Herbs Essay, Research Paper

For more than two thousand years, traditional Chinese medicine has relied on plants and herbs to cure minor and severe ailments and keep the body healthy. There are thousands of herbs from which to choose. Some have become rather well known, but most spend far less time in the limelight. Herbal remedies have proven effective in helping the body maintain good health during pregnancy and in healing serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease when they do occur.

There are many medicinal benefits that herbs provide in the prevention and fight against heart disease. To combat the disease effectively, patients of heart disease must have a strong heart. Hawthorne berries are used to restore the heart muscle wall. Blessed thistle and uva ursi then strengthen the heart muscle and wood betony stimulates the heart. Black cohosh, fenugreek, hawthorne berries, and thyme all help lower cholesterol levels of patients suffering from heart disease. In addition to lowering cholesterol levels, black cohosh also helps reduce high blood pressure. Some other herbs that reduce high blood pressure are evening primrose oil, garlic, and goldenseal. Garlic is also used to strengthen the blood vessels of the heart. Herbs offer hope for reducing the risk of heart disease and may also benefit those already affected by it.

Cancer is another serious disease that herbs can provide medicinal benefits. Not only can herbs provide help in the prevention of cancer, but also in the treatment and providing comfort from the side effects of treatment. Both chaparral and dandelion provide help in the prevention of cancer. Dandelion aids in the prevention of breast cancer and chaparral protects against the formation of tumors and cancerous cells. Chaparral also protects cancer patients from the harmful effects of radiation. Both garlic and pau d’arco are good for tumors and cancer and aid in the treatment of cancer. Cancer patients suffer from horrible side effects of the treatment of cancer and fennel has been found to be good for the patient after chemotherapy and radiation to calm the side effects. When used in conjunction with conventional anticancer therapies, herbs appear to inhibit the proliferation of some cancer cells and may help counteract the undesirable toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

A woman’s health is very important when she becomes pregnant and herbs can be an aid in all stages of pregnancy. Conception can sometimes be a difficult thing if things aren’t “just right,” but dong quai has been found to increase the effects of ovarian and testicular hormones. After becoming pregnant, morning sickness is an annoying symptom of pregnancy and with the aid of cloves, ginger, goldenseal and red raspberry leaf, a pregnant woman can find relief. Easing the childbirth process can also be done with herbs. Red raspberry leaf helps to reduce false labor pains and it strengthens the uterine wall. Then to help the labor to move along quickly, both blue cohosh and feverfew stimulate the uterine contractions for childbirth and red raspberry leaf reduces the pain. After childbirth, red raspberry leaf decreases uterine swelling and it also will cut down on post-partum bleeding. Eating a balanced diet and introducing the right herbs to one’s body are good ways to ensure the baby gets a healthy start.

As one can see, herbs are popular because they’re effective and cause few harmful side effects. They can be taken to prevent, reduce the progression of, and treat symptoms of serious diseases, such as, cancer and heart disease. They can also be taken to help the body maintain good health before, during and after a woman becomes pregnant.