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Knowing More About Herbal Remedies

15th October, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Herbal products are enjoying renewed popularity, but are they right for you? The effectiveness of herbs and spices for medicinal purposes depends on your current health and medical history. As with over the counter and prescription drugs, herbal products have active ingredients that can affect how your body functions.

If you have certain illnesses, then herbal supplements can in fact pose a risk to your health. However, herbal products must be treated with the same care as traditional medicines because natural herbs contain active ingredients that can be dangerous.

When was the last time you bought an over the counter medication without reading the label? Probably never! Herbal health products are not as closely regulated as traditional medicines, so it’s even more important that you get as much information as possible before taking them.

herbal products
According to FDA standards, manufacturers of these products made of herbs must evaluate the identity, purity, strength and composition of their dietary supplements to ensure that they contain what their labels claim and are free of contaminants. While that sounds encouraging, not all supplements are tested and do not require FDA approval before going on the market.

Choosing a high quality herbal supplement is crucial to effective herbal therapy. Surprisingly, this is harder than it sounds because FDA regulations governing supplements are still being phased in.

To choose the best herbal remedies you should look for labels that indicate the supplement has met manufacturing standards for uniformity, cleanliness and freedom from environmental contaminants, such as lead, mercury or drugs. The label should also clearly state how much of the herb each dose contains.

medicinal herbs
Some products are mixtures of several herbs with unknown proportions of each. Before you take any herbs, be aware of the active ingredient and how it can interact with traditional pharmaceuticals and other herbs.

There are some people who are at greater risk of serious reactions to herbs used for medicinal purposes. Some herbs can cause serious side effects when mixed with prescription and over the counter drugs such as aspirin, blood thinners or blood pressure medications.

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, then you should exercise extra caution as medications that may be safe for you as an adult may be harmful to your fetus or your breast-feeding infant. You should also be careful if you expect to undergo any kind of surgery.

Many herbal supplements can decrease the effectiveness of anesthetics or cause dangerous complications, such as bleeding or high blood pressure. Tell your doctor about any herbs you’re taking or considering taking as soon as you know you need surgery. Stop using herbal health products at least 2 weeks before surgery, or sooner if your doctor recommends it.

There are many factors to consider when choosing herbal supplement. Herbal products and supplements may not be safe if you have certain health concerns, such as blood clotting problems, cancer, diabetes, an enlarged prostate gland, epilepsy, glaucoma, heart disease, high blood pressure, immune system problems, liver problems or mental illness.

herbal extracts
Herbal health products or supplements can affect the way the body processes drugs. When this happens, your medicine may not work the way it should. To avoid this problem talk to your doctor before taking herbal supplements.

Knowledge is the key to good health, so learn as much as you can to get the real benefits from natural herbal remedies.