Herbal medicine for the new age
Herbal medicine is slowly diminishing because of the rapid development of technology.
Herbal medicine is slowly diminishing because of the rapid development of technology.
The 21st century has a lot of amazing impovements and developments on health and healthcare. We now have advanced medical technology, improved surgical procedures, and amazing wonder drugs and every day there is a breakthrough in medical research. Unfortunately, a threat to health and healthcare is coming along with these improvements. We now have an epidemic on diseases like diabetes, ADHD, obesity just to name a few and many more. There are also a lot of alternatives or substitute that replace major body requirements just like insulin, anti-depressants, blood thinners, and infinitum. Now, most of the illnesses that you complain about has a drug equivalent, it may be over-the-counter drug or a drug prescribed by you doctor.
More and more people are switching to alternative medicine in their pursuit for health, in spite of all the medical advances developed today. Herbal medicine has been welcomed by many, as they question the effectiveness on the use of medicinal drugs. Drugs may have helped many to improve life when used correctly; it also has a down fall and a major effect when abused. Almost all drugs have side effects, it maybe subtle or a severe effect. Dugs are also used as a cure to the side effects of other drugs. Drugs are prescribed just as a simple quick fix solution for the problem that are most likely proper diet and lifestyle are the only solution. In addition to these, dugs have no nutritional value. Most health conditions today are due to the lack of nutrients that the body needs where drugs cannot supply because vitamins and minerals are the building locks of life. Drugs, they say, are the substitute for tender loving care (TLC). Exercise, fresh air, healthy food, positive outlook, proper relations can never be replaced by drugs.
The herbal market is flourishing because the people are discouraged with the failures of the healthcare system. Every year new herbal products and companies emerge and competing with pharmaceutical drugs. Most of these companies have specialists that are adequately trained to help consumers select the appropriate remedy for their illnesses. Alternative healthcare providers need to be knowledgeable and updated with the latest products in the market to compete. Doctors also need to familiarize themselves with these popular herbs and its use.
People are going back to the ancient way of healing, which is quite overwhelming. There is also a downside to the industry of herbal medicine that everyone should be aware of. The same problem that lay with the industrialized and mechanical health system is already visible with the use of alternative medicine. For one, the herbs are looking more like drugs nowadays. People have no connection with plants at all, which is the very meaning of herbal medicine. It is very different when you look for medicine from the forest or the field and when you look for medicine from the shelf of a drugstore. Others are trying to get rid of dandelions on their lawn by spraying noxious chemicals and later they would pay for a $15 bottle of a dandelion root extract to cure hypoglycemia. The marketplace entices us with the new products and thus we loose track of our quest for simple wisdom from the ancient period.
The herb industry is basically run by the law of supply and demand, thus there are herbs that mimic some of the pharmaceutical drugs just to compete on the market. Herbs are now becoming a commodity in the economic hustle rather than a free resource that is available to all. The problems with profit driven businesses are already visible to the herbal market. The quality and the value of the herbs compromise its mass production. During shipment of the herbs, it looses its potency specially those that have been put on warehouses, dried and bulk herbs which affects the effectively and integrity of the herb. Every year, herb specie may be on the endangered species list due to the mass exploitation of these wild herbs. Those with the Goldenseal, wild Ginseng and Echinasea in the US are wildly used. Along the quest to find pop herbs from exotic places and rainforest comes the threat to exploit the local indigenous people as well as the habitat of the animals in the area. The cost of shipping these herbs are exponentially increasing as well, since herbs are bought from a far place not checking on your own region. Many of these herbal products which are imported from a far away place can actually be found all over you area, you just have to check and do a little research. Local herbs may also give the same effect as those imported exotic herbs. The communication with the growers, harvesters and producers of herbs are lost which is the important link to the health community. By maintaining the connection, the quality and the accountability of the suppliers are ensured. This way, the knowledge of the people about herbal medicines will increase and develop instead of giving it to the professionals and profit generators.
