Three reasons why herbal medicine is abandoned…
Herbal medicine is different from orthodox medicine, and not just because of what it is made from. There are some very big differences that may put people off, even if they would really like to try it…
1. Taste and Smell
I once had a middle-aged man as a patient who wanted help with his insomnia. As well as going through the usual ‘sleep hygiene’ advice [don’t drink caffeine-containing drinks after lunch, make sure you are physically tired when you go to bed, retire the same time every night, switch off all screens an hour before bed, etc., etc.] I made him up 200mls of a rich sedative mix that I had always found to be very effective. It contained tinctures of Valerian root and Cramp Bark, and I was pretty confident as to its success.
When he came back for his next appointment, I was surprised to discover that his sleep had not improved at all.
‘I usually find this mix helps most people to sleep,’ I said, ‘Did you take the correct dose as written on the label?’
‘Ah,’ he was looking a little sheepish. ‘I only tried it the first night. As soon as I opened the bottle the smell was so strong my wife refused to sleep with me if I continued to take it…’
Have you ever smelt Cramp Bark tincture? For a medicine made from the bark of such a beautiful bush as the Guelder Rose it has a pretty strong scent which some people find offensive. I used to give it to my daughters when they had period pain as it is a brilliant muscle relaxant [hence the alternative name of Cramp Bark]. At one time we lived in one of those long thin Edwardian semi-detached houses where the kitchen seems miles away from the front door, and yet as soon as the bottle was opened in the kitchen someone coming in at the front could be heard to exclaim what is that awful smell?
I have often made really effective tea mixes from medicinal herbs that unfortunately have an odd taste and have taken a will of iron for patients to neck down. I have to keep saying herbal medicine isn’t supposed to taste nice, and it really doesn’t, especially the bitter tasting ones. To a certain extent I have bent to accommodate my patients by making a lot of my mixes into capsules, however the bitter taste is so necessary for our bodies to recognise as it has specific responses in our brains which contribute to the health of our digestive system. And the act of brewing up a medicinal tea has the added benefit of being a form of self-care as opposed to mindlessly taking pills.
To people who baulk at the thought of herbal medicine because of the taste or smell I understand your point of view, considering the ease by which you can get hold of orthodox medication which you can get in a tablet; but I also feel like saying ‘man up’.
2. Time & commitment
Mrs W said something interesting on her second appointment.
‘I followed all your advice for the first week and I felt really well, then in the second week, I don’t know, I sort of lost the plot and I didn’t feel so good…’
What had happened after the first week? Mrs W. explained that after the initial enthusiasm of changing her diet and taking her prescription, she gradually found that it became more and more difficult to commit to her diet. The biggest problem was surviving without wheat-based products. She used to have toast for breakfast, a wrap, or crumpets for lunch, and sometimes a pie, pasta, or pizza for dinner. She had always eaten a lot of vegetables, fruits and salads and thought that automatically made her diet healthy.
She had been surprised at how quickly she had felt an improvement by leaving wheat out of her diet, but after seven days the longing for crusty white bread and butter had become overwhelming. The sheer effort of completely redefining her diet and finding new things to eat to replace old favourites had become very time consuming.
It is one thing to be in control of your food when in charge of your own kitchen [especially if you live alone] but if you are a Mum cooking for a whole family with young kids and they are not happy with a change of diet, what options have you got other than eating what they eat, forcefully denying them pizza, or cooking two meals? Or if you are on a very low income, or a student living in Halls, or a guy whose wife refuses to change what she dishes up? It’s complicated.
Apart from diet, some of the remedies I have prescribed have taken a different type of commitment. I have advised castor oil packs for fibroids [which does work but takes time and can get messy…]. Instead of taking Ibuprofen for a twisted ankle I advise a foot bath with arnica, wintergreen, and comfrey. But do people really have time to organise a foot bath each evening with bowl, water, tinctures, and towels?
3. Cost
And then there is the cost. All my patients can go to a GP and get free advice on every health issue that comes up, and then they can go to the Pharmacy with a prescription and under certain circumstances they can get their medicines free. Or at least if they have to pay it will almost definitely be less than I charge.
When people take the decision to see me for advice, they have to pay me. Then they have to pay for medicines that I make up myself, often derived from organic materials that I have either grown or picked in the wild. Of course this sort of medicine is liable to be more expensive than pills made industrially in a factory, and I can understand people being hesitant if I cannot guarantee that I can help them.
This all may sound a little depressing…
For people to take my advice they will probably have to adjust their diet, take medicine that may very well smell and taste unpleasant, take time to administer topical treatments or brew special teas, and then pay me with no guarantees that all will work out fine.
But they do.
When herbs work they are magnificent. Not only are they therapeutically active, they provide the body with nutrients and build health. Modern medicines may stop you dying, but they don’t make you well. Herbs can.
