Single Herbs Vs Herbal Combinations

by: Dev Sri

In Ayurveda there are a lot of home remedies which utilize only a single herb. In Ayurvedic medicinal formulations only combinations of different herbs are used.

There is specific reason for using herbs in combination and not in isolation. Herbs have chemicals and formulations, which can bring strong effects on body. There are however can be undesirable effects for a herb on human body. This undesirable effect is neutralized by the formulation of another herb in the combination. The herbs when used in combination helps body better manage the undesirable effects of another herb.

A requirement of Ayurvedic medicines is that it should not cause other diseases; or there should not be any side effects for any Ayurvedic medicine.

Every herb in the combination/formulation plays a curative or pacifying role. It is therefore necessary to opt for herbal combinations instead of depending on single herbs.

Herbs in combination are also yield more results than when taken in isolation. The curative power of a herb can be enhanced by presence of another herb. The effectiveness of a single herb is increased by facilitating better assimilation of the herb.

An example is piper longum (Indian long pepper), which enhances the power of many herbs used in Ayurvedic formulations. The increased benefits of herbs combination can be attributed to the power of a herb to prepare the body for better assimilation of the beneficial components of the main herb in the formulation.

Another example is Shilajit (mineral pitch, Asphaltum), which enhances the potential of any medicinal combination.

It is also necessary to follow the instructions of herbal combinations as different combinations and proportions can have different effects.

The laboratory experimentation on Ayurvedic medicines must also be based on the herbal combinations and not based on any single component of a herb. Use of herbs or chemicals in isolation is unhealthy to the body. The effect of the whole medicinal combination needs to be studied and documented.

This may be an alien concept for allopathic medicine, where every single chemical is tested for a specific purpose and is passed on as clinically tested. Side effects of such medicines come to notice only after a lot of people around the world has actually used it for a long time.