So, clearly herbal medicine has become a booming industry as well as a therapeutic healing technique. The majority of prescriptions as treatment in herbal medicine are actually mixtures of herbs, plant extracts and other organic substances, rather than just strictly one herb for every disorder, disease, and anomaly. By using herbs in their complete form, the body's healing process utilizes a balance of ingredients provided by nature. The World Health Organization estimates that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74 percent are used in modern medicine. Much debate has circulated as to whether or not pharmaceutical companies should extract the potent ingredients from the herbs and synthesize their own man-made herbs, or prescribe herbs in their purest form.
Most herbalists favor the latter, although all three techniques are now used extensively.
They also contend that most herbs are just as effective as drugs, but without the side effects. Qualified herbalists treat herbs with great deference. They are trained to know how to concoct remedies for specific symptoms and diagnoses. Most herbs are beneficial, but since herbs come from plants and some plants are noxious, some herbs can be poisonous if used for long periods of time. In general, most of the bitter-tasting herbs are medicinal herbs.