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From Spiritfold, Australian Spiritual Alliance: https://spiritfold.com/Western_herbal_medicine

Western herbal medicine

From Spiritfold

Western herbal medicine, or herbalism, is a traditional system of medicine that uses plants, and it comes mainly from Europe, the United Kingdom and North America. Western herbalists sometimes use plants from other traditions, such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, but the way they apply them in the clinic is their own.[1] It is the main form of herbal medicine practised in Australia.[1]

Description

Herbal preparations

Western herbal medicine makes its medicines from plants and plant material. Any part of a plant may be used: flowers, roots, stems and rhizomes (underground stems), fruits and seeds, leaves or bark. Medicines may be taken as liquid extracts (tinctures or fluid extracts), as tablets or capsules, or applied to the body as poultices, creams or pessaries. Most liquid extracts are made with alcohol, although glycerol can be used where alcohol may not suit, for example in prescriptions for children. A herb extracted in water is usually called a tea.[1]

Practice

A Western herbalist compounds (makes up) herbal medicines for each person in their care. Present-day practice is holistic: it considers the person within their wider social, emotional, economic, spiritual and cultural setting, and, as in naturopathy, it follows the principle "first do no harm". Herbalists work from home, in clinics and in centres that offer several therapies.[1]

An Australian survey gives a picture of how this looks in practice. Almost all Western herbalists (97%) had a herbal dispensary in their clinic. Liquid extracts were by far the most common preparation prescribed (90%), followed by dried preparations such as teas (4.3%) and tablets and capsules (3.8%). Medicines are usually dispensed either as a mixture of one or more herbs made up for the individual, or as a ready-made formula.[1]

How herbalists explain it

Western herbalism looks at how herbs act on particular systems of the body, and aims to address what herbalists see as the underlying cause of illness. Herbalists prefer unrefined plant extracts to purified chemicals. They hold that the many constituents of a whole plant work together, so that the whole does more than its parts and is less toxic than a purified constituent, and they make a similar claim for combining herbs.[1] The Victorian Government's Better Health Channel describes the aim of herbal medicine as restoring the body to a natural balance so that it can heal itself. It also records the main criticism: with a whole-plant medicine it is hard to give a measured dose of any one active ingredient.[2]

Scope

What it includes

  • Consultation and individual prescription of herbal medicines[1]
  • Compounding and dispensing liquid extracts, teas, tablets, capsules and topical preparations[1]

What it is not

  • It is not the same as Chinese or Ayurvedic herbal medicine, which were left outside the scope of the government's review.[1]
  • It is not a basis for self-diagnosis. Better Health warns against diagnosing yourself, and advises that any medicine, herbal or otherwise, be taken under the supervision of a knowledgeable and qualified practitioner.[2]

What the government evidence reviews found

Most of the research is about individual herbal medicines, not about herbalism as a service. A 2015 review for the Australian Government found no systematic reviews that assessed Western herbalism as a health service. The 2024 overview for the Natural Therapies Review therefore looked instead at reviews of individual herbs on the core herb list of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia, mostly compared with a placebo (a dummy treatment).[1]

For many of the conditions examined, including period pain, premenstrual symptoms, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal symptoms, depression and anxiety, the overview found moderate- or low-certainty evidence that particular herbal medicines probably or may improve some outcomes. It found moderate-certainty evidence of little or no effect on sexual function in menopause and on sleep quality in insomnia. Effects on reflux and dermatitis are unknown, and four of the prioritised conditions could not be assessed. Very few results compared herbal medicines with an inactive control such as a waiting list, and those few were of very low certainty.[1][3]

These findings have limits that a reader needs to keep in mind. The overview did not check whether the preparations and doses used in studies matched what Western herbalists in Australia usually prescribe; studies often did not say who gave the treatment, and few ran longer than six months. It was not written to guide anyone's decision about whether to use a particular herb.[1]

Traditions and lineage

Herbal medicine began in ancient cultures. Many modern pharmaceutical medicines are based on compounds first found in plants: the heart medicine digitalis, for example, came from the foxglove.[2] Western herbalism as a distinct tradition grew up mainly in Europe, the United Kingdom and North America.[1]

Context

Within Spiritualism

Spiritualism's link with herbal medicine is historical, and it runs through individual healers rather than through the churches' teaching. According to John Buescher in the Encyclopedia of Religion, nineteenth-century mediums also diagnosed illness and prescribed treatment, at times with the help of the spirits of famous physicians, and many made their living from healing.[4] The American trance lecturer Andrew Jackson Davis, late in life, prescribed herbal remedies to patients in Boston.[5]

