Herbal Medicine is the use of botanicals (plants) either singularly or in
combination to prevent and treat certain ailments and illnesses.
People native to different geographical locations have long used plants
and plant extracts to cure specific maladies. Sometimes referred to as folk
medicine, it is generally recognized that there are three schools of research
one can follow with regard to the history of these treatments.
There is the study of medicines based on Greek, Roman and medieval
sources which is largely used by Western schools of thought, Ayurvedic
which comes from India and the Eastern tradition of Chinese Herbal
Medicine. Rather than separation, these different schools of thought provide
more commonality than division.
It stands to reason that most ancient peoples used plants that were
native to their geographical location which provides sound reasoning as to
why different schools of thought exist.
All three of these modalities at one time included both philosophical
and spiritual aspects along with the scientific knowledge that existed within a
specific time frame. While we are not here to render opinion, one fact does
remain. The same study that determined one third of Americans used
alternative therapies, the same number surveyed showed a dramatic
increase in positive results to more than 60 when prayer was included in
the mix.
Ayurvedic loosely translates to knowledge of life. Dating back to
more than 6,000 years ago, Ayurvedic Medicine practiced not just Herbal
Medicine, but some of the earliest surgical procedures as well as inoculation.
Over the years Ayurvedic Medicine became increasingly more symptomatic
as opposed to treating the root cause of disease which originally was steeped
in strengthening the immune system.
With all our so-called advancements in the medical field, its interesting
that physicians are still treating effect rather than cause. The old adage
that, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure could not be more
true. This is especially true when it comes to natural remedies.
Most natural remedies are botanical. Singularly or in combination, the
numbers of herbs available is astounding. We will barely scratch the surface
in this guide and we encourage further research and study.
While this is a presentation on herbs, we have included other natural,
organic contents. Many of the combinations include both herbs and other
sources such as tree bark, alfalfa and rhubarb.