Females twice as likely as men to opt for herbal medicine

By Eloise Horsfield

WOMEN are almost twice as likely to use herbal remedies than their male counterparts, according to new data.

Figures presented at the eighth international herbal remedies conference in Oviedo, Asturias, show 27% of women are willing to try complementary medicine compared to only 14% of men.

“Women are more aware of the health benefits of medicinal plants,” explained Dr Ignacio Bachiller.

“They tend to choose them in particular for complaints such as insomnia, weight gain and digestive problems.”

Soya is one natural remedy used by many women to treat menopause symptoms, with a recent Spanish study showing that just 75mg of soya administered in two doses can reduce hot flushes by 80%.

Jane Jewson, based in Manilva, said herbal remedies completely cured fibroids which had been troubling her for years.

After being told she would need surgery to remove them, she went to see a natural medical herbalist near Glastonbury in England.

“A gynaecologist had condemned my uterus to the bin and was ready to get the knife out because it was impossible to live with the fibroids,” said Jewson, 55, originally from Oxford.

“No other medicine or treatment had worked: I’d tried everything.

“He gave me a herbal potion combining herbs from all over the world.

“After one month, the fibroids began to shrink and I could lead a normal life again.”

She added: “That was 15 years ago now, and I never had to have the op.”