When I integrate herbal medicine, I’m looking at bio individuality and genomics. I want to support the whole person’s health rather than targeting a symptom, per se. Watch our short video as Dr. Leslie Korn talks about Botanicals.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
We’re going to define some terms such as adaptogenic herbs. I’m going to give some examples of these herbs and how they’re used. I’ll discuss some of the benefits and risks of St. John’s Wort, really one of our preeminent botanicals for a mild to moderate depression.
I’ll summarize some of the clinical applications for CBD, cannabinoid from the cannabis plant, and then I’ll list three nervines commonly recommended for insomnia. These are a few of our objectives, I imagine we’ll have some more as well.
Integrating herbal medicine: Integrate whole person support with symptom targets
When I integrate herbal medicine, I’m looking at bio individuality and genomics. I want to support the whole person’s health rather than targeting a symptom, per se. I want to look at how do we help someone come into whole balance. When I’m looking at herbs, I want to ensure good quality. Are they wildcrafted? Are we gathering them ourselves and preparing them? Are they prepared according to traditional recipes, or the US pharmacopoeia or the British pharmacopoeia or the European Commission, which oversees worldwide standards for the development of herbal medicines?
Adaptogens
The adaptogens, it’s actually a term that comes out of a lot of the research that was done in the Soviet Union back in the 60s, really means adapt to stress by restoring biological capacity to cope and respond. They’re also called metabolic regulators because they help us adapt. They bring, like so much of what we do and integrative approaches, they bring us into balance and they supply what it is we need for that balance.
Modes of Herbal Delivery
We’ve got lots of ways to deliver herbal medicines as well. And I always want to when I’m doing my intake to acquire, you know, how can you imagine yourself using some of these methods? Do you prefer pills? Do you like extracts? Are you alcohol contraindicated? Would you like to make some teas? Would you like to throw some of these oils into a bath? Because then I’m going to enhance adherence.
Cannabis
Let’s talk for a moment about cannabis. I think we’re all seeing some of the introduction of cannabis into mental health treatment. I’ve certainly been interested in it because many of my clients with PTSD use a lot of cannabis at times.
We see through some systematic reviews that low doses of cannabis reduce depression, but high doses have been found to increase depression. There are high rates of cannabis use with people with IBS. There’s evidence that the Phyto cannabinoids decrease and reverse intestinal permeability associated with the inflammatory process.