What is Herbal Medicine? Really, the term herbal medicine may be a misnomer, since it implies that only herbs are used in this form of medicine. In practice, herbal medicine could better be described as plant based medicine, since it includes the use of all forms of plant life, including tree bark, roots, flowers and all other plant forms. This expanded definition of herbal medicine is the oldest and most widely used medical practise in the world.

How Does Herbal Medicine Differ from Conventional Medicine?

In order to understand how herbal medicine differs from what we call conventional medicine, we need to first define "conventional medicine." In the West, conventional medicine is usually interpreted to mean drug-based medicine. Until Louis Pasteur introduced the germ theory of disease in the late 19th century, there was no line of demarcation between herbal and "modern" medicine. Pasteur's discoveries led researchers to look for treatments that could kill germs in bacteria-infected patients and discover treatments for preventing the onset of viral diseases. They began by extracting active ingredients in plants and then went on to synthetically making chemical versions of these ingredients and looking for new chemical compositions to fight disease.

Until the 1930s, medical schools in the United States and elsewhere taught plant-based medicine alongside the newer form of medicine. Then a shift in attitude occurred and in order for a student to become a licensed medical doctor, he had to study what has now become known as "conventional medicine" exclusively. As a consequence, for several decades, herbal medicine fell out of favour in western cultures.

The Re-Discovery of Herbal Medicine

The gentle efficacy of herbal and other plant-based medicines was never entirely neglected.  As more sophisticated means of analysing and isolating the naturally occurring chemicals in various plant species were discovered, scientists were able to unearth their secrets and gradually, herbal medicine is being accepted by the scientific and medical establishments again. Officially, herbal medicines are classified as supplements. As such, they are available without prescription and do not require rigorous testing to ensure their safety or efficacy. In the opinion of most advocates of herbal medicines, these have been established in the "laboratory" of time over countless generations and continue to be tested as newer generations re-discover herbal medicine.

Throughout Australia, herbal medicine and related natural therapies are again being taught in schools and colleges and we are benefiting from the resurgence of academic interest in these ancient therapies. In past centuries, distance and language barriers prevented herbal medical practitioners from sharing their knowledge and resources. Today, these barriers have been removed and we are better able to appreciate, study and utilise the global wisdom that has been passed down throughout the ages. European, Indian Ayurvedic, Chinese Traditional Medicine and other herbal medical practitioners are all represented in Australia today.

Find an herbalist near you and re-discover herbal medicine.