English for PTA

Phytotherapy

Abbildung © Henry Bonn - Fotolia.com © Henry Bonn - Fotolia.com

The healing properties of plants and plant extracts have been known to man for thousands of years. With the advent of chemically produced medicine, phytopharmaceuticals lost their place in everyday use except in areas where traditional medicine was still practised.

Over the course of the last 25 years or so, the use of phytopharmaceuticals has increased globally. European herbal medicines are mainly distributed under the following categories: cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, tonic, hypnotic/ sedative and topical. As herbal remedies have been used for literally thousands of years, one widespread belief is that they have fewer or indeed no side-effects when compared to conventional medication.

Although the side-effects are less frequent than conventional medicines, side-effects do exist. Long-term use of St John’s wort, for example, may increase sensitivity or responsiveness to sunlight. Valerian, on the other hand, is one of the most widely used medicines for treating nervous tension.

Pharmacy customer: Hello.
PTA: Hello, what can I do for you?!

My friend, who is one of your regular customers, recommended that I come to you for advice.
I see. So, what type of advice would you like me to give you?

Well, it’s like this: I’ve been working very hard lately and you would think that I would be able to get to sleep at night but I can’t. We have been under so much pressure. You know the usual, deadlines to meet, conferences to attend, orders to check and so on. I couldn’t even enjoy my summer holiday last month. I kept on waking up and thinking about work and what I needed to do when I got back. I barely have time to do the shopping, let alone go to my GP. That’s why I’m here.
Okay! Are you taking any medication at the moment that might effect your nerves?

No, not really.
You said that you don’t sleep well at night. Is that correct?

Yes, and I’m so tired during the day. It’s a vicious circle: I can’t sleep at night and as a result I’m very tired at work and can’t concentrate properly and am overtired by the time I should go to bed.
Do you drink a lot of coffee, you know, to help you stay awake?

Yes, doesn’t everyone?
How much coffee do you drink? And when do you usually drink it?

Oh, let’s see, about 4 or 5 mugs a day. Sometimes more, never less than that. And I usually have the last two mugs before knocking-off time, early evening around 6pm.
You do work long hours, don’t you!

So, what do you recommend?
Well, I’d start by reducing my coffee consumption, if I were you. Too much coffee can make you very jittery. And then I’d try and regulate my sleep.

How do you recommend that I do that?
We have a very good book here on relaxation techniques, which is a very effective way of dealing with stress. Don’t worry, it isn’t complicated, there are lots of step-by-step pictures to show the techniques. And start taking valerian regularly.

What’s that?
It’s a herbal remedy that has been used for hundreds of years to deal with tension and nervousness. This one, which has been prepared from strictly controlled organically grown valerian, is in dragée form. I find it better than tea.

Thank you very much. Bye.
Goodbye!

VOCABULARY
properties Eigenschaften
advent (hier) Ankunft
phytopharmaceuticals Phytopharmaka
distributed verteilt
remedies Heilmittel, Medikamente
widespread weitverbreitet
belief Glaube, Glauben
side-effects Nebenwirkungen
compared verglichen
responsiveness Reaktion
nervous tension nervöse Anspannung
let alone … ganz zu schweigen von, geschweige denn
vicious circle Teufelskreis
overtired übermüdet
mug Becher, (Kaffee-)Pott
knocking-off time (ugs.) Feierabend
consumption (hier) Genuss
jittery nervös, überspannt
relaxation techniques Entspannungsübungen
strictly genau, strengstens
organically grown biologisch angebaut