5 Tips to Finding Safe Herbal Alternative Medicine on the Internet

December 19, 2018

Herbal medicines are generally extracted from various parts of the plants such as for as roots, flowers, leaves. Herbal medicines are used extensively for the treatment of various health concerns. Just because they are obtained from natural resources doesn’t essentially mean that you can take them safely. There are severalside effects which herbal medicines are likely to have on our bodies and if notcorrectly used they can be potentially harmful for health as well.

It is therefore advised to take all the careful measures (proper knowledge, consultation with expert, reviews etc) before starting to take these medicines. Proper care is therefore needed as it is needed before taking conventional medicines.

If you are getting any medical treatment you need to inform your health care provider,even before getting any surgery you need to ask conventional medicinesdoctor for safety is the herbal medicine.

  • Health concerns with the intake of herbal medicines:

If you are planning to take any herbal treatment, you need to be careful in the following aspects:

  • If you are taking other conventional medicine, they may cause problems. The intake of herbal medicine sometimes reduces the effect of medicine or sometimes speeds up the effect of such medicines.
  • Sometimes the use of some herbal medicines is without any prior approval, the company providing such herbal medicines is sometimes not licensed and hence there could be potentially harmful consequences. In short, we can say that all herbal medicines are not regulated.
  • There is very limited evidence for the herbal medicine effectiveness. There are some people who find them useful since sometimes these medicines have traditional history.

There are certain groups of people who need to be particularly wary before taking such herbal medicines.

  • Evidence for the effectiveness of herbal medicines generally very limited. Although some people find them helpful, in many cases their use tends to be based on traditional use rather than scientific research. These herbal medicines are not safe for all. following people should avoid using herbal medicines:
  •  People who have hepatic or renal disorders and are taking any other medicine.
  • People suffering from acute kidney disorders.
  • People who are going to have their surgeries in near future.
  • Pregnantfemales and breastfeeding mothers.
  • Oldage people
  • Childrenand just like with other medicines, you need to keep herbal medicines out ofreach of your children.

In case, if you are still willing to use the herbal medicine, you need to talk to your doctor or health care provider to rule out the risk of any complications. You can consult safe health medicine to further inquire about the benefits and side effects of certain medicines.

  • Surgery and herbal medicines:

If you are undergoing any surgery and taking herbal medicine, you need to inform your doctor since:

  • There are some herbal medicines that can react with anesthesia and can cause serious side effects. In the same way, some other medicines which are injected also interfere with the herbal medicine during such complicated procedures.
  • There are some herbal medicines which react slow down or speed up the clotting of blood and alter blood pressure drastically and during surgery such things can increase the risk of bleeding which is potentially fatal.
  • What to look for before deciding to purchase herbal medicine?

If you are willing to try any herbal treatment for you, here are some things which you need to carefully consider. Check out for the THR (the traditional herbal registration) marking on the packaging of that herbal product. When the mark is there, it is often an indication that it complies with the needed quality standards regarding the safety and product manufactureand also some information is provided about when and how to use the serious side when it should be avoided.

Before the intake of herbal medicine you need to know that:

  • There are several THR products which are made for mild medical conditions such as coughs, colds, slight pains and aches.
  • If you are using the herbal products irrespective of their THR tagging, they could be harmful so don’t delay to seek medical supervision.
  • TheTHR products make use of traditional usage of these herbal products and the efficacy of such products is often not considered.
  • The mark of THR doesn’t essentially mean that the product is absolutely safe for everyone. You need to consult herbal specialist before taking such medicines.

THR registered products are available at local health stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.There are however some risks of purchasing these herbal products online. The risks are as follows:

  • You can get a fake substance, it could be substandard and contaminated if you order the medicine online.
  • There are several unlicensed herbal medicines which are often sold online.
  • Some manufacturers make copy of the licensed medicine and ignore quality completely during this process.
  • Though the online selling sites often appear to be legitimate but many bogus doctors and pharmacists are often fronting them.
  • Sometimes the banned ingredients and toxic substances are added in the herbal products which are sold online. It is therefore essential to keep a check on website,their reviews before making any decision to purchase the products.
  • Reporting the side effects of herbal products:

If you encounter any associated side effects while taking herbal medicine, you can report these to the concerned health care department. Also you need to report the side effects of adverse reactions when:

  • You are confused about the exact cause of side effects which could be conventional medicine or herbal product.
  • When you are taking more than one medicine or herbal product, there is an increase drisk of side effects.

As it is clear from the above mentioned points that the use of herbal products is not always safe as it is considered traditionally. There are several side effects associated with the use of such products and hence care is needed before taking herbal medicines.

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Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

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