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The Healing Arts |
Plants and Animals |
| Evidence that animals use plants for more than food has existed for as long as we have had a species that uses the written word to record history. Some recorded data also suggests that plants have used evolution to make themselves attractive to animals so animals will help them propagate. Herbs have been used for food, medicine, cosmetics, soporifics, and stimulants. The earliest known recorded herbal lore is believed to have been written in China about five thousand years ago. In 600 BCE, Pythagoras created a center for higher learning that included aromatic herb gardens to stimulate students' curiosity and invigorate them. Research into the uses of herbs to treat illness was conducted at a medical school in Alexandria in 300 BCE. Herbs nourish the body and heal mind, spirit and, often, physical illness. At the least, they cause less harm than some of today’s “medical miracles.” All native cultures had and have an herbal base for healing. Aboriginal and tribal shamans and healers were esteemed and respected members of their communities. Modern medicine concepts did not became prominent until the nineteenth century. In the western world, modern, professional doctors (always male) slowly forced healers and herbalists out of their social system so they could make a living. They did not succeed in eliminating the use of herbs to alleviate discomfort and illness. Nor did they succeed in abolishing herbalists who still practice in most cultures, but doctors did come to be considered the only legitimate medical practitioners. Today, more and more westerners are experimenting with alternative treatments using herbs. High-powered pharmaceutical firms are sending scientists to native cultures seeking the knowledge and the plants that will lead them to the next blockbuster modern medical cure. |
| Throughout the ages, herbs, and the knowledge of how to grow and use them, traveled with conquerors, explorers, and migrating populations. These days, written literature abounds. If you are interested in learning more about herbs, your problem will be limiting your search for information. The web has increased ways to access this information. If you type the word “herbs” into a search engine, you will get more than a million hits. The following are a few sites I can recommend. I also list some books that I found useful in doing research for Magic of Lowor stories. You also can view a list of the herbs mentioned with their historical and modern medicinal uses as well as how they are prepared. |
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American Herbalists Guild
The Botanical Society of America
The Healing Herbs, the Ultimate Guide by Michael Castleman, ISBN 0-553-56988-0 Gerard’s Herbal, The History of Plants, edited by Marcus Woodward, ISBN 1-85958-051-3 Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs & Preparations by R.C. Wren, ISBN 0-85207-197-3 A Modern Herbal in Two Volumes by Mrs. M. Grieve, ISBN 0-486-22799-5 & 0-486-22798-7 The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses, by Deni Bown ISBN 0-7894-0184-3 |
