Phytotherapy

Many modern medicines have their origins in plant medicines but only the isolated
active constituent is used. Phytotherapy maintains that it is the vast array of constituents in a plant that work synergistically to restore the balance of the body, and to mobilise the body’s innate healing powers.

For example, the anti-inflammatory chemical Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)
was derived from salicylic acid, a constituent initially isolated from plants such as Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet) and Salix alba (willow bark). In its isolated form salicylic acid irritates the stomach lining, but when it is consumed as whole plant extract, the constituents act together to reduce inflammation without causing irritation to the digestive tract.