The medicinal benefits of herbs have been known for centuries. All cultures have used and many still use the wonderful herbal healing properties of plants to deal with illness. Records of Native American, Roman, Egyptian, Persian, and Hebrew medical practices show that herbs were used extensively to cure practically every known illness. Even in developing countries today where medical help is unavailable or limited, herbal remedies are often the only available form of medicine.

Today, there has been much research into the use and dispensing of herbs and it advised that patients consult a qualified herbalist in order to obtain the best and safest result.

While many modern drugs are derived from herbs - like aspirin from the willow bark - their action on the body is totally different.

The whole herb or plant consists of many different constituents that act inside the body synergistically. This means that the action of the whole is more than the added action of the single components. The whole plant is therefore also safer to take, as all constituents are in a balance. Many "herbal" tablets are based on synthesised single constituents of a plant and can easy be overdosed.

Herbal medicine acts on the whole body, amongst other actions to normalise the glandular activities, to supply enzymes and nutrients, to act on bacteria and micro-organisms, to stimulate the excretory activities of skin, lungs, bowel, kidneys and liver, relax tense and contracted tissues, sooth the overactive nervous system and stimulate the depressed vital force.

At City Naturopath I prefer to use whole plant tinctures that we can mix according to the patient's requirements. So a cough mix for a 90 kg man with a nervous stomach will be different to a cough mix for a 50 kg person with an underactive digestion and dosage and components are different again when dispensing to a child.

This gives us a choice of personalised herbal treatment that varies during the different stages of healing and always addresses the patient's personal needs.