It might include a digestive tract carminative, a sedative herb to help with anxiety, an antispasmodic and a liver tonic to improve digestion. The medicine is often given as a tincture, usually containing 25-40 per cent alcohol. Besides water and alcohol the only other ingredient is the extract of the herb. Sometimes the whole herb is used, sometimes just the root, flowers, stems, seeds or fruits, depending on which part is considered to have the most active medicinal action. The advantage of single herb tinctures is that they can be readily mixed in most cases, to provide a tailor-made remedy.
Herbalists also prescribe herbal teas, ointments, creams, pessaries, suppositories and capsules.
Herbals are, for the most part, safe and can be regarded more as food supplements, for example, ginger, nettles, dandelion and garlic. However, there are a few restricted herbs which under the Medicines Act 1968, can only be supplied by herbalists or doctors, and which have their maximum dose laid down by law, such as ephedra, and belladonna. The major advantage that herbal medicine offers is that it can be preventative. There is also a considerable gap in the market for products which offer more than just symptom relief. For example, the herbal winter best-seller echinacea, the purple cornflower, is one of a number of herbs that can help potentiate the immune system.