Many pharmaceutical drugs are based on the active constituents of plants or natures microorganisms. Modern anti-biotics were based on the Penicillium mould, and modern day aspirin originally came from the plant willow bark. These natural plants and microorganisms were studied in a laboratory and the active constituent (the part that creates the desired effect) extracted, the composition evaluated, and broken down to the chemical elements. This was then reproduced on a massive scale to create modern day antibiotics and aspirin. The rest, as they say, is history.However, there is one part of this story that has been over looked by the scientists, which is why I believe plant medicines are superior to pharmaceutical drugs. Plant medicines include the whole or whole components of a plant as opposed to pharmaceuticals, that only take what is considered the “active” part of the plant. This is then manufactured in synthetic form (so that it can be patented) and marketed for that benefit. Herbal or plant medicines, on the other hand, use the whole plant because of the belief that the other excipients (elements) of the plant, which science have not yet discovered are “useful”. The additional plant parts work in conjunction with the “active’component of the plant to support the desired effect.
Herbalists believe that one of the roles of these less active parts of the plant are to counteract the side-effects. The manufacture of the chemical composition of the “active” part of the drug to create a pill removes the additional “non-active” plant parts, which means that side effects are more likely to occur with these manufactured drugs. This is one of the benefits of herbal medicine over pharmaceutical products made in a laboratory. Why then do the pharmaceutical companies not just put all the chemical components of the plant into the drug? One reason is because you can not patent nature, so there is no way for the drug company to gain an competitive advantage and make money from a natural product. When it comes to deciding whether to use nature or pharmaceuticals it is a matter of weighing up the benefits of the natural plant vs the controlled and measure production process of the synthetic drug. Although many herbal medicines these days are factory produced, under stringent quality control, natural plants and organisms do have the fact that they are a product of nature that is always changing.
Can the plant medicines be interchanged with the pharmaceuticals?
The answer to this question is, it depends. Part of the manufacturing process can increase the strength of the natural product, which is why the pharmaceutical companies would call it a superior product. Many herbal medicine practitioners believe that it is not just about the strength of the dose, but also the intention and additional support given to the patient/client, that brings about the desired effect. There are some practitioners that use drop dosing (very low doses – by drops) that produces exceptional results for their clients, particularly in children and sensitive clients. As a naturopath and a herbalist, I have a confession, I don’t like using herbal remedies and supplements all the time. There is definitely a place for them but, long term, any form of medication (natural or synthetic) is just adding another layer of complexity to a health problem.
If the only thing I offer my clients is another type of pill or medicine (even if it is almost always better than a pharmaceutical drug*), then my approach isn’t any better than the drug pushing medical profession. Herbal medicines and supplements are a great tool to help treat symptoms and/or bring the body back into a state of balance, but they are not (nor should pharmaceutical drugs) a long-term solutio
