By Katherine Yaremko, Columnist

While alternative medicine has been slowly and gradually making its way into Western culture, it has not been fully embraced by the majority of the population. This less-than-enthusiastic welcome probably results from the general stigma that exists concerning unconventional medicine. Typically viewed as unreliable, bogus, and more appropriate for quack doctors and the hippie subculture much of the public has rejected forms of it based on the cultural ideas that have formed around its center.

While the phrase “alternative medicine” should not be analyzed as a generic whole, considering that it encompasses a vast array of treatments (some more reliable than others), it might be worthwhile to examine the legitimacy of claims which purport that this area of treatment is completely unfounded.

James Wong, recent author of “Grow Your Own Drugs,” is an ethnobotanist with prior experience at London’s Royal Botanical Gardens. With his book, Wong is attempting to change people’s attitudes toward herbal medicine, asking them to see the science behind it. He argues that many of the chemicals found in relatively common plants are the same chemicals found in over-the-counter drugs, and can be used to treat minor problems with the same results. In certain cases, ingredients in pills can be found in the outdoor world.

Wong is not opposed to conventional medicine, he is simply seeking to create a more accurate understanding of its alternatives. And in all honesty, the core of his message makes sense. Whether a chemical of particular medicinal value is located in a pill or in a plant, why should there be a stigma regarding which one a person takes?

Wong also argues that the way in which a chemical is packaged is insignificant. It is the chemical composition of the drug that determines whether or not it will be effective. It is this information that science can use to confirm whether an herbal remedy is legitimate or not.

If for no other reason, perhaps this alternative way of conceiving plants and medicine is beneficial if it  allows us to reexamine the knowledge we have come to know about medical treatment in general. Stereotypes and biases regarding our individuated compartments of knowledge might initially dissuade us from considering a piece of information from a different angle.

I think it is a mistake to regard the use of herbal remedies as a regression in the modern world of advancement. The artificial concoctions produced by drug companies have some connection to the natural world. This article is not an attack on conventional medicine. It does not seek to create a scapegoat out of the pharmaceutical corporations, even though at times some may be deserving of it. It does not seek to promote herbal medicine at the expense of more advanced, necessary treatments. Its purpose is to, at the least, instill the idea that those forms of alternative medicine, which have been demonstrated to be reliable and scientific, can coexist with conventional treatments and even supplement them in minor instances.