Herbal Remedies Overview

Herbal remedies have been around since the dawn of time. These herbal compounds include many different substances, (plant, animal and even mineral,) and are ingested to address specific different kinds of physiological and psychological imbalances. Herbal remedies have a history of use in every culture on the planet: North and South America, Africa, Australia, throughout Asia and Europe. Only Antarctica has no history of herbal medicine but perhaps the penguins would disagree. There is a fair amount of evidence that shows animals consume specific kinds of plants when they are feeling sick or ill. Although many of us homo sapiens like to draw large distinctions between ourselves and the animal kingdom, we are much more similar than we are different. The idea that we would consume different compounds in order to restore our health and well-being is another commonality we share with the animal kingdom.

 

The codified and written history of herbal remedies goes back centuries. The first compendium in traditional Chinese Medicine, known as the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica, dates back approximately 2000 years. Materia medicas in the west date back to the time of the Greeks. And these are only written materia medicas. It is very likely that because women were the primary herb gatherers of traditional societies and the custodians of herbal lore, that plant knowledge has been passed down orally for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years.

 

It is clear that herbs and herbal remedies have a capacity, when chosen correctly, to alleviate certain ailments and strengthen different parts of the biochemical anatomy. It is interesting to consider herbal remedies as food - albeit a high grade / high potency food that is consumed for its micronutrients rather than its caloric or other macronutrient characteristics. This food has a capacity to have a more dramatic impact on us than standard daily staples do. For example, from a holistic perspective an apple can be used to nourish the fluids and clear heat from the lungs. But in most cases of pneumonia or a severe chest cold, an apple is not considered a primary means of natural healing. There are other botanical substances and various kinds of herbal remedies that have a much more pronounced effect than an apple in removing unhealthy accumulations in the chest and lungs.

 

Herbal remedies have always been part of our pharmacopeia and have often been a significant part of various attempts to restore balance, health and well-being. Herbal remedies are not a modern fad or a recent phenomenon. It is actually what we think of as the common medicine of the day - pharmaceuticals - that have a short, untested and recent history while herbal remedies have been used by countless cultures throughout world since the beginning of human history. Over this lengthy course of time, there have been surprisingly few fatalities attributed to herbal remedies. Even when they are used improperly herbal remedies are typically very safe; at most they cause some mild discomfort that is usually short lived.