Medicinal Herbs: A Look at Nature’s Pharmacy

The good earth has provided us with an abundance of wonderful things, and medicinal herbs are what we find on the shelves of Nature’s Pharmacy.

What are Medicinal Herbs?

Medicinal herbs are plants or plant extracts that are used to treat illness and to promote good health in a natural way.

The use of Medicinal Herbs goes back thousands of years. Long before there were “drug stores” on every corner, man was gathering healing herbs to use as medicine for a wide variety of ailments, and also as a way of maintaining overall wellness.

Perhaps the very name drug store in itself tells a story about how far we have strayed from natural remedies for healing. When you stop and think about it, it’s somewhat scary that we have stores for the sale of drugs. No, this doesn’t mean illegal drugs, but even prescription drugs often come with a terrifying array of dangerous or even lethal side effects.

Wouldn’t it be better to stop placing so much dependence on these man made drugs that can have such deleterious effects on our health, and reach for a remedy from Nature’s Pharmacy of Medicinal Herbs instead?

What are Some Examples of Medicinal Herbs?

There are hundreds of herbs that are considered medicinal.

Here are a few of the most often used herbs and herbal extracts that are considered beneficial in treating a wide spectrum of ailments, as well as promoting a state of physical, emotional and mental wellbeing:

• Ganoderma - The Ganoderma mushroom encourages cellular detoxification, by activating and energizing the cells to deal with the accumulating toxins either in the cell nucleus or membrane. The cells are induced to expel the toxins and, as the cells do this, sometimes, the process produces an appearance of the symptoms related to the person’s prevailing problem. Ganoderma works on the body directly via the immune system, thus making it possible to help the body to treat a wide range of diseases.
• Cordyceps - Ancient Chinese records claim Cordyceps is beneficial for the heart, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, hormonal and urinary system, liver, kidneys, increase of physical stamina and restoring normal sexual functions
• Aloe Vera: Used primarily for burns, but is being increasingly used in internal preparations.
• Black Cohosh: Also known as Snakeroot, this one is used mainly to treat the symptoms of menopause, PMS and excessively painful menstrual periods.
• Comfrey: A famous and widely used anti-inflammatory herb that is considered helpful in the treatment of sprains, bruises and other external injuries.
• Echinacea: Used as an immunostimulant to help treat the common cold, flu and sore throats.
• Ephedra: Traditionally used to treat respiratory problems such as asthma, it is better known for its use in weight loss products. The FDA has banned the use of ephedra in dietary supplements.
• Ginkgo Biloba: Seeds and fruit used to treat depression, headache and to promote short term memory and improve blood flow.
• Ginseng: Used for thousands of years as a tonic, laxative and stimulant, it is also believed by many to be an aphrodisiac.
• Goldenseal: Used as a treatment for infections, wounds and digestive disorders.
• Kava kava: This herb has been used for centuries as a natural calmative and antidepressant.
• Milk Thistle: Used to treat liver problems such as cirrhosis and hepatitis, and also---in reference to its name---used to increase natural production of breast milk.
• Senna: Used as a natural laxative.

Are Medicinal Herbs Safe?

The fact is that Medicinal Herbs, if used imprudently or to excess, can sometimes have side effects. For example, milk is safe to drink. But if you drank several gallons of milk within a very short period of time, you would almost certainly suffer for it.

The key is to use Medicinal Herbs as recommended by herbalists who are knowledgeable about usage and dosages. In any event, herbal medicines are undoubtedly much, much safer than most of their artificial counterparts.

Nature’s Pharmacy has provided us with a bounty of Natural Remedies such as Medicinal Herbs and Ganoderma, the magical mushroom, to help us achieve and maintain a state of dynamic, glowing good health!