Herbal medicine is extracted from WHOLE plants, containing an array of constituents which can often address a couple of therapeutic actions at once. By using the whole plant, the different constituents synergistically work together so that the effect of the whole herb is greater than the sum of each part. Unsurprisingly the naturally occurring chemicals and nutrients within a plant, retained in the final product, facilitate absorption too. This is one of the reasons it is challenging to standardise and measure the effect of pharmacological activity in herbal medicine outside of clinical experience. Here are a couple of examples of pharmaceuticals that come from herbs:
Aspirin is a commonly used pain relieving and anti-inflammatory drug. The therapeutic constituent 'Salicin' comes from Salicylic acid which comes from white willow bark. Aspirin is now synthetically synthesised, though based on the same structure.
White willow bark (Salix alba) is used today as a herbal medicine with analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions
Morphine, oxycontin and codeine are potent analgesics that bind to opiate receptors in the brain to relieve pain. They were originally extracted from the Opium poppy which is highly addictive.
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is from the same family as the Opium poppy but does not have the same addictive qualities and is far more mild. Today we prescribe California poppy to reduce pain, inflammation and to calm the nervous system.
Pharmaceutical drugs are typically made from one isolated constituent delivered at a high dose to achieve a desired outcome.
Interestingly, more than 25% of conventional drugs are actually isolated from herbs or are a modification of their constituents.
When we take a pharmaceutical drug we are ingesting a high dose of an isolated constituent that does not mimic nature at all. Pharmaceutical drugs are amazing, they hold the potential to prolong life, treat diabetes, heart disease, cancer and are undeniably the only option in some cases, but they do come with side effects.
Herbal medicines are associated with less harmful side effects. Herbs CAN have side effects but they are less severe given that the active constituents are present in far lower doses as they are not isolated compounds - you would need to consume unrealistically large quantities of herbs to come close to pharmaceutical doses! Though it is tricky to compare the two given that herbal medicine adverse events are reported far less frequently than pharmaceutical adverse events and more pharmaceuticals are taken than herbal medicines in general. Side effects caused by herbal medicines are often due to poor quality, adulterated products and self-prescribing. Herbal medicines are a safe alternative when prescribed by a qualified practitioner, are from a quality-assured practitioner-only company and prescribed in accordance with contraindications or interactions with pharmaceuticals.
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