Throughout the ages there has always been a strong association between herbal remedies and back problems of all kinds. Modern herbalists believe that medicines are not just only a means of treating illness, but are also a way of restoring the body’s balance to its normal state, disease or pain being viewed by them as ‘abnormal states’. Of course, this approach means that a given disorder may not always be treated by the same herbal preparation, as deciding what the right treatment is in a given case will also take into account several other factors, including the patient’s general health, disposition, and even personality. However, in making their choices, practitioners are guided by pharmacopoeias – these being comprehensive listings of remedies that have proven themselves useful in specific conditions – and some of these have origins going back more than 6,000 years, having been first formulated when the Chinese started classifying and cataloguing herbal cures.

Although herbalism has helped many people suffering from chronic conditions such as sciatica or back pain, a note of caution is in order: herbal preparations can be just as powerful – and therefore potentially also as toxic – as modern day drugs. This means that these remedies have to be prescribed and used with the greatest of care as they can lead to serious side-effects. It is essential therefore that herbal remedies should be prescribed by and used under the supervision of a suitably qualified medical herbalist.

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