Hello martina4847,
It seems that herbal medicinals/botanicals/phytotherapy play a very
widespread and functional role in German health care. According to
Mother Jones Magazine, about 70% of German physicians prescribe
herbals to their patients. Herbal medicines are even generally covered
by German health plans!
http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/1994/11/castleman.html
According to a study by the Institute for Demoscopic Research, two
thirds of the German population (65 %) use herbal
remedies.http://ienica.csl.gov.uk/specchemseminar/steinhoff.pdf
The use of herbal and natural remedies by Germans appears to be
intertwined with culture and history. Some herbal interest by folks in
the US may be tied to new-age spiritualism, but Europe has a tradition
of medical botanical use. Conventional medicine in Germany, in the
18th and 19th centuries, was found ineffective and at times dangerous.
Bloodletting, even to the point of death, and medicines made of
arsenic and mercury led many to use and develop botanicals as a safer
alternative.
http://www.geocities.com/homeolibrary3/
In reaction to dangerous medical practices ?Culpeper?s Herbal" had
been published in England, and in France and Germany, in reaction to
the health disasters bred by industrialization, traditions of
Naturopathy or natural living were developing along national lines. At
the same time, numerous new herbs had been brought to Europe from the
new world. Some of them, like Quinine, from Peru, used for malaria,
had the status of miracle drugs, as they had the power to cure
previously untreatable diseases. This led to a renewed interest in
herbal medicine that flourished during the Renaissance alongside the
development of western science and its medicine.?
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/howwehelp_western_herbal.php3
So well regarded was Culpeper?s book, many Europeans brought it with
them to the New World, where it was placed next to the Bible on the
fireplace mantle. It is said that a similar book, Dodoens? ?New
Herbal? was on the Mayflower!
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=Article&ID=861
Culpeper?s book, ?The English Physitian? can be read here.
Instructions for making ?juyces and oyls? are delightful, as well as
the fact that basil ? only groweth in Gardens?
http://www.med.yale.edu/library/historical/culpeper/culpeper.htm
Germany began to develop a strong interest in herbals, and began to
legislate the trade of many botanicals, outside of the pharmacy, by
formal decree ?The Imperial Decree of 1901?. This decree was even
incorporated into Germany?s First Medicines Act of 1961. Consequently,
on August 24, 1976, Germany passed the Second Medicines Act
(Arzneimittelgesetz 1976, or AMG 76), which went into effect January
1, 1978.
This act mandated that all botanicals in the pharmaceutical market be
reviewed and evaluated by the medical and scientific communities.
Commission E came out of the Second Medicines Act, and was comprised
of 24 health professionals. Over 1,000 publications, monographs, were
authored by this commission, on topics including not only
phytotherapy, but dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine. Out of this came
the "Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines"
http://www.herbalgram.org/iherb/commissione/history.html
http://www.heilpflanzen-welt.de/monographien/texts/german_commission_e_monographs_introduction.htm
?The Commission E is an expert panel of physicians and scientists
having expertise in herbal medicine and related disciplines. In 1978
the Commission was formed as a division of the German Federal Health
Agency to evaluate the safety and efficacy of over 300 herbal
medicines sold in German pharmacies.?
One reason phytotherapy has gained so much acceptance in Germany is
the fact that phytotherapy is not considered alternative medicine, but
conventional medicine. In 1993 all medical students in Germany must
complete 26 hours of lectures on phytotherapy. A section on
phytotherapy is included on medical board exams as well.
?Ten to 15 years ago, German patients began demanding alternatives to
synthetic drugs and the country's medical schools soon felt compelled
to reintroduce the phased-out topic of phytopharmacology. This meant
that new physicians now had at least some exposure to complementary
medicine. Today, new doctors can take a postgraduate course on natural
healing, which comprises 4 weeks' instruction in herbal and other
complementary medical practices. This is followed by a 3-month
internship with a doctor of naturopathy.?
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/cdn_medical_association/cmaj/vol-158/issue-5/0637.htm
http://www.actahort.org/books/332/332_9.htm
Another opinion of Commission E:
?The Commission E Monographs are a collection of official documents
compiled over nearly two decades by a now defunct German government
appointed committee composed of twenty four scientific experts that
was set up in 1978 to evaluate the safety and efficacy of herbal
medicines by reviewing the extant literature. In Germany, only those
herbs with Commission E Approved status are (or will eventually
become) legally available.
The Commission E Monographs are actually neither accurate nor reliable
in any definitive sense. They require considerable experience and
understanding to assess and interpret.?
http://www.herbological.com/understanding.html
Read all the Commission E monographs here:
American Botanical Council
http://www.herbalgram.org/default.asp?c=comm_e_int
"The tradition of physicians using herbs not only as foods but as
active therapy has long roots in our history," says Dr. Wolf-Dietrich
Hübner, clinical research director at Lichtwer Pharma in Berlin.