The relationship was not always warm on the herbalists' side. Writing in Medical History, P. S. Brown suggests that in the early 1940s the British National Association of Medical Herbalists was probably reluctant to join a federation of practitioners partly because its organiser was committed to Spiritualism.[6] Present-day Spiritualist guidance draws a firm line between the two: the US National Spiritualist Association of Churches tells spiritual healers not to diagnose, not to recommend treatments, and not to use herbs when giving healing.[7]

In Australian Spiritualism

In 1870 William Terry, who launched the Spiritualist monthly Harbinger of Light that year, set up in Russell Street, Melbourne, as a Spiritualist bookseller, medium, healer and "clairvoyant herbalist".[8] In Adelaide, Rosa Tingey, a Spiritualist minister who led the Greater World Christian Spiritualist Mission in Unley and died in 1966, was remembered as a "well-known naturopath" and herbalist.[9][10] In Brisbane in 1936, a journalist writing a sceptical series on the city's religious byways reported a trance medium's account that she received diagnoses and herbal prescriptions in trance for her healing work.[11] These accounts describe the work of individual Spiritualists. Spiritfold has found no Australian Spiritualist organisation that lists herbal medicine among its present-day activities.

A Spiritualist perspective

The history above shows how closely herbs and Spiritualist healing were once bound together, with mediums prescribing remedies and some calling themselves clairvoyant herbalists. A Spiritualist teacher today honours those pioneers while drawing a clearer line than they did. When a healer stands behind someone in the healing chair, they are working as a medium: they attune, step aside and allow the healing to be given. They do not diagnose, and they do not hand out herbs or advice about remedies. That is why present-day guidance asks healers to leave herbs out of healing altogether. The line protects the person receiving healing, who should never be left wondering whether a suggestion came from spirit, from the healer's own opinion or from a qualified practitioner.

A Spiritualist who is also a trained herbalist can do that work with integrity, so long as it is offered separately, under its own name and within the standards of that profession. In any setting, we encourage anyone who is unwell to keep seeing their doctor and to tell them about any herbs they take.

Western herbal medicine in Australia

Associations and registers

The Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA, formerly the National Herbalists Association of Australia) is a peak professional body for qualified Western herbalists, and for naturopaths whose main treatment is herbal medicine.[1] Naturopaths and herbalists have also set up their own independent register, the Australian Register of Naturopaths and Herbalists (ARONAH). To be listed, practitioners must meet competency standards and hold a minimum qualification.[12]

Regulation of practitioners

Australian law does not control who may practise Western herbalism. The Natural Therapies Review noted that none of the therapies it examined, Western herbalism included, is regulated in terms of who can provide it. Professional bodies set educational standards for most of them, but those standards may differ from one part of the world to another.[3] This sets Western herbalists apart from Chinese medicine practitioners, for whom Better Health lists the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) as the contact.[2]

Because there is no legal minimum, checking a practitioner's background falls largely to the client. Better Health advises asking about training and qualifications at the first visit, and contacting the professional association for the therapy you have chosen.[2]

Regulation of herbal products

Herbal products are regulated differently depending on their form. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulates some medicinal herbal products, such as tablets, capsules and liquid extracts, including through a list of ingredients permitted in medicines listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). Raw plant material sold for teas is regulated only as food, unless the herb is a scheduled substance under the national Poisons Standard.[1] The TGA treats plant material as a complementary medicine ingredient. Complementary medicines are non-prescription medicines, and most are entered on the ARTG as listed or registered medicines.[13] Better Health points out that herbal medicines made in Australia are subject to regulation, while unregulated products, including some from overseas, may not be made to the same quality and standard.[2] This is the reason behind its warning about buying herbs online, set out under Safety below.

Private health insurance and the Natural Therapies Review

Since 1 April 2019, Western herbalism has been one of 16 natural therapies that private health insurers cannot cover.[14] The exclusion followed a 2015 review of the government rebate, which found too little evidence to reach firm conclusions about how well these therapies work.[3]

The Natural Therapies Review 2024 looked at the evidence again.[14] Its Chair, Professor Michael Kidd, explained that high-certainty evidence is hard to achieve for therapies of this kind, because studies often cannot use double blinding or a sham or placebo treatment. He therefore recommended re-inclusion where there was moderate-certainty evidence of effectiveness for at least one health outcome in one condition, and Western herbal medicine was one of the seven therapies he recommended should become eligible again.[3]

