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HERBALISM It is impossible to say exactly when herbalism was first practiced, but the earliest written accounts of such remedial use of plants dates back to the medical text 'Pen Ts'ao' writen by Emperor Shen Nung around 2800BC in China. It is much later, around 400BC, before herbalist principles appear in the first Greek texts ...developing the principles of diet, excercise and happiness, as the cornerstone of health. And some three hundred years again before the Roman Empire spreads herbal medicine, and the commerce of plants, around the, then, known world. From the second to the fifteenth century (and beyond) herbal medicine has been the core treatment for all ills and ailments for the vast majority of the worlds population. Many cultures have relied on medicine men, wise men or shaman, within their societies, for their society's  well being. Along with meditation,
a common thread amongst the practices of such people has been the use
of herbs and plants ...developing their own methods and applications,
dependent on indigenous flora and local needs.This is true of european cultures, as well as those of more exotic, distant areas of the world. Pagan traditions, witches and witchcraft are, arguably, merely a methodology from a herbalist tradition; practitioners who worked from a local knowledge ...with 'recipes' that had been handed down from generation to generation, by word of mouth ...'Old Wive's Tales'(?). The eye of dog, tail of newt that, famously, were the mainstay of a witches practice, would have been no more than the local name for some plant or herb. Aside from the debt owed by the pharmaceutical industries to the pioneering herbalists of the past ...it is probable that today a large number of people benefit from the principles of herbalism without giving it the slightest thought ...we eat all manner of herbs and beneficial plants in our everyday diets, purely because we like the way they taste! Who is to say that these choices are not, at some level, instinctive? A domestic dog or cat would instinctively seek out grass or simillar to alleviate their own simple illnesses.  The listings that follow are
purely for demonstrative purposes ...to
indicate the wide variety of applications and uses to which so many
herbs and plants can be put. Although the vast majority of herbal
remedies are simple and without complication in their use, care must be
taken when dealing with powerful toxins (Belladonna, for example)
...although their healing properties are beyond doubt in many cases for
certain ills. It must be stressed that anyone seeking the benefits of
herbal remedies should seek the advice of a reputable, qualified
herbalist, who has long studied the uses of herbs, and is therefore
well versed in dispensing their remedies. Blood pressure/circulation. bilberry blackcurrant cayenne garlic ginger gotu kola parsley periwinkle pricky ash Metabolism/lowering cholesterol/thyroid balance/weight loss garcinia cambogia chickweed ephdra sinice fenugreek irish moss safflower bdellium gum bissynut kelp sarsaparilla  Immune system echinaccea garlic ginseng Pau D'arco quercetin (suma) Respiratory system blue vervain comfrey garlic  Detoxifying/cleansing/aiding digestion alfalfa aloe vera angelica root anise seed barberry bayberry blue vervain burdock cascara cat nip cayenne chickweed dandelion root elderberry flowers fennel ginger golden seal juniper mandrake parsley peppermint pippali fruit red raspberry leaf yello dock root   |
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 additional images courtesy of morgueFile and DHD multimedia gallery copyright ©2005 Lynn Wilson all rights reserved |
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