Why Herbs Work

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.

A simple example of the way in which the ingredients in herbs can act in combination lies in the intake of caffeine. A cup of coffee and a cup of tea may have the same amounts of caffeine present. However, the cup of tea also contains a substance called tannins which bind to other chemical substances. The tannins in the tea bind to many of the caffeine molecules and they pass out of the body. The result is that the absorption of caffeine into the body is less from the cup of tea than it is from the cup of coffee. This subtlety of action requires the whole plant, in this case the whole leaves of the tea bush.

Traditional knowledge of how to use herbs was gathered by the clinical trial methods of the people who were exploring medicine at the time, whether they were wise women, Chinese doctors wandering the mountains, or Arab doctors of the 12th century. Modern clinical trials are the exploration of our own era. It is this method which continues the process of centuries.

Through observation, experience and trials we know what the actions of herbs are. But do the public always buy the herbs with the actions that they have read about? Sadly the answer is often no. No, because the methods of manufacture exclude or fail to preserve some of the constituents of the plants. No, because the drying methods used to preserve plants are often rushed and involve temperatures which damage constituents and oils in the plants. No, because some manufacturers of herbal products don't have the expertise to sell high quality products. The public, as well as doctors and health workers who monitor herbs are disappointed and led to believe that herbs don't work, when it is the harvesting, pharmacy or manufacturing that is at fault.

"You could have 10 different products ranging from useless to potentially effective," wrote Dr Bruce Holub, PhD, a nutritional scientist and researcher at the University of Guelph, in the Hamilton Spectator in October 1997. "But, as a consumer you have no way of telling the good, the bad and the ugly...What is needed is published studies on a product by brand name."

How can this situation change? Dr Holub, in my opinion, holds the key. Some herbal products are already supported by published studies. Aged garlic has been extensively researched and is the source of much confirmed evidence about the use of garlic in medicine. G115 Ginseng is a standardized extract which has been clinically tested and researched. Of the Ginkgo products to which Holub refers, much of the modern scientific research has been done on extract Egb 761, this again is of standardized quality.

To ensure that the herbs people buy live up to their expectations, there are other signs to look for on the product labels. Does the company manufacture the product themselves? Do they list all the ingredients? Does the company have an established reputation for quality?
Herbs work because their healing properties can be readily absorbed and used by our bodies as foods as well as specifics for disease. No synthetic substances can replicate the common evolution of plants and humankind.