Experience natural healing with…
Botanical Medicine
Botanical or herbal medicine is the use of plant extracts in the form of a liquid tincture, infusion, capsule or powder to aid in healing the body and alleviating symptoms. Botanical medicine, or using plants as medicine, has been used by many cultures for thousands of years and was the principle form of medicine before pharmaceuticals became popular in the mid 1900’s. At Aspen Integrative Medical Center, Amber Belt, ND, Alexandra Mele, ND, and Paul Despres NMD are highly skilled in the use of botanical medicine to facilitate healing of the individual and prevent disease.
How does botanical medicine compare to pharmaceutical medications?
Botanical or herbal medicine has much fewer side effects than pharmaceutical medication. Botanical medicine does not work on a single enzyme or pathway as pharmaceuticals do, making its effect on the body much more in depth and profound. Botanical medicine can be much more specific to a patient’s symptoms and even account for things such as a patient’s temperature preference, personality or mental health struggles all in the same formula.
How can I use botanical medicine?
Botanical or herbal medicine is most often used as a unique combination of liquid extracts in the form of a tincture or infusion or as a blend of herbs in capsule form. Some herbs need to be tasted to be most efficacious, for example bitter herbs help to stimulate digestion and alleviate constipation but need to be in touch with the taste receptors on our tongue so our body gets the bitter taste to stimulate the effect. Infusions can be prepared hot or cold and are cost effective ways to increase hydration and use herbal medicine. Dr. Alexandra Mele, Dr. Amber Belt and Dr. Paul Despres can create custom botanical formulations at Aspen that are always patient specific and unique to the patient’s needs.
What conditions can botanical medicine help?
Botanical or herbal medicine can be helpful for any medical condition but is not a substitute for surgery, nutrition or lifestyle changes.
