Nature Derived Organics

Botanical medicine is one of my favorite modalities of naturopathic medicine

If you have ever used
– oregano oil when you are sick or
– tea tree oil to disinfect or
– turmeric to decrease inflammation or
– lavender to calm your nerves / help you sleep or
– eucalyptus in a diffuser during cold and flu season
Well, then you know about botanical medicine!

Botanical medicine is the use of the chemical components of plants for medicine
– Curcumin in turmeric is what gives it its anti-inflammatory properties
– Oregano oil contains the volatile oils carvacrol and thymol, which are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
– In garlic you can find alliin (which converts to allicin) and is responsible for its cholesterol lowering, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant effects

Many people think of herbalism as a mild or even non-evidence-based practice, but did you know several of our pharmaceuticals first came from the components found in plants?

Let me give you some examples:
– Aspirin was originally derived from the willow bark tree. Ancient Egyptians used willow bark as a remedy for aches, pains and fevers. It wasn’t until thousands of years later that we discovered that it was the chemical component salicylic acid within the willow bark tree that gave it its fever-reducing properties
– Quinine, which is a drug used to treated malaria is an alkaloid (chemical/constituent) taken from a tree that grows in south America and the amazon rainforest
– Opiates (namely morphine and codeine) came from the opium poppy

Needless to say, plants are powerful. In naturopathic medicine, we use evidence-based knowledge of plants and their constituents to treat and ease different ailments. Some great uses for plants include anxiety, colds/flus, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, inflammation and even more complicated conditions

If you are interested in learning more about/using herbal medicine and other modalities of naturopathic medicine you can book in with me by calling 604 540 2873. My shifts are on Mondays and Thursdays and I look forward to working with you!

In health,
P