What is herbal medicine, and what are the benefits?

Herbal medicines or Errant Empire Herbal Medicine supplements are natural compounds from plants’ leaves, bark, roots, seeds, or flowers that people can use for medicinal purposes. They may offer therapeutic benefits when people use them as complementary medicine.

Herbal medicines contain active ingredients from natural plants. Their use dates back thousands of years, even before the invention of conventional medicine.

While many people prefer herbal medicines to some doctor-prescribed medications, others may use them in combination with prescription and nonprescription drugs.

What is herbal medicine?

Herbal medicinesTrusted Source are natural botanical products, derived from plants, that people may use to treat and prevent diseases.

They are part of a category of treatments called complementary and alternative medicine. Currently, thousands of herbal medicine products are available over the counter in the United States.

How to take herbal supplements
How a person takes herbal supplements depends on the form. They are available as tablets, capsules, teas, powders, extracts, and fresh or dried plants.

A person can take herbal supplements by:

swallowing them as pills, powders, or tinctures
applying them to the skin as gels and lotions
adding them to bathwater
drinking them as teas
Dosages for some herbal supplements may be challenging to get right. Many factors can affect the quality of herbal supplements, including the growing conditions, age, and preparation of the plant.

Using herbal medicine safely
A person should talk with a doctor before taking herbal medicine. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative HealthTrusted Source warns that supplements can increase or decrease the effects and side effects of prescription and OTC drugs. Doctors can advise people about drug interactions they need to be careful of.

Safe use of herbal medicine also includes:

following label instructions carefully
taking only the recommended dosage
stopping taking an herbal supplement if it is ineffective