“Natural medicines- Completes your daily dietary nutrition”. To improve your health by adding anything to your regular diet is considered a natural diet or natural medicine.

If you use natural medicines, it is best to use under the guidance of a medical professional who has been properly trained in natural medicines.

As the popularity of supplements is increasing day by day, people use natural medicines in place of traditional medications.

In this article, we have discussed many natural medicines and also they are safe or not.

However, there are several factors to consider using natural medicines. But the question arises “what are natural medicines”?

Before further going let’s discuss what are natural medicines.

What are natural medicines?

Natural medicine is a plant or you can say that part of a plant that people use to stay healthy or to treat health conditions and illness.

Natural medicine is also called botanical product.

It is a type of dietary supplement used for its flavor, scent, or potential therapeutic properties.

Most common natural medicines are echinacea, flaxseed, ginseng, ginkgo, saw palmetto, black cohosh, milk thistle, garlic, etc.

While these are considered as natural remedies, but still they may cause several types of interactions and serious adverse effects.

when using natural medicines, the patient with certain medical conditions is at a greater risk of developing adverse effects.

Are natural medicines safe?

It is important to know that just because natural medicine is labeled “natural or herbal” it doesn’t mean it is safe.

For example, the Kava herbs and comfrey have been linked to serious liver damage.

Natural medicines act in the same way as drugs. Therefore, if it is not used correctly or taken in a large amount, it can cause medical problems.

In some cases, people experienced negative effects even when they followed the instructions on a supplement label.

Although herbs seem harmless, some can be dangerous, especially for those people who take medication for a heart problem.

Clinic cardiologists warn that anyone who takes digoxin, diuretics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, without checking with their doctor.

What to know before using natural medicines?

If you are using any natural medicines, you should be aware that much natural medicines may interact with both prescription and nonprescription medications.

Natural medicines like feverfew, ginger, and ginkgo can interact with some drugs used for breast cancer.

The FDA (The food and drug administration) requires that the labels of all natural medicines include information such as the name of the natural medicines, the name, and address, complete list of ingredients etc.

If you don’t understand something on a supplement label, then ask your doctor for an explanation.

Which people shouldn’t take natural medicines?

If you have any health issues, so it is essential that you talk with your doctor before taking any natural medicines.

In fact, in some high-risk situations, your doctor will recommend you to avoid natural medicine altogether.

Following are some points which are very important for you to talk to your doctor before using any natural medicine:-

1. If you take any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills.

It is very important to consult with your natural medicine doctor about the medicine you are taking.

Because some herbs can cause serious side effects when mixed with prescription and OTC medications, such as aspirin, blood thinners or blood pressure medications etc and it can affect your health.

2. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Medications that may be safe for you as an adult, but it may be harmful to your fetus or your breastfeeding child.

According to the general rule, don’t take any medications prescription, OTC or natural medicine when you are pregnant or breastfeeding until your doctor approves it for you.

3. If you are having any surgery.

Many of the natural medicine can affect the success of the surgery.

Some may decrease the effectiveness or cause dangerous complications, like bleeding, high blood pressure etc.

Tell your doctor about the herbs you are taking or considering taking as soon as you know you need surgery.

Now, I have collected the list of dietary supplements which are helpful to improve your health.

List of natural medicines

Following are the list of natural medicines which is helpful to improve your health.

1. Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola rosea is a plant that grows in cold, mountainous regions in the parts of Europe, North America, and Central Asia.

It includes other names like arctic root, golden root, king’s crown, and roseroot.

It is been a part of Chinese medicine for a long time and has also seen it’s popularity in Russia, Scandinavian, and other cold, mountainous areas.

Some people believe that this herb can help to treat anxiety, depression, anemia, and headaches.

While some results appear promising that many of the studies have been small or flawed.

It has a low risk of side effects and appears to offer some benefits for many of these conditions. Therefore, it may be a natural option.

2. Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is an effective remedy for those with liver disease and also fight the health-related issues like depression, diabetes, hangovers, heartburn, high cholesterol, menstrual problem, seasonal allergies, etc.

In thistle, the active ingredient acts as an antioxidant, stabilizing liver cell membranes and increasing glutathione production.

As an antioxidant, milk thistle benefits are similar to other nutrients like vitamin E or vitamin C, which help to fight free radical damage and slow the aging process.

Silymarin helps in decreasing the risk of cancer development by boosting the immune system, fighting DNA damage and reversing cancer tumor growth.

Milk thistle is categorized as a supplement rather than a drug, it is not subject to the same oversight and quality control from the FDA that standard drugs are.

You can also try milk thistle benefits by consuming it in a tea form. You can grow your own thistle and make homemade tea if you are up for harvesting the plants.

Each small plant’s head contains approx 190 seeds, it can be used in various ways.

