What is Herbal Medicine?

In my twenties, I wasn’t much interested in plants. I was a TV reporter but life has a strange way of working things out and I much prefer my job now doing “investigative health”.

Herbal medicine is really another term for “plant medicine” and as a clinical herbalist I’ve studied the use of over 100 different plants and their specific actions on the body.

If you’ve heard of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that’s the traditional form of herbal medicine that grew in China thousands of years ago. People started using and documenting the plants that grew around them and what they did to help the body during times of sickness and disease - before antibiotics and super drugs existed.

When your family’s life and death was on the line - people took plant medicine very seriously and carefully documented and observed the plants that did help.

Maybe you’ve also heard of Ayurveda - that’s Indian herbal medicine.

But there’s also Persian herbal medicine, Balinese herbal medicine, Maori herbal medicine etc - all traditional cultures used plants to help them to heal.

Herbalists aren’t so common in Australia - but we do exist all over the world to help people improve wellness and restore health via our knowledge of plant actions and their effect on he body.

Herbal teas can provide very effective plant medicine. If you’ve ever used a “sleep tea” you’ve used herbal medicine.

What’s the world’s most loved herb?

(Hint: you probably had some this morning…)

The answer is …coffee !

When you have a strong coffee - you can definitely feel this plant’s specific action on the body. You can almost time when it kicks in! If you over do it, you’ll definitely feel a racing heart, sweaty palms and a nervous anxiety feeling.

Coffee works on the adrenal gland - activating the release of adrenaline from the gland to make you feel more awake and alert.

Well, just like coffee, other plants have different and obvious effects on other parts of the body.

For example, Chamomile works on the nervous system and Brahmi works on the brain and helps memory.

Dandelion is a wonderful liver cleansing herb and therefore helps boost metabolism, clear up skin conditions like acne and eczema, and also improves appearance and condition of the eyes.

Did you know that 40% of pharmaceutical medicines are derived from plants?

Aspirin is derived from a herb called White Willow Bark - which I stock and use in my clinic for pain today.

Back in the 1700s the white American settlers noticed the indigenous tribes using White Willow for pain, investigated further, processed it and marketed it in fancy packaging as Aspirin.

A lot of medicines we use today are still riding on the back of traditional plant medicine knowledge.

So why don’t we hear more about plants and their miraculous properties?

The problem for companies is that you can’t trademark and market a plant as your own.

Plants belong to everyone.

It’s not in the interest of a big company to promote common Rosemary and it’s benefits for the brain and for hair growth… Usually the only way they’re interested is if they can process it, change it and trademark it as their own.

Then they’ll bother to do the expensive scientific trials - and release that along with their product to newspapers and science journals and the medical world.

Promoting common garden plants just doesn’t have the same profit for anyone so its harder to find someone willing to spend money promoting their wonderful benefits. Herbalists are not traditionally slick marketers.

Herbal medicine is the original medicine

However, coming from a skeptical journalistic background makes me keen to share the amazing scientific studies that have been done - and the history of these herbs and how they’ve been used.

Plus of course the testimonials and case studies from real people who venture into my clinic.

Once you get into it, plant medicine is science-backed, real and also a little miraculous when you feel it work for you.

It’s why I’m writing this blog and telling people about the wonderful healing world of plants! I do hope I’ve sparked some curiosity in you too…

Wishing you wonderful health,

Jess xx