Now, more than ever, people are looking for ways to increase their health and decrease their toxic load. For some, this may look like swapping out their current pharmaceuticals for a more natural herbal version. But before you go dumping your prescriptions down the toilet, let me explain how herbal medicine works.
Herbal medicine, much like functional medicine works by treating the root cause; therefore, no one herbal formula is going to work the same for every patient. Single herbs can have a broad range of effects and can be used for many different purposes. Having a detailed intake with a qualified healthcare practitioner will be your best course of action for finding the proper herbs for your condition.
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Prescribing Herbal Medicine
One of the most common questions I get as an Integrative Practitioner is, "What herb can I take for my condition?" I wish it were that easy, but unfortunately, it's not. We live in a time where we are used to being prescribed a pill for an ailment. Headache? Take a pill. High blood pressure? Here's a pill. Heartburn? You guessed it, take a pill.
We are no longer taught that lifestyle, diet, and other factors can be contributing to chronic disease, and a change in these factors can also help eradicate many diseases.
When you see an Integrative or Functional Medicine practitioner, your treatment doesn't start or stop with switching out pharmaceuticals for a natural equivalent. If we did that, we would be offering the same type of treatment you are already receiving; 15-minute standard medicine while putting a band-aid on an underlying condition without addressing the root cause. Herbs and supplements are meant to supplement your treatment while you heal. They aren't meant to be used for the rest of your life.
How Herbal Medicine Works
Don't get me wrong, I am a huge believer in herbal medicine and use and prescribe it very often. But I would never exchange a patient's pharmaceutical for an herbal equivalent without addressing the underlying cause of the disease as well. So, with that said, let's talk about some positives with Herbal Medicine.
First, let me say that single herbs and herbal formulas work very well when prescribed appropriately. Currently, there are over 2,500 current research studies on Traditional Chinese Medicine proving their health benefits.
Plants can be used for many different therapeutic purposes. A great example is Hawthorn berry, Fructus Crataegi. For centuries, hawthorn berry has been used as an herbal remedy for digestive problems and high blood pressure. In traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn berry is one of the most commonly recommended foods to help treat high blood pressure.
Several studies show that hawthorn can act as a vasodilator, meaning it can relax constricted blood vessels, ultimately lowering blood pressure.
Sounds good, right? Let's take a look at two different human studies on High Blood Pressure and see how Hawthorne Berry worked.
Study #1
A 16-week study on 79 people with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure observed that those who took 1,200 mg of hawthorn extract daily had more significant blood pressure improvements than those in the placebo group.
Study #2
A similar study on 21 people with mildly elevated blood pressure noted no differences between the hawthorn-extract and placebo groups.
So, what was the difference? Why did it work for 79 people in the first study and not the 21 people in the second study? This is where proper herbal prescribing based on root cause comes into play.
Blood pressure increases for many different reasons. Stress, magnesium deficiency, kidney disease, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, inflammation, medications, and genetics are just some of the many reasons for high blood pressure.
As stated above, hawthorn berry is a vasodilator. If the patient's high blood pressure is coming from any reason other than constricted blood vessels, most likely, the hawthorn berry prescription isn't going to help them very much. It's not treating the underlying cause.
Therefore, I cannot stress enough that you need to work with an Integrative Practitioner to not only make sure you are taking the right herb for your specific ailment but also working on the underlying root cause. Based on signs, symptoms, and a proper in-depth intake, these patients may have benefited from another herb, herbal formula, or supplement alongside lifestyle adjustments to treat their high blood pressure.
Working With a Functional Medicine Practitioner
Ok, so you've made it this far and hopefully are ready to make some lifestyle changes to get off some medications. Two easy steps you can work on yourself to start your health journey are your diet and activity levels. These are going to be prescribed to you anyhow once you start seeing an integrative practitioner.
Once you have found your practitioner, you can start working with them to get an in-depth intake of your current condition. They will most likely order some functional medicine labs to find the root cause and then be able to properly wean you off your prescriptions as well as prescribe you the proper herbs for your ailment to supplement your healing journey.
Summary
Herbal medicine is not meant to be used as a direct swap for pharmaceuticals. Herbs are meant to be prescribed to help supplement your healing journey. Herbs have a broad range of effects and can be used for many different purposes, but not every herb will help everyone with the same diagnosis. This is because everyone's root cause diagnosis is different.
If you want to get off pharmaceuticals, I highly suggest working with an Integrative or Functional Medicine Practitioner. You don't have to do it alone; you don't have to guess, but you must be prepared to make a few lifestyle adjustments along the way.
Something to Keep in Mind
Healing doesn't happen overnight, but I promise if you start today, your new beginning will come a lot sooner than not starting at all. Instead of thinking of "what herb can I take for this," let's start thinking about what got us here in the first place.
If you want to learn more about functional medicine and functional medicine labs, check out our magazine loaded with articles and case studies to help everyone learn a little more about root cause medicine.
If you are a practitioner, we highly suggest you check out Rupa University that offers free live classes for Functional Medicine Practitioners.
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