Botanical alternatives: Proven and powerful
As an alternative practitioner in today’s world, it can be easy to feel dismissed or even shamed for the use of therapeutics not yet accepted by the mainstream. Not only is this a disservice to practitioners, but it prevents patients from access to treatment that offers effective and proven therapies.
The truth of the matter is, Healers have relied upon the use of alternative modalities (herbs,
acupuncture, hydrotherapy, to name a few) for as long as we have existed. That track record speaks for itself.
When we turn to the natural world for its wisdom and support, we find a gift that works with our
physiology to offer multiple benefits. Let’s use Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) as an example.
Almost all detoxification protocols include Milk Thistle, and for good reason, with its proven
hepatoprotective and choleretic effect. But research into its mechanisms of action also shows
antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Layer that with multiple botanicals and their individual activities, and the result is a deepening of the therapeutic effect. For example, an antimicrobial is therapeutic in its own right, but may not access microbes cloaked behind a biofilm. Combining an antimicrobial herb with one that disrupts biofilms will improve the activity of that herb and the long-term result for the patient.
Now imagine the addition of an immune-modulating botanical. The outcome can be an elegant
synergy of activities that, in addition to having independent action, modulate and complement host health.
Where research has been completed, the science bears out the clinical observation of its efficacy. A search of PUBMED using “biofilm Oregano” returns 55 articles showing the effect of Oregano essential oil. Replace Oregano with Garlic in that search, and you get 51 articles. Search “Echinacea and immune,” and an impressive 263 results come up.
Clinical research has also been done. In one human clinical trial utilizing a formula containing 18
botanicals and essential oils, participants experienced a 66% increase in sIgA – a vital part of our immune response – in the oropharynx after a single dose when compared to placebo. This outcome is of critical importance in today’s environment.
Botanicals provide a simple, sophisticated, clinically proven way to empower ourselves and our
patients. Knowing that botanicals have stood the test of time and stand up to scientific scrutiny, we can select herbs as a first choice with confidence that we are bringing forward nourishing therapy without compromising efficacy.