Question

Herbalists are specialized CAM practitioners who accumulate extensive knowledge of botanical sources and their proper applications. Professional herbalists maintain a distinct status, undergoing rigorous training as apprentices and gaining immense experience in identifying and preparing organic treatments. Herbalism, as with any healing practice, must observe the impact of treatment on specialized groups.

Based on the above statements, answer the following questions:

• Herbalism is sometimes cited as the precursor to modern pharmacy. Is this statement accurate? Justify.
• What caveats must exist when treating pregnant or breast-feeding women with herbal therapies?
• Parents may feel that herbal medicine is a safer remedy for their children. Is this supported by the herbalists and CAM practitioners?
• Why is herb use for the elderly a particularly important point of discussion for patients and practitioners?

Answer 1

• Herbal products is one of the widely used CAM therapy. However, the statement “Herbalism is sometimes cited as the precursor to modern pharmacy” is not accurate because the different systems of medicine were evolved simultaneously. The herbal medicine includes the plant products and their extracts, while the allopathic or modern pharmacy includes various isolated plant compounds and synthetic drugs. Herbalists do not explore or share the assumptions of their medical systems, while the modern pharmacies do.
• No single system can be used for the treatment of all types of diseases and disorders. Another thing is, these complementary medical systems mostly use the natural drugs, but we cannot state that all natural products are non-toxic, there are toxic products from the nature as well.
• For example, most of the herbal drugs produce interactions with anticoagulants. For example, Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, and St. John’s wart can increase the risk of bleeding when administered along with warfarin. So, they cannot be used in pregnant and breast feeding women as the effects of herbal drugs on these patient groups are not completely explored. They must be used with care in children, and the assumption “all herbal drugs are safe” is incorrect.
• Herbal medication use in the elderly population is an important point for discussion because their pharmacokinetics change as the functioning of vital organs including the metabolic organs (kidneys and liver) also change. This alter the drug plasma levels, which can lead to drug toxicity in these population.