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Allopathic vs Vitalist Herbalism

Let’s talk about Allopathic Herbalism. The term allopathic refers to mainstream treatments, so in Herbalism it refers to those herbs and remedies that are being promoted as helpful for specific conditions. An example would be ‘Cayenne for heart health’. A typical promotion might infer that Cayenne lowers blood pressure, aids digestion, and promotes heart health and circulation. While all this is true, as these ARE the actions and affinities of Cayenne, the bottom line is that Cayenne will NOT be good for everyone. And this is why Vitalist Herbalism is a better platform for herbal treatments, because we MUST consider the WHOLE picture of the individual we’re treating.

In a holistic herbal approach we consider the entire condition of the individual- mind, body and spirit. Furthermore, we ascertain the Ayurvedic constitution of the individual and the underlying tissue state of the problems. This information guides us to which herb or herbal formula will bring the system into balance.
Otherwise, we stand the chance of furthering imbalance by administering herbs that aggravate the conditions. Here’s a simple example:
Two herbs, both heart healthy, both aiding circulation and the GI tract (digestion) - Cayenne and Hawthorne berry. On one hand Cayenne is hot and drying, on the other Hawthorne is cooling and toning. Now enters the person, a Pitta, someone who by nature runs hot, therefore we can safely know that Cayenne will aggravate their condition by its hot properties, whereas Hawthorne will balance their high heat with its cooling energetics. In reverse, someone with a Vata constitution, who runs cold and is tightly wound, will react better to the warming Cayenne as opposed to the cooling, toning Hawthorne whose properties may exacerbate their cold and tightly-wound nature.

Determining the best herbs to use depends largely on these factors and more. So if you have chosen an herb and are finding it to be less than useful or causing further imbalance these factors are likely at play. This study and application may seem complicated, but it’s simply a matter of matching the holistic plant to the holistic person. We can help! Should you arrive at this place of uncertainty, just post, call, text or message us!

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