HERBAL MEDICINE

Crystal Ragas
Perdue University Global
HW499 Bachelors Capstone in Health & Wellness
 Herbal medicine means using herbs and and plants for their medicinal
properties. (Kambo, 2000)
 You can make teas, oils, salves or just eat the herbs. You can grind them up
and use them as seasoning or just add them to your smoothie these days.
 Herbal medicine is used by 70%-80% of the world. (Kambo, 2000)
 China is well-known for their use of herbal medicine, but countries like India
and Egypt have also been using nature as medicine for hundreds of years,
they just haven’t been able to capitalize on it the wat China had.
 These practices have been tested through tie and proven to be effective.
For hundreds or thousands of years these herbal remedies have worked on a
variety of illnesses.

WHAT IS HERBAL MEDICINE?

 Herbal Medicine has been around for thousands of
years.
 One part of Traditional Chinese medicine is herbal
medicine, TCM dates back at least 2500 years.
(NCCIH, 2018)
 Herbal medicine has evolved and changed over
time, but the overall idea remains the same. Herbs
and plants have healing properties.

ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF

MEDICINE
 According to Holistic Nursing Practice, lavender and
rosemary essential oils lowered test-taking stress in
graduate nursing students. (Mccaffrey, Thomas, &
Kinzelman, 2009)
 By placing sachets with lavender and rosemary
essential oils around the students before taking the
test, the students reported feeling less stressed.
 Their pulses were lower and their scored were lower
on the test anxiety measure.

LAVENDER AND ROSEMARY

  17% of the United States is
affected by depression. (Linde,
1996)
 In randomized trials, St. Johns
Wort was more effective than a
placebo for treating depression.
(Linde, 1996)
 St. Johns Wort has less reported
side effects than conventional
depression medication. (Linde,
1996)

ST. JOHNS WORT

  In a placebo controlled double blind
study, ginkgo extract noticeably
increased cognitive function in
dementia patients. (Le Bars, Katz,
Berman, Itil, Freedman, & Schatzberg,
1997)
 Ginkgo has virtually no reported side
effects according to this study, yet the
results were clear.

GINKGO
 Herbal Medicine is often labeled as dietary supplements in the
US.
 The FDA does not regulate dietary supplements the same way
they regulate over-the-counter medication in the US. (NCCIH,
2018)
 This means there can be things in dietary supplements that can
be deceiving. The claims do not have to proven to be listed on
the bottle. (NCCIH, 2018)
 If you’re looking to try something new, research it. Make sure
there are proven clinical trials with the herbal medicine that
worked in your favor.

NOT REGULATED
 Since there are many forms of herbal medicine, its important to
research each one and find the one that works best for you.
 Talking to a naturopath or holistic doctor may also be beneficial
for this process.
 Most herbs that are safe for adults are safe for kids as well, just at
a lower dose. There are exceptions to this, so read the warnings
on the bottle and follow the directions.

TAKING THE RIGHT STUFF

 Here is a list of places to look for more information on herbal
medicine:
 “The Herb Book” by John Lust
 www.AHHA.org
 “Prescription for Nutritional Healing” Phyllis A. Balch CNC
 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?cont
enttypeid=1&contentid=1169

TAKING THE RIGHT STUFF

 Kamboj, V. (2000). Herbal medicine. Current Science, 78(1), 35-39. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/24103844
 Le Bars PL, Katz MM, Berman N, Itil TM, Freedman AM, Schatzberg AF. A Placebo-
Controlled, Double-blind, Randomized Trial of an Extract of Ginkgo Biloba for
Dementia. JAMA. 1997;278(16):1327–1332. doi:10.1001/jama.1997.03550160047037
 Linde, K., Ramirez, G., Mulrow, C. D., Pauls, A., Weidenhammer, W., & Melchart, D.
(1996). St Johns wort for depression--an overview and meta-analysis of
randomised clinical trials. Bmj,313(7052), 253-258. doi:10.1136/bmj.313.7052.253
 Mccaffrey, R., Thomas, D. J., & Kinzelman, A. O. (2009). The Effects of Lavender
and Rosemary Essential Oils on Test-Taking Anxiety Among Graduate Nursing
Students. Holistic Nursing Practice,23(2), 88-93.
doi:10.1097/hnp.0b013e3181a110aa
 Traditional Chinese Medicine: In Depth. (2018, July 16). Retrieved from
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/chinesemed.htm

REFERENCES