One could argue that our civilization has made tremendous progress in the past couple of hundred years.
We have made had such technological advances that it almost boggles the mind.
Yet at the same time we have regressed when it comes to being one with nature.
We have polluted out planet, we have poured concrete over much of our earth and raped it for its minerals.
We have found ways to manufacture and produce more food than nature could give us, while at the same time reducing the actual nutritional value of what is being produced.
So we need to ask ourselves whether this is really progress or not.
It is true that in the past people did not have chemical companies to go to for help, they relied on nature to provide for them.
Nature provided all that was needed, food to eat, and plants to help heal.
We have lost much of that knowledge and now rely on chemicals and artificial supplements, drugs and antibiotics.
The good news is that not all of that knowledge is forgotten.
Plants still have a place in our culture.
While that place is not as prevalent as it was centuries ago there are still some who recognize the value plants provide.
If we go back thousands of years we find the medicine man, the shaman of the village is where people turned when they needed help.
The shaman may likely not have been a supernatural being, rather the most knowledgeable in his/her village.
He would have been the one who observed nature and what was going on around him.
He learned about the value certain plants had, and that some of them had medicinal properties that could be used to heal.
They learned that some plants could heal, while others could kill.
These learning's were passed down from generation to generation orally, and then later in written form.
Human kind has a rich history of learning, an immense sense of curiosity.
All this has led us to have a very good understanding of the role herbs can play in our lives.
Herbs are natural, they come from the plants, which come from the earth.
We are all part of this planet.
We can pronounce the names of plants, have you ever read the ingredients in most medicines? You and I can't even pronounce the words, let alone know what they are.
And since they are manufactured our bodies do not know what to do with them.
And often the cure can have more side effects than what is being cured.
People in China and Mesopotamia learned the value of various herbs, such as when to harvest them, when the best time to administer them.
The Indian culture evolved a practice called Ayurveda which is still practiced today.
The ancient Egyptians continued to refine the use of plants to heal, and to disinfect wounds.
The Greeks and Romans continued to make contributions as well.
As writing started to become more popular this information was written down so more people would benefit from the learning.
During the Dark Ages we did lose some time, but the information was still passed along by word of mouth.
There was a great Persian physician, Avicenna who wrote one of the most famous books in the history of medical science: The Canon, which also contained information about how plants should be used and their properties.
Later a book by John Parkinson came out called Theatrum Botanicum which provided a complete categorization of all then known plants with medicinal properties.
As we continued learning about plants scientists discovered that the entire plant was not necessary for the healing benefits.
They found that in most cases there was a small part of the plant which was capable of providing the necessary healing properties.
They then worked to synthesize these properties so people could more readily get the benefit without having to do as much work as was required in the past.
Then as time moved on scientists began developing synthetic and artificial medicines, which ended up producing not so good side effects.
The bottom line is that medicines which come from plants are much more useable by our metabolism than those chemically produced.
They have fewer side effects and help the body heal quicker and better with next to no ill side effects.
While we have made many technological advances in all the sciences, when it comes to medicine we may have taken a step backwards.
We have made had such technological advances that it almost boggles the mind.
Yet at the same time we have regressed when it comes to being one with nature.
We have polluted out planet, we have poured concrete over much of our earth and raped it for its minerals.
We have found ways to manufacture and produce more food than nature could give us, while at the same time reducing the actual nutritional value of what is being produced.
So we need to ask ourselves whether this is really progress or not.
It is true that in the past people did not have chemical companies to go to for help, they relied on nature to provide for them.
Nature provided all that was needed, food to eat, and plants to help heal.
We have lost much of that knowledge and now rely on chemicals and artificial supplements, drugs and antibiotics.
The good news is that not all of that knowledge is forgotten.
Plants still have a place in our culture.
While that place is not as prevalent as it was centuries ago there are still some who recognize the value plants provide.
If we go back thousands of years we find the medicine man, the shaman of the village is where people turned when they needed help.
The shaman may likely not have been a supernatural being, rather the most knowledgeable in his/her village.
He would have been the one who observed nature and what was going on around him.
He learned about the value certain plants had, and that some of them had medicinal properties that could be used to heal.
They learned that some plants could heal, while others could kill.
These learning's were passed down from generation to generation orally, and then later in written form.
Human kind has a rich history of learning, an immense sense of curiosity.
All this has led us to have a very good understanding of the role herbs can play in our lives.
Herbs are natural, they come from the plants, which come from the earth.
We are all part of this planet.
We can pronounce the names of plants, have you ever read the ingredients in most medicines? You and I can't even pronounce the words, let alone know what they are.
And since they are manufactured our bodies do not know what to do with them.
And often the cure can have more side effects than what is being cured.
People in China and Mesopotamia learned the value of various herbs, such as when to harvest them, when the best time to administer them.
The Indian culture evolved a practice called Ayurveda which is still practiced today.
The ancient Egyptians continued to refine the use of plants to heal, and to disinfect wounds.
The Greeks and Romans continued to make contributions as well.
As writing started to become more popular this information was written down so more people would benefit from the learning.
During the Dark Ages we did lose some time, but the information was still passed along by word of mouth.
There was a great Persian physician, Avicenna who wrote one of the most famous books in the history of medical science: The Canon, which also contained information about how plants should be used and their properties.
Later a book by John Parkinson came out called Theatrum Botanicum which provided a complete categorization of all then known plants with medicinal properties.
As we continued learning about plants scientists discovered that the entire plant was not necessary for the healing benefits.
They found that in most cases there was a small part of the plant which was capable of providing the necessary healing properties.
They then worked to synthesize these properties so people could more readily get the benefit without having to do as much work as was required in the past.
Then as time moved on scientists began developing synthetic and artificial medicines, which ended up producing not so good side effects.
The bottom line is that medicines which come from plants are much more useable by our metabolism than those chemically produced.
They have fewer side effects and help the body heal quicker and better with next to no ill side effects.
While we have made many technological advances in all the sciences, when it comes to medicine we may have taken a step backwards.
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