The belief in and use of herbal medicine and natural remedies goes by a thousand different names, though in all instances refers to the very same set of ancient practices. Herbs have been used by mankind for medicinal and therapeutic purposes since the dawn of history, having found some of the simplest and most readily available herbs in the world to have remarkable healing and rejuvenating properties. Even today, some of the world’s most popular, reputable and downright effective remedies and treatments are formulated with little more than herbs and other naturally occurring ingredients.
And as conventional medicine gets more and more expensive by the day, it’s unsurprising how many are turning to herbal supplements as agreeable and accessible alternatives.
Growing Evidence, Extensive Research
As time goes by, research efforts into the true benefits and effects of herbal supplements and treatment methods is accelerating at record-pace. The 21st century population is somewhat obsessed with the idea of counting on Mother Nature alone to provide all that’s needed to live a healthy and happy life, increasingly turning its back on more ‘contemporary’ approaches to medicine. Where drugs and synthetic products can be avoided, chances are they will be by a growing proportion of the world’s population.
All of this makes for high-reassuring reading for those in firm support of the herbal way of life, though there are still vast swathes of the public that aren’t entirely convinced that herbs are the way to go. It’s not that they have any real fear as to their safety, but don’t necessarily believe that anything the Earth gives birth to naturally can be as powerful as scientifically formulated drugs and other such supplements.
As such, it’s more than worth outlining the specific benefits of herbal supplements over and above their conventional counterparts in order to help communicate the ways in which the natural option can indeed be superior.
So for those still in need of a little persuasion on the subject, here’s a quick overview of just a few of the ways in which herbal treatments offer considerably more than their counterparts:
Lower Costs – As herbs grow naturally and are abundantly available on a pretty comprehensive global basis, they can be procured and processed for considerably lower costs than chemical drug alternatives. What’s more, as herbal remedies become more and more popular across the world’s major markets, increased competition is leading to the lowest prices on products and supplements to date.
Fewer Risks – One of the largest and most understandable concerns with regard to conventional drug use is the way in which very few can promise no risks at all or detrimental side-effects or reactions when taken in conjunction with other drugs. With herbal supplements, there is of course an inevitable risk of side-effects as is the case with anything a person uses or ingests, but generally speaking the risks are substantially lower.
Lower Risk of Allergic Reaction – The same also applies to allergic reactions as while anyone can in fact be allergic to pretty much anything in the world, synthetically produced chemical drugs are inherently more likely to trigger adverse reactions than 100% natural alternatives. For sensitive individuals in particular, herbal treatments have the potential to be truly invaluable.
Pure Versatility – Another hugely agreeable benefit of herbal supplements is the way in which they often don’t necessarily have to be taken in standard tablet form. Many of the most popular and effective supplements on the market can be taken in the form of pleasant tasting teas, added to meals, sprinkled into drinks or even applied externally in the form of creams and lotions.
Wide-Reaching Benefit – Last but not least, when you take a conventional drug for any given problem, it targets this problem alone and is less than beneficial for the rest of the body. By contrast, a quality herbal supplement taken to aid with digestion for example could have much more wide-reaching benefits, helping to boost the body’s metabolism, immune system and general energy levels all at the same time.
Tip of the Iceberg
What’s most exciting of all about the use of herbs as medicinal supplements is that even after thousands of years, we’re only just starting to fully understand what they do, how they do it and why they do what they do better than anything else. It’s a case of the answers to most of the world’s health problems having been right there in front of us the whole time – it just took the input of modern research techniques to teach us how to use them correctly.
