Out of Its Dark Ages
Herbalist CoreyPine Shane takes a look at the history and the here and now of herbal medicine.

In the 20 years since I first started shopping at the GreenStar Food Co-op in Ithaca, NY, the natural food scene has changed incredibly. There are over 260 Whole Foods Markets across the country, and you can buy organic soy milk at just about any traditional grocery. Herbal medicine has come a long way, too. Most Americans know what echinacea is, St. John’s wort made the TV show “20/20” in 1998, and you can find a slew of herbal capsules at Wal-Mart.

Herbal medicine has finally come out of its dark ages that began in the early to mid-20th century. Up until that time, doctors were just as likely to use herbs as community healers were. But with the fast response of chemical medicines and the stigma attached to using traditional medicines, many people instead began opting for the “magic bullet.” As a result, all over the world—from the southern Appalachians to the Brazilian rainforests—people turned away from their traditions of medicine and food in favor of modern standardized culture. This is exactly what happened in the U.S.

The rise in the popularity of herbs in the past ten or so years is just beginning to undo the damage done by this great forgetting. This is both an exciting and challenging time for herbal medicine—to be able to expand without losing its heart and to find ways to blend the millennia-old tradition with modern scientific insights. Remember that breakfast cereal with milk started off as a health food, as anyone who saw the movie Road to Wellville might remember. Back when root beer was actually made with roots, it was also a health tonic, just as Pepsi was used for digestive problems in the past. Where will current trends in herbal medicine take the movement? It all depends on if we continue to educate ourselves about the modality and the actions we take.

Trend Spotting
New Life Journal asks area supplement department managers and herbal medicine manufacturers to spill the beans on what customers currently demand.

WE ASKED:
1. What are the top two questions customers most often ask concerning supplements and herbal healing?
2. What are your current two best-selling herbal supplements?
3. Since working in this capacity, what are some changes you’ve seen in the herbal healing industry?
4. Do you have any predictions about where the world of herbal medicine will head in the future?

ARRION KITCHEN, wellness department coordinator at Hendersonville Co-op for the past six years, folk herbalist, Master’s Certification in Herbal Medicine through former North Carolina School of Natural Healing

The questions I hear most often are in regard to joint pain and inflammation as well as questions regarding issues common to menopause.

Turmeric is our top seller in the herbal supplements department. Most people will naturally gravitate to or show an interest in herbs traditionally used for energy, so we sell plenty of holy basil, rhodiola and the various ginsengs.
I’ve observed that now people have more educational resources available through the Web, and more people are now open to visiting local holistic or integrative practitioners who often possess the expertise to speak to an individual’s specific concerns in context to the bigger picture of that individual’s total “quality of life.” This means that many people don’t just ask for the one “magic bullet” anymore; instead, people gladly change their entire lifestyle for the better.

I personally think that we can expect a resurrection of respect for indigenous and folk wisdom through botanicals from cultures all over the world.

RIC SCALZO, herbalist and president and founder of Gaia Herbs founded 21 years ago in Asheville

Big questions on consumers’ minds in regards to herbs are purity, safety and efficacy. With story after story in the media about pesticides, heavy metals and adulterations of herbal products, consumer attention is rightly focused on knowing if what they buy and ingest is pure herb. With regard to safety, they question if there are any contraindications associated with taking herbs and their prescription medications. Lastly, with independent test labs like Consumer Labs reporting that many supplement products do not meet the claims made on their labels regarding herb potency, consumers are appropriately asking for verification that their herbal supplements meet the recommended therapeutic claim.

Some of our best selling products include milk thistle, oil of oregano, olive leaf, and our proprietary sleep formula Sound Sleep. Our challenge with any top seller is to keep our raw materials supply chain connected to our process. Our strict quality guidelines often limit us from using an ingredient that may be available because the herb, being a living structure, can have variability in its bioactive strength. In those instances, we choose to sacrifice production and keeping the item in stock for our commitment to quality and potency.
New regulatory guidelines related to herb identity, purity, safety and efficacy are really changing the industry.

Organizations like AHPA (American Herbal Product Association) make it their work to guide the herbal products industry to be respected and trusted by consumers. Another major change is the drive for manufacturers to meet the FDA Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines. Gaia Herbs has spent almost two years working with the Natural Products Association to have our operations GMP approved.
As consumers become disenchanted with their reliance on prescription medications, complementary and alternative methods of wellness will grow. Botanical treatments lead the way in this transition, and our industry must step up to the plate to become responsible for our role in the wellness of our culture.

CHRISTA JOY HAMILTON, supplements and body care department manager at Greenlife Grocery for the past four years, certified herbalist under Rosemary Gladstar’s herbal school

I find that so many people come into the department and they aren’t really sure what they’re after. A lot of people have a slew of symptoms for which they’re looking for answers, and having a sounding board helps them to figure out what it is that they need. Health seems to be the newest “religious” obsession. In some cases, people seem to have replaced faith with health in as much as they fixate on it. Some of the more common questions I’m asked include “I need to cleanse my whole body, what do you have for that?” “I’m allergic to (enter what you will). What do you have that will help me with that?” and “What herbs are going to interact with my medicine?”

