Have you ever taken a herbal remedy for your illness instead of the drug prescribed by your doctor and it worked?

When ever needed since I was 16 for most things. I'm an certified Herbalist and a believer in homeopathic Remedies. Both appear to work well according to my observations.

One point to keep in mind is that most Western Medicines are designed not to treat the CORE problem, but the SYMPTOMS that show up as a result of the Core problem.

Antibiotics for example treat Infections...well you don't get an Infection for no reason...you get an infection when something is WRONG and the body is attempting to fight what ever it is that is wrong! Be it something that was accidentally introduced to the body...from "the outside" or something not functioning correctly in the body from the "inside."

Sure have and i find them to be quite effective.
I'll try a natural remedy first every time but if that fails i will go with the man made ones.

yes and yes :)

I am a strong believer in nutritional medicine. I am not against using other medications when absolutely necessary, but I believe along with Hippocrates that our food should be our medicine. Dr. Ray Strand's book - "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional medicine May Be Killing You" is definitive on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785264868/workshotogo01-20

I don't go to the doctor. I know from past experiences that there is always a natural cure for everything.

I was taking dandelion root as a diuretic until I realized it was too weak for me. I asked my dr. about maxzide prescription. I like it much better.

Dandelion root is excellent herb for cleaning liver but it was too weak for me as diuretic.

Yes. Fennel tea for head ache instead of pain killers. It always works.

yep! glucosamine and chondroitin for osteo arthritis. works great, i highly recomend it for anyone dealing with joint pain.

always. i work in a health food store.

Yes!! I have something called sheehans. Which messes with my pituatary gland adrenal glands and hormones. I take all natural meds for this! And i feel great!! I truly believe in natural medicine!!

That is what we usually do. We use Traditional Chinese Medicine as our principle health system and try to stay healthy and not just work at curing or fixing things when they go wrong. We do cleansing and use many body therapies as my husband is a bodyworker and shiatsu teacher, with an Asian leaning. Most problems we solve with diet and herbs with energy and motion therapies that complement them. What I like about it is there aren't any awful side effects. Things just work or don't. I'm not trying to fix what one drug does with another drug.

I have taken herbal and home made cures my whole life and have been cured from many ailments.I don't use prescription drugs for I don't trust the effectiveness,side effects,etc. With herbs the body gently cures itself.I had taken prescribed drugs twice in my life both time without results.I used herbs instead and my ailments went away.

No. But then, I've never really had a long illness. And, of course, I am a bit biased.

I am a certified Chinese Herbologist, and I teach a mix of self defense and martial health sciences, so I prefer prevention methods to stay healthy, and when needed simple herbs ... prescription drugs I reserve for serious stuff, such as strong antibiotics.

It really depends what your source is. For example AyurVeda that used widely in India, it's all herbal. The recipes for these remedies come from ancient times, so I usually take Ayurvedia remedies, when available, for whatever if troubling me. AyurVeda literally means "Life Science". I say no to chemicals as much as possible. Go to an Ayurvedic doctor and he'll prescribe relevant medecines for you.

I may or may not of smoked an illegal substance for my hemorrhoids instead of my prescription med because it is the only thing in the world that can help, and it was cheaper

yes many times

Yes I have taken and it really works.

Pretty much all the herbals I use are effective to a degree. All but one...White Willow Bark. An alternative to asprin.

I stopped taking all drugs precribed to me from docs..be that good or bad remains to be seen :)

Two years ago, I had a root canal, and did not take antibiotics for it. My alternative medicine doctor told me that if I chose not to take antibiotics, that I must take a clove of raw garlic, chopped up, with every meal.

Well, the root canal didn't work out so well. I eventually had to pull the tooth, but in the meantime, I went for six whole weeks with an open whole to the bone, and NO INFECTION!

Now, it is true I could have cleared the room with out opening my mouth, but I also knocked out a galloping bone infection WITHOUT ANTIBIOTICS! Had I gone the regular course of modern medicine, I would have had course after course of increasingly stronger antibiotics until I had destroyed my immune system. Instead I was healthier than I had ever been.

That was over two years ago, and I haven't had an infection since. For maintenance, I take a small amount of raw chopped garlic every day (a small pile on the end of a spoon) with food (never on an empty stomach). For those of you who choose to do this, I do not recommend using the pre-processed refridgerated garlic, or dried garlic. Raw garlic is the way to go for infection.
Blessings!
Snowberry