What are herbs?

Herbs are medicinal plants containing as active ingredients only plants, parts of plants or plant materials, or combinations thereof.

What is the difference between a drug and an herb?

An herb is a plant part in its entirety, while a drug is a synthesized copy of one chemical component.

An herb's total effect is a result of the combination of the chemicals.

The beginning of the pharmaceutical world is derived from herbs. The Foxglove leaf was determined to help with the treatment of heart failure in 1785. Researchers isolated a component and isolated the drug digitoxin.

Herbalists believe that by using the entire herb versus extracting one chemical to make a drug makes an herb potentially more powerful for healing than a pharmaceutical compound. Also, herbs in general have fewer side effects than synthetic compounds.

What is the difference between Western and Chinese Herbs?

Western herbs are generally plants that are grown in the Western part of the world. Chinese herbs are from China and are generally put into formulations of 4-10 specific Chinese herbal ingredients to apply a complex theory of holistic treatment according to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles.

What forms do herbs come in?

Herbal remedies come in various forms: dried/bulk, oils, tinctures, capsules, tablets, ointments/creams.

What are Herbs used for?

There are many different Herb(s) and they can be used therapeutically for any appropriate medical condition or to protect organs of the body. An example is the very popular Milk Thistle which has tremendous liver protectant ability with virtually no side effects or problems.

NATURAL does not equal SAFE

It is a common misconception for someone to think that because it is 'natural' it can do no harm. This is not true, herbs can interact with each other, can interact with medications and can cause toxicity problems. In order to decrease the chance of a problem, make sure that you

1. Research the herbs carefully before using them.
2. Discuss the herbs with your veterinarian.
3. Use high quality herbs and suppliers.

For detailed information on specific herbs visit http://www.vbma.org/