"Herbal remedies were widely used by professionals until the rise of
synthetic drugs in this century."
Herbal medicine must be registered with the Federal Institute for
Drugs and Medical Devices. All herbals being used as medicines are
tested for efficacy and safety. Manufacturers thus follow the
government indications. As such, German doctors have a greater
confidence when prescribing herbal treatments.
http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/201/300/cdn_medical_association/cmaj/vol-158/issue-5/0637.htm
?Germany is the world's third largest market for pharmaceuticals, but
number one for herbal remedies with a $3.5bn-a-year market. German
doctors routinely prescribe herbal cures for depression,
cardiovascular, digestive and lung problems. Several German
pharmaceuticals companies have botanical subsidiaries.?
http://www.blackherbals.com/curbing_herbal_remedies.htmeorge points
out.
"As pharmacologists, we are basically against herbal medicines because
they are always a mixture of ingredients that can change from year to
year, like good wine and bad wine," said Walter E. Mueller, head of
the department of pharmacology at the University of Frankfurt and a
leading clinical researcher on St. John's wort. "But the reality
overcame us. Patients wanted to treat themselves with hypericum
extract and we realized that we needed to understand it better."
http://www.wellesley.edu/Chemistry/Chem101/healing/090997sci-herbal-antidepressant.html
A pharmacy in Germany, or Apotheke is staffed by registered
pharmacists, who can recommend and dispense over the counter drugs as
well as dispense doctor-prescribed drugs. Drugstores in Germany, or
Drogerien, carry lesser medications, such as cough and cold medicines
and pain relievers. ?Reformhäusern (health food stores) and Märkte
(markets, including Supermärkte, supermarkets) tend to offer products
that boost health, as contrasted to products that fight disease. They
also offer herbal teas and products that do not meet the
pharmaceutical standards of phytomedicines (often chemically
standardized) and are thus not approved as drugs? All phytomedicines
prescribed by a physician must be supplied by pharmacists.
http://www.herbalgram.org/default.asp?c=ceherbsingermany#BM1_The_Market_for_Herbs_and_Phytomedici
From The New York Times on the Web: ??in Germany, where most of the
new research has been conducted, high-strength preparations of St.
John's wort have become by far the most popular antidepressants on the
market. Available in grocery stores and pharmacies, the drug now
outsells the nearest competitor, Prozac, by 4 to 1.?
http://www.wellesley.edu/Chemistry/Chem101/healing/090997sci-herbal-antidepressant.html
From The Info-Shop.com: ?According to the BAH, the association of
German pharmaceutical manufacturers, around 30% of non-prescription
value sales in pharmacies were spent on phytotherapy products. In 2000
and 2001, growth of herbal non-prescription medicines outperformed the
overall non-prescription market, according to pharmacy sales figures
released by the BAH. Traditional remedies have always been popular in
Germany.?
http://www.the-infoshop.com/study/eo15455_otc.html al remedies.
?Economically and technologically, Germany has the most developed
herbal medicine industry and the single largest market ($3.5
Billion).? This may be attributable to an aging population, and folks
suffering from diseases and conditions for which there are few
pharmaceutical remedies, and patients wishing to avoid the dangerous
side effects of synthetic drugs. ?In Germany, consumer attitudes fit
into a medical establishment that accepts the use of herbal medicines
(i.e. phytopharmaceuticals). Courses in the use of herbal medicines
are a regular component of medical and pharmacy curriculae, and since
1993 this subject has been a regular component of the German medical
examination. More than 70% of general practitioners prescribe herbal
medicines, most of which are reimbursable by the public health
insurance system. The largest categories of herbal medicines sold in
Europe are cardiovascular and respiratory treatments, tonics, and
digestives. Most of these products would fall into the OTC drug
category in the U.S., with the exception of cardiovascular and some of
the respiratory products.?
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/herbal/505/
Germany imports around $100 million of plant drugs.
http://www.plant-talk.org/Pages/Pfacts10.html
In Germany, Commission E compiles research or historical use
information about herbs. 300 monographs have been put out on the most
commonly used , safest, and most effective herbs used in Germany. A
lot of the herbs involved in the Commission E monographs have been in
use on the earth for hundreds to thousands of years versus the mere
100-year history of Western medical science.
