The Alternative Health Gazette

There’s another very important trend you should know about where herbal remedies are concerned, because we’ve seen it far to often in recent years and it really causes a lot of confusion for many people.

Garlic is an herb you will see mentioned for use in many remedies. This is because garlic is quite powerful. It is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, and antifungal herb.

The primary healing compound in Garlic is called Allicin. One milligram of allicin has the same potency as 15 standard units of Penicillin. Allicin however, is also the source of the strong smell Garlic has. And unfortunately, it has become popular these days to buy “odor free” Garlic tablets, capsules, pills and liquids. What people don’t realize though, is that without the odor, the garlic is almost powerless. Because it’s primary healing ingredient has been removed along with the odor.

This is unfortunately another marketing and sales tactic. Many people don’t want to have “garlic breath” all day long, so the idea of getting all the healing benefits without the smell is quite appealing. It’s a waste of time and money though, because again: It will not work if it’s odorless. A better option is to eat some fresh parsley or take any other herb which is also high in Chlorophyll, to neutralize the garlic smell.

And last but not least for this part of our series, you need to be aware that some herbs can have side effects, and interactions with other medications - herbal or prescription.

There are herbs which will cause problems if too much is taken for instance. The cayenne example we gave earlier is a common one, if you take a large dose of cayenne in pill form without eating, you will get a burning sensation in your stomach. This hurts for some people.

Other herbs have more severe consequences though. If an insulin dependant diabetic takes too much golden seal for instance, they could go into shock because golden seal is a natural source of insulin. The same applies to hypoglycemics, too much golden seal can drop their blood sugar levels too low.

A popular herb used for hot flashes during menopause is Black Cohosh, and this herb can cause headaches if too much is taken. Other herbs can cause spikes in blood pressure, and there are even some which will cause a pregnant woman to have a miscarriage.

So it’s very important to learn everything you can about all the effects an herb has. Often herbs will become popular for just one reason, and no one has any idea the same herb can be used for a variety of other things, or may cause a variety of other problems.

And be sure you learn how to read labels, to make sure you’re getting the proper potency of herbs you buy, and to be sure you’re not adding misc other chemicals into your system that could be potentially harmful.

Using Medicinal Herbs Part 1…

Using Medicinal Herbs Part 2…

Other Alternative Health Topics...
Arthritis Candida Colon Health Constipation Depression Diabetes Fungus hemmeroids hemmoroids hemoroids Hemorrhoids hemroids Herbal Basics Herbs Insomnia Joints Kidney Health Liver Health Menopause Metabolism piles Skin Care Womens Health Yeast Yeast Infections