Soon drug corporations of the market may give in, driving out small suppliers to control the sales and the distribution of herbs as well as the heavy regulation and licensing requirement because of the increasing popularity of herb and natural healthcare products.
Herbs are now becoming a part of the shelves, not considered as plants anymore. People no longer have time to tend to their garden and are now trained to become smart shoppers where milk comes from a box, soups in a can, and herbs coming from the shelves as well. A popular herb is spotlighted to cure whatever illness you may have, but may have lost the simple and deep meaning of the herbal healing.
Everybody seemed to know about herbs even before because it was part of the life of the primitives. People seemed to naturally know herbs as it was there provided in the land. Now, supermarkets and drugstores have changed the way we live. There are specially trained people equipped with the knowledge on how to handle crisis and special situations, however there are those lay people like housewives that use the usual routine of health care as a solution.
As quoted by an Elder of Hopi, Dan Evehema, "Modern man looks upon old wisdom and knowledge as dead, useless and no longer respected. Modern man depends on the money system and no longer on Mother Earth for food. According to prophecy when this happens Mother Earth will hide her nourishment because of the view that ancient food is poor man's food.", this clearly states that we are no longer connected to nature and we are already depending on new technology to aide us with our illnesses which will eventually destroy the natural resources that we have.
Now we let other people to take care of our health, even though we know the basic cure to an illness. We let other people take care of us even if the herbs are already there just growing on our backyard.
Herbs are not drugs or a substitute for drugs and it cannot be used just like one. During ancient times, herbs are used by man for food. Animals do not take drugs nor do they need vitamin supplements because they have the plant kingdom to supply them with food. Even carnivorous animals in the food chain still eat wild herbs from the prey that they had consumed.
Domesticated animals are injected with hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs to sustain their artificial diet so that they can be raised for market production. Unfortunately, humans may be the next victim of this advancement.
Herbs have to be served again on the table. The healing can only begin once herbs are recognized again far from those that are displayed on the shelves of the supermarket.
Herbs heal by nourishing us through the supply of natural nutrients and the building blocks of life to make us strong and immune and overcome the illnesses spreading amongst us. Malnutrition is the root of all diseases that are even visible in first world nations. Herbs heal by preventing and reserving nutritional deficiencies so the body can naturally restore itself to its original condition. Without this kind of understanding, herbal medicine is nothing at all.
For first aid needs, a laboratory is not necessary to prepare these herbs. In your very own kitchen, you can prepare the harvested herb for food and it can be prepared ordinarily just like when you are cooking or preparing your dinner. Uncovering the secret and the art of herbal medicine-making has to be done and has to be brought back into the kitchen.
Salves, tea, tinctures, syrups made out of herbs are simple and fun to make. Special equipment or ingredients are not needed during the preparation. Few hours spent on the kitchen can supply your family with the basic food and first aid that you need for years to come. Even the kids can help in the preparation for more quality time.
There may be illnesses that are life threatening as well as situations that may need special attention outside your home. I am not telling you to change your way of thinking right away but to just put medical technology to where it should be. Instead of depending on it, it should be just the option once home remedy is not working at all. A doctor can tell you that it can actually be handled and cured at home.
Teachers are the only thing that modern day herbalism needs. Many books about herbs are all over bookstores, however, there is a serious lack of experimentation, apprenticeship and hands on sharing. There was the story of a hungry man who was not fed a fish but rather he was told on how to fish for himself, this should always be a good example to all. Herbalist, a responsibility of anyone who has the knowledge about herbs, has to have this kind of thinking.
Herbalism has to be put back in the hands of the people for it to have an impact on this new age. The herbalists’ ultimate mission is to establish the connection of the people and the plant kingdom back again.
We are in between our ancestors and the future generations. We have received freely and freely we should also give. We need to identify and recognize industrial herbalism for what it is and bring it back to where it started.
We just have to go back to the time where herbs were used and have helped many in living a good life and do the same thing now for us to also experience the good life that they had back then.