Here are a few ways herbs have helped to heal before modern medicine

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Here are just a few ways herbs have helped to heal

 

 

 

 

 

Herbs were used to cure ills ranging from aches and pains and

menstrual problems to insomnia and depression centuries before

modern medicine invented drugs.

 

Here are just a few ways in which herbs have helped to heal people

throughout the ages:

The women of ancient Greece drank wine in which chasteberry leaves

had been steeped to regulate their menstrual cycles.

Garlic, which doctors acknowledge has cholesterol-reducing powers,

dates back at least 5,000 years as a healing gem.

 

People in ancient Africa applied the gel from the aloe plant to

wounds from poison arrows, and people of India utilized it as a

cooling agent.

Herbalists 2,000 years ago recommended using ginseng to enlighten

the mind and brighten the eyes. Current herbalists prescribe the

herb as a tonic that enhances mental function.

Native Americans took echinacea to treat snakebites, fevers, and

stubborn wounds. Early American settlers adopted the plant as home

remedy for colds and flu.

Soldiers in the Trojan wars treated their wounds with yarrow—a plant

used today for cuts and scrapes.

Since the dawn of time, our ancestors depended on plants to nourish

them and keep them well. Then, about a hundred years ago, people

decided it was time for a change. We turned our backs on our ancient

relationship with herbs and looked elsewhere for our food and

medicine.

 

Now, like prodigal children, we're returning to them—in huge

numbers. More than 30 percent of the U.S. population relies on

herbal alternatives to medically approved drugs. In just a two-year

period, sales of echinacea jumped 72 percent, while sales of the

depression-fighter St. John's wort skyrocketed 1,900 percent.

 

Not only do we have a plethora of herbs to choose from but we also

have items of which the herbal healers of yesteryear could never

have dreamed: St. John's wort lipstick, essential oil chewing gum,

herb-laden workout energy bars. Companies now sponsor major ad

campaigns to promote the sale of herbs. Behind this revival are

millions of women, just like yourself, who are looking to herbs as a

natural source of healing and comfort.

 

Women and Herbs: A Natural Combination

 

Herbalism is and always has been honored as a woman's art. Since

ancient times, mothers, wives, and daughters have acted as the

guardians and gatekeepers of their families' nutrition and health.

Men may have brought home the bacon, but women provided the

botanicals. Traditionally, women were always the midwives, the

health providers, and the herb collectors, says Feather Jones, a

professional member of the America Herbalists Guild (AHG) and

director of the Rocky Mountain School of Botanical Studies in

Boulder, Colorado.

 

Often through trial and error, the early herbalists began to

understand Mother Nature's products and their healing powers. Using

intuition, experience, and common sense, these women made good use

of the plants that the earth gave them. " If someone has a burn, you

are going to look around and choose a plant that is succulent and

juicy—like aloe, " says Ginger Webb, the herbal education coordinator

for the American Botancial Council in Austin, Texas.

 

These wise women passed on their herbal knowledge to their daughters

and granddaughters, who then added their own experiences to it,

eventually creating what we know—and sometimes disregard—as

folklore. Folklore ensures that important information filters down

to future generations by weaving instruction into a good story—

something easy to remember and interesting enough to tell over and

over again.

 

The craft of healing with herbs flourished until the late nineteenth

century. The Industrial Revolution and new technology gave birth to

the idea that anything nature can do, man can do better. Where the

 

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earth gave us meadowsweet and willow bark as pain relievers,

science gave us a much stronger medicine in aspirin.

Then came the discovery of penicillin, which lead some to believe

that a " magic bullet, " a manmade miracle medicine, could cure all

our ills, says Ellen Evert Hopman, a professional member of AHG and

author of Tree Medicine, Tree Magic. People, especially women,

started to turn away from herbs.

 

Naturally, after a few generations passed, a good deal of herbal

history was lost. But now, after nearly a half-century of our

overusing penicillin and other antibiotics, bacteria are developing

immunities to these drugs. Many diseases and infections are becoming

harder to cure, says Hopman.

 

Coming Full Circle

 

Now, after a century of exile, many women find themselves returning

to the herbal ways of their ancestors, Jones says.

 

Why are we seeking solace in herbs again? The reasons are as

numerous as the herbs themselves, but here are a few of the major

ones.

 

A feeling of empowerment. Many of us have been educated to believe

we must hand over our health to another person—specifically, a

doctor. But herbalism allows us to take charge of our own well-

being. We can use herbs to stay healthy and prevent sickness. We can

even use plant medicines to treat illnesses. " It is very empowering

to realize that you can depend on yourself and take care of yourself

and your family with herbs, " Hopman says.

 

Further, herbal medicine sometimes has advantages over conventional:

In some cases, you can treat what mainstream science

cannot. " Conventional medicine falls short when it comes to treating

chronic conditions and everyday illnesses like cold and flu. People

with those problems are increasingly taking care of themselves with

herbs, " notes Hopman.

 

Getting back to nature. In a high-tech world where computers are

more common than gardens, some women feel cut off from their life

source. They don't spend as much time with plants, flowers, and

wildlife as they would like. Using herbs reconnects them with

nature. " It returns a part of yourself back to the earth, " Jones

says.

 

Herbalism gives us a new sense of intimacy with the plant world

areound us. " The more you learn about hebalism, the more amazing it

becomes. You learn that a flower growing along the side of the road

is a medicinal plant. And that the weeds growing in between your

spinach and your tomatoes are medicinal plants. It's consciousness

raising, " Webb says.

 

Herbalism connects us with our environment in another way. Because

both women and plants are part of the natural world, our bodies

instinctively know what to do with herbs. " You are giving your body

something that is a known entity. We have evolved with plants, so

our bodies know how to read an herb as opposed to a pharmaceutical, "

Webb says.

 

A need for gentle and affordable care.

 

When scientists started creating more potent, synthetic versions of

herbs in the early part of the twentieth century, people didn't

foresee side effects and the fallout of their use, Jones says.

Afraid of the overpowering action of pharmaceuticals, women want the

milder, yet just as effective, option of herbs.

 

On a practical level, herbs sometimes offer refuge from the

expensive and tangled world of conventional health care. Trips to

doctors, specialists, and pharmacies all add up financially. In some

cases, herbs help offset those costs. " People are tired of side

effects; they are tired of the expense of going to the doctor and

getting a prescription, " Jones notes.

 

Whatever the reason, self-care with herbal medicine is a powerful

experience for many women. For some, it evolves into a way of life,

not just a way of healing. " If you start taking tinctures and teas,

your lifestyle changes. You don't just take a pill. You help make

your medicine. For instance, herbal teas have this wonderful aroma.

You slow down to boil the water and steep the plant. You start

experiencing your medicine in a different way. You are part of it, "

Webb says.

 

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