How Phytotherapy works

Biology and medical science have provided in-depth understanding of the fact that our different body systems do not operate in isolation, but in an incredibly complex web of interrelationships. For example, our nervous system is complemented by the endocrine system and closely linked to the immune and the digestive. Health means that all body systems work harmoniously in order to adjust and change to external pressures while internal processes remain constant, a process called homeostasis. Seemingly, a healthy organism has an infinite capacity to adjust and change. Herbs, in turn, demonstrate an amazing complexity, upon which knowledge of Western herbal medicine evolved. Ni They exhibit a synergistic activity of multiple compounds affecting simultaneously multiple body systems, and helping the body to regain and preserve homeostasis. Herbs work well in combination, for example respiratory infections are treated most effectively when herbs with antiseptic, antibiotic, demulcent, soothing and spasmolytic action are combined. As herbs combine multiple therapeutic actions and can simultaneously affect more than one system in our body, their benefits can be wider and more permanent.

Plants provide us both with energy and healing elements. Primary metabolites (e.g. carbohydrates, fats, proteins & vitamins) are responsible for primary biological processes. Secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, etc), are responsible for the adaptability and defense mechanisms of the plant as well as communication and reproduction. As such, they trigger important processes in our organism for the preservation of health at all levels, and therefore safeguard our health and well-being. The new rapidly evolving area of medical research, epigenetics, is unraveling the significance of environmental factors in gene expression. Plants exhibit a vast array of medicinal properties linked to environmental adaptability, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antiseptic, antioxidant, antifungal, antiparasitic, immunomodulatory and healing, in both in vitro and in vivo studies.

At the core of herbal practice are appropriate nutrition and the administration of plant extracts in various forms. It also incorporates life-style guidelines, such as clean air and sun, exercise, walks in the nature or baths and detoxification. An herbal treatment is usually followed for weeks or months (like conventional treatments) and they operate at a less violent, but deeper level. Disease does not appear from one day to another, and cannot vanish in a day either. Although we target the symptom, to restore the organism’s immunity and natural balance at a more permanent level, we need to go beyond; we need to spend the time and energy to understand and treat the cause.

A major strength of herbalism is its focus on PREVENTION. Disease is not an unavoidable fact, nor should it be considered as the norm because in modern life we are drowning in it. We should realize that we are active agents in our life and health and take appropriate steps to guarantee their quality.