Use of herbs for health and as a medicine has a history dating back to man's evolution on the planet. From times immemorial, man has experimented and used botanicals to heal and provide remedial treatments.

Ancient cultures from India, China and Japan have remarkable history of herbal use which part of the pharmacopoeia of these cultures. While the herbs have been extensively, there are very little clinical experiments until about 100 years back. However, there is an extensive and exhaustive empirical evidence of the efficacy of various herbal treatments.

In the last century, there has been an increased interest in herbal remedies due to its cost effectiveness and non-toxic nature. Herbs are generally safe to use as medicine in or general tonic for maintaining good health.

Herbal products are derived from botanical sources. Most of the herbal products are safe to use for its nutritional value. For medicinal purposes, it is better to check out the source and labels to ascertain safety, evidence of its healing properties and whether the herbs are safe for general consumption.

World health organization has estimated that 80 % of the world population uses some or the other herbs for health and healing. Increasing research is throwing up clinical evidence for its efficacy in prevention of various modern day problems such as cancer, diabetes, nervous disorders and blood pressure. Most of the herbal products available today are conveniently processed and packed as herbal tea or coffee, and in the form of capsules as nutritional food. While products labeled as nutritional supplements are safe to use it is best to consult a physician for treatment of disease.

To check the details of the efficacy and what to consume or what not to consume it is best to refer to the website of American health Products Association website at www.ahpa.org.

This article is copyright ? of R.G. Srinivasan a Certified Trainer, Small Business Consultant, Writer and Author. He is passionate about alternative therapies and holistic health. Check out his herbal health blog at http://globalhealthnetwork.tripod.com/herbalhealth for more on the subject of health and fitness.