HealthandHerbals.com

The basic and common reality about herbal and natural medicine is that, it is essentially a much easier and safer route to good health than its orthodox counterpart. This is a fact very many people have come to realize, after an often long and tortuous route back to good health. This statement is not in any way made here to downplay the importance and relevance of orthodox medicine and practice in today’s world. The fact remains for many people all over the world, herbal remedies have proven to be magic healers of some sort. People of all races have now come to depend on the medicinal healing powers inherent in plants for their survival. This discovery about herbs regarding their efficacy in combating many life threatening diseases has been partly responsible for the growing interest today in, Plant medicines, Nutrition therapy, Energy medicine and the increasing interest in the use of Crystals and Gemstones for healing.

          However, the practice of herbal medicine is as old as man on earth and was the main stay of most traditional cultures over the ages until the intervention of Western style inorganic medicine and the destructive politics that came with it. All of these at the expense of people’s health, and worse still, this world is now disease ridden.

Until few decades ago, herbal remedies were viewed with deep skepticism and even subject to persecution in many places. This is still the position in some countries due to organized negative publicity orchestrated by governments and public officials who have been so mislead by the medical establishments. We are happy and grateful today that herbal medicine has made a very powerful comeback partly due to its efficacy in the treatment of diseases in which orthodox medicine may have failed. Experience they say is still the best teacher. You can try some for yourself.

"The use of herbs can be as simple as taking a daily cup of moringa tea or drinking fresh coconut water. These two simple practices carried out on a sustainable basis could reverse many adverse ill-health conditions".

          Prominent philosophers and teachers from ancient times have left records for man about their herbal exploits. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle left a book on herbal formulas, recipes and prescriptions titled GOLDEN CABINET OF SECRETS (see Herbs: The Magic Healers, by Paul Twitchell). The great Ayur Vedic system of medicine deals with several hundreds of herbs within the Indian sub continent and is several thousands of years old. The ancient Chinese also left humanity a compilation of thousands of herbs dating back over 5000 years or more. Some authorities have stated that perhaps the greatest legacy bequeathed to mankind by the Chinese may well be their compendium of herbal knowledge over the ages. Some traditional herbal remedies have also been used by orthodox researchers in the development of a number of modern drugs.

          In his book ‘HERBS THAT HEAL’ H.K.Bakhru wrote as part of his intro, the following on how herbs are used:

“Herbs are used in many different ways. However, the ultimate objective of their use is that they should interact directly with our body chemistry. They may be used in various forms like food, medicine, cosmetics, or fragrance but in all cases, their active constituents must be absorbed into the body for deriving the required benefits. Once they are absorbed in the bloodstream, they circulate to influence our whole system. The skill of the herbalist is to use this effect to balance and strengthen the body’s own healing mechanism instead of suppressing or disturbing it, as many modern drugs tend to do.

 The active constituents of the herb can enter the body in several ways. These include consuming the herb orally so as to be absorbed by the digestive system, application on skin through medicinal poultices as well as cosmetics for being absorbed in the body through the pores; application on eyes through lotions and compresses; smelling the aroma through nose to enable the essential oil being absorbed in the bloodstream.”

Herbs are classified according to their natural properties. Hence we have.

1.     The amulet herbs

2.     The stomachic herbs

3.     The nervine herbs

4.     The aromatic herbs

5.     The anthelmintic herbs

6.     The astringent herbs

7.     The diuretic herbs

8.     The expectorants

9.     The fragrant herbs

   10.  The laxative herb

   11.  The tonic herbs

   12.   The purgative herbs