“Herbalism is based on relationship – relationship between plant and human, plant and planet, human and planet. Using herbs in the healing process means taking part in an ecological cycle.” – Wendell Berry

Almost all ancient cultures relied on plants and their healing properties. Prior to conventional medicine and the production of pharmaceuticals, herbal remedies were all we had. It didn’t take human history long to find a correlation between sickness and plant therapy. It is believed that every sickness and disease has a counterpart plant cure. Unfortunately, due to the mass civilization of this planet and the destruction of many habitats, many of those plants may never be discovered.

The Chinese, Native Americans, Indians, Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Greeks and Romans – to name only a few – all have a history of herbal plant use, from medicinal to cooking.

While there is archaeological evidence suggesting that humans were using medicinal plants in the Paleolithic Era, the first record of herbs was created on clay tablets over 5,000 years ago, by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia (Iran).

The oldest known recorded list of herbs was a Chinese book written around 3000 BC. Traditional Chinese Medicine practice is based on a belief that your health is the result of constant battling between opposing forces of yin and yang. When these forces are in balance, you feel healthy.

Around 1500 BC, a holistic approach in India emerged, called Ayurveda, that stresses an individual’s good health is the result of a natural balance and that illness occurs when there is an imbalance.

The Greeks and Romans believed that four humors or fluids, permeated the body and each one was associated with the four elements of nature — blood (air), black bile (earth), yellow bile (fire) and phlegm (water). They often used extreme herbs, like opium and henbane, to treat disorders. Greek surgeons in the Roman army, Dioscorides (40-90 BC) and Galen (131-200 AD), complied herbals that were referred to for 1500 years.

Avicenna, an Iranian physician, took these complied herbals and combined them with his own peoples ancient practices, writing a book called The Cannon of the Medicine.

Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654), was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer, and wrote a book, where he connected herbs to different signs of the Zodiac. He would determine what part of the body was effected, and would associate what planet and astrological sign ruled over that part of the body, and prescribe the herb that corresponded to it.

It was about this same time in history when medicine started moving away from an art form and into a science, with men like Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and William Harvey (1578-1657), who started implementing experimentation process evolving into the current scientific method.

Between the 1400’s and the 1900’s, the use of herbs to treat sickness and disease became taboo for women, as men started ruling the field of medicine. The opening of medical universities, which excluded women, created a gap between the two schools of thought, when colleges started getting closed down if they taught the use of herbs for medicinal treatment. This chasm created a deeper taboo, when women were accused of being a witch, if they used herbs for any other reason than cooking. This allowed the rise of conventional medicine and the use of man made pharmaceuticals, whose power still resides today.

It’s only been in the last couple decades when the use of herbs starting making a come back, within the mainstream. Today, people will often try a less invasive approach to treatment than pharmaceuticals, after years of people suffering from the often overwhelming side-effects of these drugs.

Personally, I started using vitamins and herbs as an alternative to conventional medications, when I saw how sensitive both my mother and grandmother were to many prescriptions.

*Note: I am, in no way, advocating the use of herbs over the use of conventional drugs with life threatening medical problems. There is a time and a place for both herbal use and pharmaceutical use.

So far, I have been very lucky in my life, where I have had very little in the way of health issues, and so the use of herbs and vitamins to help regulate or supplement my situation has been very useful and successful. I advocate for the method of trying an herbal remedy before jumping to a conventional drug in non-life threatening issues. Due to the lack of severe medical issues in my life, I have been able to regulate my issues with herbal use alone.

For example, I use the herb Vitex berry to regulate my hormones; tumeric, ginger and glucosmaine chondroitin as anti-inflammatories for joints and muscles; vitamins B, C and D for immune system support; calcium, magnesium, zinc, biotin, collagen and omega-3 for hair, nail and skin support; and a Multi-vitamin for women, that has superfoods and adaptogentic herbs, for overall health. Many of these vitamins and herbs, along with nutrient dense foods, act as a metabolic stimulant, making sure I have a normal BMI index.

These herbs have kept me off of hormone replacement therapy and ibuprofen, both known to have serious side-effects with long term use, and the vitamins have kept me nutritionally balanced, delaying some ageing factors. I also use herbs occasionally, as needed, in teas or kombuchas for relaxation, mental clarity and additional support for specific symptoms.

Interested in learning more about herbal use? I highly recommend purchasing some books that provides multiple key points, like interactions with conventional drugs and key medical studies on the use of herbs. It’s imperative to be armed with knowledge before attempting use, especially when on conventional pharmaceuticals.

“Each year, more than sixty million Americans use herbal remedies and other types of alternative medical care. In fact, more people seek help from alternative health-care providers than from conventional health-care practitioners…” —Dr. Simeon Margolis (I would really like to know more about this quote!)

A book I would like to purchase, The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicine, seems to have many of the components I would look for in a guidebook. I also like that it was written by two pharmacists. If anyone has any feedback about this book, please comment below, I would love to hear more.

Thank you for reading. xoxo