People have been using herbs for thousands of years to meet their health needs. Self care is still the primary use of herbs. While we must always respect the power of herbs, they are really foods with medicinal qualities. As nutrients, they are able to address both the symptoms and causes of a problem. As nourishment, herbs offer the body nutrients it may not always receive, either because of poor diet, or environmental deficiencies in the soil and air. As medicine, herbs are essentially body balancers that work with the body functions, so that it can heal and regulate itself.
Here are the facts:
- Research from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, report NO deaths as a results of dietary supplement use. Some experts say that there are no credible reports of deaths caused by dietary supplements (including herbal supplements) in this century.
- However, Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) or interactions are estimated to be between the 4th and 6th leading cause of death in the United States—with a death toll of over 200,000 people each year!
Most commercial herbs, as edible plants, are as extremely safe to take as foods. Herbs offer a rich variety of healing elements with almost no side effects. Occasionally, a mild allergy-type reaction may occur as it might occur to a food, a personal response to a certain plant. The key to avoiding an adverse reaction is moderation. Anything taken to excess can cause side effects.
To Life-long Health,