Conventionally Clinging to the Conventional

There really is alot of resistance in the medical field to herbal treatments. Over the years I've had patients who were 'old-timey' country folks who often did their own herbal-thing with info handed down through the generations in their families Though this is not quite the same thing you were writing about, it is a sort of disappearing resource. What I saw sometimes helped but seldom harmed; Dr's were either privvy to the patients using the treatments, or purposely left out of the loop because of their prejudices against folk medicine. I agree that it needs to be a case of joined effort of all involved. / I have to add this somewhat off-topic aside....the oddest "remedy" I ever heard of or observed was rendered groundhog fat (!) which was used as a general cure-all by one 80+ year old woman and her two HUGE hardworking sons. They claimed that whenever they felt like they might be coming down with something ( respiratory, gastrointestinal) or just feeling "puny" they would take a teaspoon of the stuff and were totally restored. I'd heard of snake-oil, but never "whistle-pig" oil! / Thanks for the references at the end of your article; I'll look into them. I feel like there is much helpful information ignored because minds are closed to the possibility that doctors, pharmacy and the world of medicine DON"T know everything. Just reading drug reference books should clue us in: HOW a medication works is 'not known', such-and-such a medication is 'thought to' do this-or-that, or 'MAY' cause one-thing-or-another to occur. That to me is just a scary as anything else! That EVERYTHING possible wouldn't be used against HIV, as with the ginseng, is unbelievable!

Hey!Thanks for the comment! It is really interesting indeed to hear some people's beliefs of herbal medications! My best friend's (who is a nurse as well) mother makes mushroom milk, she basically ferments mushrooms and drinks it once a month. She says it tastes awful but it has kept her healthy! Haha, I'm not sure I'd be willing to do that, but as far as the ginseng goes, I am with you! I can't believe that they wouldn't use ginseng as a supplementary treamtent! They even understand the mechanism of action with ginseng! It up regulates IL-6 and 12 which are responsible for maturing and producing T and b cells!