Botanical Medicine is the use of plants to treat disease and promote health. Plants have been used in this way by many cultures, from pre-history to today. According to the World Health Organization, over 25% of modern drug medicines are derived from plants with similar traditional uses. Plant substances are powerful medicines.

When used in proper doses and combinations, botanical medicines are safe and effective, producing few, if any, side effects. However, certain botanical medicines are more powerful and need to be used with caution, as they can be toxic in large amounts. In many cases, it is possible to take certain botanicals with certain medications. However, there can be “herb-drug” interactions.

At Square One Health Solution, we use botanical medicines in many forms:

• Capsule forms, often mixed with other botanicals, vitamins, and minerals
• Infusion (i.e., tea)
• Tincture, sometimes a single botanical medicine or several combined
• Topical creams, ointments, and salves