8

CHAPTER

125

Herbal Therapy

Ever wonder how people survived centuries ago when there wasn’t a local phar-

macy and the local physician was several days travel? They used plants—called

herbs—as medicine to treat the common cold, infections, diseases of the GI

tract, and anything else that ailed them.

Today, herbal therapy has made a comeback as an alternative to prescription

medication and OTC remedies. Herbs continue to elicit a therapeutic effect on

patients. However, patients are exposed to risk. There isn’t a quality standard for

herbal therapy and many herbs can cause adverse reactions when combined with

prescription and OTC medication.

In this chapter, you’ll learn about the therapeutic effect of herbal therapies

and about the nursing process that should be implemented to prevent patients

from developing an adverse reaction to herbal therapy when combined with con-

ventional therapy.

Inside Herbal Therapy

In recent years, herbal therapies have gained popularity as multimillion-dollar

businesses have capitalized on the therapeutic properties of natural herbs and the

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