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Herbal
Medicine: An Ounce Of Prevention |
by:
Priya
Shah |
In recent
years the issue of Alternative Healing has
taken the medical world by storm.
A 2004 government survey concluded that
more than one third of adults use some form
of alternative medicine and healing. Many
of those using alternative therapies do
not even discuss them with their traditional
healthcare practitioners.
One facet of this burgeoning interest is
Herbal Medicine. While it may seem "trendy"
to some, Herbal Medicine has been around
for thousands of years.
In fact, many of the familiar pharmaceutical
medications we use today were originally
created from "natural" ingredients. Drugs
like opium (from poppies), aspirin
(from willow bark), digitalis (from foxglove)
and quinine (from the cinchona tree.)
What is Herbal Medicine?
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,
Ayurveda 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.
In the 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.
Ayurveda, loosely translated to "knowledge
of life," is the ancient Indian system of
medicine. 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 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, it's 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.
Nothing in the makeup of a plant tells us
in what way it would be used the best. There
are over a half million known herbs that
could be used as possible remedies.
Chinese Herbalist practitioners have over
2,000 herbs that are readily available in
their pharmacies.
Herbal remedies around the globe very in
strength from the very mild and gentle remedies
that are use even as food, to those that
are potential poisons when taken at the
wrong dose.
Folk use of herbal remedies is familiar
to all of us in some form or another. This
is because herbal remedies are learned by
being passed down from generation to generation.
Unfortunately this hearsay is what fuels
the ire of the scientific community and
their disdain.
But by dismissing generations of experience
and observation, it is really the traditional
scientific community which is losing out
on this wisdom.
In recent times, attitudes toward traditional
and herbal remedies have changed for the
better. Many medical schools now offer studies
in complementary medicine alongside traditional
medical courses.
It's only a matter of time before herbal
medicine becomes part of a more holistic
practice of healthcare.
About the Author
Priya Shah is the editor of The
Glutathione Report and Health
Naturale. Get a comprehensive report
on 47
Easy Herbal RemediesThis article may
be reprinted as long as the resource box
is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
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