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Herbal Medicine is the use of plants to maintain health and treat illness, although this is a very simplified view. My opinion is that plants give us a whole lot more, without them human beings would not be walking the earth and without us, they would not exist. Throughout history Man has had a relationship with plants; they have provided food, shelter clothing and have helped us heal, not only physically but emotionally and spiritually too.
It may be a surprise to learn that herbal medicine is still the most widely practised form of medicine worldwide, in fact World Health Organisation research has shown that over 80% of the world’s population still relies on plants for health.
Herbal medicine is a tradition spanning tens of thousands of years. The Ebers Papyrus written in ancient Egyptian times, nearly 4000 years ago, documented prescriptions using plants like garlic and cinnamon, for the same indications that we would use them for now.
Knowledge of the use of plants would have been handed down from generation to generation and would also have been gained by the intuitive skills of the herbalist.These days herbalists have the option of training professionally with a 4 year honours degree but what we don't have so much of, is traditional knowledge. In the West, a connection with the earth, the sun, the stars, the seasons, and natural processes is being forgotten. Whether qualified or not, we are all herbalists, we just need to take time to smell the flowers, talk to the trees, stare at the moon, and we will be given all the knowledge we need.
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