Herbal medicine is both powerful and subtle in its actions, herbs range from the pot of pepper Piper nigrum which sits as a permanent object on our dining tables, used as a stimulant and carminative to digestion; through to potentially poisonous remedies such as Lily of the valley Convalleria majalis which when used in the right dose and under professional supervision can extend life and wellbeing, through its cardiac glycosides.
Herbal Medicine is integral to the cultural, evolutionary, spiritual and developmental nature of humanity. As well as being the oldest form of medicine in the world it is still today the most widely used form of medicine in the world. Herbal medicine is both a science and an art. It is understood by many means modern and ancient, all have their advantages and limitations. Modern scientific means such as controlled trials, and laboratory research clearly prove the powerful healing effects of plants on the body. For example the link below:
New NHS research validates use of Hypericum for depression
Many of todays pharmaceutical drugs are synthesized from plant medicines.
Empirical understanding of herbal medicine such as the traditional use of plants is passed down the generations of practitioners and lay users.
How plants heal is often culturally defined. In the modern western university training of Herbal medicine we use bio-medical science to explain the actions of plants on the body, yet traditional medical systems such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine from India have become extremely popular in the West as they help us see an individuals illness in relation to the wider world. We call this holistic medicine and in England we also had such a system until the 18th century. The Greek humoral system explained the actions of herbs based on their energetic actions, and of their balancing the four humours of the body. In clinical practise i find energetic medicine an essential adjunct to understanding modern medical science. Understanding an individual patients pattern of illness is not always explained by a simple medical diagnosis. Each individual will experience illness according to their own constitution and life experiences. Understanding the individual patient is as crucial to healing as understanding the plants and the pathology.
It is the complexity of Herbal remedies that gives them their safe use. I do not use standardised extracts of herbal medicines as they create a a product out of balance with nature, and it is the connecting with nature which i believe gives Herbal medicine its power to heal.
Since i started making my own herbal medicines myself i am more drawn to using local plants. I find that my understanding of a plants uses grows exponentially as i plant seeds, watch the development, harvest and process the plant myself. However i do use plants from around the world when i cannot find a local which gives me the same effect. My training in Chinese medicine has given me a high regard for Chinese tonic herbs. British Medical herbalists also use many North American herbs such as Echinacea, and Black Cohosh, because in the Nineteenth century American herbalists who had learned their skills from Native Americans and Pioneers brought a resurgence of Herbal Medicine back to the UK.
Herbal medicine has always been a world wide trade, as can be shown by exotic herbs found in neolithic burial grounds.
Because of intensive agricultural production and todays commercial pressures it is essential that we can trace our food and herbal medicines to safe sources. I only buy herbs from organic growers or small producers i know personally. I believe my hand made herbal remedies to be as good and usually better than most on the market.
