No one constituent, no matter how worthwhile, can do its healing job without the right stuff from the rest of the herb. For example, ginseng has become a popular ingredient in many herbal products. Yet, thousands of years of worldwide, well documented experience shows ginseng has dozens of other actions that control disease and promote wellness - functions entirely missed by this test. As naturally concentrated foods, herbs have the unique ability to address a multiplicity of problems simultaneously. In most cases, the full medicinal value of herbs is in their internal complexity.
Single herbs contain dozens of natural chemical constituents working synergistically.
It is why an herb is rarely ever known for just a single function. Since all body parts and most disease symptoms are interrelated, it is wise to use a combination of herbs which can affect each part of the problem. Also, used in their whole form, herbs, like foods, nourish the body with little danger of toxicity. Herbs have rejuvenative qualities entirely missed by standardization. No lab test can begin to quantify all that whole natural plants have to offer us.