If you purchase or grow a milk thistle plant, cut off the entire head and hang the plant upside down for one week to draw out the seeds.

3. Bacopa Monnieri

The Bacopa monnieri is a herb native to the wetlands of southern India and Australia and it is also known as Brahmi, water hyssop.

It is one of the few scientifically verified natural medicines shown to have enhancing effects on various aspects of brain function.

If you find Bacopa sold with smaller bacoside content, you will need to take more.

Bacopa should be taken with meals because it requires fat to be best absorbed and can cause stomach aches other digestive problems when taken on an empty stomach.

These compounds have antioxidant properties which enhance the communication of brain chemicals involved in cognition, learning, and memory, and inhibit inflammation in the brain.

It is available in capsule or tablet form and contains saponin compounds such as bacosides and bacopasides.

4. Garlic

Garlic contains a compound which is called allinin, which gets converted into allicin when the bulb is crushed.

It is shown that it is effective in combating harmful organisms like MRSA, and a resource for fighting against cardiovascular disease.

However, many studies have shown that allicin decreases hypertension by as much as 30 points.

Also, it may help to prevent strokes by slowing arterial blockages and lowering levels of homocysteine, which is a chemical that leads to plaque buildup.

Just crush the cloves of garlic and set them aside for 15 minutes. Then, incorporate the garlic anywhere in your meal.

The National Cancer Institute recognizes garlic may be helpful for high blood pressure.

Garlic is one of the several vegetables with potential anticancer properties but it does not recommend garlic as a natural remedy for cancer prevention.

5. Berberine

Berberine is an ammonium salt which is found in plants such as goldenseal, yellowroot, and Californian poppy.

Plants containing berberine have been used in Chinese medicine. Berberine is good for regulating blood sugar levels.

If you are suffering from diabetes, then this might be a good one to consider for the cure.

It is a bioactive compound that can be extracted from several different plants, including a group of shrubs called Berberis.

After you ingest berberine, it is taken in by the body and transported into the bloodstream.

Then it travels into the body cells.

However, the main actions of berberine are to activate an enzyme inside cells which is called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

This enzyme is sometimes referred to as a “metabolic master switch” and it is found in the cells of various organs like the brain, muscle, kidney, heart, and liver.

It plays a major role in regulating metabolism.

It also affects the various other molecules inside the cells, and may even affect which genes are turned on or off.

6. Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that your brain already produces and secrets to regulate sleep.

It is also found in some plants like rice, corn, tomatoes, edible fruits etc.

Melatonin is one of the only supplements that has been shown to have sleep aid benefits, and it is prescribed by doctors as a treatment for insomnia.

It is a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep.

However, it is also helpful for a sleep disorder that causes changes in blind peoples sleep and wake times.

You can also buy melatonin natural medicines online. They come in a pill, liquids, and chewable form.

7. Turmeric

Turmeric has been used for many years and its deep orange pigment has been used as a dye, Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Moreover, Turmeric has held a place in religious ceremonies across India for thousands of years.

Now, the natural medicine makers say that turmeric may be useful for those people who suffer from inflammation or joint pain, or for those who want to take antioxidants, which turmeric contains.

Turmeric is also helpful to improve a variety of serious and even life-threatening conditions, including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, psoriasis, arthritis, major depression, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

8. Ginger

As we know that ginger is a herb and is also known as Amomum Zingiber, Ardraka, Cochin Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Ginger Essential Oil, Imber, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, Ginger Root, Gingembre, Rhizoma Zingiber, Zingiberis Recens, and other names.

Ginger natural medicine come in both fresh and dried form.

The fresh form is useful in reducing nausea and also has great antiviral properties to help fight the common cold.

The dried form of ginger has increased anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous benefits.

Use fresh ginger tea at the first sign of a cold and use dried ginger tea bags to reduce the pain of arthritis.

9. Creatine

The creatine is a combination of three amino acids: L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine.

It is transported through the blood and used by those body parts that have high energy demands.

Creatine is one of the most popular supplements or medicine in the U.S., especially for those men who participate in ice hockey, football, baseball, lacrosse, and wrestling.

After taking creatine, teenage swimmers performed better and it is also helpful for high school soccer players sprint, dribble, and jump more effectively.

Researchers study say that creatine might also be useful to treat health conditions like Heart failure and heart attack etc.

10. Caffeine

Caffeine is a crystalline alkaloid. It is found in the seeds, leaves, and fruits some plants.

The most common sources are coffee beans, tea, yerba mate, guarana berries, and guayusa.

It is most known for its stimulant effects, causing an increase in alertness and wakefulness.

However, caffeine can actually have benefits for daily exercise as well.

Caffeine has been shown to offer a benefit to anaerobic running capacity as well as power output.