To an herbalist, herbal medicine is much more than just a safer drug. Herbal medicine is often part of a system of traditional medicine, such as traditional Chinese medicine or Native American Indian medicine or Ayurvedic medicine, of East India. Systems of traditional medicine emphasize the importance of understanding the roots of illness. Practitioners of these systems seek to understand the meaning of the symptoms of disease, and avoid masking the symptoms with a strong medication that might relieve the symptoms temporarily only to stress the body further leading to a lessening in the quality of one’s life.

Systems of traditional medicine often incorporate many other modalities that work in conjunction with herbal medicine, such as moxibustion, the burning of herbal "cigars" containing the aromatic herb mugwort to warm and stimulate areas of the body, triggering a healing response. The application of healing oils, and even hot and cold water in the form of hydrotherapy may also be used to compliment the action of the herbs.

Practitioners of traditional medicine also seek to understand the place of the individual in their environment. They listen carefully to what the patient has to say about how they are feeling day-to-day and season-to-season to determine how changes of the seasons and emotions affect internal balance, and ultimately, health.

Many factors are all taken into consideration by the practitioner, including the diet of the patient, to determine the best course of treatment that often includes herbal medicines. Practitioners of traditional medicine also emphasize the importance of strong and healthy family and community networks, the emotional balance of the patient, spiritual or religious beliefs, living and family conditions, and understanding the health and disease processes of the patient on the basis of individual differences.

In traditional medicine there is a concept that is called treat the root, treat the branch. This means that we should take a treatment or urban that can help reduce symptoms immediately so that we can be more comfortable. For instance, reducing a headache, Walt the same time, we can take an herbal tonic to restore in her balance and help remove the initial cause of the disease.