Homeopathic medicines and herbal medicines are often confused with each other. This may be logical, because both medicines are based on plant-based substances. Yet there is an essential difference between these two healing methods. One method uses the body’s self-healing capacity, while the other method uses the medicinal power of plants and herbs. So, homeopathy and herbal medicine are two different methods of treating diseases and ailments. The most important rule when using homeopathy and herbal medicine is that they cannot replace a regular doctor. For serious complaints and pain that last a long time, always visit a doctor.
Homeopathy
The basic principle of homeopathy is: ‘a substance that can induce certain symptoms is also able to cure those same symptoms’. In this way the body is helped to restore its original balance. The body heals itself. A homeopathic remedy does not combat the symptoms of the disease, but helps the body to heal itself from within. This basic principle of homeopathy is known as the principle of equality or as the Simila principle.
Similia
The Simila principle, also called the principle of equality, in homeopathic medicine arises from the idea of treating like with like. This natural law says that if someone is ill and he has certain complaints, such as fever, muscle cramps, nausea, then we look at a person who developed these complaints from the medicine during the drug trial. Then that medicine is the medicine for the sick person. So the substance that can induce disease symptoms can also cure them.
The history of homeopathy
The principle of homeopathy goes far back in the past. The founder of medicine, Hippocrates, believed in the fifth century BC that the patient’s own healing power was very important when choosing the right medicine and that this healing power should be stimulated. He used two statements:
- The patient’s complaints are cured using products with an opposite effect.
- The disease is cured using products that induce the same symptoms of the disease.
Ten centuries later, the scholar Paracelsus had the same thought. He was a famous physician and theologian and was involved in alchemy and astrology. He lived from 1493-1541. He investigated the poisonous effect of arsenic and discovered that he could cure the symptoms of arsenic poisoning with a small amount of arsenic.
Samuel Hahnemann’s discovery
Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician and chemist who lived from 1755 to 1843. He developed the homeopathy we know today. He became known for his first experiment with the substance cinchona, which is a precursor of quinine and was then widely used as a medicine for malaria. He took a small amount of the cinchona bark himself and as a result developed all the symptoms associated with malaria. This made him wonder whether malaria could be cured by cinchona bark. Because of this event he started experimenting further and discovered that there were other substances that could cause diseases but also cure them. In this way he believed in the principle of equality even more than before. Samuel Hahnemann gave it the name the Simila rule which completely reads Similia Similibus Curentur and that means like is cured by like. Having discovered this new method of curing diseases and ailments, he named this medicine ‘homeopathy’ which comes from the Greek words ‘homeo’ meaning ‘like’ and ‘pathos’ meaning ‘suffering’.
Nowadays
More than half of Dutch people have a good feeling about homeopathy. It is a mild and safe way to treat people against various diseases and conditions. The purpose of homeopathy is to restore the natural balance of our body and psyche. If this balance is lost, various complaints and diseases can arise. The homeopathic doctor will look for the source of this imbalance, both physically and mentally. After the diagnosis, the doctor will try to restore the natural balance with the help of homeopathic medicines. If other medicines other than homeopathic are already being used, they can be used side by side without any problems. Homeopathy is often confused with herbal medicine. Both methods are often based on plant-based substances and they are both mild in use, but there are clear differences.
Herbal medicine
Herbal medicine is a method of medicine that treats health complaints and illness using plant-based remedies. Another name is phythotherapy which means treatment with plants. Medicines are used that contain only the active ingredients of plants or parts of plants, both pure and processed.
History of herbal medicine
It has been known since ancient times that a number of plants have a restorative effect and have been used for centuries. There were, and still are, a number of disadvantages to these medicines.
- The way these raw materials come together and their quality often vary, which is why you cannot make a clear dosage.
- Vegetable substances are often not available all year round and certainly not fresh, because the plants are dried, the composition and effect can change.
- Due to the complicated composition of the medicine, side effects may occur.
But nowadays we can discover the chemical compositions and substances of plants and thus find out which plants from a plant family contain the highest concentration of active substances and how they should be grown to obtain as much of these substances as possible and when they are best used. can be harvested. This is done with phytochemistry.
|
Herbal medicine |
Homeopathy |
|
Only vegetable raw materials |
Vegetable, animal, minerals and a small amount of chemical raw materials |
|
No Similia principle |
Similia principle |
|
Concentrated |
Diluted and shaken |
|
Complaint-oriented work |
Gives a signal to the body’s self-healing capacity |
Clear differences
The difference between homeopathy and herbal medicine therefore has a number of differences, which you can also see in the table. While in herbal medicine only plant-based raw materials are used in the medicines, homeopathic remedies use multiple raw materials that are not only plant-based. The Similia principle also does not apply to herbal medicine, because it only focuses on the medicinal effect of the plant and therefore has a really targeted effect on the complaints, and it does not focus on the self-healing capacity of the human body. This is the case with homeopathy. Here, as described earlier, the body is given a helping hand. The concentrations of the drugs are also different. In herbal medicine they are more concentrated and you often only need a small amount. With homeopathic remedies they are diluted and shaken and therefore contain fewer active ingredients, and you often use a little more of this. Because homeopathic remedies contain low active ingredients, they are safe to use and you can therefore try them out.
Homeopathy and herbal medicine cannot replace a regular doctor. In case of serious matters and long-term (pain) complaints, it is always advisable to consult your doctor first. You can also consult your doctor if you have any questions regarding the use of these healing methods.
