Herbal Medicine Should Be Primary

I am not exactly sure why everybody does not choose to use herbal medicine over any other form of medicine. It confuses me because herbs have been around since the beginning of time; making herbs the first method of medicine and healing. If the ground we walk on provides us solutions to the problems that the ground itself creates, why don’t we use those solutions? Instead we use things the earth provided us, add chemicals and lab based ingredients to it, and call it medicine. Does it help? Sure, but there is also a very high chance you will develop negative symptoms the first day to the last, and don’t forget the lifetime effects it has on your body and mind; but your cold is gone, isn’t it?

Shennong Bencaojing (The Classic of Herbal Medicine) by Shen Nung’s Pen T, was written between about 200 and 250 AD. It is the oldest book ever recorded on herbal medicine; containing 365 entries on substances (herbs) used for medical treatment. Sadly, the original text does not exist anymore. I would have sure loved to hold that book in my hands. Herbalism was then preserved in monasteries in Britain and mainland Europe; they used monasteries as medical schools. Herbal Medicine eventually got to the monks, who used their “Physic gardens” to grow the herbs they needed. If you think about it, we survived for millions of years by just using herbal medicine; so why did we stop?

We all know that all you need to do to have access to these herbs, is to grow them or buy them right at your local grocery store. If you have a garden already, grab a few things to add to it next time you are out shopping. Buy things like Echinacea; which helps boost your immune system, so it is great for everyday use or to drink when you are sick. Lavender is always a great thing to have on hand; it provides calmness and stress relief. Chamomile helps put you to sleep, and Basil just taste delicious in almost every meal. There are simple and common herbs found for a dollar almost anywhere you can buy your usual groceries. Why go shopping when you can go to your back yard?

Your garden is ready and you go to grab some herbs to bring inside. They smell delicious, they look beautiful; what do you do? Do you go inside your house and add chemicals to it to make it more potent, or to make sure it really works? No, you make tea with the herbs, or you add it to your dinner. So why do we, as humans and scientists, add artificial anything to our already perfect medicine? The obvious answer, money! Doctors don’t make money if they tell you to drink more tea every day; why tell you to go home and begin a garden of medicinal herbs when they can suggest some form of prescribed drug that same day and make a fortune? I am not saying that prescriptions don’t help you and that other medicine does not work, so do not perceive it as so. All I’m saying, is that we can grow medicine for a dollar in our back yards. You don’t even need soil or fancy shovels; just use dirt, water, and a spoon from your kitchen!

If you are still reading this yet you know you have a dollar in your wallet or bag, then I suppose I have not done the best job at letting you know the positive reasoning on how herbal medicine could save you cash and save your life. That’s okay, I just hope you leave here today with more knowledge then you had before. Just remember, the ground gives us solutions to our problems, and has been since before 200 AD, with no negative or long lasting side effects. Herbal Medicine: Let’s make it primary!

References:

http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/herbs/brief-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shennong_Ben_Cao_Jing