http://pweb.jps.net/~natdoc/using_herbs_in_the_real_world.htm
Conditions for Which German Consumers Use Phytomedicines
Condition 1970 Poll 1997 Poll
Common cold 41% 66%
Flu 31 38
Digestive 24 25
Headache 13 25
Insomnia 13 25
Stomach Ulcer 21 24
Nervousness 12 21
Circulatory disorders 15 17
Bronchitis 12 15
Skin diseases 8 12
Fatigue & exhaustion 8 12
Most Frequently Prescribed Monopreparation Phytomedicines in Germany --
1. Herb/Phytomedicine Therapeutic category
2. Ginkgo biloba leaf extract circulatory preparations
3. St. John's Wort antidepressant
4. Horse chestnut seed vein preparations
5. Yeast antidiarrheal, acne
6. Hawthorn flower and leaf cardiac preparations
7. Myrtle cough remedy
8. Saw palmetto urologic
9. Stinging nettle root urologic
10. Ivy cough remedy
11. Mistletoe cancer treatment
12. Milk thistle hepatoprotectant
12. Bromelain -pineapple enzyme anti-inflammatory
14. Echinacea immunostimulant
15. Chamomile dermatological
16. Chaste tree (Vitex) gynecological
17. Greater Celandine gastrointestinal
18. Black cohosh gynecological
19. Kava kava tranquilizer
20. Artichoke hypocholesteremic
21. Comfrey dermatological
http://smileherb.com/Smilebiz/CommissionEMonographs.asp
A German Way Interview with an American living abroad: ?Also, what we
might call "alternative medicine" here is far more developed in
Germany. There's a much greater respect for homeopathy and for herbal
preparations there, and also a clearer recognition for the role of the
human spirit in disease and healing?.So from what I can see,
"alternative" medicine and herbal medicine as a science, not as a
pseudo-science, are far more developed in Germany than it is here.
For instance, I was pleasantly surprised to see copies of the "Bach
Flower Remedies" translated into German, in my pharmacy back in
Kelkheim, for instance. The books were on display right in the front
window of a perfectly respectable, perfectly 'conventional' hometown
pharmacy! In case you're not familiar with it, the Bach Flower Remedy
is the sort of thing that in America is relegated to the "New Age"
sections of most (chain, of course) bookstores. It's considered a bit
flaky, kooky and offbeat -- the sort of thing that I don't imagine
would be taken seriously by anyone I know in the American medical
profession. I'm not so hung upon the Bach Flower Remedy per se, but
the broad display of these books in a perfectly respectable German
pharmacy in a smallish town not known for being at all avant-garde is
to me an illustration of this difference between 'conventional' German
medicine and our own. Another impression I had about German medicine
is that their tendency is to be far less invasive than our own; they
seem reluctant to interfere with the body's natural processes whenever
possible, as if they took the Hippocratic injunction "First, do no
harm" more seriously than we do.I think that German medicine may be in
many ways "ahead" of the American because of a greater willingness on
the part of the Germans to acknowledge the roles played by the spirit
and the emotions in health, and a much deeper awareness of man's
connection to all the rest of nature, as evidenced by their greater
reliance on homeopathy and natural medicine such as herbals. Whether
or not this attitude on the connection between healing and nature may
spring from the historical German obsession with nature and forests is
perhaps something you might think about for your next book on Germany!
?
http://www.german-way.com/german/intervw1cs.html
The World Health Organization is supporting the research and use of
natural remedies. ?In Germany, 90% of the population have used a
natural remedy at some point in their life. Between 1995 and 2000, the
number of doctors who had undergone special training in natural remedy
medicine had almost doubled to 10 800.?
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs134/en/
Additional Reading:
From the Willow Glen Resident site ?Leading herbalists fear that the
alternative medicine boom, while increasing awareness of the healing
power of plants, is contributing to their demise?
http://www.svcn.com/archives/wgresident/03.31.99/herbals-9913.html
European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP)
http://www.ex.ac.uk/phytonet/escop.html
Tender Hands: Ruth?s Story of Healing, by Ruth Weil Kusler. This
review reveals ?Braucherei?, a Germanic form of Latino ?brujeria?
(witchcraft) Braucherei is an ? ancient tradition of folk-healing
practiced by German speaking peoples, with roots extending back into
pre-Christian times?
http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/info/book_reviews/kuslerreview.html
?Herbal Medicine? by Rudolf Fritz Weiss, MD (1895-1992) De. Weiss is
acknowledged as the father of German phytotherapy in the pre
Commission E era. Co-authored by Volker Fintelmann, MD. Dr.
Fintelmann was a Chairman of the now defunct German Commission E, and
is a Professor of internal medicine Hamburg, Germany.
http://www.herbological.com/weiss.html
Read the American Botanical Council?s book review of Rational
Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine, by Volker
Schulz, Rudolf Hänsel, and Varro E. Tyler. 3rd ed. 1st English
Edition. ?In Germany, the use of plant drugs is a science?
http://www.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=560
Can be purchased at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/3540626484/104-6556915-1834305?v=glance
Heidelberg Castle Pharmacy Museum photo:
http://www.hhog.de/heidelberg/photo_6.htm
I hope this is the information you were seeking. If any part of my
answer is unclear, or if I have duplicated information you already
had, please request an Answer Clarification before rating. This will
allow me to assist you further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes-ga
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