Herbal medicine Herbal medicine is the oldest and most natural form of medicine on the planet. People in all places and at all times have looked to the plant kingdom for medicine, and nature has provided hundreds of thousands of powerful herbal remedies. Some of the most powerful drugs in use today such as digoxin, aspirin, atropine, morphine, cocaine and penicillin have their origins in the plant kingdom. Over 80% of the worlds population still rely on herbal medicine as the primary system of health care. In some countries, such as China and India, great traditions of herbal medicine have always existed as state recognised forms of medicine. To this day, in such countries, herbs are used as a normal part of the treatment process alongside drugs and surgery. The main difference between the herbalist and the pharmacist / doctor is that the herbalist uses whole extracts of herbs and not just the isolated, purified or indeed synthesised individual components of an herb. Herbs contain a whole natural balance of chemicals along with the main active ones. These natural whole extracts are balanced as nature intended and more in tune with our bodies that are designed to make use of whole herbs, plants, vegetables, fruits etc, as opposed to highly concentrated single chemicals. Stuart Fitzsimmons Dip.phyt. MNIMH Medical Herbalist