some herbs are useful for some things. just because something is a herb that thing isn't necessarily good or bad. as for natural, remember: poison ivy is natural. cancer is natural, too. don't judge things by how natural they are. judge them by how appropriate they are to treat what you want to treat.

if you have colitis, goldenseal is great, as it is on wounds.

if you have cancer, goldenseal, wonderful as it is, will sit back and watch you die.

echinacea won't cure your cancer but it will lessen the effects of chemotherapy by strengthening your immune system.

i don't know any herbal practitioners. i probably would not bother going to see one. you have not said what FOR, though. it matters.

my favorite herb is illegal most places, at the moment.

g

I totally despise going to a Google Duc and will always search out an alternative solution being exercise which is medicine. Seek out a Gym and a trainer and watch the numbers fall into place with your weight/ The first thing any trainer will tell you is that exercise is Medicine. Herbal additives will boost you over the wall. Take this very seriously.

People died from totally curable diseases before modern medicine came along.

There's a lot of snake oil out there, but it seems like market forces have become the driving forces in determining validity, just as has been the case for the war on pot and hemp.There's a Bernadette quote from Big Bang Theory wherein she states that her company not only created the cure for a condition, but the condition itself. Funny, but I suspect also not far off from how the real world works.

They work if you truly want them to.

It may work for some, and not work for others.
I can really only speak for my self on this.
I have schizo-affective disorder, which means I hear and see things that are not really there, I deal with major depression, I also deal with anxiety and paranoia, mood swings, insomnia.
It's tricky because I have to take different meds for each of the symptoms. I't tokk a few years to find the right blend that effectively work together.

I have also tried many 'alt' natural medications, and to be honest none of them worked at all.
Although I am lucky in the fact I am on disability, so I have medicare (at least till Trump gets rid of it) that takes care of my meds. With out that I'd be fucked, My meds would cost me over $4,000 a month.

Natural doesn't always mean "safe" .... arsenic is natural. LOL

But yes I use Denamarin on my dogs around heart worm prevention meds, antibiotics etc to ease the stress on the liver.
I also keep OTC milk thistle which is along the same line. Helps liver process.
I used to make my late dh take it when he was trying to take the edge off a hangover. It helps.

Reminds me of the year (1997) I had a two-month long constant migraine.

Influenced by those around me (I was into supplements, KM juice and MLMs) at the time, I tried just about everything. More supplements, accupuncture, cranial-sacral "therapy," massage, and chiropractor. None of which was covered by insurance.

In constant pain, and at my wit's end, I finally went to a "western" doctor, covered by insurance, he prescribed Imitrex and the headache vanished. Imagine that. Following that, my occasional migraines stopped altogether when I quit smoking and drinking full-leaded Pepsi.

It's an interesting topic because there is no doubt that some plants do in fact contain certain chemicals and compounds which have been used for centuries to effectively treat a range of ailments - and there are likely to be other plants which contain chemicals which may treat other ailments too.

A large number of scientists around the world have investigated these plants, the chemicals in them and their effectiveness, and are actively seeking out more. This is part of a huge field of study, research and practice we call "medicine".

How did that work out for Steve Jobs? In conjunction with modern medicine, yes. By itself, no.

I believe in it! I think western medicine and big pharma are the biggest con in our country, the only problem being that natural medicine doesn't always work for extreme, severe or emergency problems. I would see a practitioner, but my insurance doesn't cover them...go figure.

Expensive pee

If herbal medicine worked it would just be called medicine. (Like aspirin)