Different Types of Alternative Medicine

What is now referred to as ‘alternative medicine’ was the standard of care in every civilization until the synthesis and patenting of aspirin in 1899. Since that time, ‘conventional’ doctors have gradually come to use synthesized drugs as the main form of treatment for everything from a runny nose to insomnia and high blood pressure, often to the exclusion of any other form of treatment.

Fortunately, different types of ‘alternative medicine‘ have continued to be used instead of, or in conjunction with, conventional drugs and surgical procedures. Let’s take a look at three of the most popular types used today:

1. Herbal Medicine

The importance of herbal medicine cannot be emphasized enough, with three out of four people worldwide using herbs to restore or maintain their health. The most easily accessible of the different types of alternative medicine, herbs can be purchased at markets, grown at home, and wild harvested from their native habitats.

Using the roots, bark, flowers, leaves, stem, seeds, and other parts of the plant, herbalists and savvy DIYers create numerous preparations for different ailments, including:

  • Tinctures
  • Decoctions
  • Oils
  • Teas
  • Bath teas
  • Capsules
  • Poultices and ointments
  • Aerosols
  • Nanomized delivery systems

Even this list is only the beginning – there are many more forms of herbal treatments out there!

2. Essential Oils

After herbal remedies, the next most widely accepted of the different types of alternative medicine is essential oils from medicinal plants. Most commonly extracted by steam distillation, essential oils are used for aromatherapy and in topical treatments mixed with creams and carrier oils.

Natural medicine-focused research supports many uses for essential oils (EOs). Here are a few examples:

3. Homeopathy

understand the importance of herbal medicine

Developed in Germany by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), homeopathy is an approach to health based on the principle that ‘like cures like.’ Hahnemann based this rule on an observation that quinine bark provoked similar but milder symptoms to malaria in a healthy person, and he theorized that it could therefore provide the cure for malaria in a person who was sick.

As part of his system of alternative medicine, different types of substances (plant, animal, mineral) would be mixed with distilled water and diluted until there was no traceable amount of the initial substance left. Through a series of ‘potentizations’ or vigorous shaking, the energetic imprint of the substance was thought to have transferred to the water molecules, which is then administered as drops under the tongue of the patient.

Finding the Right Approach For You

If you decide to pursue alternative medicine, keep in mind that the best way to try the different types of alternative medicine is by consulting a practitioner who is trained and experienced in that modality. They will be able to help you find the safest and most effective treatment program and prevent any dangerous drug-herb combinations.

Learn More about Herbs at Koko Kratom

Koko Kratom is here to provide you with science-based information about natural remedies. Read more about the importance of herbal medicine and popular herbs you might like to try in our extensive blog, and shop our 100% pure, lab-tested kratom online.