How to Choose the Best and Safest Herbal Medicine for You

Herbal medicine can be a great wellness tool, whether you crack out the echinacea when you feel a cold coming on, or deal with the musty taste of valerian to help induce sleep. However, the mistake many people make with herbal medicine is that they accentuate the “herbal” over the “medicine” – that is to say, they forget that that it can have a serious affect on your health if taken improperly. Therefore, you need to follow five sensible principles when considering herbal medicines.

 

1. Educate yourself: It’s important to do your homework with regards to complementary wellness, as it’s much easier to get it wrong. Not only do you need to know what herb will be the most beneficial to your wellbeing, but you also need to understand the level of effectiveness in each part of the herb, as the root, say, may be more potent than the flower or leaf. Stinging nettles, for example, are used in the treatment of benign prostate problems, and both the roots and flowers contain an anti-inflammatory compound known as scopoletin. However, only the roots have the steroid-like compounds that herbalists recommend if prostate problems affect your wellness, and so this part of the plant is best. Pass on supplements that don’t list the specific or right part of the herb.

 

2. Read the label: This is vital in all areas of health, not just in alternative therapies. If you put anything into your body, you should definitely know what it is! When it comes to herbal supplements, you’re looking for the scientific name of the herb, the part of the plant it uses (as you now know which part you’re after) and an expiration date. It’s also a good idea to find out the plant’s place of origin and whether it has been grown organically or wild-crafted (picked in the wild), but the labels don’t always specify this information, as it isn’t essential. The first three points, however, are, so don’t touch a supplement that doesn’t list the scientific name, part and expiration date.

 

3. Go for quality…: More often than not, bargain brands are sold in cheap, discount shops and it’s far better to stick with brands from reputable health-food stores. Due to a lack of regulation, herbal medicines don’t go through the same rigorous checks as pharmaceuticals, as manufacturers can use the “supplement” loophole – it’s only an add-on, not a replacement to a healthy diet, exercise or Western medical practises. This loophole means that herbal medicines can get away with all sorts of claims on the label or in the advertisements that aren’t necessarily true. Therefore, you need to be able to trust the provider as much as possible.

 

4. Don’t go for quantity: Sticking with single herbs is a good rule to follow when you’re starting out, unless you are recommended a specific formula by a trustworthy herbal practitioner. It’s like experimenting with cooking herbs; the best way is to use one at a time until you know how it tastes, and then you start blending them as you gain the knowledge and experience you need to make it work. With medicinal herbs you can apply the same principle; start off slowly, learn how each herb affects you, and then you can begin to blend them or use pre-made herbal formulas. Again, reading the label is key here as you need to know how much of each herb the formula contains.

 

5. Don’t do it alone: While these are all handy tips to get you started, you should never start using herbal medicine without the advice of a complementary wellness expert. Look online to find a healer who is qualified to practice herbal medicine, and consult him or her – and your GP – before taking anything new.

Categories: complementary wellness, expiration date, herb, herbal, herbal medicine, herbal medicines, medicine, nbsp, one at a time, prostate problems, quality, Read the label

How to Choose the Best and Safest Herbal Medicine for You

Herbal medicine can be a great wellness tool, whether you crack out the echinacea when you feel a cold coming on, or deal with the musty taste of valerian to help induce sleep. However, the mistake many people make with herbal medicine is that they accentuate the “herbal” over the “medicine” – that is to say, they forget that that it can have a serious affect on your health if taken improperly. Therefore, you need to follow five sensible principles when considering herbal medicines.

 

1. Educate yourself: It’s important to do your homework with regards to complementary wellness, as it’s much easier to get it wrong. Not only do you need to know what herb will be the most beneficial to your wellbeing, but you also need to understand the level of effectiveness in each part of the herb, as the root, say, may be more potent than the flower or leaf. Stinging nettles, for example, are used in the treatment of benign prostate problems, and both the roots and flowers contain an anti-inflammatory compound known as scopoletin. However, only the roots have the steroid-like compounds that herbalists recommend if prostate problems affect your wellness, and so this part of the plant is best. Pass on supplements that don’t list the specific or right part of the herb.

 

2. Read the label: This is vital in all areas of health, not just in alternative therapies. If you put anything into your body, you should definitely know what it is! When it comes to herbal supplements, you’re looking for the scientific name of the herb, the part of the plant it uses (as you now know which part you’re after) and an expiration date. It’s also a good idea to find out the plant’s place of origin and whether it has been grown organically or wild-crafted (picked in the wild), but the labels don’t always specify this information, as it isn’t essential. The first three points, however, are, so don’t touch a supplement that doesn’t list the scientific name, part and expiration date.

