By Jonathan Evans
Herbal Information Specialist for the Herbarium
It is hard to believe the time has passed so quickly. Twenty-five years ago, in 1992, the Herbarium was 15 years old and the herbal industry was in growth. You couldn’t pick up a major magazine at the time – Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and many others – without reading a story about the amazing benefits of herbs. Nearly every morning news program had a positive story about herbs and supplements. Back then the use of herbs was known as “Alternative Medicine,” and it was grabbing the public’s attention. At the Herbarium, we were doing a four-hour radio program on Saturday and Sunday. Calls came in from five states; people drove hours to come and see the Herbarium and talk with Kathleen Duffy, the area’s preeminent herbalist.
The herbal heyday
In ’92, everyone seemed to be interested in using herbs and natural remedies for a variety of conditions that did not seem to improve using traditional pharmaceuticals. The Internet was just beginning to make itself known as information resource for people interested in this “new “ approach to health. Texts like “The Herb Book”, and “Back to Eden” were beginners “bibles”to this new approach to wellbeing.
Natural approaches to health were getting out of the crunchy granola, tie-dyed realm of the hippie movement and entering mainstream. People were beginning to take responsibility for their health and being proactive. The buzz was growing, people would say things like “Why doesn’t my doctor know about this?” and “Why can’t they prescribe this stuff?” It really was heady times for those of us in alternative medicine.
At the time, my wife Kathy was in a unique position as a critical care nurse and medical herbalist. She was the bridge between allopathic and naturopathic medicine, able to help people use herbs safely along with their medications. She was literally alone trying to help people in this way. Back then, if you went to your doctor and said you wanted to use herbs, they would roll their eyes. During those same years, surveys showed that 70 percent of patients were using supplements, but were afraid to tell their doctor. Today any medical office intake form has a section asking if you are using supplements and many medical centers have a pharmacist on staff familiar with herbs and supplements and possible drug interactions.
Are they really safe?
During those early years when the World Wide Web became an alternative medicine resource, people were often buried under the information, but that was all it was – information. Good, bad, you couldn’t tell. The local health food store was the only place you could hopefully get reliable information on products. In most cases it still is.
Around 1995, the medicine landscape changed and not for the better. Pharmaceutical companies took to directly advertising their products to the public, a practice that continues today. How many ads do you see that say, “Ask your doctor about … (fill in the blank.)? Multi-page ads for drugs began appearing in nearly every magazine, aimed directly at consumers. This was big bucks for the magazines, and television networks and it did not take much of a leap to understand that money talks. Suddenly the stories about how good herbs can be transformed into warnings about the dangers of using these “unregulated” substances. Adding to the problem was the rise in multi-level marketing companies selling herbal supplements. These companies were really pushing hard, not for the quality and efficacy of the herbs, but for the money you could make selling from your home etc.
Fortunately, websites and organizations such as the Herb Research Foundation and the American Botanical Council were out there offering some amount of real, legitimate and scientific information on herbs and supplements.
Alternative medicine today
In 2017, we see people who not only are not afraid to talk to their doctor about supplements. They bring relevant information to show and discuss with their medical professional, and the medical people are doing their best to keep up with the information.
From our perspective, it seems like the same story over and over again, but out in the world, people are just beginning to rediscover the benefits of using “complementary” medicine. It is not an either /or situation. The idea of a “holistic” approach to dealing with health problems has grown. Yoga, massage, Reiki, chiropractic, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and so many other modalities are being recognized as helpful in treating illnesses and conditions. A person’s physical, mental and spiritual conditions are all looked at in an effort to help a person recover or improve their health.
The one thing that does not change is the herbs. People still have arthritis, high blood pressure, cholesterol and more. The herbs that were used 5,000 years ago are still working for us. The good old days are still coming.
— Jonathan
Send questions on botanical remedies to: Natures Rx: Jonathan Evans at herbarium258@gmail.com, or by regular mail to: The Herbarium, 264 Exchange St., Chicopee, Mass. 01013. If requesting additional info, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
