Are Herbs Really Good For your Health?

By Ursula Basch
The Herbal Bear School of Botanical Medicine

Anyone who has ever gone into a health food store has seen the overwhelming variety of herbal remedies on the shelves. Consumers often have questions:

• What is the best way to take herbs, teas or tinctures?
• What does it mean when an herbal remedy is "standardized"?
• How long is the shelf life of a medicinal herb?

Good questions - but where can you find good answers? The best answers are often not by asking the cashier at the health food store - but rather by doing a little bit of homework yourself - before you go out to buy herbal remedies. There are a number of excellent books that discuss herbal remedies including:

• Complete Guide to Medicinal Herbs, by Penelope Ody
• The Herbal Handbook - A User's Guide to Medical Herbalism, by David Hoffman
• Herbal Remedies for Women, by Amanda McQuade Crawford
  

Another good source of information is taking a class with an experienced herbalist. The advantage of a class is that you often have the ability to see the actual plants and ask the instructor questions you may have concerning various herbs. In New York, the Herbal Bear School offers many classes specifically designed for beginning herbal students. The classes range from short one day introductions to herbal remedies to a full six weekend course called the Botanical Medicine program. Often your local botanical garden or horticultural society has guest lecturers that offer classes on herbalism. It is just a matter of taking the time to find a class in your area.