Facts about herbal medicines

The World Health Organization states that 80 percent of the entire world’s population uses herbal medicines. Since this figure is too high, an observer like me can only assume that there is an herbal medicine for everything; from diarrhea to how to get youtube views on your channel to how to make dreamweaver templates! In Germany, every third medicine prescribed is an herb! Quite surprisingly, the name Herbert was the 20th most popular name for boys in the UK in the 1900s. In 2010 it wasn’t in the top one hundred. Why? We don’t need to look into it; it’s pretty obvious. As much as herbs are consumed globally, facts about them are not very much known of. For example, in the 17th century, lavender was worn around the wrist to protect people from the plague. Nicholas Culpeper, in the 1600s, suggested burdock for dog bites. One reason why herbs are preferred over medicated drugs is that herbs have no side effects. Also, herbs are now used by 33% of all Americans. Asthma, premenstrual syndrome, arthritis, menopausal symptoms, depression, and many other problems are now being cured more and more with the use of herbal medicines, instead of the conventional drugs. Herbs can be found, in different percentages, in tea, syrup, oil, pill and capsule, tincture, and liquid form as well. Not only that, even modern medicines are jam-packed with herbs. In fact, 7000 compounds used in medicine today, are taken from herbs. Moreover, half the medical schools now offer lessons on alternative medicines which include plants as medicines too.
In 1348-50, Europe faced one of the worst pandemics in history: the Black Death. 75-200 million people were killed. After this incident, the use of herbs as medicines was reduced and heavier materials saw an increase in their use such as mercury, lead, arsenic. But the use of herbs has always been on the rise throughout modern history. Herbs are natural healers. And it is because of this convenience that so many people consume herbs. Also, they are obviously very useful to our health. In fact, fresh herbs have more antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables! For those of us who are curious, antioxidants are not some social activists promoting US Fast Cash, they are the substances that fight heart diseases and even cancer! Rosemary, for example, is very rich in antioxidants. Basil, one of the most consumed herb, smells very appealing to us humans, but not so much to house flies and mosquitoes; they feel repulsive to it. Herbs play a big role in aromatic uses too; they are used to make sachets to prevent moths, they are even used in pot pourri!
Viably, herbs have been around human life for centuries. Herbal seeds are discovered from cave settlements that were used as long as half a million years ago. Furthermore, from the toomb the very beautiful Cleopatra, there were found herbal instilled oils and creams. No wonder women still use herbs to beautify themselves!

Steve Jobs Death

Steve Jobs was the cofounder and innovator of apple. He made a great impact in America and all over the world with his techy gadgets.The former CEO of apple had been fighting battles with pancreatic cancer for about two decades. Given that pancreatic cancer is usually fatal; it is hard to believe that someone can live for two years with it. This only means that Steve got the right treatment from the word go. Jobs had the type of pancreatic cancer which was of hormone producing cells. This usually has a life expectancy of about 3 to 6 months.It is amazing that he lived that long but something went terribly wrong along the way.

Given that Steve lived for that long; it means that he did not undergo radiation or chemotherapy. Jobs had a liver transplant done before he got cancer. This led to him taking immune suppressant drugs. Several doctors have come out in the open after jobs death to talk about his cancer and what led to his death. There are those who are of the opinion that his death may have been caused by the suppressants he took after getting a liver transplant.

However, there are also those who are of the opinion that his choice of treatment led to his untimely death. According to experts he would still be alive and kicking today. Experts say he would still be alive if he had used modern medicine instead of alternative remedies.

One Dr. Ramzi Amri who is a researcher at Harvard medical school has an opinion that Steve jobs had a mild case of cancer which is not usually fatal. However, it was his choice of treatment that saw him die early. He also said that the former apple boss went for remedies instead of going for conventional medicine. Dr.Ramzi said that Steve jobs had mild neuroendocrine tumors. According to him, patients with this illness always survive it. Dr.Amri said that patients with this kind of cancer have a 100 percent survival rate.

Steve discovered that he had a tumor in his pancreas in October 2003. His doctors told him that he needed an operation to get cured of the illness. He decided to avoid surgery by opting for alternative treatment. Steve allowed doctors to operate on him nine months later after the tumor had grown. It is true that his choice to go for alternative treatment like having a special diet may have been the root cause for his death.

His idea of “think different” may have taken the best of him and did not allow him to think straight. A lot of people are still wondering how someone who was so technologically empowered could be so ignorant to his health. It goes without say that if Steve jobs would not have gone for alternative remedies, then he would still be alive today. At times thinking differently is not the way to go. He tried to be different even with his health and this cost him his dear life at a productive age of 56 years. Perhaps his alternative treatment was a nomorerack scam.

What are herbal medicines and why are they useful for us?

As a human being and an organic being at that, we may strive to be healthy all the time, but once in a while we get sick due to one of the myriad of disease-causing viruses and bacteria. We then either self-medicate or go to the doctor for a physical check-up. Depending on the kind of disease or sickness we have, medicines and treatment can become very expensive. Before the introduction of “manufactured” medicines that are normally available in pharmacies, our ancestors used plants to treat and heal all kinds of wounds and diseases. Despite great advancements in technology, herbal medicine is still widely used today and very useful for all of us.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, herbal medicine “…also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine — refers to using a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.” It is kind of amazing actually or even mind-boggling how our ancestors, without any formal medical training, were able to identify which plants had healing or medicinal capabilities or potential. What is more astonishing is that our ancestors were able to dissect specific medicinal plants into their different parts, such as roots, leaves, bark, and flowers, and then figured out the particular medicinal use for each part.

Our ancestors used a lot of trial-and-errors to test the medicinal characteristics of different plants. Some indigenous healers even went to the extent of observing sick animals chewing on previously-known bitter herbs that animals normally reject. Animals seem to have a natural instinct for sniffing what are poisonous and what are edible plants that may have potential medicinal properties.

Evidence of the use of plants for medicinal purposes can be found in ancient Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings as early as 3,000 B.C. More proof can be seen in other ancient cultures, such as African and Native American, as different herbs were used in healing rituals. Another amazing fact unearthed by researchers is that people from different parts of the world were inclined to use the exact plant or more or less similar plants for the same medicinal purpose. According to a study by the World Health Organization, 80% of the people around the world depend on herbal medicines for specific parts of their primary health care.

Herbal medicines is used to heal many illness, such as asthma, eczema, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, menopausal symptoms, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic fatigue. Examples of medicinal herbs include Ginkgo for circulatory disorders and memory enhancement, Kava kava for mood elevation and treatment of anxiety, Saw palmetto, St. John’s wort, Valerian, and Echinacea.

All sorts of herbal medicines can now be conveniently bought online through the Internet. It is as easy as when you buy more instagram followers. Although drug administration and regulatory agencies in each country do not necessarily ensure the effectiveness of herbal medicines to cure specific ailments, the agencies do guarantee that herbal medicines as safe alternative cures in accordance with approved manufacturing processes.