USE HERBAL CURES CAREFULLY

Denise Hall’s article on herbal remedies was most interesting (The
Examiner, November 15). It raises questions of public safety, and also
raises intriguing questions as to why people are returning in such
large numbers to remedies use by their grandmothers.

One possible answer to this is the current preoccupation with health,
as is evidenced by the huge growth in the market for herbal remedies.
Health is a good thing, but one wonders if this trend is related to
the pursuit of health and happiness as an end in itself, health
apparently being equated with happiness.

To suppose that perfect health would of itself bring about happiness,
would be to imply that may who suffer severe illnesses are unhappy.
This is not necessarily the case, as those who care for the ill and
dying would testify.

I think that there is a case to be made for the prudent use of herbal
remedies not perhaps as our grandmothers might have used them, but
rather in the context of informed scientific research.

Anne Deane
White Gables
Avonmore
Foxrock
Dublin 18