 

3. Go for quality…: More often than not, bargain brands are sold in cheap, discount shops and it’s far better to stick with brands from reputable health-food stores. Due to a lack of regulation, herbal medicines don’t go through the same rigorous checks as pharmaceuticals, as manufacturers can use the “supplement” loophole – it’s only an add-on, not a replacement to a healthy diet, exercise or Western medical practises. This loophole means that herbal medicines can get away with all sorts of claims on the label or in the advertisements that aren’t necessarily true. Therefore, you need to be able to trust the provider as much as possible.

 

4. Don’t go for quantity: Sticking with single herbs is a good rule to follow when you’re starting out, unless you are recommended a specific formula by a trustworthy herbal practitioner. It’s like experimenting with cooking herbs; the best way is to use one at a time until you know how it tastes, and then you start blending them as you gain the knowledge and experience you need to make it work. With medicinal herbs you can apply the same principle; start off slowly, learn how each herb affects you, and then you can begin to blend them or use pre-made herbal formulas. Again, reading the label is key here as you need to know how much of each herb the formula contains.

 

5. Don’t do it alone: While these are all handy tips to get you started, you should never start using herbal medicine without the advice of a complementary wellness expert. Look online to find a healer who is qualified to practice herbal medicine, and consult him or her – and your GP – before taking anything new.

Categories: complementary wellness, expiration date, herb, herbal, herbal medicine, herbal medicines, medicine, nbsp, one at a time, prostate problems, quality, Read the label

Salt Shakers: How to Consume Less Sodium In Your Diet

Having too much sodium in your diet can lead to a whole host of health problems, and the main issue is that most of us don’t know how much sodium we’re getting. Although your body needs sodium to transmit nerve impulses, maintain fluid balance and help in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, you need less than 2,300 mg a day – which is about 1,100 less than the average diet contains. So, what can you do to cut back on sodium?

 

1. Eat fresh: You’ll find low levels of sodium in most fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as in fresh sources of meat. However, you should steer clear of bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham.

 

2. Look on the label: If you really can’t get over your love for processed foods, at least pick the ones that say “low sodium” on the label. Still, it’s better to buy plain, wholegrain rice and pasta than those found in ready-meals or with added seasonings. When buying any food items, watch out for salt-containing ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate, sodium citrate and sodium nitrate. You should also avoid products with more than 200 mg of sodium per serving, and make sure you know how many servings are in a package

 

3. Revamp your recipes: It may not be the way your grandmother made it but you should remove salt from recipes whenever you can. Often, you won’t even notice salt is gone, especially in hearty meals like casseroles, soups, stews and other main dishes. If you need a little more inspiration, find cookbooks that focus on guarding your wellbeing against high blood pressure and heart disease.

 

4. Cut down on condiments: Although they don’t make up a huge part of your diet, condiments are not worth the salt-content they give you. There’s sodium in soy sauce, salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish, so it’s better to flavour your food with delicious herbs, rather than throwing on some sauce at the end. Fresh or dried herbs, spices, zest from citrus fruit, and fruit juices can really help to jazz up your meals.

 

5. Be suspicious of substitutes: Let’s get this straight right now; sea salt is not a good substitute for table salt – they have the same sodium content. You can get “light” salts which contain a mixture of table salt and other compounds, but this often means that you use even more of the light salts to achieve the salty taste you’re used to. Plus, a lot of these substitutes contain potassium chloride which, when eaten in excess, can threaten your wellbeing. This is certainly the case if you have kidney problems or if you’re taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

 

6. Learn the lingo: Manufacturers make cleverly-worded claims about the sodium content of food, so you need to learn the difference between good marketing and a low-sodium product. If it says sodium-free or salt-free, there will be less than 5 mg of sodium in each serving. The label “very low sodium” indicates a sodium content of 35 mg or less per serving, while “low sodium” means a serving containing 140 mg of sodium or less, and reduced or less sodium means that the product contains at least 25% less sodium than the regular version. For a product to be “light” in sodium, the sodium content needs to be reduced by at least 50% from the regular version and, finally, unsalted or no salt added means that no salt has been added to the food, but the product, or some of its ingredients, may still be naturally high in sodium.

Categories: blood pressure, high blood, light salts, Read the label, regular version, Salt, sodium, sodium content, sodium means, substitutes, table salt