Phytotherapeutics

Drugs derived from plants. There are many. Here’s what you need to know.

What are herbal medicines?

Phytotherapeutics are drugs derived from plants traditionally used for the treatment or prevention of specific diseases.

The use of plants for healing purposes is lost in the mists of time. All the civilizations that have alternated in the history of man have experimented and studied the therapeutic properties of numerous plants, and have left us a legacy of real treatises on these natural remedies.

Mistakenly defined as “unconventional”, treatments with medicinal herbs have in fact ancient roots. And the activity, consolidated over years of use, is often confirmed by science, so much so that today phytotherapy is considered to all intents and purposes part of official medicine. Thanks to its real healing properties it is proposed as an adjuvant and complementary means to conventional medical practice.

Needless to enumerate the countless active ingredients isolated from medicinal plants that conventional medical science then used, in pure or modified form, for the production of drugs. Just to give two well-known examples, we remember acetylsalicylic acid, derived from salicylic acid from willow bark (hence the name) and morphine, which comes from opium extracted from poppy.

The fundamental difference with herbal products is that the latter do not necessarily have to contain active ingredients, being devoid of specific therapeutic indications.

Herbal remedies, on the contrary, have indicated on the package the title or the quantity of active substance, and this allows in addition to the standardization of the products, ie the presence of the same amount of active ingredient, the precise therapeutic indication.

Phytotherapeutics: how are they born?

The techniques used to make the beneficial properties of a plant available and usable depend on the type of plant considered, the anatomical site in which the active ingredients are concentrated, and the chemical nature of the latter.

In general, modern herbal preparations are obtained from fresh or dried plant material. Starting from the fresh plant, the mother tincture and glycerinate macerate, also called gemmoderivato, are obtained. The dry plant instead gives rise to pharmaceutical forms such as herbal tea, powder, fluid extract and dry extract.

For phytotherapeutic uses today we tend to prefer the nebulized dry extract, which offers high concentration of active ingredient and optimal bioavailability, as well as high reliability and reproducibility of the therapeutic action. Finally, by distillation or pressing of the fresh or dried plant, essential oils are obtained.

Some preparations consist of extracts from individual plants, others from combinations of extracts from different plants. They can be prepared by the pharmacist (in this case we speak of magistral galenic medicines) or are sold as pre-packaged products that must however comply with various quality standards.

The “titration”, i.e. the measurement of the quantity of one or more of the active ingredients present in the phytocomplex indicated on the label, is the main guarantee of quality and effectiveness of a phytotherapeutic product.

What are the main herbal products?

There are countless herbal products. The main ones are:

Phytotherapy: when is it used?

The general fields of application of phytotherapy are many: ranging from the possibility of replacing a synthetic drug for a specific condition or disease, to the possibility of using the phytotherapeutic remedy in association with the synthetic drug.

Here are some specific application examples:

Phytotherapy Application
Hypericum perforatum Mild forms of depression
Peppermint Digestive disorders (irritable bowel syndrome))
Clove essence Infections of the oral cavity (local disinfectant)

There are also herbs for sleep and herbs for circulation or against mental fatigue (such as hawthorn, a natural stress reliever). In addition, the usefulness of herbal medicine for anxiety has been demonstrated. Some medicinal plants can also be used in children (such as passionflower, which in children can help in case of difficulty sleeping), while it is good to pay attention to the use of phytotherapy during pregnancy.

The phytocomplex

Phytotherapy is keen to claim its own independent status and well separated from pharmacology, by virtue of the concept of “phytocomplex”.

The term “phytocomplex” indicates the set of all the substances present in the medicinal product extracted from the plant which, individually, may or may not have therapeutic properties, but which are indispensable, in their entirety, for a complete therapeutic action.

This “concert” of principles in the same phytotherapeutic preparation is placed in contrast with a “solo” pharmacological agent, as it is present in a conventional drug.

The phytocomplex, therefore, does not only include active ingredients, i.e. compounds really responsible for the specific action of the remedy, but also a series of other substances and cofactors that influence the stability, absorption and activity of the active ingredients.

No substance of the plant is to be considered “active” or “inert” but all the constituents contribute to determining the overall therapeutic activity, for example by acting to modify the absorption or activity of the active ingredients proper.

Prescription phytotherapeutics

Some phytotherapeutics and their active ingredients play a role in important areas of therapeutic intervention. Think, for example, of taxanes, substances extracted from Taxus baccata widely used as chemotherapeutics against certain types of cancer.

There are also remedies against hypertension and heart disease, such as herbal medicines derived from Digitalis purpurea lanata.

Phytotherapeutics and self-medication

Herbal medicines are not fresh water. Their intake must be done responsibly even if they do not require a prescription.

In case of doubts or questions it is always advisable to seek advice from your doctor or your trusted pharmacist.

This is because, in a very similar way to synthetic drugs, these remedies, if not taken at the recommended doses and frequencies, can give rise to serious side effects, or, in other cases, their active ingredients can modify the action of other drugs taken at the same time.

This is why it is wrong to emphasize the mistaken equivalence between natural and beneficial, which is usually done for promotional purposes, to sell plants and herbs of which sometimes boast undocumented therapeutic properties, often neglecting the possible dangers.

The quality, effectiveness and safety of phytotherapeutic production is first and foremost guaranteed when choosing products from qualified companies. Moreover, in Italy, to protect consumers from risks and fraud, there is a specific regulation on natural products. Unfortunately, the use of the Internet and uncontrolled distributors often exposes the most unsuspecting to dangers of various kinds.

However, it must be remembered that any substance with a real activity can at the same time also be harmful. Possible interactions with traditional drugs must also be considered. In particular, today we know that there are many plants that interact with drugs, reducing or dangerously enhancing their activity.

St. John’s wort, for example, known for its antidepressant properties, increases the action of certain antidepressant drugs. Therefore, those who are on these drugs should avoid taking St. John’s wort.

Therefore, although there are many herbal preparations that can be freely purchased without a prescription, it is appropriate to emphasize the importance of consulting a pharmacist or a trusted doctor.

When to resort to natural remedies

Phytotherapy can help alleviate countless ailments: for example, remedies such as garlic-based fumigations or dandelion herbal teas are useful for sinusitis, while among the remedies for colds we can mention ginger. Thyme is one of the remedies for sore throat, while some studies suggest the effectiveness of honey for cough.

Muscles and joints can also benefit from phytotherapy: for hematomas, among the most used natural remedies we remember plant extracts of pineapple or blueberry, while in case of torticollis as natural remedies arnica compresses can be used. If, on the other hand, you face a foot contusion, to the “grandmother’s remedies” already mentioned, you can add aloe vera, escin, etc.

There are also herbal remedies healing plants for the skin, remedies against constipation or otitis in children, anti-free radicals etc. As for the link between chocolate and headaches, it seems that 100% pure cocoa can help soothe the pain. Finally, an “energizing” plant such as ginseng can be used against fatigue, while soy lecithin in menopause can help keep cholesterol levels low.

Plants and natural remedies for your well-being

Among the many other plants and natural remedies that can benefit your body are:

Joycelyn Elders, MD

Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.

The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.

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