About Herbal Medicine

“the use of plant or plant extracts for medicinal purposes in order to improve the body’s natural functions and restore balance.”

There is a large body of literature on Herbal Medicine. Rather than attempt a thorough review here, I have attempted to list some of the points I find most interesting and inspiring about Herbal Medicine.

 

Herbal Medicine

  • is one of the oldest forms of medicine, common in one form or another to all cultures and peoples
  • is still the most common form of medicine practiced worldwide today
  • laid the foundations of modern medicine
  • is holistic, emphasising the promotion of health and prevention of disease rather than just the treatment of existing disease
  • is inherently in tune with Nature
  • can be seen as a bridge between traditional healing and modern science and medicine
  • recognises that plants and people have co-evolved and that the complex biochemistry of plants can be employed to great advantage precisely where complex human physiology is concerned
  • aims to facilitate the individual’s inherent capacity for self-healing

 

 

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)