Herbalism is an ancient method which uses natural plants/herbs to treat various ailments. While many people believe herbal remedies to be old and "all in your head," there is a community interested in treating illnesses with them.  Treating illnesses with herbs started thousands of years ago, long before modern medicine was invented.  Plants were prominent in the Greek and Egyptian cultures a few thousand years ago especially. Some scientists even think herbs were used as medicine as far back as 60,000 years ago!

 

Modern medicine today refers to herbal remedies as a form of “alternative medicine” because it is not scientifically proven, even though 25% of modern drugs come from plant based materials, according to The World Health Organization. It is a big controversy and everyone will tell you something different about them. 

 

The side effects are fewer, and less dangerous, according to Stephen Williams.  Williams has a Bachelor of Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Texas College of TCM in Austin, Texas.  He mentioned that the results do take longer to be able to tell if a certain herb is working for you or not.

 

According to The World Health organization, 80% of the people in some Asian and African countries participate in herbal treatments for their illnesses.  The majority of the county’s inhabitants are poor, and herbs are what they’ve always known to use.  Herbs can be grown at home for little cost, which makes them more appealing to poorer areas, such as these.

 

If you are interested in seeing what herbal treatments can do for you, check out Williams' list located HERE.

If you would like to see remedies separated by gender, you can visit these sites: Men or Women