A herbal remedy is something which is administered to treat a condition which comes from a herb. There are many medicines that have been derived from herbs and plants but a herbal remedy tends to be thought to be something which has not be prescribed by a doctor and can be purchased off the shelf.
However, a herbal remedy is defined as any medication prepared from plants and so that can include ones which are prescription drugs such as aspirin.
Sometimes herbal remedies do not just include herbs but any parts of plants or trees such as bark, leaves and roots are used.
The prescription and over the counter medicines have undergone rigorous laboratory tests but other herbal remedies may not have done so and although there is probably evidence to show that they are effective, how they react with other medicines and the quantities that should be taken, may not have been studied so thoroughly.
It is therefore just as important to be careful when taking an off the shelf herbal remedy as one which is taken on prescription or over the counter.
Comments are closed.