WHAT IS PHYTOTHERAPY?
Phytotherapy, which may be translated into our language as “Herbal Treatment”, is a branch of science as old as the history of humanity, because its existence connected with the existence of humans. Likewise, the diseases have emerged with the adventure of humans on the earth, and the humans have turned towards nature firstly for finding a cure for the diseases.
Treatment with plants is a science that has not lost its popularity also today. Main reasons of the continuation of such interest even increasingly are that natural recipes of far history are still the remedies of many diseases and that the synthetic medications prepared by the experts have some adverse affects.
Treatment with Plants or the Botanic Science is not a science that everyone can learn easily and in which everyone can write prescriptions. Just as today you should undergo a discipline by studying Pharmacognosy for years and completing apprenticeship for a specified period in order to perform Pharmacy practice, it is an obligation to undergo a discipline in this science too, because it is a science requiring huge responsibility as to its results. Even the well-known sage has 80 species grown in nature. Favorable or poisonous varieties of hundreds of different plants, such as sage that we know well and use all the time, are grown in nature. Unfortunately, even the experts cannot determine whether a plant is toxic or not when viewed with the naked eye from time to time and they can identify this under laboratory conditions. Today Pharmacognosy (Botanic) and Phytotherapy (Herbal Treatment) are studied in Pharmacy schools as a course and the discipline that those who wish to be engaged in this science should undergo are provided in such schools sufficiently.
“The facilities of modern and rational phytotherapy is on service of the human being again”
Treatment with medical herbs has been used as a mostly preferred medical method in Anatolia civilizations, late Ottoman period and Shaman’s of Afrika, North/South America and Oceania while classified as ayurvedical medicine in China, Tibet, India for thousands years. Knowledge coming from this resources guides the modern phytotherapy treatment with standart drugs used nowadays.
Phytotherapy is a treatment that plant, root, bulb, leave is used directly as herbal medicines or indirectly as herbal pharmaceutical products for curing or preventing the ilness. This definition is valid and accepted in all EU countries. Phytotherapy is a science that rational and allopatic treatment based on partially experimental medicine, has effects that can be verified by convenient scientific regulations and are explicable which active ingredients based on.
Phytotherapical treatments and products that is rapidly spreading out in Europe and world wide as complementary therapy became hope for many ilnesses.
Two third of the medical herbs which available in all over the world is grown up and being cultivated in Turkey. Unfortunately many people consume them unconsciously and/or wrongly by traditional ways.
Because of containing fixed and volatile essential oils, medical herbs should be cultivated in high altitudes and correct places, away from residences, under correct circumstances, on correct timing and should be harvested on convenient time should be dried and sterilized by using correct methods. Analysing the content of active ingredients and determining the types by using latest system H.P.L.C. equipments are very important stages. However it is not enough for an effective and good quality production. The standarts of ISO 9001–2000 ve ISO 22.000–2005 should be applied in every stage from cultivation to packaging of the chain. In order to obtain such a production and marketing chain that needed for human health, a coorporation should be made between the scientists in expert and dominate institutes and rigorous investors.
Marketing and sales of the natural health products which does not contain any synthetic materials inside should be on right hands whereas giving importance based on international codes on application of rational phytotherapy and cultivation and quality control of phytopharmaceuticals. It should be mentioned that it can be conducted only by certified, trustworthy and conscious companies. Because all executions based on herbal remedies that can be a treatment , herbal medicines themselves and health products should be advised by medical doctors and should be sold by such companies. The facilities of modern and rational phytotherapy is on service of the human being again in the light of science and through efficient investors and certified, trustworthy, conscious companies.
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