Herbal medicine/ja: Difference between revisions

Some herbs, such as [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] and [[coca]], are outright banned in most countries though coca is legal in most of the South American countries where it is grown. The [[Cannabis|''Cannabis'' plant]] is used as an herbal [[medical cannabis|medicine]], and as such is [[legal status of cannabis|legal]] in some parts of the world. Since 2004, the sales of [[Ephedra (medicine)|ephedra]] as a dietary supplement is prohibited in the United States by the FDA, and subject to Schedule III restrictions in the United Kingdom.

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===Scientific criticism===

Herbalism has been criticized as a potential "[[land mine|minefield]]" of unreliable product quality, safety hazards, and potential for misleading health advice. Globally, there are no standards across various herbal products to authenticate their contents, safety or efficacy, and there is generally an absence of high-quality scientific research on product composition or effectiveness for anti-disease activity. Presumed claims of therapeutic benefit from herbal products, without rigorous evidence of efficacy and safety, receive skeptical views by scientists.

Unethical practices by some herbalists and manufacturers, which may include false advertising about health benefits on product labels or literature, and contamination or use of fillers during product preparation, may erode [[consumer confidence]] about services and products.

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==Paraherbalism==

[[File:Cinchona officinalis 001.JPG|thumb|right|An example of a herbal medicine resource: the bark of the [[cinchona]] tree contains [[quinine]], which today is a widely prescribed treatment for [[malaria]]. The unpurified bark is still used by some who can not afford to purchase more expensive antimalarial drugs.]]

'''Paraherbalism''' is the [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] use of [[extract]]s of plant or animal origin as supposed medicines or health-promoting agents. Phytotherapy differs from plant-derived medicines in standard [[pharmacology]] because it does not isolate and [[Standardization|standardize]] the compounds from a given plant believed to be biologically active. It relies on the false belief that preserving the complexity of substances from a given plant with less processing is safer and potentially more effective, for which there is no evidence either condition applies.

Phytochemical researcher [[Varro Eugene Tyler]] described paraherbalism as "faulty or inferior herbalism based on pseudoscience", using scientific terminology but lacking scientific evidence for safety and efficacy. Tyler listed ten [[fallacy|fallacies]] that distinguished herbalism from paraherbalism, including claims that there is a [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy]] to suppress safe and effective herbs, herbs can not cause harm, that whole herbs are more effective than molecules isolated from the plants, herbs are superior to drugs, the [[doctrine of signatures]] (the belief that the shape of the plant indicates its function) is valid, dilution of substances increases their potency (a doctrine of the pseudoscience of [[homeopathy]]), astrological alignments are significant, animal testing is not appropriate to indicate human effects, [[anecdotal evidence]] is an effective means of proving a substance works and herbs were created by God to cure disease. Tyler suggests that none of these beliefs have any basis in fact.

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==Traditional systems==

{{See also|Traditional medicine}}

[[File:Xi'an traditionnal medecine market (18).JPG|thumb|right|Ready to drink [[Maceration (wine)|macerated]] medicinal liquor with [[goji berry]], [[tokay gecko]], and [[ginseng]], for sale at a traditional medicine market in [[Xi'an]], China.]]

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===Africa===

{{Main|Traditional African medicine}}

Up to 80% of the population in Africa uses traditional medicine as primary health care.

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===Americas===

Native Americans used about 2,500 of the approximately 20,000 plant species that are native to North America.

In [[Andes|Andean]] healing practices, the use of [[Entheogen]]s, in particular the San Pedro cactus (''[[Echinopsis pachanoi]]'') is still a vital component, and has been around for millennia.

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===China===

Some researchers trained in both Western and [[traditional Chinese medicine]] have attempted to deconstruct ancient medical texts in the light of modern science. In 1972, Tu Youyou, a pharmaceutical chemist, extracted the anti-malarial drug [[artemisinin]] from [[sweet wormwood]], a traditional Chinese treatment for intermittent fevers.

===India===

[[File:Herbal medicine platter.jpg|thumb|A platter of herbal medicines at Goa, India]]

In India, [[Ayurvedic medicine]] has quite complex formulas with 30 or more ingredients, including a sizable number of ingredients that have undergone "[[alchemy|alchemical processing]]", chosen to balance [[dosha]]. In Ladakh, Lahul-Spiti, and Tibet, the [[Tibetan Medicine|Tibetan Medical System]] is prevalent, also called the "Amichi Medical System". Over 337 species of [[medicinal plant]]s have been documented by [[C.P. Kala]]. Those are used by Amchis, the practitioners of this medical system. The Indian book, Vedas, mentions treatment of diseases with plants.

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===Indonesia===

[[File:Jamu.jpg|thumb|right|Different types of Indonesian [[jamu]] herbal medicines held in bottles]]

In [[Indonesia]], especially among the [[Javanese people|Javanese]], the [[jamu]] traditional herbal medicine may have originated in the [[Mataram Kingdom]] era, some 1300 years ago. The [[bas-relief]]s on [[Borobudur]] depict the image of people grinding herbs with stone [[mortar and pestle]], a drink seller, an herbalist, and [[masseuse]] treating people. The Madhawapura inscription from [[Majapahit]] period mentioned a specific profession of herbs mixer and combiner (herbalist), called ''Acaraki''. The book from [[Mataram Sultanate|Mataram]] dated from circa 1700 contains 3,000 entries of jamu herbal recipes, while Javanese classical literature [[Serat Centhini]] (1814) describes some jamu herbal concoction recipes.

Though possibly influenced by Indian [[Ayurveda]] systems, the [[List of islands of Indonesia|Indonesia archipelago]] holds numerous indigenous plants not found in India, including plants similar to those in Australia beyond the [[Wallace Line]]. Jamu practices may vary from region to region, and are often not recorded, especially in remote areas of the country. Although primarily herbal, some Jamu materials are acquired from animals, such as [[honey]], [[royal jelly]], milk, and ''[[Ayam Kampung]]'' [[chicken eggs|eggs]].