Furthermore, different plants have different amounts of the drug. It depends on what type of soil the plant grew in. How much sun it got. Even if there were any insects or animals that had nibbled on it. The part of the plant that you tested would also reveal that there were vastly different amounts of the drug in the leaves as compared to the roots. A good example of that is rhubarb. The leaves are poisonous. The stems are good in pies. Unfortunately, the guinea pigs I had as a kid found out the hard way. But, I did have a nice funeral for them. It might surprise you that in a recent study, a large percentage of the herbal remedies sold did not even contain the parts of the plant that had been shown to be useful! My advice? First of all get yourself a good reference. There is one book that should be in the library of everyone planning to use an herbal remedy and every doctor too for that matter. That is the PDR for Herbal Medicine. This book lists every herbal medicine that is know to have a real medicinal effect. It also tells you potential side effects, what part of the plant has the active ingredient and what the medicinal effect it. Once you know what you want to use, the next step is obtaining it. The best method is to grow your own so you know exactly what you are getting. That way you can make sure the plant is healthy and you are using the part of the plant that will help you and not harm you. If you cannot grow your own, the next best thing is to do a bit of research and find a company that is known for its integrity and quality control. Then stick with them.
Finally, make sure your doctor knows what you are taking. There is some possibility that your herbal medicine may interact or interfere with any medication that you are being prescribed. With the proper knowledge and a good source, you should be getting some good benifit from your herbal medication. But, beware of the claims of those other products.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.articlealley.com/)
