Three Ways of Using Herbs.

First one based on your experiences, or from a family member, older generation, or your neighbors advice. “I also had a stomach pain, I took this herbs and get better why don’t you try it”.  You might be lucky to feel better, but few points to consider if you want to increase your desired outcome. Are you exposed for the same environment, living in the same community, city or village, are you having the same cultural, physical activity as farming in one village,  do you have the same habit of diets, are you connected genetically to the same person providing you with his experience have you been diagnosed with the same disease. Your grandma cabinet will work better if you have continued living at the same place working the same jobs they had, and eating the same food they did, the further from this similarity the lesser you get to hit the nail on the head.

Second way based on bioactive components of the herbs, medical examination should be performed to understand your disease and upon diagnoses made by your doctors that could be MD ND OMD OD treatment is prescribed. Depending on each case, as acute, short period of treatment, or chronic and longtime treatment. Let’s say a class of ant-inflammation drugs to ease your symptoms was prescribed you could consider ibuprofen as a synthetic form with well-known side effects or curcumin that works on the concept of inhibiting inflammation process and no side effects.

Third method based on the energetic levels of herbs and the whole body expression of diseases, as well taking in consideration their bioactive ingredients. Energetic, a form of Chinese medicine treatment that have a complete system of diagnosing and a combination of formula with over 3000 years of documented experiences. There is a distinction to consider between a bioactive components of a single herbs and to treat diseases related to cell theory as dividism or western reductionist view of bodies. For example cortex mountain radix (mu dan Pi ) bioactive ingredient  paeonol , paeoniflorin , and albiflorin  has anti-inflamamatory effects through the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression.

Or to treat disease viewing the symptoms as an expression of the whole body sometime requires a treatment with a whole unit of herbs (Mu dan pi ) indicated in Chinese medicine for  its Actions: clears heat, cools the blood, invigorates blood and removes blood stasis. As a major component, substitute or assistant in different formula for different diseases.

In practice both second and third methods are to be considered, keeping in mind the freedom of first choice shouldn’t be taken away but encouraging education at the level of the treatment that begin with a good diagnoses, as for chronic diseases practicality simplicity and availability of natural single herbs are easier and less time consuming for the patients while a combination of herbs are required for a few times to achieve a good results at the beginning.