Herbal medication and multivitamins

Herbal medication is the use of various plant parts such as seeds, roots, berries, leaves, or flowers for medicinal functions. Herbal medications have been used for a long time to treat diseases and they have proved to be essential. Multivitamins and minerals are made from mixtures of many different vitamins and minerals that are naturally found in food nutrients and other naturally occurring sources (Barraclough & Gardner, 2007).

Herbal medications and multivitamins have become important and with the analysis of control of quality including advancements in clinical researches, it has been shown that they are significant in preventing and treatment of ailments. Multivitamins and minerals are consumed to provide minerals and vitamins which are not supplied by the normal diets. They are very necessary in the treatment of mineral and vitamin deficiencies caused by conditions such as pregnancy, poor nutrition, digestive disorders, illness and other health problems.

Herbal medication and multivitamins do have some negative effects. The effects depend on the remedy being sought, the dose, and the conventional medicine taken by the sick person. Herbs, since they are normally ingested, have some side effects especially when they interact with the prescribed medicines from pharmacies.

Some of the effects caused by the herb medication include extreme drowsiness especially in cases where they are used to treat anxiety or depression. Some herbs can cause skin rashes and irritations when they are meant to treat skin diseases. Herbal medicines when in contact with pharmaceutical medicines increase their effects (Braun & Cohen, 2007). In cases where they interact with anesthetics they increase their effects as well as those of sedatives. These effects can also cause problems during surgery. They can cause liver inflammation when they interact with other medicines. Some can cause unsafe conditions when they react with anti-clotting drugs. When preparing herbal medicines, if the wrong herbs are harvested, this may lead to serious damage thus making it very costly to remedy the situation. Multivitamins when taken in uncontrolled doses can lead to problems such as weight loss, severe headaches, pains, diarrhea, bleeding among many more others. These problems increase the cost of treatments.

Therefore it can be seen that though herbal medications are useful, their negative effects and costs are also many.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Barraclough, S., Gardner, H. Analyzing Health Policy: A problem-orientated approach. Elsevier Australia, 2007

Braun, L., & Cohen, M. Herbs & natural supplements: an evidence-based guide. Elsevier Australia. 2007