How Herbs Work

As I continue my practice, I’ve noticed that it’s been difficult for some of my clients to understand the difference between plants and the conventional medication we’re so used to taking.

As a result, the mind shift I went through is something I try to my clients with as well, so they can understand how plants work and how they are fundamentally different from drugs.

Let’s Talk About Plants

Herbs contain a multitude of chemicals and unlike medication, they don’t consist of one concentrated substance. Plant substances can number in the thousands and they all enter the body and work together to offer some of the elements the body needs to bring itself back into balance.

This is why plants take time and work gently. It takes a while for the body to become unbalanced and so it may take a while for the body to recover on its own naturally.

When something takes time to heal it usually means that the healing is thorough. Think of the difference between sleeping for 8-10 hours to become fully rested or drinking a coffee in 10 minutes to get an immediate boost. The sleep will be more productive and enduring in the long run.

Herbalist Principles

Herbalists have strong beliefs about the human body and the ways in which herbs work. We’ve developed these beliefs from collective experience spanning hundreds of years.

1. The Body Responds to Illness as a Whole – this is the premise behind all Holistic medicine. When we get a headache it doesn’t necessarily mean that the cause for the headache resides in the head. There are many reasons for headaches; diet, the liver, the digestive tract, muscular tension or your sleeping routine to name a few. It’s important to find out the underlying cause and not simply suppress head pain by treating the only body part that hurts.

2. Symptoms are the Language of the Body – Herbalists see symptoms as a language the body uses to tell us when it’s out of balance. We will pay very close attention to how you experience your symptom(s) and to the other organ systems within your body to determine the source of the problem.

3. The Body Is Intelligent & Hard Wired to Heal – The body is our greatest ally and it wants to heal itself from any conditions with which it may be afflicted. The body is more intelligent than current science and any practitioner that attempts to help it. Herbalists believe the body knows what it needs and how to use it once it gets it.

To continue reading this blog please click this link…