Early humans recognized their dependenceIn a cave in northern Iraq, scientists found what appeared to be ordinary human bones. An analysis of the soil around the bones revealed extraordinary quantities of plant pollen that could not have been introduced accidentally at the burial site. Someone in the small cave community had consciously gathered eight species of plants to surround the dead man. Seven of these are medicinal plants still used throughout the herbal world. All cultures have long folk medicine histories that include the use of plants. Even in ancient cultures, people methodically and scientifically collected information on herbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well into the 20th century much of the pharmacopoeia of scientific medicine was derived from the herbal lore of native peoples. Many drugs, including strychnine, aspirin, vincristine, taxol, curare, and ergot, are of herbal origin. About one-quarter of the prescription drugs dispensed by community pharmacies in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material The first written records detailing the use of herbs in the treatment of illness are the Mesopotamian clay tablet writings and the Egyptian papyrus. About 2000 B.C., King Assurbanipal of Sumeria ordered the compilation of the first known materia medica--an ancient form of today's United States Pharmacopoeia--containing 250 herbal drugs (including garlic, still a favorite of herbal doctors). The Ebers Papyrus, the most important of the preserved Egyptian manuscripts, was written around 1500 B.C. and includes much earlier information. It contains 876 prescriptions made up of more than 500 different substances, including many herbs. Since the writing of the Classic of the Materia Medica almost 2,000 years ago, the traditional Chinese materia medica have been steadily increasing in number. This increase has resulted from the integration into the official tradition of substances from China's folk medicine as well as from other parts of the world. Many substances now used in traditional Chinese medicine originate in places such as Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and the Americas. The most recent compilation of Chinese materia medica was published in 1977. In most developed countries, pharmaceutical drugs are seen increasingly as over prescribed, expensive, even dangerous. Herbal remedies are seen as less expensive and less toxic.
Click here for more herbal medicine info! People increasingly are willing to "self-doctor" their medical needs by investigating and using herbs and herbal preparations. Many Americans--especially those with chronic illnesses such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and AIDS--are turning to herbs as adjuncts to other treatments. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people--80 percent of the world population--use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Herbal medicine is a major component in all indigenous peoples' traditional medicine and is a common element in Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional oriental, and Native American Indian medicine. The rapid growth of health shops in supermarkets and Malls around the World clearly demonstrate that people are prepared to put their general health into the hands of herbal medicines, while still using modern medicine for serious illness. They both compliment each other. For a free detailed Government report on the history of herbal medicines,
click here!
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