Why Herbs Work :: Holistic Healing

Why Herbs Work
by author Rowan Hamilton, MNIMH, Dip Phyt

For most people, herbs are an enigma. In a world where electricity makes radios work, gas makes cars work and drugs make bad bacteria die [sometimes], it is a huge mental leap to the complexity of why herbs work. This leap is taxing science and medicine in North America.

One of the world's leading research chemists, with many years of experience in investigating the herb feverfew, spoke at a recent conference in Vancouver. He said it was not known which constituents of feverfew were the active ingredients, nor why the plant has a beneficial effect on the treatment of migraine. He informed us that the constituent parthenolide was chosen as a marker so that researchers could identify the plant chemically. Worldwide research has isolated over 50 separate chemical constituents in feverfew, all of which will have an effect in the body, however, slight.

However, a recent textbook on Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology calls parthenolide the anti-migraine principle in feverfew. This book states that parthenolide acts as a serotonin antagonist resulting in an inhibition of the release of serotonin from blood platelets. (Serotonin is a chemical, produced in our body, which amongst other actions constricts blood vessels).

Examination of research into migraine shows that while some researchers consider that serotonin is a contributing factor, the short answer is that, as far as medical understanding is concerned, the cause is unknown. This recurrent theme in the medical understanding of disease is mirrored in the modern study of herbs.

In many herbs, the interactions are so complex as to be beyond the present levels of scientific understanding. But in medicine, this is not new. In the pharmaceutical textbooks many descriptions of modern drugs are followed by the phrase 'the exact mechanism of action is not known, however it is believed..." When drawn into this area of uncertainty, the science of herbal medicine appears subject to the same limitations and beliefs.

Whatever You Say–It Works!

Fortunately for us, the academic logjam outlined above doesn't have a detrimental effect on the humble feverfew. In Britain in the 1980s, formal clinical trials demonstrated that the leaves of feverfew were effective in the treatment of migraine, reducing its frequency. This investigation of a plant, which had been recommended for violent headaches in Dr John Hill's 1808 Family Herbal, began when the wife of a Welsh doctor ended her 50-year-old history of migraines with a course of feverfew. Now in Canada standardized preparations of feverfew have been approved by Health Canada for over-the-counter sale.

Chemists, researchers and medical academics search for the elusive parts of feverfew to treat a disease they don't understand. In the meantime, increasing numbers of people who suffer from this debilitating condition find relief just by taking the whole herb. By no means is feverfew a cure for all migraines, but it has made significant changes to the lives of countless sufferers.

Preparations made from the whole herb are most effective. This is known because generations of medical experience are being increasingly validated and enlarged upon by modern clinical trials. Scientific trials conducted extensively in Asian and European hospitals and universities–and increasingly in North America–are monitoring the actions and effects of whole herbs. These trials give us more information about what herbs do when used for the physical conditions with which they have been traditionally associated, and in some cases add to our knowledge.

Go Ahead, Eat the Whole Thing

Whole plants or extracts may deliver a complex of constituents, which may include oils, vitamins and minerals. Major constituents may act directly on the parts of the body which are the focus of a disease. Other components of the plant can, for instance, support weakness in the body or aid the removal of toxins, contributing to the low incidence of 'side effects' experienced by users of herbs. As we come to understand the full complexity of the body, plants appear more suited to support health than the single 'magic bullets' of pharmaceutical drugs.

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Rowan Hamilton is a lecturer in Botanical Medicine at the West Coast College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Source: alive #209, March 2000

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