Whether it’s because of the rising prices of modern medical treatment and pharmaceutical medicines or a yearning for simpler cures, many people turn to herbal remedies. What was once the purview of health food stores and offbeat shops can now be found at supermarkets, grocery stores, major pharmacy chains, and even mass merchandisers. How can the average consumer choose the best, safest, and most beneficial herbal remedy from among the many choices available?
Learn About Herbal Medicine
Before dosing with pills, teas and tinctures, it’s important to understand and learn about herbal medicine. Many people believe that because herbs are natural, they’re safe. Cobras and black widow spiders are entirely naturally, but certainly not safe. Just like pharmaceutical medicines, herbal remedies may cause unpleasant side effects and even dangerous interactions with medications.
Anyone with a serious medical condition, such as diabetes or cancer, should consult with a physician trained in herbal medicine or a doctor naturopathy before taking any herbs. Check with a physician, an herbalist or a good online source such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to review contraindications and interactions among medications. Pregnant and nursing women should avoid all herbs unless supervised by an herbalist as the substances found in herbs can pass through the placenta and breast milk to the child.
Choose the Right Form
Some herbal remedies work best as a tea. Others should be taken as a tincture or extract mixed with water. Still others may be safely consumed as a pill or capsule. Check with an herbalist or reputable online source to understand which format is best. The list below provides several common herbs and the most effective form.
- Chamomile: Make a tisane (tea) with tea bags or loose leaf chamomile
- Nettles: Also consumed as a tisane or tea
- Peppermint: Tea, tisanes, or capsules. Some herbal medicines include peppermint extract in a tincture.
- St. John’s Wort: Tincture
- Milk Thistle: Tincture
- Echinacea: Tincture
- Lavender: Oil, applied externally or mixed with a base.
- Tea Tree Oil: Oil, applied externally or mixed with a base.
Select High Quality Supplements
Not all herbal remedies are created equal. Choose herbal remedies made in the United States or a country with similar food and drug safety standards. Recent food contamination scandals from factories in China only hint at a major problem with overseas manufacturing.
Vegans and vegetarians must carefully read the ingredient lists on capsules and pills to determine if they are created with gelatin or a vegetable substitute. Gelatin is made from cow’s hooves and is thus unacceptable to vegetarians and vegans.
Read the label carefully, especially the dose ingredients. Some manufacturers may make 60 mg pills, 100 mg pills, 500 mg and 1,000 mg pills, while others may make the same herbal remedy into different amounts. Depending on the dose you need, it may make better sense to choose a brand that offers other amounts in each pill. Otherwise the consumer may be feasting on a dozen or more pills per day.
As with all health subjects, herbal remedies take time to learn and use. With just a bit of investigation, the average consumer can enjoy the many benefits of herbal remedies.
