Comment by CoffeeOnWrite | Hacker News Reader

Comment by CoffeeOnWrite | Hacker News Reader

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The short answer that an herbalist will give you is to use the whole plant in order to benefit from non-active compounds that balance out the active compounds, perhaps providing benefits like reducing side effects or potentiating the active compound. Also sometimes there's a sensory quality of the herb that contributes to its effect, eg. digestive bitters. Sometimes the herb tastes good. And often they are nutritionally beneficial too (vitamins, minerals, etc).

Personally I have observed the benefits firsthand of herbs including blue vervain, California poppy, chamomile, gentian, kava kava, lemon balm, marshmallow, motherwort, Oregon grape root, pedicularis, skullcap, wild lettuce, all quite safe (though some you don't want to take regularly). My herbalist doesn't bother with willow themselves, they've tried it and it's just not as effective as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, so I haven't bothered to try willow. Apparently the concentration of aspirin compounds in willow is quite low, perhaps that's why: https://www.evolutionaryherbalism.com/2021/07/28/willow-bark...

Thanks. I find this entire area really interesting, but also difficult to navigate as a skeptic because it can be really difficult to separate out the valid scientifically grounded stuff from the woo that tends to permeate a lot of this stuff, and there's a lot of scientifically grounded knowledge in natural remedies that also have some big caveats that people overlook. I think about things like, e.g. licorice root tea that is natural and might be effective at what it's supposed to do, but also presents a lot of danger that proper pharmaceuticals wouldn't (or would document properly) and it makes me a bit averse to going toward whole plants first.

Still, I do appreciate the perspective. The disaster preparedness and survival enthusiast in me also tries to keep a running catalogue of natural remedies in my head just in case.

Yep it’s a small minority of herbs whose effectiveness is backed up by quality studies. Modern herbalists have “debunked” some traditional remedies. Some herbs have legitimate uses but are also fairly dangerous, like lobelia. There’s a whole continuum. Flower essences are popular among legitimate herbalists, but smell bogus to me. I suggest to try for yourself and come to your own conclusions. The areas where I have found the herbs decisively effective are improving my sleep quality, quieting anxiety, and soothing and improving my digestion.

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