Use of Wildcrafted Herbs in Clinical Practice, Essay Example

This essay will discuss the advantages of using of wild crafted herbs in clinical practice.  It will specifically address the issue of environmentally stressed plants. The use of wild crafted herbs in clinical practice still remains controversial.  One particular plant, ginger (zingiber officinales) has successfully treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  The other herb, ginseng has been used for centuries to enhance overall life vitality. Other herbs of this sort are Aveena sativa, Gentian lutea, Medicago sativa, Matricaria recutitia,Taraxacum officinale, Canada scolymus, Artemisia vulgare, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Panax quinquefolius,Acorus calamus, Foeniculum vulgare, Zanthoxylum americanum, Hydrastis Canadensis,  and Glycyrrhizae glabra.  A more detailed list is provided at the end of this paper.

Many patients are using alternative therapies to control their symptoms of the disease of rheumatoid arthritis instead of using pharmaceuticals. Nutritional and herbal therapy are generally viewed with skepticism by the mainstream medical community.  One of the reasons for this is the fear that patients will neglect conventional forms of treatment.  Relapses are also common in people with RA making the assessment of diet and nutrition difficult to measure. The main reason for this is due to the fluctuation of the relapse pattern of the disease.Nutritional and herbal therapy may repress the mechanisms of the inflammatory process.

There are certain herbs that have shown to help with the inflammation and other presenting symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and high cholesterol. The following is a discussion of these herbs and the relief that they provide.

The implementation of ginger into the diet of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis has shown to help reduce joint pain and inflammation.  Ginger (zingiber officinales) also works as an anti-inflammatory. Inflammation causes the tissues around the effected joint to become inflamed and produces pain and discomfort.  Ginger is believed to relieve nausea and headaches.Precaution should be made as ginger can produce the side-effects of gas, bloating, heartburn, and bleeding if taken at a high dosage.

Herbs like Ginseng have been used for thousands of years by the ancients. Ginseng can lower cholesterol, increase energy and endurance, and prevent infections.  People with diabetes have experienced a decrease in blood sugar levels.  Ginseng is very effective as an anti-aging agent. It slows the degeneration of the blood system, and increases mental and physical capacity.  Ginseng is used in cancer treatments and enhances sports performance.

A list of other wild crafted, environmentally stressed herbs can be found at the end of this essay.  Alternatives to pharmaceutical treatments are not always welcome in the field of clinical practice.  Regardless of the skepticism, these herbs provide a viable alternative to the traditional treatment of diseases like high cholesterol and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Many of these wild crafted plants are excellent treatments for patients with connective tissue diseases because they are natural anti-inflammatory agents. The use of ginseng, ginger, and other wild crafted, environmentally stressed herbs, from the list provided below, are highly recommended in clinical practice.In today’s economy, with the high cost of health care and the even higher cost of pharmaceutical drugs, the use of alternative medicines like wild crafted herbs is a safe and cost effective alternative for patients in the treatment of various ailments.

Partial list of environmentally stressed, wild crafted herbs

• Hypericum perforatum
• Anemone pulsatilla
• Scutellaria lateriflora
• Valeriana officinalis
• Humulus lupulus
• Passiflora incarnate
• Serenoa repens
• Turnera diffusa var./aphrodisiaca
• Angelica archangelica/sinensis
• Schisandra chinensis
• Zingiber officinales (Ginger)
• Urtica dioica
• Barcopamonnieri
• Verconicastrumvirginium
• Zanthoxylum americanum
• Hydrastis canadensis
• Glycyrrhizae glabra
• Ilybum marinum
• Aveena sativa
• Gentian lutea
• Medicago sativa
• Matricaria recutitia
• Taraxacum officinale
• Canada scolymus
• Artemisia vulgare
• Eleutherococcus senticosus
• Panax
• Ginseng
• Pan ax quinquefolius
• Acorus calamus
• Foeniculum vulgare

Works cited

Benefits of Ginseng. Retrieved May 27, 2011, from Web site: http://www.chinese-herbs.org/ginseng/benefits-of-ginseng.html

Pagan, C. N. (September/October 2009). Nourished by nature. Arthritis Today,  23(5) 70 – 84. Retrieved from http://www.web.ebscohost.yosemite.wbu.edu

Rall, L. C., & Roubenoff, R. (July/August 2000). Nutrition and connective tissue health. Nutrition Today. 35(4), 142-50.