Early Healers of Herbal Medicine
Herbs, and herbal supplements are a popular choice for people who are looking for a more natural approach to healing illness and injury. Although herbs and natural healing have made a comeback over the last few years, they are not the least bit new to the medical world. They have been used since the dawn of time, and in many parts of the world today, indigenous people still use them as their main healing modality.
A Brief History of Western Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of healing. Our most primitive forbears made abundant use of available plants to treat illness and injury. The choice of plants and information was consistently passed down from one generation to the next. This kept the knowledge alive.
As early populations migrated to new lands and discovered and experimented with new plants, their knowledge was expanded. It was important for them to learn how to treat illness in a foreign land.
Early Herbal Leaders
Some of the earliest writings to be discovered were focused on plants. Several early herbals have been collected. The Chinese herbal Pen Ts’ao of Shen Nung addresses 366 different plants used for medicinal purposes. They were written in approximately 2800 BC. Some Indian texts on medicinal plants are thought to be even older than Pen Ts’ao.
Hippocrates is often called the “Father of Medicine.” He strongly believed that natural laws governed health and well-being and that the environment directly influenced health. His most famous quote is that we should “let food be our medicine and medicine be our food.”
Other influential healers were Crataeus, Mithridates and Dioscorides. Dioscorides wrote several volumes on the benefits of herbal healing.
Pedanius Dioscorides was of Greek origin, but became a Roman physician, pharmacologist and botanist. He wrote the five volume encyclopedia, De Materia Medica, books about herbal medicine and related medicinal substances. These books were used for over 1500 years.
The Halt of Progress in the Dark Ages
Europe descended into the Dark Ages when the Roman Empire fell. During that time, monks maintained the Greek and Roman traditions of healing. They were the only people capable of translating and transcribing Latin texts. There is virtually no documentation of new works during that period, but rather the recopying of older and already established works.
People who needed healing did not always have access to a monastery. They relied on the medicinal techniques of a local healer. One of the most important techniques and beliefs was based on the “doctrine of signatures,” which said that a medicinal plant should look like the disease it treated. For example, Eyebright had a purple center inside of a white flower, and it was found to be an effective treatment for several eye irritations.
The Charter of Rights for Herbalists
During the time that Henry VIII reigned, there were growing disputes between the traditional botanical therapists and the rapidly increasing number of practitioners of alchemical healing routes.
In order to quiet the critics of herbal medicine, a Charter of Rights for Herbalists was established. With the protection of the law established through the Charter of Rights for Herbalists, herbal medicine grew to great prominence. One of the first herbals to contain new information since the Dark Ages was published by the English Master-surgeon John Gerard in 1597. He addressed over 3500 medicinal plants that the English were only just beginning to recognize.
Growing Prominence
English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper popularity grew in the 1600’s. Culpeper wanted to transform medicine such that locally grown plants and more simple formulations could replace complex and expensive medications. The herbal, which he published in 1652, has gone through over 40 editions through today. Copies are still being sold.
Almost a hundred years after Culpeper became a prominent herbalist, Dr. William Withering isolated the first active constituent from a plant. Withering isolated the “potent active force” from foxglove, which was found to have beneficial effects on dropsy. After additional studies were conducted, the active ingredient was found to be so potent that its use was limited to only licensed practitioners. Foxglove was the first herb to be officially lost to herbalists.
Herbal Medicines in Early America
Early pioneers in America slowly began to realize that the Native Americans had a significant knowledge of medicinal plants.
Once over their initial distrust, the settlers shared in the new knowledge that the natives offered. Much of that knowledge has been passed down through today.
Such herbal medicines as Echinacea, Goldenseal, Yellow Root and Wild Yam were products of the Natives teaching the settlers the medicinal properties of the herbs.
Herbal Medicine Today
According to the World Health Organization, herbal medicine is the primary form of treatment for over 80% of the world’s population. The sale of herbal products is continuing to grow. The enrollment in herbal colleges is steadily rising. And, furthermore, the standards for herbal medicines are improving.
Natural, But Still Medicine
Herbs are natural, but they are still medicine. If choose to use herbs as your healing path, please be sure that you know the right herbs for what you are treating. Herbs should be treated with the same respect as any OTC or prescription medicine. More does not equal better, or faster results. Be sure to take the correct dosage of what is prescribed.
If you are planning on taking herbs for any condition, be sure to check with your doctor. Herbs can interact with any medication you are taking.