why when people take CBD oil, for example, they tend to sleep better while noticing substantial improvement in pain. By dealing with your health from multiple angles, herbal medicines go beyond treating symptoms alone. If you’re interested, you can join CBD programs to help manage pain, sleep, and stress, to improve your body’s self-healing abilities.

 

• Self–empowerment

 

For many people living with chronic medical conditions, there is always an inner desire to control their treatment rather than have decisions made for them. Fortunately, this is what herbal medicines offer. By allowing you to take control of your personal health, you become directly responsible for all other steps that come with regaining your health. On the flip side, manufactured medicines are quite rigid in their treatment methods, making them seem unattractive to a growing number of people.

 

• Improved overall health

 

Another exciting benefit of herbal medicine is that they tend to treat more than one ailment. For example, if you take Ginseng in its dry form or steeped in hot water to treat inflammation, there are more benefits this medicinal plant offers. Ginseng boosts energy levels, improves brain function, and improves immunity levels.

Another vital benefit of herbal medicines is their impact on gut health. It seems over 90% of herbal medicines contain enzymes beneficial for microbes living in the digestive tract. This goes to buttress point one, which discusses natural compounds that benefit the human body.

The next time you consider opting for herbal medicines, it helps to know that you stand to benefit from the many properties they possess. However, you may want to seek advice from a qualified physician before combining herbals with other prescribed medications.