Benefits of Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine, also known as alternative medicine, is used to prevent and treat various ailments. It is also known as phytotherapy, herbalism, botanical medicine, medical herbalism or medicinal botany. A basic system of herbal medicine includes Ayurvedic herbalism, traditional Chinese herbalism and Western herbalism. Various herbs are known for having amazing medicinal properties. Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of health care. Use of herbs has been practiced for several centuries to cure a number of illnesses. Herbal medicines can be taken in the form of tablets, extracts, teas, essential oils or ointments.

Herbs having Medicinal Properties

In nature, there are a huge variety of herbs, having medicinal properties and they are used to prepare the herbal medicines. They can be used directly in the form of extracts or tea, or used to produce the drugs. Several herbs consist of powerful ingredients, which are helpful to cure a number of health problems. They can be used safely, without causing any side effects. Some of the commonly used herbs are American ginseng, bee pollen, astragalus, cat's claw, black cohosh, bladder wrack, chamomile, feverfew, damiana, dong quai, flaxseed, ginger, garlic, ginkgo biloba, grape seed, green tea, licorice, muira puama, saw palmetto, suma, schizandra, tea tree, turmeric, soy isoflavones, white willow, etc.

Heart Diseases and Women

The results from the largest-ever international study on heart diseases reveal that women are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than men, the World Health Organization announced on September 26, 2003. According to the study, of the 16.5 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year, 8.6 million are women. The study was conducted by teams from 38 populations in 21 countries from the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's, researching heart disease, stroke and risk factors. The report was released in conjunction with World Heart Day, September 28.

The World Health Organization also launched the result of the largest-ever worldwide collaboration to study heart disease, the Monitoring cardiovascular disease (MONICA) Monograph and Multimedia Source book. The theme "Women, heart disease and stroke" aims to draw urgent attention to the fact that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not just a health problem concerning the men. Out of the total 16.5 million CVD deaths annually, 8.6 million are of women, while heart attacks and strokes are responsible for twice as many deaths in women as all cancers combined.

Magnesium Dosage for Constipation

Constipation is one of the most discomfort causing conditions. If you too suffer from constipation, you may be looking for different methods to get rid of it. A large number of medications are available in the market for treating constipation. People may even recommend you to use home remedies for getting rid of constipation. You must have also heard about the use of magnesium for treating constipation. So, what is the right magnesium dosage for constipation? Before going to the dosage, let us first take a look at the benefits of taking magnesium for treating constipation.

Magnesium and Constipation

A person is said to suffer from constipation when he does not pass stools for more than three times a week, or has difficulty in passing stools because of its hard consistency. Constipation can be caused due to several reasons like having a diet lacking in fiber, not drinking sufficient amount of water, suffering from diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Colon absorbs water which hardens the stools, leading to constipation. At the same time, rigid or sluggish colon walls also inhibit the movement of stools, causing constipation. All these conditions can be gotten rid of by taking magnesium containing medications.