Herbal remedies are taking over the drug industry at a very fast rate and many are increasingly using them to treat all kind of ailments or as supplements.
However, a lot of side effects of these herbs are not widely known as the manufacturers of these herbs are usually not required to send proof of safety and efficacy to the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for approval before being dispatched.
Recent researches are showing that some herbal remedies do indeed have side effects as follows:
Ginko Biloba has been reported to cause spontaneous bleeding.
St. Johns wort is known to cause gastrointestinal problems, allergic issues, exhaustion, confusion, a dry mouth, and photosensitivity. If you manifest these side effects, you may need to seek medical attention.
Herbal supplements are also useful and can be taken daily as they are often very rich in vitamins and minerals especially calcium and magnesium. Common herbal supplements are St. Johns Wort, ginseng, fennel and Echinacea.
Some of the household plants such as rosemary, basil and garlic are also considered herbs and have powerful therapeutic properties. They can be incorporated into many meals and are usually best to be taken raw as heat could sometimes reduce their healing properties
Ephedra (Mahuang)is responsible for causing insomnia, nervousness, hypothermia, tremor, severe headaches, seizure, myocardial infarction, kidney stones.
Kava could cause lingual dyskinesia, sedation, torticollis, enhancement of Parkinson's disease, oculogyric crisis, intense movements of the trunk, and rashes.
In addition, certain herbs are known to produce severe side effects if taken with commercial pharmaceutical drugs. For example, Gingko Biloba may produce more severe bleeding in patients that also take aspirin and warfarin, Ephedra may produce hallucination-like symptoms if taken with alcohol or caffeine.
A study also shows that approximately 25% of patients consulting doctors for serious ailments opt to use alternative medicines while only 70% of them are telling their doctors about it.
Therefore, every patient must consult their physicians as well as herbalists before taking any herbal remedy and must adhere to prescribed dosage. This is because herbal medicines could have the effects of drugs such as marijuana which can be very dangerous if they are taken unknowingly with other commercial drugs and without proper guidance for a long period of time.
Overall herbal remedy cures offer a much more cost effective advantage verse over the counter medicine. The pros far outway the cons and I suggest everyone should at least look into herbal remedies to help cure an illness or at least use as a preventive measure.
Daniel Millions
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Herbal RemedyDaniel Millions
