Selecting The Right Herbal Medicine: A User Guide

Selecting The Right Herbal Medicine A User Guide 750 X 452

Herbal medicines have been used for centuries as natural remedies to promote health and well-being. With the growing interest in alternative and holistic approaches to health, more people are turning to herbs as part of their wellness journey.However, selecting the right herbal medicine isn't as straightforward as it may seem. It's essential to approach these remedies with care, as factors such as quality, safety, and individual health conditions play a crucial role in their effectiveness. In this guide, we’ll explore how to choose herbal medicines wisely and safely.<h2>How to select the right herbal medicine</h2>When selecting herbal medicine, it is important to consider several factors to ensure that it is safe, effective, and suitable for your specific health condition.Consult a healthcare professional who can assess your health condition, medications, and allergies and suggest suitable herbal remedies or practitioners who are well-versed in herbal medicine practice. They can also provide insight into potential side effects, medication interactions, and any relevant scientific research supporting their efficacy.Traditional medicine practitioners evaluate patient’s case histories and perform a physical examination to prescribe individualized combinations of herbs that are usually taken as tinctures, teas, syrups, pills, capsules, ointments, and compresses that align with the preferences and health requirements of the patients.However, herbal extracts may be contaminated, adulterated, and contain toxic compounds. Thus, it is important to be vigilant and get organically grown products or (better: GACP: medicinal plants grown according “good agricultural and collecting practice”, EMEA Guideline) produced that are free or nearly free from pesticides, mycotoxines, pyrrolizidine alcaloids and polyaromatic environmental toxins (PCB) (for internal only: I recommend to describe not in details) and processed in a way that retains their potency. It is recommended to choose reputable brands or sources that prioritize quality.Traditional medicine encompasses a holistic approach. The overall lifestyle, diet, and other health factors play a major part in the treatment. Chronic illness management is effective with herbal treatment but if the lifestyle is unhealthy, the desired effects may not be seen.It is important to remember that individual body chemistry and responses can vary. What works for someone may not work or even suit another person. Certain groups of people, such as those with serious health conditions (like liver or kidney disease), people undergoing surgery, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the elderly, and children should be cautious before administering herbal medicines.Some herbs can interfere with certain medications or exacerbate specific health issues. It is recommended to stay informed about new research and developments in herbal medicine and to never self-medicate, even if it is a culturally imbibed method of treatment.<h2>Why are all herbal medicines not the same?</h2>Many factors determine the quality and effectiveness of herbs. The environment in which a plant grows, including climate, soil quality, and exposure to bugs, as well as how and when it was harvested, processed, stored, and exposed to sun and humidity, can significantly impact the composition of bioactive compounds in herbs.Different methods used to prepare herbal medicines are infusion, decoction, maceration, and extraction with alcohol water mixtures. However, some methods may preserve certain compounds while degrading others, leading to variations in the final product's effectiveness. Extraction is a selective process, and the expertise of the person developing the method is crucial to ensure the product's effectiveness.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:876/500;" src="https://media.megawecare.com/GHBY/Internal-Images/why-are-all-876-x-500.webp" width="876" height="500"></figure>Modern scientific extract development ensures for every produced batch a process resulting in reproducible qualitative and quantitative composition of a extract (including validation of materials, processing steps, analytical control procedures)Herbal products don’t undergo the same stringent quality control or standardization processes as manufactured drugs, which affects their potency and reliability (Internal note: despite of Herbal Medicinal products: Herbal products include in Europe (EMEA) also all clinically proven herbal products based on extracts!)). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3887317/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3887317/">It is also common knowledge that the safety of most herbal products is further compromised by a lack of suitable quality controls, inadequate labeling, and the absence of appropriate patient information (Raynor et al., 2011)</a>.Herbal preparations can be obtained from different parts of the plant, such as roots, leaves, stems, flowers, or seeds, which contain varied concentrations of active compounds, leading to variations in therapeutic effects. It also causes variations in content and concentrations of chemical constituents from batch to batch. The standards for cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing also differ, leading to variations in the quality and consistency of herbal products available in different markets.