Clinic Hours

Clinic Hours

By Appointment

Monday 8am - 5pm

Tuesday 8am - 5pm

Wednesday 8am - 5pm

Thursday 8am - 5pm

Friday 8am - 4pm

Saturday 9am - 11am

HICAPS and Eftpos facilities are available. Please check with your health fund to see if you qualify for a rebate.

Western Herbal Medicine

Definition

Western Herbal Medicine involves using plants and plant material to create medicines to help prevent or treat various illnesses. Herbal Medicines may include the use of some or all parts of a plant, such as flowers, roots, fruits, leaves, and bark.

Western Herbal Medicine mostly emphasises the use of European and Native American herbs; however, herbs from other parts of the world are sometimes used in the formulation of medicines.

History

Traditional Western herbal medicine evolved mostly from the ancient Greeks, who were strongly influenced by Egyptian and Middle Eastern civilizations. Western herbal medicine also has roots in the indigenous practices of the British Isles and ancient Roman traditions. Well-known historical physicians including Hippocrates and Galen are thought to have used herbal medicine in their practices. The use of various herbal formulas is one of the oldest and possibly the most widespread form of medicine.

How they work

Whilst Western herbal medicine has a tradition, it has been significantly influenced and validated by the development of scientific technology and medical research. In the past 150 years the biologically active compounds found in plants have been utilized to synthesize many pharmaceutical drugs, however these active compounds can function effectively (and often more safely) when taken as teas, tablets, essential oils, ointments, extracts and tintures. Herbal medicines act on the human physiology to influence bodily activity, enhance or inhibit organ function, and are prescribed with the aim of correcting imbalances and resolving patterns of dysfunction.

Herbs of the Western herbal medicine tradition are the subject of increasing interest in the medical community. Research is currently being conducted in the use of medicinal herbs for various medical conditions. For instance, garlic has been researched as a potential treatment for high blood pressure. In some studies, the whole herb is given to a patient, whereas in other studies, isolated active chemicals, or constituents of a plant, may be extracted, purified, and administered to the patient. Herbal constituents may be concentrated to deliver standardised set doses and may also be synthesised in a lab. They may also have their chemical structure changed and patented. This wide variety of herbal formulations used in clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies is an area of concern for accurate analysis of research and determination of clinical recommendations.

Conditions

Herbal remedies are used for many suggested purposes such as improvement or general support of digestive, respiratory, circulatory, immune, endocrine, and nervous system processes. They are used for minor acute conditions such as colds and insomnia as well as Chronic conditions such as acne, asthma, chronic fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases, male and female infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, female reproductive problems such as endometriosis, menopausal symptoms, premenstrual syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome which have been shown to respond well to herbal medicine treatment.

Herbs are also used to purportedly remove waste and toxins from bodily cells or topically to promote healing of the skin.

A list of common complaints our patients attend Body Belief Therapies for can be found under "Conditions" on this site.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Body Belief Therapies through the contact page on this site.