Herbal medicine is the study and practice of using plants as medicine. Herbal medicine is one of the oldest practices in medicine and is used in cultures all around the world.
Even as Western pharmaceutical science dominates the medical culture here in the United States, there's a revival of traditional, plant-based healing. This has renewed an interest in healers who practice in places like Peru, Morocco, Scotland, and Mexico.
How is herbal medicine used to heal?
Herbal medicine is used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from eczema, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), arthritis, menopause, menstrual cramps and sickness, and cancer.
Author and herbalist, Holly Bellebuono, traveled the world, interviewed over 20 women and took seven years to write a book about how to incorporate herbs into your home.
One of those ways is via warming arthritis oil.
Turning herbs into liquid and mixing them with water, oil, witch hazel, or vinegar, actually pulls those properties out from the herb and infuses the liquid with the medicinal properties of the herb and plants you use. So, if you use a warming herb like ginger, the anti-inflammatory properties can be used to help aid with arthritis pain.
What else do you need to know about herbal medicine and how you can bring this practice into your home?
Holly joins Dr. Mike to share how you can bring thousands of years of herbal medicine into your home.