Herbal Medicine Pros And Cons

Each year, people spend billions of dollars on pharmaceutical drugs, but what if there was an option that was cheaper and natural? Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years and shows no sign of stopping. Many are familiar with Aloe Vera, a plant commonly used to treat burns, but it can also be used to speed the healing process of cuts. Herbal remedies have been around for a long time and have saved lives, like little Teddy’s life in No Witchcraft for Sale.

Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years. “The ancient Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Babylonians, and Native Americans were all herbalists”(Herbs Friends of Physicians). The ancient Greeks and Romans were also herbalists (Herbs Friends of Physicians). Traditional medicine was the dominant medical system used in both rural and urban areas until the arrival of Europeans changed the medical

system (Abdullahi). There are arguments on whether or not herbal medicines are better than pharmaceutical drugs. Some arguments made are that they are “natural, safer, less likely to cause side effects, less expensive, and easier to obtain”(Hall). Herbal remedies are certainly cheaper than pharmaceutical drugs, “the popular drug Celebrex, used to treat arthritis, costs more than $4 per day, while ginger supplements, a popular herbal remedy for inflammation, cost about $.38 a day”(Wachtel- Galor). Herbal medicines can also be safer, but they’re not always tested and you don’t know if it’s contaminated or the side effects unless you’ve done your research. Herbal medicine is also easier to obtain because a doctor’s prescription is not needed, however, they should not be mixed with prescription medication. Herbal remedies clearly have benefits over pharmaceutical drugs.
In No Witchcraft for Sale, Gideon, the cook for the Farquars, Gideon, saves Little Yellow Head’s eyesight by finding a root and spitting in Little Yellow Head’s eyes to save his eyesight when he gets the poison from a venomous snake in his eyes(Lessing).

Gideon finds a mongoose plant and takes the root called Thiruvananthapuram (Indian Herbal Snakebite) and chews it up and spits it into the eyes. Little Yellow Head, or Teddy as his real name, got venom spit into his eyes(Lessing) by a Russel’s viper(Indian Herbal Snakebite).”A tree snake, hanging by its tail from the roof, had spat full into his eyes”(Lessing 151). The remedy was effective in saving Teddy’s eyesight and the Farquars owed him very much. They had a scientist come out to the Farquar’s homestead and tried to persuade him to tell him which plant it was. They were trying to guilt trip him into giving up the plant but Gideon felt a loyalty to his tribe and led the others on a wild goose chase before picking a random bunch of flowers to leave him alone (Lessing). The plant root was clearly effective in returning Teddy’s eyesight to

normal.
Herbal medicine has been around for a while and it is still used because it is effective. There are benefits to it and also some downsides, but is obviously better than pharmaceutical drugs. An example was clearly demonstrated when Gideon saved Teddy’s eyesight from the poisonous snake (Lessing). Natural remedies are the way to go when you are trying to decide between pharmaceutical and herbal medicines.