Human beings have an interesting way of broaching topics that are highly controversial: changing the terms. We get rid of old terms with negative connotations, substituting with new terms that sound nicer and more appealing. I recently ran across a case in point while reading a post about herbal medicine and plant-based medicines.
Herbal medicine has long enjoyed a generally accepted definition. New York’s Mount Sinai Health System offers a typical definition on its website:
“Herbal medicine, also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine, refers to using a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.”
The website then goes on to explain the history of herbal medicine, a history that dates to ancient China, Egypt, and Africa. Interestingly enough, verbal medicine is discussed in the same context as plant-based medicine by the post. But there is a problem here, and it is one that causes confusion.
The Strictest Definition of the Term
Under the strictest definition of the term, herbal medicine involves directly using the various parts of a plant or tree for medicinal purposes. I have an aloe vera plant in my yard. Let’s say I burn myself on the stove. I can break a piece off that plant and rub the exposed edge on the burn. By the next morning, I would be hard pressed to know I burned myself at all.
That is an example of herbal medicine. But what if I treat the burn with an over-the-counter product made with aloe vera? Maybe its active ingredient is aloe, but it also contains other ingredients as well. Some would argue that the product does not equal an herbal medication. It is a medication that contains a plant ingredient.
The Plant-Based Medicine Issue
The difference between herbal medicine and medicines with plant-derived ingredients confuses things enough on its own. But when you throw in plant-based medicine, the confusion only runs deeper. Consider a Utah healthcare provider known as KindlyMD.
KindlyMD was founded on a model of helping certain Utah patients obtain their state Med Cards for access to a particular plant that I will not name here. Use your imagination. You know what it is. In Utah, that plant cannot be rolled and smoked. It can be dry heated in a vaporizer ground up and used in recipes. Doing either one constitutes herbal medicine under the strictest definition of the term.
However, most Utah patients with Med Cards do not purchase plant material directly. Rather, they buy products containing one key ingredient derived from the plant itself. Vape cartridges are a good example. Does vaping that one ingredient equate to herbal medicine? Is it plant-based medicine?
Avoiding Controversial Terms
KindlyMD refers to the products made available through the Utah Med Card as plant-based medicines. They might even refer to them as herbal medicines on their website. They do so to avoid using controversial terms that could get them in trouble. I understand that. Don’t get me wrong. But it creates confusion.
It is true that the vaping products sold to Utah Med Card holders contain an ingredient derived from plants. But guess what? Plant-derived ingredients are not novel in western medicine. A long list of prescription and OTC drugs we take for granted have ingredients derived from plants. Does that make them plant-based medicines?
If I have confused you, then you clearly get the point I am trying to make. By changing the terms to avoid controversy, we are forced to use other terms that lead to confusion. Wouldn’t it be better if we all just stopped being offended so that we could use clearer terms instead?