What Are the Disadvantages of Herbal Medicine? Find Out in This Summary

The advantages of using herbs are extensive but believe it or not there are some disadvantages of herbal medicine as well. Let’s explore the issues one by one.

Medication interaction is one of the most important disadvantages. Before herbal medicine is used the patient must first talk to an herbalist and their primary doctor. The reason both health professionals need to be consulted is very easy to explain.

Traditional doctors might not have knowledge about the herbs or whether or not a drug interaction might occur. Most physicians typically do not educate themselves on herbal science or botanical studies so they ofter are unable to make an informed decision. They should be asked if there is any proof of interaction with that specific medication or natural elements. Prior reports of interactions should be considered.

The herbalist should be asked if that particular herb has any known interactions. This professional would know based upon their extensive education in natural medicine if there would be danger zones and complications by mixing the use of drugs with the plant.

Self-dosing without proper guidance or knowledge can have consequences too so this is a relatively serious disadvantage. Buying herbs in bulk often include recipes and remedies but as far as every day use to treat medical conditions this might not be all the information needed. Also, if you are self diagnosing you can make the wrong assumption as to what you might be suffering from. Being diagnosed properly is important before the use of herbal medicine is considered. After that, talking to an herbalist can help you make the right selection as to the herb(s) and how much of it/them to take.

Wild herbs and education often go unnoticed but should go hand in hand. Plants have characteristics and visual or aromatic elements that set them apart from other foliage. But if an herb is mistaken for another, a person might be consuming the right amount for one herb but the wrong amount for the herb they are actually using. Before using wild plants as medication it is imperative to thoroughly study plant life and understand the medical capabilities of each before harvesting and using them as healing treatments.

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