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Herbs as
Medicine
Tom Brown Jr.
Much has been written in the past about the healing properties
of herbs. Unfortunately, many of the modern books are not too sure of the way
herbs work, especially when one mixes them. Now modern medical research is
taking a look at the herbal medicines and finding many new drugs that are better
received by the body without the side effects one gets with synthetics.
There is a general opinion that the old herbalists and
medicine people were rather sketchy in their mixtures and frequently overdosed
or underdosed their patients. I find this statement totally wrong and off the
wall. In the old days there was a long apprenticeship in learning the gifts of
herbs and the various mixtures that went into any medication. Plants had to be
collected and prepared. at the exact right time of the year and prepared with
chemist-like precision. This learning usually took years, more years than any
chemist or doctor spends learning their profession. Usually, the person began at
an early age and did not begin to treat people until he or she reached old age.
Many students of mine are awed by the precision that is used
in the preparation. Many plant properties change as to time, temperature, and
general weather conditions. For instance, the leaves of the strawberry can be
collected six times through the growing season and each collection will have
different overall properties and effects on the body. The danger comes, however,
when we begin to mix herbs, using catalysts, to bring about other effects. Two
plants that you can eat as food or tea, when mixed together the right way, can
cause damage to your body and in some cases, death.
Be very careful with herbs and especially their mixtures. Don't take ancient
remedies lightly for modern science is finding that they do what they are said
to do, but also many of them don't. Don't experiment with herbs, but seek out an
old one that still uses the herbal remedies. Don't always rely on books for much
of the information is hearsay and could cause bodily damage. Remember that
herbalogy is an exacting science and takes a lifetime to learn, a little at a
time. There is no magic pill, book, or course that will make a person a healer
and herbalist overnight, only good, hard and diligent work.
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