All through history, people have sought ways of staying healthy or recovering from illness. Our rich herbal tradition is testimony to centuries of experimentation, observation, and conclusions. As medical doctors and drug manufacturers began to dominate health care, this ancient wisdom was dismissed as 'folk lore'. However, continues use as well as scientific research continues to validate the benefits of botanical medicine.
Medicine is something used to prevent and treat disease. 'Botanical' means derived from plants. In all cultures, people have discovered that flowers, leaves, berries, roots, and bark have strengthening, soothing, and curative properties. Many pharmaceutical drugs prescribed today are derived from plants. Most of us are familiar with some botanical remedies.
Other remedies are familiar. Limes and lemons were discovered to prevent and reverse scurvy, an illness that affected sailors on long sea voyages or explorers in arctic regions. Long before Vitamin C was isolated, citrus fruits were carried along to prevent bleeding gums, loosened teeth, muscular weakness, and eventual death from this deficiency disease. This disorder was unknown to people on shore who had access to fresh fruits and vegetable.
People may need to know the healthful resources of field and forest someday, as they did during the world wars. The English scoured the hedgerows for rose hips, the red seed pods that are rich in vitamin C and bioflavanoids. They grew carrots for the fighter pilots who needed excellent night vision, and supplemented their own meager rations with dandelion greens and other field and roadside weeds. Ranchers watched the wild animals and learned which tree bark would eliminate worms in their horses. Desert dwellers harvested aloe and jojoba and feasted on many kinds of cactus.
Today there is a large market for herbal remedies. Midwives send mothers-to-be to health food stores for red raspberry tea (uterine toning), ginger (morning sickness), or herbal iron supplements. Nursing mothers take fenugreek to boost milk production. Insomniacs seek out chamomile, passion flower, and hops. People fight fatigue with blue green algae, guarana, ginseng, and gota kola.
Every continent and country has its own botanical wonder drugs. Pau d'arco is considered a panacea in South America. Tea tree oil from Australia is used world-wide as an antiseptic and a fungicide. Neem, considered a cure-all in India, is used to fight fungus infections, oral problems, and a multitude of other disorders. Researchers in France discovered the benefits of pine bark and grape seeds. Japan farms chlorella, a single cell algae with proven health-enhancing properties.
Much of our food is vegetation. What we call herbs are simply nutrient rich plants. If food is the best medicine, as the old folks say, it makes sense to eat wisely and know the benefits. Garlic and onions are both food and medicine. Garden produce, eaten fresh and whole, is known to be good for us. A diet of shelf-stable, processed foods is not considered a healthy one.
No one, even the medical profession, denies that plants are medicinal. Learning which garden-grown or wild-gathered plants are good for us - and good for what ails us - is sensible and may even one day be life saving.
Medicine is something used to prevent and treat disease. 'Botanical' means derived from plants. In all cultures, people have discovered that flowers, leaves, berries, roots, and bark have strengthening, soothing, and curative properties. Many pharmaceutical drugs prescribed today are derived from plants. Most of us are familiar with some botanical remedies.
Other remedies are familiar. Limes and lemons were discovered to prevent and reverse scurvy, an illness that affected sailors on long sea voyages or explorers in arctic regions. Long before Vitamin C was isolated, citrus fruits were carried along to prevent bleeding gums, loosened teeth, muscular weakness, and eventual death from this deficiency disease. This disorder was unknown to people on shore who had access to fresh fruits and vegetable.
People may need to know the healthful resources of field and forest someday, as they did during the world wars. The English scoured the hedgerows for rose hips, the red seed pods that are rich in vitamin C and bioflavanoids. They grew carrots for the fighter pilots who needed excellent night vision, and supplemented their own meager rations with dandelion greens and other field and roadside weeds. Ranchers watched the wild animals and learned which tree bark would eliminate worms in their horses. Desert dwellers harvested aloe and jojoba and feasted on many kinds of cactus.
Today there is a large market for herbal remedies. Midwives send mothers-to-be to health food stores for red raspberry tea (uterine toning), ginger (morning sickness), or herbal iron supplements. Nursing mothers take fenugreek to boost milk production. Insomniacs seek out chamomile, passion flower, and hops. People fight fatigue with blue green algae, guarana, ginseng, and gota kola.
Every continent and country has its own botanical wonder drugs. Pau d'arco is considered a panacea in South America. Tea tree oil from Australia is used world-wide as an antiseptic and a fungicide. Neem, considered a cure-all in India, is used to fight fungus infections, oral problems, and a multitude of other disorders. Researchers in France discovered the benefits of pine bark and grape seeds. Japan farms chlorella, a single cell algae with proven health-enhancing properties.
Much of our food is vegetation. What we call herbs are simply nutrient rich plants. If food is the best medicine, as the old folks say, it makes sense to eat wisely and know the benefits. Garlic and onions are both food and medicine. Garden produce, eaten fresh and whole, is known to be good for us. A diet of shelf-stable, processed foods is not considered a healthy one.
No one, even the medical profession, denies that plants are medicinal. Learning which garden-grown or wild-gathered plants are good for us - and good for what ails us - is sensible and may even one day be life saving.
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