Even if it uses herbs, homeopathy is not the same thing as what we normally call "herbal medicine", for two reasons:
-Chamomile's sleep-inducing properties may not have been rigorously tested, but it is definitely not a stimulant. The things used to make homeopathic sleep aids are stimulants. That's what homeopathy is -- applying things that *produce* the symptoms you're trying to eliminate. Regular old herbal medicine applies herbs that are intended to reduce your symptoms.
-Homeopathy takes substances that do something, or might do something, and dilutes them to the point where they're undetectable. This is why taking a homeopathic sleep aid made of stimulants doesn't stimulate you. It doesn't do anything because it doesn't contain any active ingredients that scientific observation, or your body, can detect.
Probiotics are quite separate from all of this. Probiotics are living bacteria that are supposed to supplement the natural bacteria that live in your digestive system and allow you to digest food in a normal way. Nothing to do with herbs or homeopathy at all.
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Date: 2009-04-24 05:40 pm (UTC)-Chamomile's sleep-inducing properties may not have been rigorously tested, but it is definitely not a stimulant. The things used to make homeopathic sleep aids are stimulants. That's what homeopathy is -- applying things that *produce* the symptoms you're trying to eliminate. Regular old herbal medicine applies herbs that are intended to reduce your symptoms.
-Homeopathy takes substances that do something, or might do something, and dilutes them to the point where they're undetectable. This is why taking a homeopathic sleep aid made of stimulants doesn't stimulate you. It doesn't do anything because it doesn't contain any active ingredients that scientific observation, or your body, can detect.
Probiotics are quite separate from all of this. Probiotics are living bacteria that are supposed to supplement the natural bacteria that live in your digestive system and allow you to digest food in a normal way. Nothing to do with herbs or homeopathy at all.