Throughout our history, humankind has evolved and learned by exploring, trying, failing, innovating, and getting better with time in efforts. Typically, whenever a new or unknown disease harms humans, this is where researchers, pharmacists, etc. got to start understanding it. With the continuous tests, tries and failures, we get the remedy for it in the form of vaccine or medicine. This trial and error involve experimenting with different chemical compounds to fight with the germ. Once they got the right chemical compound, it is validated through trials and results to assure its usage by a broader category of patients.Therefore, people get suffered from an underlying disease. Over the years of research and improvement, cure becomes easier, cheaper, and accessible; for example, during World War II, people got died due to a mere blood pressure disease. Today, irregular blood pressure is a common problem around.
Similarly, the potency of any medicine has a lot to do with the patient’s willpower and belief. Sometimes, people get cured with a basic medicine or consultancy of a general physician, whereas some people don’t get well because they don’t believe in certain medications or medical procedures. Therefore, this element also hampers the results and effectiveness of any medicine tried.
Also, there are many unconventional ways of treatment and cure to numerous diseases. The conventional medical practices do not verify most of them, and the authenticity and credibility of such practices are debatable and controversial. There are two further categories of such medicines named as alternative medicine and complementary medicine. Alternative medicine is the one that is used instead of conventional medicine like herbal medication, chelation therapy, homeopathy, etc. However, complementary medicine is used together with conventional practices to improve the results.
One ofthe debatable yet effective alternative medicines is herbal medicine. Herbal medication has a historical background, and it was preferred in conventional times. And it is still considered as a preferred option in Asian countries, primarily due to its cost, availability, and culture. However, as discussed above, herbal medicines also need to face the cynicism until proven effective. One such herbal compound which is getting recognition is Kratom. It is being sold in the form of powder in capsules or dried leaves as a remedy to treat addictions. Its availability and usage are controversial as many states have banned it, some have not, and some are still thinking. For instance, if you google, “Is Kratom legal in Illinois?” you would get mixed results.
However, there are many benefits that herbal medicines offer while curing drug addictions or opioids. Let’s explore some of them:
- Detoxification of the Body:
Usually, a person struggling because of addictions has low immunity and a wrecked nervous system along with a ruined spirit. Due to excessive dosage of addictive substances like drugs and alcohol, the whole body gets intoxicated. And such toxicities need to be eliminated from the body to start the cure. Detoxification can be done by using blood cleansing herbs like Burdock Root, Nettle, and Red Clover. Terms and usage of such herbs can be prescribed by herbal medicine experts only, and prescription suggestions are based on the patient’s condition and capacity.
- Dealing with Stress and Relapse:
Fighting with addiction is not easy, as a patient’s body has to take a lot of toll and frits to break the demand and habit of consumption of harmful substances. And as a result, patients get constant stress and discomfort. Herbs like Ashwagandha and Danshen are used to curb such stresses and to prevent relapses to previous actions of consumption.
- Provision of Relaxation:
Once patients decide to get rid of addictions, the mind and body have to fight it to get out of such an addiction cycle. Overall, patients require more than just internal willpower but some external support. And herbal medication, in its outlook, already has a reputation for providing sooth and relaxation through many herbal solutions in the form of oils, fragrances, massages, etc. Therefore, patients get therapies and medication that provide them relaxation and relief in the withdrawal repercussions phase.
- Reduction in Anxiety:
In addition to the treatment and rebuilding of strength after coming clean from addictive substances, herbal medication deals with the increasing level of anxiety in the patients. Anxiety is a state which doesn’t display on the physical figure but messes up at the psychological and mental level. Therefore, it is important to provide some numbness and solace when patients get anxiety or panic attacks. Kava, Oatstraw Herb, and Passionflower are some of the herbs that can help to reduce anxiety, depression, withdrawal symptoms, and associated sexual behaviors.
- Improved Digestion:
Due to excessive drug consumption, their stomachs find it difficult to intake foods and related nutrients. Thus, such a lesser nutritional intake makes it even more difficult to regain health and strength. There are many herbs,such as Danshen and Dadelian Root exist that can help addiction patients to improve their digestion overall. These medications can even complement and support conventional treatments too.
Conclusion
As discussed already, herbal medications are popular and usually because of their ease of availability and the rising prices of conventional medicines. However, apart from common herbal therapies, the majority of them are either untested or merely tested, which are not as per the standards of conventional medical practices. Similarly, these herbal medications are prone to react as per the climate and human body condition, as they are gone through and verified by clinical trials.
Therefore, it is important that such medications are pre-evaluated and used with recommendations of verified herbal medicine practitioners. It is also a good idea to include these processes with conventional treatments as complementary medicines.
However, we live in times where medical science has improved massively. Nowadays, modern medical researches and studies are experimenting with cloning humans, 3D printing amputations, etc. On the other side, we have these herbal medicines, homeopathy, chiropractors, and acupuncture, etc. which have to own their credibility but no positive remarks from medical science. However, efforts must be made to find a balanced area where all school of thoughts combines to provide better solutions altogether.
