Herbal Medicines
For many thousands of years, plants have been used for medicinal purposes. Great civilizations of the past - Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Mayans - used plants to heal and cure, to lift the spirit, and to balance the mind. Medical herbalists today look into the 'whole' person in dispensing holistic treatments via medicinal herbs. They continue to ask the old question - "Ask not what manner of disease the man has, but what manner of man has the disease." Our gardens can, therefore, be our pharmacies. And gardening makes you feel good. Plant life is good for our health. Trees are the lungs of our polluted cities, converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. "Biophilia" - the idea that we have a biologically-based attraction to nature - plays a large role in how we are "plugged" into the natural world. It's interesting to note that when people are encouraged to visualize a place of calm and serenity during relaxation or meditation exercises, they most often conjure up a beautiful garden, or a peaceful countryside. Growing your own food has its benefits. A vegetable just freshly picked is healthier than one chilled and flown across continents. And to feed yourself from the product of your own garden, well... the fruit of your own labor tastes much sweeter. Gardening is a beneficial form of exercise, working all of the main muscle groups, and also gives the heart and lungs a good workout. And unlike other forms of exercise, which can become boring, gardening provides a tangible end result - a beautiful and bountiful garden and home-grown produce. Because we are becoming increasingly concerned about the side affects of most commercial drugs, because we want to participate more in our own health, and because a holistic approach - one inextricably linking mind, body and soul - is more appealing than taking a pill for all ills, there is a growing revival in interest toward herbal medicine. A Word of Warning As with conventional/prescription drugs where it is important to inform your doctor of all that you take, this is true for herbal medicines too. Most SHOULD NOT be taken with prescription drugs. Herbs are inherent with potentially powerful medicinal properties and must be respected. Not everything that is natural is harmless - some plants are extremely poisonous. While most standard culinary herbs are safe to ingest, always consult your medical practitioner before taking any herbal remedies. All parts of the plant are used (depending on the remedy desired): Leaves, Flowers, Seeds, Berries, Bark, and Roots. Many medicinal herbs have a number of different uses, both internal and external. There are many types of remedies. For internal use, there are teas, tisanes and infusions; decoctions, syrups, tinctures and capsules. For external use, there are poultices, compresses, creams, and salves. See Ayurveda in this Alternative Therapies series
