We were proud to partner with the Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) for the largest event in their calendar, the Naturopathic Symposium 2023, held in Melbourne. The event was brimming with clinical pearls of wisdom delivered by some of the most skilled and respected naturopaths from Australia and internationally. In a keynote presentation delivered on the first day, Dr Sue Evans and Dr Joanna Harnett discussed the impact of science on herbal medicine. Both presenters are distinguished in their chosen fields and have received many accolades for their dedication to herbal medicine. A life member of the NHAA, Dr Evans has been working with herbal medicine for nearly four decades. She is currently a senior lecturer in complementary medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania. Dr Harnett is a senior lecturer within the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney’s Pharmacy School whose central focus is to contribute to fostering the appropriate and safe use of complementary medicines and building the evidence base. She is a member of the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration Advisory Committee for Complementary Medicines. Dr Evans made an impassioned plea for the future of traditional herbal medicine while Dr Harnett complemented her view with a dive into science and evidence-based herbal medicine.
Dr Evans said when the herbal medicine fraternity decided to “fight science with science” the emphasis on phytochemistry and evidence-based medicine meant the way herbalists prescribed and manufactured changed and “other things went by the wayside…The dominance of science means we’re ignoring the humanities.” She suggested modern herbalists could think about herbs in a broader context and understand the cultural connection of herbs through the lens of subjects such as history, literature and music. Dr Evans emphasised the importance of 12th Century abbess Hildegard of Bingen’s concept of viriditas, or vital energy, saying vitalism is a moral imperative that has been suppressed. “Herbs are special because they treat life with life. We have a different attitude to ethics when we think about this…such as the ethics of sustainability. It becomes more human centred and we ask: What’s our responsibility to non-human life forms?” she said. She also encouraged the audience to ask themselves “What does it mean to be an Australian herbalist and what is our contribution to society?” taking into consideration the relationship with colonisation and using herbs not of our land. This led to the field of bioethics and questions about the commodification of native plants. Dr Evans’ summation was that herbalists of today need to “think differently” and “ask ethical questions and look at herbs more broadly”. “Science led us out of the dark ages but we have different challenges now such as climate change and political problems. The thinking that got us here won’t fix them.”
Dr Harnett began by asking what is actually meant by the word science. She gave a detailed description saying it goes beyond the reductionist philosophy. She highlighted the importance of “repetition, critical analysis and verification, and testing which includes critical exposure to scrutiny, peer review and assessment.” Her guiding principles were from the father of modern medicine himself, Hippocrates, who said “The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it” referring to the impact of preventative medicine. But when they do get sick then stimulating the self-healing process and respecting the “healing power of nature” (vis medicatrix naturae) is imperative in all facets of naturopathic assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Most importantly Dr Harnett said the principle of naturopathy primum nocere (“First do no harm” Hippocrates) means naturopaths should utilise practices, therapeutics and treatment which minimise the risk of harmful effects. Both speakers agreed that the takeaway message is that it is important for practitioners to ask their herbal medicine manufacturers questions. So, here at the Herbal Extract Company, we are ready and waiting to comply.
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