Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners

Home Page

About the URHP

Find a Herbal Practitioner

About Herbal Medicine

Common Questions

Contact the URHP

Join the URHP

Public Forum

Members Area

... at the heart of Herbal Medicine

About Herbal Medicine

Glycyrrhiza GlabraHerbal medicine is a natural, non-toxic way to treat many conditions of ill-health. It is holistic, meaning it treats the whole person, embracing all levels of an individual: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

The majority of the world's population relies on herbal medicine as its primary form of treatment, and indeed most modern drugs originate from isolated phytochemicals (phyto – plant: a phytochemical is a chemical constituent of a plant). Herbal practitioners believe that using the whole herb, as nature intended it, rather than a single chemical is a more effective method of treatment. Dandelion leaf, for instance is an effective diuretic herb. Drug-based diuretics, while achieving a similar effect, deplete the body of potassium and may require supplementation. Dandelion is naturally very high in potassium, thus providing a balanced medicine, naturally.

Phytochemicals have an enormous scope, including: anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial constituents, as well as chemicals capable of preventing muscle cramp, reducing blood pressure, enhancing immune function, relaxing the nervous system and improving digestion, to name but a few.