Herbal therapy forms

WeTl leave the topic of preparing medications and explore medications that are available in nature in the form of herbs. You ll learn about herbal therapy in the next chapter. 

Herbal therapies also come in the form of salves. Salves are semi-solid fatty preparations such as balms, creams, and ointments. They are prepared in a way similar to herbal oils except once the dried herb is soaked in oil, melted wax is mixed with the oil. It is left to cool and harden to form the therapeutic balm, cream, or ointment. 

Herbal tea is another popular form of herbal therapy. Herbal tea is made by soaking fresh or dried herbs in boiling water. Once the herb blends with the water, the resulting tea can be stored in the refrigerator for later use as a drink, bath water additive, or applied topically in a compress to the skin. 

Herbal capsule is another common form of herbal therapy. The herb is dried and pulverized into a powder that is placed inside the capsule. Some herbal capsules contain oil-soaked herbals or herbal juices. 

Herbal therapy can also take the form of syrup. Symps are made by drying the herb and soaking it in water or oil and then adding a sweetener to the mix. The sweetener is usually honey or sugar. The sweetened mixture is then heated until the symp forms. Herbal symps are used to treat colds, cough, and sore throat. 

There are different forms of herbal therapies. These are oils, balms, creams, ointments, teas, tinctures, capsules, tablets, and syrups. Although herbs are available in these forms, some herbs should only be administered externally and not used internally. 

Complementary and alternative medicine CAM. Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH]... 

Some of the most useful data on trends in the use of herbal medicines come from two surveys of US adults carried out in 1991 and 1997/98, which involved over 1500 and over 2000 individuals respectively (7,8). The use of at least one form of complementary therapy in the 12 months preceding the survey increased significantly from 34% in 1990 to 42% in 1997. Herbal medicine was one of the therapies showing the most increase over this time period there was a statistically significant increase in self-medication with herbal medicine from 2.5% of the sample in 1990 to 13% in 1997 (8). Disclosure rates to physicians of complementary medicine use were below 40% in both surveys (8). Furthermore, 18% of prescription medicine users took... 

Increasingly, consumers are choosing alternative forms of therapy, such as herbal medications including St. John s wort." " Some evaluations have found that the active ingredient in St. John s wort, hypericum, is a safe and effective treatment for mild to moderate depression" " when compared with placebo, TCAs, and fluoxetine." " In most cases, side effects appear to be mild. St. John s wort is available as an over-the-counter medication. Although this... 

Effective, efficient, and comprehensive helping relationships require that social workers recognize other forms of treatments that could potentially be more effective for their clients. Alternative forms of intervention can also serve as a preventive measure to ensure a client s well being. As providers of stress management strategies, relaxation techniques, and psychosocial interventions that can be incorporated into alternative therapies, social workers need to be aware of these techniques and remedies. Keeping abreast of all forms of treatment is important to provide the best possible care for our clients, while discouraging the use of medications and herbal preparations as the only form of intervention when other alternatives can be just as effective. 

Second, herbal medicine has a very long history and tradition It was, after all, the only form of medicine available until rather recently, and although its use has all but disappeared from modern medical practice it remains an important source of therapy in many areas of the world where the benefits of modern medicine are simply unavailable or unaffordable The use of herbal medicine has a weighty and lengthy tradition and is seen... 

---