The issue is health, to make
a religion out of nature is to do harm. Most poison are natural, such as those made by insects, snakes, bacteria, and
plants. For our purpose I am defining naturalistic drug in the widest sense, and including them here if
they have very significant health benefits that have been well demonstrated and minimal side effects. Categories for inclusion:
Those chemically made in a lab that are identical to what is found in the body. Most notable are
the hormones, epinephrine (adrenalin), testosterone, estradiol (one of 4 estrogens found in women and men)..
Those which are found in foods in bioactive amounts, such as the vitamins, glutamic acid, niacin, tryptophan.
Many of them are made in the lab.
And those which though structurally different but are mimics. They operate like the natural to
humans chemical, sometimes better. .Inositol hexanicotinate is a compound consisting of niacin and inositol, but
natural but combine work better than niacin at preventing cardiovascular disease without the flushing side effect.
Morphine works better at relieving pain than endorphins and opium (one natural to the body, the other to plants).
Another grouping would be of compounds found in nature that have been modified to improve absorption, bio-activity,
or reduce side effects. Aspirin is superior to salicylic acid derived from the bark of the willow tree. It is too
corrosive to be used long-term. The body convert aspirin to salicylic acid. Some are poorly absorbed, like most
carotenoids, of which there are over 600;.
Listed
are articles on those which fit this broad criterion and have proven benefits.
.
Some natural
alternatives, such as plant estrogen mimics fail to be effective. Others such as estrogen derived from mare urine
are not natural for women. Moreover, their action and side effects haven't been properly studied. The same can be said
of plant estrogen mimics. Given the damage caused by bisphonels (another estrogen mimic class of chemicals) there is good
reason to also avoid other unnatural to human estrogens from plants. There is no science behind their use as to side effects.