Herbal First Aid

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Herbal medicine is the great-great-grandmother of medicine. It is the body of medical knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation since the early days of humanity. It is the use of simple, whole plants, complete in their natural balance of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and active ingredients.

Developments in science and technology over the last century have enabled researchers to isolate the active ingredients from herbs, refine these ingredients into drugs, and make them conform to standard laboratory measures for what was hoped to be more predictable physical reactions. Researchers have also learned to synthesize these drugs from substances far removed from any natural source. In the process of this development, medicine, science, and technology have moved further and further away from the perfect natural balance of a simple plant. Medicine, because of its concern with dis-ease rather than health, has moved further and further away from the human being.

The results of modern western medicine speak for themselves. Many developments of modern medicine are highly beneficial, but other create more disease than they cure. The developments in microsurgery, for in-stance, are so useful that I would never want to turn back the technological clock. I know, however, that many operations are not necessary if only we wouldstand by the simple natural balance of nature in our foods and in our medicines. My hope is that one day herbal medicine and natural medicine can work together with modern technology for the benefit of individual patients.

The human body in good working order is a natural balance of all the elements found in the earth and the plants that live on the earth. The common dandelion, for instance, has a composition of minerals, vita-mins, enzymes, and active ingredients almost identical to the human liver. As a remedy, the dandelion answers the needs of every liver complaint or imbalance you can name. A number of doctors refer their hepatitis patients to me because they have seen the results of dandelion in action. After three weeks of dandelion tincture treatment (ten drops taken four times daily), my hepatitis patients are well enough to go out dancing.

It is a truth that stands to reason that the nearer we stay to the whole and natural balance of the earth and its plants, the nearer we are to our own natural balance, which we experience as health.

Herbal medicine is accessible and effective. You don't need to be a scientist to know that marigold (calendula) is antiseptic. You simply have to put it on a festering wound and watch the wound heal within twelve hours. It may be simple, but it is as effective as any and more effective than most of the chemical equivalents. You don't have to be a technician to prepare a cup ofherbal tea or a poultice. Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people, and despite the sophistication of modern western medicine, it is still the preferred medicine of 90 percent of the world's population.

An herbalist today has a much wider choice of remedies than the ancient herbalists thanks to the travellers over the ages who consciously or unconsciously carried with them the seeds of their native foliage. The humble plantain is called Englishman's Foot because it sprouted wherever the English stepped. Such instances have caused ecological disasters within delicate ecosystems, but they do give herb gatherers a wide variety.

The vast distances and speed of modern travel also make available to everyone those herbs that only grow high in the Alps or in the desert. Modern herbalists have access to tinctures of plants that have never been naturalized in their own location.

No medicine chest would be large enough to house a complete herbal pharmacy. This book is a selection of a small number of herbs that most effectively treat the widest possible range of common emergencies and are readily available from health food stores, herbal pharmacies, and natural food stores in the forms described.

The purpose of this book is a practical one: to fill in the gaps of information found in most popular herbals. What is the benefit of knowing that chamomile is good for the eyes if you don't know how to prepare it and how to use it?

This is not the book to use to identify the herbs in your garden or along your footpath. That sort of knowledge is best learned from someone who knows your local flora.

Herb gardeners or gatherers can, of course, make the preparations in this book from the fresh plants. However, it is dangerous to make a remedy from a plant that you cannot positively identify. It is almost impossible to identify an herb from a drawing, unless you already know the herb. If you are not sure, send the plant to the nearest university botany department or to your county extension service, where they can make a positive identification. If you are not sure, always ask someone who really does know.

A rule of thumb when gathering herbs is to stay clear of plants that have been sprayed with insecticides. No matter how much you wash the plants, the chemicals will linger and affect the remedy. These plants are not in a natural state of balance and should he avoided. Gathering should be done in wild places or where the plants are grown organically.

It is for all of these reasons I have selected herbs that are readily available commercially. Read the labels of the products you buy to see if the herbs are grown organically or picked in the wild. If this information is not on the label, write to the company and find out. All the herbs in this hook are available in stores, so people who do not have the time to spend gardening or gathering can still have access to natural treatments in their own homes.

**Sample Pages**