Preparation of Medicinal Plants

For thousands of years medicinal relief was obtained through nature. Knowing which plants were the correct ones to treat various ailments and knowing how to prepare them was a vital tool for survival. Today, after decades of relying on pharmaceutical companies, people are, in increasing numbers, returning to the past to learn how to prepare and use plants for medicinal treatments.

Herbal Medicines Require Caution for Success

• Books, courses and other reference materials are readily available to train novices in the art of using plants to prepare medicines. Obviously, preparing a plant the wrong way or preparing and using plant "X" when plant "Y" should have been used is a real and present danger for a beginner, so it is suggested that well-labeled plants be purchased from a reputable health food store and prepared, at least at the beginning, with the assistance of a professional phytotherapist (an herbalist who prepares medicines from plants).

  A common mistake people make when thinking about plant medicines is that these medicines are gentle and harmless--that at best, they can cure or alleviate distressing symptoms, but at worst, they will be absorbed by the body quickly and forgotten. Nothing could be further from the truth. Plant medicines can be as potent, if not more, than pharmaceuticals, and every bit as much care should be used when using them as when using "conventional" medicines. In addition, an herbal medicine can interact badly, even fatally, with a pharmaceutical, so the prescribing doctor and pharmacist should be aware of any plant medications that someone is taking before prescribing any other treatment.

Preparation and Use of Herbal Medications

• Plant medicines can be prepared in a variety of ways. In general, the full plants, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots, buds, seeds, wood or bark of the plant being used are first dried. The second stage of preparation is equally as varied--the dried plant can be immersed in oil, plant juice, alcohol, or blended with another substance. Sometimes it is cooked down first before going on to the next stage of preparation.

  Depending on the need, the substance can either be made into a tincture for applying externally, cooked into a tea, used as a gargle, made into a poultice which can be wrapped on an affected body part, massaged into the skin, or eaten. In some cultures, the plant is sprayed on the person being treated, or even used in a bath.

Responsible Care is in the Hands of the Patient

• With the resources available today to the general population, there is no excuse for an individual to leave their medical care solely in the hands of a "conventional" health care professional. Each individual must take ownership of her own health, which can include conventional and alternative treatments. Plant medicines have much to offer, but care must be taken to ensure that their preparation is done properly for it to be effective and do no harm.