<a href="https://word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?new=1&amp;ui=en-US&amp;rs=en-US&amp;wdorigin=OFFICECOM-WEB.START.NEW-INSTANT&amp;wdprevioussessionsrc=HarmonyWeb&amp;wdprevioussession=1a7b5a23%2Ddaa8%2D4b45%2D8509%2D0773baf32cf6&amp;wdenableroaming=1&amp;mscc=1&amp;wdodb=1&amp;hid=86FC1AA1-5025-3000-1879-A0AD8165CE8A.0&amp;uih=sharepointcom&amp;wdlcid=en-US&amp;jsapi=1&amp;jsapiver=v2&amp;corrid=c3c7b992-518c-6581-0a93-66874fdfede0&amp;usid=c3c7b992-518c-6581-0a93-66874fdfede0&amp;newsession=1&amp;sftc=1&amp;uihit=docaspx&amp;muv=1&amp;cac=1&amp;sams=1&amp;mtf=1&amp;sfp=1&amp;sdp=1&amp;hch=1&amp;hwfh=1&amp;wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fmegawecare-my.sharepoint.com%2Fpersonal%2Friddhima_megawecare_com%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2F2d678045b3eb49abbd8186c315f42572&amp;dchat=1&amp;sc=%7B%22pmo%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fmegawecare-my.sharepoint.com%22%2C%22pmshare%22%3Atrue%7D&amp;ctp=LeastProtected&amp;rct=Medium&amp;wdhostclicktime=1712041199515&amp;wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush#B109" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?new=1&amp;ui=en-US&amp;rs=en-US&amp;wdorigin=OFFICECOM-WEB.START.NEW-INSTANT&amp;wdprevioussessionsrc=HarmonyWeb&amp;wdprevioussession=1a7b5a23%2Ddaa8%2D4b45%2D8509%2D0773baf32cf6&amp;wdenableroaming=1&amp;mscc=1&amp;wdodb=1&amp;hid=86FC1AA1-5025-3000-1879-A0AD8165CE8A.0&amp;uih=sharepointcom&amp;wdlcid=en-US&amp;jsapi=1&amp;jsapiver=v2&amp;corrid=c3c7b992-518c-6581-0a93-66874fdfede0&amp;usid=c3c7b992-518c-6581-0a93-66874fdfede0&amp;newsession=1&amp;sftc=1&amp;uihit=docaspx&amp;muv=1&amp;cac=1&amp;sams=1&amp;mtf=1&amp;sfp=1&amp;sdp=1&amp;hch=1&amp;hwfh=1&amp;wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fmegawecare-my.sharepoint.com%2Fpersonal%2Friddhima_megawecare_com%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2F2d678045b3eb49abbd8186c315f42572&amp;dchat=1&amp;sc=%7B%22pmo%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fmegawecare-my.sharepoint.com%22%2C%22pmshare%22%3Atrue%7D&amp;ctp=LeastProtected&amp;rct=Medium&amp;wdhostclicktime=1712041199515&amp;wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush#B109">An additional major challenge in many countries is the fact that regulatory information on herbal medicines is not often shared between regulatory authorities and safety monitoring or pharmacovigilance centers (WHO, 2004)</a>. A global harmonization of legislation is needed to guide the responsible production and marketing of herbal medicines.<h2>Ensuring quality in herbal medicine</h2>Herbal medicines are often surrounded by misconceptions, fear, and uncertainty, making it a conundrum even for experts. While some people believe in the power of nature, others prefer evidence-based medicines.The World Health Organization (WHO) has released Guidelines for the Assessment of Herbal Medicines (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326625/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326625/">WHO, 1996</a>). These guidelines establish the basic criteria for evaluating the quality, safety, and efficacy of herbal medicines. They can assist national regulatory authorities, scientific organizations, and manufacturers in evaluating documentation, submissions, and dossiers related to such products.Aligning herbal medicine production with pharmaceutical standards ensures that herbal products are manufactured and distributed with a focus on quality, safety, and efficacy, similar to conventional pharmaceuticals. This also allows for better scientific validation of their efficacy and safety. It also encourages research and clinical studies to establish evidence-based uses for herbal remedies. Herbal medicinal products in Europe recognized for “well established use” already matching the standards for “evidence-based medicines”.The obligation practiced by the authorities of the EMA (European Medicinal Agency) to request for pharmaceutical extracts to be equivalent to the drug used for extraction, takes into consideration that human knowledge regarding safety and therapeutic efficacy is based on hundreds of years of experience with traditional ways of preparations and application used for a particular plant or plant part. The “native extract is the active”, as it is defined for all plants where the main actives are still unknown, means the best possible broad spectrum of ingredients achievable using traditional preparation technologies in the first instance.<h2>Wrapping up</h2>In conclusion, herbal medicine offers valuable therapeutic potential, but its efficacy and safety depend heavily on proper cultivation, processing, and regulation.Aligning herbal remedies with pharmaceutical standards not only enhances their reliability but also bridges the gap between traditional practices and modern medicine.As global awareness grows, there is a pressing need for harmonized regulations, continued research, and clinical validation to ensure herbal medicines serve as safe, effective treatment options for all.