Adaptogens vs. Pharmaceuticals for Our Health

I've decided to write a series concerning the difference between adaptogens, aka medicinal botanicals, and prescription medications in our health care choices.  We really are so fortunate that we have  many intelligent and informed scientifically trained individuals who are able to offer us clear and viable alternatives from which we may choose.  The science of medicinal botanicals predates modern medicine by millenia, yet many of us still don't understand the value of herbal alternatives in relationship to other medicines. 

 "Adaptogens influence many organs or body systems (non-specific) and acts by increasing resistance of the organism to a broad spectrum of adverse biological, chemical, and physical factors.  These substances help modulate system function and maintain homeostasis."

Most master herbalists prefer to use wild grown herbs as they offer the maximum medicinal value because they are not cultivated.  If those aren't available, the closest and best choice is harvesting the herbs from organic herbal farms.  Bioactivity of herbs is dependent upon many factors:  when the herb is planted and harvested, the type of soil in which it is grown and how it is processed.  The herbs that are offered by pharmaceuticals, mass producers, such as Wallmart or Walgreen's, or even health food stores have little in common with their organic counterparts and are a waste of money.  Through research, we have found that tinctures or liquid herbal preparations are the most easily assimilated, if they are grown and harvested properly.  Herbs that one purchases online or in stores have been sitting on shelves for far too long to be of any real benefit, especially powdered herbs.  There are only a few organic herbal farms who employ herbal masters that offer medicinal botanicals that are truly beneficial.  That is why when people take Echinacea, for example, for a cold, that it frequently doesn't work well...they haven't taken a bioactive form of the herb and, thus, it is "dead" and useless.

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