There are always trends that fluctuate when it comes to best sellers. The biggest herbs of the past few years have been the anti-inflammatory herbs. So many diseases are coming to light as being an inflammatory condition, so turmeric, ginger, rosemary and others are getting a lot of attention (and successful use). Also, in the anti-inflammatory line, essential fatty acids and proteolytic enzymes are popular. Cleansing herbs are also huge now. In addition to fiber and probiotics, the herbs used to detoxify are big: milk thistle, dandelion leaf and root, yellow dock, burdock, red clover, etc. Aloe vera is popular for this reason too. Lastly, herbs to help mood imbalances are popular: holy basil is our best mood herb seller and it is a wonderful herb.
There are fluctuations with the popularity of herbs. There is a constant stream of studies that come out on herbal medicine, and some people will jump on the latest news, whether it’s negative or positive, as the golden truth. A lot of press can be released on an herb and it explodes. Comfrey, kava, St. John’s, echinacea, etc. have all had big negative press, and a lot of consumers will turn their backs on those herbs. I always suggest to people that they read the actual studies or talk to an herbalist and get a second opinion before they forgo any use of the herb.

I see that there is a lot of frustration with allopathic medicine, and people want change. Natural medicine is a more feminine and subtle modality of healing as opposed to a direct, masculine allopathic modality. It isn’t just taking a pill and not having to change anything else; it’s about working with herbs and nutrition and emotional healing and being an active, present person when it comes to health. I see people slowly coming around and truly being an active participant in their health. This is a good sign.

Sport the Newest Fashions or Buck the Trend?
Area herbalists weigh in.

COREYPINE SHANE, director, Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, Asheville, NC

Using herbs is different than using herbal medicine. Herbal medicine is a system of medicine—a way of looking at the body in health and disease and addressing people’s imbalances in a holistic way. Without deeper knowledge of herbal medicine, herbs on a shelf are likely to be used as replacements for drugs. But, herbs are complex and can have broad effects, often by nourishing the body, whereas drugs are simplified chemicals that have effects on specific disease processes.

So, complex concepts get reduced to sound bites. People start to think of St. John’s wort as a replacement for Prozac, or goldenseal as a substitute for antibiotics, which ultimately leads to disappointment, because there is not one herbal antidepressant or antibiotic. St. John’s wort is good for certain people’s depression, and there are another dozen herbs that can also help depending on how the depression manifests in a particular person, not to mention looking at dietary, lifestyle and spiritual factors. This is also why herbs sometimes don’t stand up well in clinical trials: some herbs are better for ulcers with excess acid, others for ulcers with a deficiency of protective digestive secretions. Ultimately, herbs treat people not disease names.

To see people empowering themselves and taking their health into their own hands is a wonderful thing, and I would rather see people taking willow bark than aspirin; it brings us closer to the natural state of the medicine that our bodies are used to and has far fewer side effects. But, I think it’s important for people to educate themselves about their own health and about the remedies they take, and to look at information from companies selling herbal products with the same critical eye as that from mainstream corporations. If we don’t watch our medicine, it can get diluted past the point of effectiveness.

JULIET BLANKESPOOR, director, Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, Leicester, NC

I believe there is a human tendency to be drawn to that which is rare or exotic. The natural supplements industry often capitalizes on this by promoting and marketing herbs/foods from far away, as evidenced by recent herbal trends such as maca and goji berries. Amazing health claims in the media coupled with convincing advertising make it easy to overlook the herbs in our gardens and backyards, and instead we spend a lot of money on products made from herbs grown on the other side of the world and manufactured on the other side of the continent. Consumers here in southern Appalachia live in an extremely rich area of plant bio-diversity and are blessed to have good quality local herb businesses that focus on products made from fresh, local medicinal plants. There is an emerging consciousness around supporting local food; may we extend that to our herbal purchases as well!

MIMI HERNANDEZ, director, One World Healing Arts Institute, Asheville, NC

I expect that the implementation of Good Manufacturing Processes (GMPs) will boost the safety profile of an industry that is already relatively safe. The expensive burden of these regulations may threaten the viability of small herbal businesses and community herbalists, though. Because of this, the diversity of the herbal product industry will narrow to corporate and pharmaceutical interests who can afford the expensive regulatory procedures. Ultimately, the consumer will pay the inflated prices of these herbal supplements, and the legitimacy of herbal medicine will be in the hands of researchers and corporate gurus who otherwise have no relationship with medicinal plants, thus devaluing traditional and cultural evidence and discounting the intuitive wisdom disseminated from an individual’s intimate interaction with live plants. My advice? Learn to recognize and make your own herbal medicine, and then pass this wisdom along to your children!

CEARA FOLEY, director, Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, Asheville, NC

With big businesses taking notice of the multi-billion dollar natural products industry, we will continue to see,
hear and feel much to both entice and frighten the consumer. But, one need not know about carotenoids to know carrots are good for us; it is our intuitive birthright to use our senses and the wisdom of our elders to discern such things. So it is with all plants. Empowering ourselves to reintegrate with our environment is the only prescription against blind faith in media healthcare hype. The loss of trust in ourselves, our traditions, and our connection to nature
(the source of health and vitality) is far more dangerous than the small percentage of toxic plants a community herbalist would never recommend. Furthermore, an intimate relationship with our healing herbal allies is what will protect them from their extinction.

CoreyPine Shane is a holistic clinical herbalist with a practice in downtown Asheville that blends Chinese medicine with the use of local herbs. He began the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine in 1999 and is the director and primary instructor.

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