Mix drugs and herbs only under supervision.

[Guest guest]

Taking Herbs Internally

 

Herbal medicine is a natural and healing form of therapy that can be very

beneficial, long term. There are common sense precautions that must be take when

using herbal medicine internally.

 

*be cautious while taking herbal medicine internally if you are nursing or

pregnant. They should be taken ONLY under supervision of a healer and for

specific problems only.

 

*If unusual symptoms occur, stop taking the formula and usually symptoms will

disappear rather quickly.

 

*When also on prescribed modern drugs, great care should be taken.

Anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics can upset the stomach and irritate the

intestinal tract. Herbal formulas can tax the digestive tract. Do not take

herbal medicine and anti-inflammatories/antibiotics together at the same time.

 

*Blood thinners prevent clots from forming in the blood vessels. These are very

strong western drugs that must be monitored carefully. Drugs used to thin the

blood, often interfere with herbs for trauma, since they both have the same

action. The combination can interfere with modern drugs and may cause dizziness

or fainting. Do not take blood thinning herbal medicine with western blood

thinners.

 

* Heart medications and herbs used for trauma both effect the circulation of

blood. Although these herbs have a different method of action, in conjunction

with heart medication, there can be unwanted side effects.

 

*Seizure medications work on brain function and in conjunction with Chinese

herbs, should not be taken at the same time and should only be done under

supervision.

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

Peacefulmind.com

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit

 

Courtesy Yogigururaj of Alternativeanswers.

[Guest guest]

The cautiousness required while mixing herbal medicines and modern

drugs applies not only to the case when a herb is taken internally, but

also when herbal cream/oil/ghrutam is applied externally.

 

To illustrate this principle, an example can be taken. In West,

perimenopause ladies use bio-identical hormones to balance hormones

using transdermal patches. These patches require only 1/10 th dose of

the same medicine if it was taken internally. Since liver is bypassed,

the dose can be very small. And medicine is being absorbed by body throught the

day. Now a modern drug which interacts with this

hormone suppliment, if taken anytime during the day, can make nervous system

show abnormal behaviour.

 

Similarly herbal medicines are smoked too. They are taken through

steam. So whatever be the route of a herbal medicine, it is better to

separate the two medicine by an hour in adminsitration. And if a herbal medicine

is being absorbed slowly through skin, etc, modern drug should not be taken.

This brings us to a tricky situation.

 

There remains acute need to keep the treatment calendar time overlap

between the two medicines, as many modern medicines are addictive, and

they give adverse reactions/relapse effects if suddenly discontinued.

If an ayurvedists can not take this into account, he will be blamed for

reactions caused by withdrawl symptoms!

 

All beta blocker drugs, used as anti-hypertensives, need to be tapered

off very gradually, else patient will get sudden heart attack!

 

And some Diuretics such as Lasix also take hold of central nervous

sytem, if stopped suddenly, swellings on feet show up due to reduced

kidney function.

 

ayurvvedists have to be aware of such danger spots! General safe rule is to

taper off allopathy slowly, or first give a liver detox and then start

alternative. e.g. Thuja-200 of homeopathy.

 

Regards

Dr Bhate

 

ayurveda, Jagannath Chatterjee

<jagchat01 wrote:

>

> Taking Herbs Internally

>

> Herbal medicine is a natural and healing form of therapy that can be

very beneficial, long term. There are common sense precautions that

must be take when using herbal medicine internally.

>

> *be cautious while taking herbal medicine internally if you are

nursing or pregnant. They should be taken ONLY under supervision of a

healer and for specific problems only.