Ancient Herbs and Modern Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference Guide
to Medicinal Herbs, Human Ailments and Possible Herbal Remedies
by James Kedzie Sayre.
Copyright 2001. All rights reserved.
Do medicinal herbal remedies work?
This is the million dollar question. On one hand, we have folk medical
traditions that have been handed down through countless generations for
hundreds and in many cases, thousands of years. On the other hand, we have
modern scientific double-blind testing procedures with placebos as well
as active drugs or herbs being given to groups of patients. Unfortunately,
this modern drug testing procedure is very expensive, with the testing of
one individual drug sometimes costing many millions of dollars. Since there
is no way to patent or otherwise create a legal monopoly in the market of
medicinal herbs, there is little or no incentive for private pharmaceutical
corporations to bother with the testing of plant herbs. The general public
and the United States government have also shown little interest in financing
the testing of herbal medicinal plants. For the most part, people are on
their own, andhave to rely on anecdotal evidence and our inherited cultural
information about these medicinal plant herbs. Some research has been done
in this country on the subject of medicinal herbs; more research has been
done in Europe, China and India. In Germany, the Federal Health Department
has taken the lead in scientifically evaluating herbs and their medicinal
uses. The German Commission E has recently published these evaluations.
End.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please feel free to Email the author at sayresayre@yahoo;com. sayresayre@yahoo.com
Web pages originally designed by Bottlebrush Press and recently revised by James Sayre.
Contact author James K. Sayre at sayresayre@yahoo.com. sayresayre@yahoo.com
Copyright 2003 by Bottlebrush Press. All Rights Reserved.
Web page last updated on 14 May 2003.