Herbolism (herbology or herbalism) is a major component in all traditional medicine systems.
"Herbal medicine (herbology or herbalism) is a major component in all traditional medicine systems and a common element in Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional Chinese medicine and Native American Indian medicine," says Healthy You Naturally. Herbology, which is basically the study of natural herbs and their medicinal properties, has existed for centuries. Unlike herbalism, which is often identified as the actual "practice" of combining and using herbs for medicinal intervention, herbology is relatively education-based. A person interested in becoming an herbalist must first study herbology.
It is not uncommon for persons to pursue alternative means and methods for treatment or healing when faced with economic challenges and ambiguous health care options. Herbology is therefore used to provide medical alternatives as an alternative treatment for various diseases, ailments and conditions.
History
The Egyptians studied herbs and used them in medicinal and religious functions as far back as 3500 B.C. The Chinese began the organized study of herbs in 2500 B.C. Written records in China have survived enumerating the uses of herbs that date from 100 B.C.," informs Plant Care. In addition to food preparation, natural spices and herbs have been a major medical staple as well. Common herbs such as basil, thyme, peppermint, rosemary and mint are a few of the many medicinal herbs used in herbology, when natural health care practices are sought.
Pros and Cons
According to the Article Doctor, "the advantages of herbal medicine are that they can treat the diseases where chemicals and other drugs have failed." Another advantage is its history. The use of herbal medicine can be historically traced to both Native American and Egyptian practices. However, [as of 2010] herbal medicine (herbology) is not yet government-certified as an exclusive cure for disease. Because of a lack of regulation, herbology remains lacking in quality control; thereby making it difficult to track long-term results.
"Various ingredients go into the preparation of herbal medicine. One has to be sure that none of the ingredients would cause allergic reactions. Many herbal remedies have negative side effects. Most of these side effects take months to appear," informs AD. Another potential disadvantage for herbal medicine (herbology) is the timeliness of its effect, as all herbal medicine "takes some time to act."
Bottom Line
Herbology is customarily used as an alternative to biomedicine or synthetic medicine. It is also pursued as a course requirement and prerequisite for those desiring to be certified and practicing herbalists or for personal use or education. According to Breyer State University, who offers herbology courses, " you can use herbs to care for your own health, your family's health, or start an herb consulting health career of your own, earning a living as an herbalist."
Tags: herbal medicine, medicine herbology, component traditional, component traditional medicine, health care, herbalism major
