How Do Herbs Act?

Biochemical differences between animals and plants make herbs the best chemist dealing with us.
There are plants known to have some medicinal effects and they are used traditionally as herbal self medicine.

When used in its natural form no matter who fabricated it, it is considered as a herb medicine, but if an active ingredient is extracted, isolated, investigated and used in a specified dose then it is a medicine with a specific pharmacologic effect.

An example that illustrates the difference is Ephedra plant and its active ingredient Ephedrine alkaloid which can be toxic if its dose exceeded the recommended one.

Herb medicine has some great advantages as it has a high safety margin since it is present in minute amounts in its resource, in addition to its highly diversified utilities ( Have you heard that Fennel+Dill can treat Cataract or that Garlic can treat snake or scorpion bites ? I have).

Now, what endows herb medicines their activity in treating different ailments? in other words, what is their mechanism of action?

The answer lies in understanding differences in physicochemical built of the plant and animal kingdoms members( including man). It is easy. plants derive their energy from solar energy and are reproduced through their seeds( they don't need to move) while animals need to move to seek food and mates.

This mechanical difference in survival treats dictated the structure and consequently the metabolism (Biochemical activity) of each to serve the static standing nature of plants and the dynamic mobile nature ofa nimals. Plants only needs built in canals to transport water down-up and animals need muscles to move.

Plant canals are hollow cellulose walls and animal bone and muscles are made of protein.

Both animals and plants utilize the same food categories(carbohydrates, fats and proteins), yet the genetic code of metabolism of each serves their essential mechanical nature,hence the plant metabolism puts CARBOHYDRATES in the first place to serve the purpose of producing building units(cellulose).

Animals having PROTEIN as their structural element, then they elaborated protein to be in other forms different from muscles to serve other functions like enzymes,immunity proteins,cell adhesion proteins some hormones...etc.,consequntly their protein is highly responsive to any stimuli.

When animals ingest food they use both carbohydrates and fat for energy production and storage and put some of them in cell membranes, while they ASSIMILATE ingested protein to SIMILAR forms of their own protein. Any other substance different from the mentioned forms unless affect body tissues will be solubilized and excreted.

Herb medicines through their extraneous materials mostly affect human PROTEINS so as to modify its structure without distorting it, these protein modulations restore the proper structure and function of body proteins (this is of particular crucial importance if the protein is present in cell membrane or is an enzyme).

Known traditional herb medicines if investigated systematically can launch the conventional medicines to much more better level.There are plants known to have some medicinal effects and they are used traditionally as herbal self medicine.

When used in its natural form no matter who fabricated it, it is considered as a herb medicine, but if an active ingredient is extracted, isolated, investigated and used in a specified dose then it is a medicine with a specific pharmacologic effect.

An example that illustrates the difference is Ephedra plant and its active ingredient Ephedrine alkaloid which can be toxic if its dose exceeded the recommended one.

Herb medicine has some great advantages as it has a high safety margin since it is present in minute amounts in its resource, in addition to its highly diversified utilities ( Have you heard that Fennel+Dill can treat Cataract or that Garlic can treat snake or scorpion bites ? I have).

Now, what endows herb medicines their activity in treating different ailments? in other words, what is their mechanism of action?

The answer lies in understanding differences in physicochemical built of the plant and animal kingdoms members( including man). It is easy. plants derive their energy from solar energy and are reproduced through their seeds( they don't need to move) while animals need to move to seek food and mates.

This mechanical difference in survival treats dictated the structure and consequently the metabolism (Biochemical activity) of each to serve the static standing nature of plants and the dynamic mobile nature ofa nimals. Plants only needs built in canals to transport water down-up and animals need muscles to move.

Plant canals are hollow cellulose walls and animal bone and muscles are made of protein.

Both animals and plants utilize the same food categories(carbohydrates, fats and proteins), yet the genetic code of metabolism of each serves their essential mechanical nature,hence the plant metabolism puts CARBOHYDRATES in the first place to serve the purpose of producing building units(cellulose).

Animals having PROTEIN as their structural element, then they elaborated protein to be in other forms different from muscles to serve other functions like enzymes,immunity proteins,cell adhesion proteins some hormones...etc.,consequntly their protein is highly responsive to any stimuli.

When animals ingest food they use both carbohydrates and fat for energy production and storage and put some of them in cell membranes, while they ASSIMILATE ingested protein to SIMILAR forms of their own protein. Any other substance different from the mentioned forms unless affect body tissues will be solubilized and excreted.

Herb medicines through their extraneous materials mostly affect human PROTEINS so as to modify its structure without distorting it, these protein modulations restore the proper structure and function of body proteins (this is of particular crucial importance if the protein is present in cell membrane or is an enzyme).

Known traditional herb medicines if investigated systematically can launch the conventional medicines to much more better level.

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By waheed elqalatawy
Published: 6/23/2006
 
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