How Safe Are Medicinal Herbs?

Celin Childs has a very interesting article titled, "Medicinal Herbal Roots", listing thirteen medicinal herbs and what they do for you. It's true that many herbs will help aid your body in getting better, calming you down, or helping you sleep. As Celin Childs says, "Many people feel more comfortable using medicinal herbs when treating their ailments because they are aware of the ingredients that are being used, unlike many medicines and prescriptions that house several unknown substances." I agree. I felt the same way.

After being diagnosed with allergies and asthma and being on a handful of medicines I became concerned about what they were all doing to my body. Were the medicines I was taking really helping me or were doing me more harm?

When my body is fighting allergies I feel like my body is buzzing and when my asthma kicks in, so does the anxiety. There have been many nights where I haven't been able to sleep very well and so instead of taking an over-the-counter medicine like Tylenol PM, I opened a bottle of Valerian which is an herbal relaxant and works well to aid in finding rest.

But what was I going to take during the day that wouldn't knock me out and keep me from working? I knew tea was helpful and I had been drinking it all along, but I had no idea how many different kinds of medicinal teas there were until my husband and I visited the Nature's Market in Manchester, Vermont.

Everything was organic and there were so many medicinal teas I didn't know where to start looking for something that was relaxing. My husband came across Kava Stress Release, manufactured by Yogi Teas. On the package it said that Kava Root was known to help relax and reduce anxiety. The longer the tea is left to steep, the stronger the affects.

When we got home that night, I was making tea, and my husband decided to try the Kava Stress Release while I had my Breathe Easy Tea to help relive my congestion. The smell of the Kava tea rather turned me away and I was uncertain about trying it at some point. I tried a sip of it, but even the taste turned me away. I just didn't care for it.

The next day, I chatted with my husband on the phone and he asked me how I was feeling. I told him I was feeling jittery and like my asthma was bothering me and therefore anxiety was a growing issue. He told me to try some of the Kava Stress Release tea and so I did. I gradually drank the tea throughout the day and by the time he got home, I had noticed my arms were itching. Then it went to my back and I asked my husband to scratch my back for me because I couldn't stand the itch. It didn't matter. The itching wouldn't stop. So my husband looked at my back and it turns out I had broke out into a rash. He asked me what I had had that day, thinking I had consumed something that was different than what I normally ate. I told him the only thing I had that was different was the tea.

After he put anti-itch cream on my back, I grabbed the box of Kava tea and searched the internet for information on all of the herbs in the tea. Come to find out there were two kinds of herbs that have been known to cause allergic reactions in some people. One was Carob Pod and the other…Kava Root. This was the first tea I had ever had a problem with.

Carob Pod has rarely been known to cause an allergic reaction. Kava, I learned, is not available in certain parts of the world and should be taken only under medical supervision. It should not be taken with certain medications like anti-depressants, barbiturates, or with alcohol. Pregnant women should avoid Kava as well some other teas. Health authorities are even considering putting a ban on this herb because of the problems it causes.

Medicinal, or healing herbs, are helpful for many people, but for those who have allergies, or are sensitive to certain things, I recommend looking up the herbs in the tea first. Find out if they have ever caused allergic reactions in those who consumed the herbs. This could save you from having to deal with troublesome allergic reactions.