And their use has skyrocketed in Europe and America in recent years, due mainly to a fear of Western medicine's side effects and its booming health care-associated costs. According to Health And Nutrition Breakthroughs, the overuse of antibiotics in Western medicine has encouraged the revival of herbal remedies, as more and more bacterial strains become immune to antibiotic drugs. If herbal medicine sounds intriguing, there are several things to remember when looting your local health food store. With over 1,000 plant species threatened worldwide, many conservationists and health experts feel cultivation is the better option, for it allows for standardization of the potent ingredients in each herb, as well as eliminating the danger of harvesting the wrong species and over-harvesting of wild populations. According to the Herbal Research Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, while there are hundreds of herbal remedies for an array of maladies, the following should be the first additions to your herbal medicine cabinet.
Many people are already familiar with aloe vera's ability to soothe minor burns.
A member of the lily family, aloe vera's pointy leaves seep a sticky gel when cut, which is scooped out and applied directly to wounds and burns. When used for burns, aloe also helps prevent swelling, repair damaged cells, fight infection and prevent scarring, according to the American Botanical Council. Best bought as an extract, cream or salve, arnica, also known as mountain daisy, is great for black eyes, bruises and sprains. For best results, apply creams, salves or extract drops externally to wounded tissue. Arnica is not for internal consumption, and effective preparations should contain 15 percent arnica oil.