With the world gradually switching alliances from prescription allopathic drugs to herbal medicines for the treatment of a wide range of ailments, it is perhaps time to ponder whether there is anything really special which differentiates the two medical disciplines. There are enough feel-good stories which go around where people extol the virtues of herbal medicines. What are these and from where do these medicines acquire the healing properties?

Herbal medicines like supplements are made with natural herbs. These are plants which have inherent healing properties and contain compounds which not only provide the body with essential vitamins and other nutrients but also supply adequate amounts of antioxidants which fight the harmful free toxins. The compounds contained in some herbs have pronounced anti-bacterial, antiseptic, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory and also pain relieving properties. Ironically, many of the common prescription drugs today have their main ingredient derived from plant sources.

Be that as it may, what is the essential difference between the two branches of therapy? It is essentially in their mode of action within the body. In the traditional allopathic therapy regimen, the chemical molecules are expected to kill the invading bacteria which have affected the particular organ and calm the inflammation. Sometimes the molecules are so harsh on the body that you have to take a supplementary medicine to counter the painful side effects of the original medication. Sometimes the doctor would also prescribe multiple medicines to combat one ailment, where the medicines complement each other and act in unison for relief of the symptom. Prolonged use of prescription medication also has its short and long term effects which sometimes are irreversible.

Herbal medicines on the contrary, take a holistic approach towards cure and relief. The herb not only kills the invading bacteria, soothes pain and inflammation and gives the patient due relief, it also looks for underlying causes of the disease and cures it in a wholesome way. The herbal medication not only cures the existing ailment, but has a soothing and a balancing effect on the whole body – curing all the systemic disorders and restoring the person’s vitality and energy levels. The best part about herbal medicines is that it does not result in any untoward side effect, which is common with allopathic drugs. This is because in most herbal medicines, there is a herb included which acts as a buffer for the stronger herb and prevents any side effect from bringing any discomfort.

Though it is a fact that many of the herbs used in herbal supplements etc may not have the research back up and credentials as allopathic compounds, but the sheer reports from millions of users talking about the promised success is perhaps good enough evidence that the herbal products can be trusted.