Safety and good practice

Why "natural" does not mean safe

Better Health warns that herbal medicines are not always safe just because they are "natural". Some herbs contain potent ingredients and should be treated with the same care as pharmaceutical medicines. Side effects can range from mild to severe and include allergic reactions and rashes, asthma, headaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Herbal medicines can also interact with over-the-counter and prescription medicines, making them more or less effective or raising the risk of side effects.[2]

Advice for anyone using herbal medicine

Better Health advises:[2]

  • always seeing your GP about any health concerns, and telling them about any herbal medicines you take or plan to take[2]
  • never stopping prescribed medicines in favour of herbs without first talking to your GP[2]
  • telling your herbal practitioner about every medicine and supplement you take, any allergic reactions you have had, and whether you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding[2]
  • being very cautious about any practitioner who advises you to give up conventional medical treatment[2]
  • being careful about buying herbal medicines online: unregulated products from overseas may not meet Australian quality standards, and some bought online have contained dangerous levels of lead, mercury or arsenic[2]
  • taking herbal medicines strictly as prescribed and contacting your health practitioner straight away if you have any side effects.[2]

An example: St John's wort

The TGA has warned doctors, pharmacists and complementary health practitioners that preparations of St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), which are widely sold without prescription, can interact with some prescribed medicines and may make them less effective. It said there are grounds for concern that this includes some oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives. It also warned that when someone stops taking St John's wort, levels of an interacting medicine may rise and cause toxicity.[15] The TGA explained why it was raising the alarm: because these products are so easy to buy, people may be taking them without their health practitioner knowing, and the amount of St John's wort varies from one product to another. It urged health professionals to ask patients about the complementary medicines they use.[15] This is the same reason Better Health asks you to tell both your doctor and your herbalist about everything you take.[2]

What the review did not cover

The 2024 overview did not assess safety.[1] As in 2015, the Natural Therapies Review left safety, quality and cost-effectiveness out of its scope, because studies of whether these therapies work generally lacked that information.[3] Its findings therefore say nothing either way about whether a particular herb is safe for a particular person.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Health Technology Analysts Pty Ltd. Overview of Western herbal medicines for preventing and treating health conditions: evidence evaluation report. Prepared for the National Health and Medical Research Council, September 2024. Published by the Australian Government Department of Health as "Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Western herbal medicine evidence evaluation" (accessed 11 October 2026).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Herbal medicine". Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria. Reviewed 27 July 2021 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Kidd, Michael. Letter to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, 16 February 2025, with Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Report and recommendations. Australian Government Department of Health, published 27 March 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  4. ↑ Buescher, John B. "Spiritualism". Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed. Gale, 2005; reprinted on Encyclopedia.com, updated 14 May 2018 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  5. ↑ "Spiritualism" and "Andrew Jackson Davis (1826–1910)". Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained. Gale, 2003; reprinted on Encyclopedia.com, updated 29 May 2018 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  6. ↑ Brown, P. S. "The Vicissitudes of Herbalism in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Britain". Medical History 29 (1985): 71–92 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  7. ↑ National Spiritualist Association of Churches. What is Spiritual Healing? (brochure). NSAC, 2024 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  8. ↑ Smith, F. B. "Terry, William Henry (1836–1913)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 6. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University; first published in hardcopy by Melbourne University Press, 1976 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  9. ↑ Clinch-Jones, Kate. If the Walls Could Talk: A Brief History of the Founders of St Johns Spiritual Church. St John's Spiritual Church Inc, May 2024 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  10. ↑ Warwood, Jim. "History". New Age Spiritual Mission Inc., September 2023 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  11. ↑ Gerrand, R. K. "Religious Byways of Brisbane – VIII". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 22 August 1936, p. 22. Trove, National Library of Australia (accessed 12 October 2026).
  12. ↑ Fodero L, Stathis S and Soh N. Whole system, multi-modal or single modal interventions delivered in the context of naturopathic practice, for preventing and treating health conditions: Evidence Evaluation. National Health and Medical Research Council, 18 September 2023. Published by the Australian Government Department of Health as "Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Naturopathy evidence evaluation" (accessed 11 October 2026).
  13. ↑ "Complementary medicines". Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Last updated 17 November 2023 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Natural Therapies Review 2024". Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Last updated 1 June 2026 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "St John's Wort: Important interactions between St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) preparations and prescription medicines". Therapeutic Goods Administration safety alert, published 15 March 2001 (accessed 11 October 2026).

Further reading

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