Phytotherapy

Natural product here, medicinal plants there...

Some use supplements, others prefer teas with dried herbs.

Others harvest medicinal plants in the forest and mountains, and create fresh tinctures accompanied by blessings, as if they were true hermit healers...

Then we still have the vast majority, who use pharmacy drugs, which, according to what is heard, had their origin in the natural world!

So much around the same thing: the use of medicinal plants to treat diseases...

Ahhhhhhhhh, Nature is simply fantastic!!!!

What is Phytotherapy?

I've heard about Herbalism, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Bach flower remedies, Aromatherapy, etc, etc, etc.

I'm already more confused than those scolding girls on the reality shows, who don't know if they should roll with the muscular handsome man, or if they let themselves be carried away, with the well-spoken linginhas...

Ahahaha

But what is Phytotherapy anyway?

Calm down my sweet lady!

Today, we're finally going to put the dots on the "is"!

You'll find out for sure what it's all about, so that you can explain it to your friend at those group dinners, and tell her in a very intellectual way that:

"Although everything is related to medicinal plants, the approaches and theories are quite different..."

Let's start with the big definition!

Definition of Phytotherapy

The word "Phytotherapy" has its humble origins in the Greek language, deriving from the words "Phyton", which means "vegetable", and "Therapeia", which refers to "treatment".

So if we add 1+1 and we get 2...

Phytotherapy can be defined as: the Science dedicated to the study of medicinal plants (vegetables) and their use in the treatment of diseases.

Now a very important thing!

Maybe what I'm going to say is more related to my vision or simply the word Phytotherapy, it has been popularized in recent times by people, who want to appropriate everything or who don't take due care in separating the different disciplines...

In my view, this is a blog after all:

"Phytotherapy is and should only be seen as a scientific approach!"

Although due to the name and general definition, it can also encompass something broader, and with less scientific support...

Yes, although the use of medicinal plants is something common to everything, in my humble opinion, true Phytotherapy is only that which is supported by scientific knowledge.

Maybe, to simplify the subject, let's start by approaching the other disciplines and try to differentiate from Phytotherapy from them.

Please note that this is not exact, as to date there is no SUPERIOR entity that has arrived on Earth and said: the official definition of Phytotherapy is exactly this...

Ahahhaah

Did you think this text was going to be enlightening?

Looks like you fell into the trap...

Naturopathy vs Phytotherapy

Well, looks like we're going to start with something easy...

How many times have you not read the word "Naturopathy"!?

So it is!

Phytotherapy, in a way, can be considered as one of the (most scientific) disciplines of Naturopathy.

And that, as you might be imagining, is something truly broad, since it has many areas with little or no validated knowledge.

Yes, because Naturopathy encompasses various types of treatments, as long as they are natural...

For example:

Hydrotherapy: natural treatment that uses contact with water to improve health.

Heliotherapy: use of sun exposure to promote physical health and psychological well-being.

Natural Food: careful and rational choice of low-processed foods to improve the functioning of the body.

etc, etc

We could stay here enunciating countless disciplines of natural treatments, and then discuss whether we could consider, for example, acupuncture as naturopathy, and other issues, which fortunately for me, don't keep me awake...

I think it was obvious?

Phytotherapy can be considered one of the therapies of the big and famous Naturopathy.

Homeopathy vs Phytotherapy

Wow, now we have something quite controversial here!!!! (There will be a beating...).

At least, in terms of effectiveness.

Because in terms of definition, we can easily distance the 2, and no one disagrees with that...

Phytotherapy has a more scientific and rational basis.

And before you start throwing stones at me, I'll explain why:

Regarding the use of natural products or even medicines to treat illnesses, there are 2 basic theories about how they will act: Allopathy and Homeopathy.

In Allopathy, which is the dominant system, and which is used as an intellectual basis for current science, medicines or even natural substances are used, which cause the opposite effect in the body, to that which is intended to be treated.

For example, in Allopathy to treat a fever, a natural or chemical substance is used that makes the person sweat, causing a decrease in body temperature.

In Homeopathy, homeopathic medicines are used that are produced through large dilutions of substances (many of them toxic at normal doses...) that supposedly cause, when taken at normal doses, the symptoms we want to treat...

For example, in the case of fever, in homeopathic treatment, a natural product (vegetable, animal or mineral) will be administered at an ultra-diluted level, which usually causes an increase in body temperature when taken at normal doses...

It is said that the dilutions are so great that most of the time, we have nothing there...

But according to homeopaths, a "memory" or energy of the natural product remains in the homeopathic preparation.

And according to theory, it will even lower the fever...

The majority of scientific studies and the dominant allopathic theory itself are against this explanation.

But I don't want to go there, I'm not in the mood for discussions.

Just to remember and not confuse:

True Phytotherapy is considered Allopathy!

Aromatherapy vs Phytotherapy

There's not much to say here...

We can consider that aromatherapy is part of Phytotherapy, or even if it is an isolated discipline, its fundamentals are in total agreement.

The use of essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants in the treatment of diseases is said to be due to an influence mediated by the detection of aromas by our brain.

Do you want to know more?

Search, that there is a world of information!

Bach Flower Remedies vs Phytotherapy

Although Bach Flower Remedies come from flowers, and most of them have therapeutic properties and are used in Phytotherapy:

They are different therapeutic methods!

Not only is the preparation and method of use quite different, but also the target of the treatments.

Bach Flower Remedies are obtained with infusions of fresh flowers in water heated by the sun, or by an accessory heating method...

Its main objective is: the treatment of emotional and mental disorders, according to the energy specific to each essence/flower.

In Phytotherapy (scientific), however, these nuances of the personality of each person are not taken into account, and the treatment in the case of cerebral and mental affections is done in a more objective and exact way and in accordance with a well-defined disease and characterized.

Herbalism vs Phytotherapy

 
So many times that the 2 words are used to define the same thing: use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases...

But I will venture to tell you the following:

(If anyone doesn't agree, write them in the comments, let's make this discussion productive.)

Although in practice, medicinal plants are used as a basis, Herbalism differs from Phytotherapy in that it only uses medicinal plants as a whole, and in one way:

The least processed and industrialized possible!

In other words, in Herbalism medicinal plants are used fresh or dried to be consumed directly in the form of teas, applied on wounds, or in the preparation of home remedies, without resorting to industrial extractions, refined products and active principles isolated from the plant.

In fact, this shop of mine focuses a lot on herbalism, if you notice most of what we sell are dried medicinal plants that you can use to prepare teas or create homemade tinctures or other homemade "medicines" from your grandmother's time...

In some countries such as the United Kingdom and the USA, herbalism is still widely used, and the tradition has not fallen so much as here...

It is even possible to purchase extracts prepared directly by the merchant.

If it was here, they would immediately arrest him...

Like this...

Phytotherapy refers to something more "care", in which companies buy medicinal plants, make their laboratory extracts and transform them into standardized tablets into active ingredients, in accordance with the thousand and one European quality standards...

Regarding the scientific validation of Herbalism, this varies greatly depending on the author.

There are authors and professionals who are guided only by well-founded applications by scientific studies, others love energetic and esoteric explanations, and others combine scientific knowledge with the still little studied potential of plants - yes because there is still a lot to discover!

No publication on this page constitutes medical practice and as such does not replace medical advice and follow-up.

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