Natural Living Tips

Healing herbs have a very long history. Before anything else herbs were the only medicines around. Knowledge was passed on from generation to generation.

Keepers of this knowledge were revered by their tribes. They were probably discovered over time by observing other animals taking them and by trial and error. The error side of things must have been expensive in terms of life and health.

But no matter how they were discovered, they are gifts of nature we should treasure and use.
Modern drugs are in fact derived from nature so in a round about way, medical science still believes in them. In fact there is a very interesting trend where many formally and scientifically trained physicians are combining modern and traditional medicine - with excellent results.
Healing herbs can help prevent illnesses, can cure illnesses and can help reduce secondary effects of modern drugs.
Below you will find 5 highly beneficial medicinal herbs that are:

• less expensive
• easily available
• and have clear medicinal benefits

Aloe Vera. This is now wildly recognized and used. The gel is taken by making a cut on the leaves. It can be applied to cuts and burns. Many people use it as a sort of cream against wrinkles and making the skin smoother. It is also effective against infections and also used for constipation. Application: Topically (don’t ingest)
Balm, Lemon. As a compression you can apply it on cuts and abrasions. In the form of an infusion it can aid your digestion. The leaves can also be placed in a bath for a relaxing soak. Application: Infusion or compression.
Basil. This is very good against infections, it helps with your immune system and very useful to treat acne. Application: Infusion or tincture.
Chamomile. Many people recommend you always have some chamomile leaves in the house. As tincture you can use it for inflammation of the joints, for cuts and for abrasions. It is also used to help with digestion and menstrual cramps.Application: Infusion or tincture.
Garlic. Has been used since before history began. Its beneficial properties have been known for centuries. Apart form its cooking properties, it is very good for blood circulation and therefore cardiovascular, cholesterol and blood pressure benefits. For breathing ailments such as flu, colds and coughs. Application: Infusion or tincture. You can also eat the cloves, or squash them. Even in tablet form.

Note: Herbal remedies do not replace your physician’s care. If you are undergoing treatment always consult your doctor.

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When you look at medical practices over the centuries, specially in the Western world, there is the idea of ignorance and near savagery.

The middle ages for example had barbers, later to be known as doctors, whose main practice was to remove teeth and molars.

When sickness and fever struck, patients were bled either with knives or leeches. Maggots would be put on an infection to eat, and therefore clean, the infected area.

The idea of cleanliness was not an issue. After all a bath once a year was a risky business with the real danger of catching a chill and then worse.

Perfumes were expensive and brought from the East, and were the main alternative to body odors. They weren’t readily available so smells were an interesting ingredient of day to day life.

During the 14th century when the Black Plague struck Europe, it ravaged populations everywhere, but specially in the cities where sanitation was lacking in extreme.

But there is another side to history. The Moors and the Arab culture at the same time had taken great strides in many subjects, including mathematics, astronomy and medicine.

The Chinese and oriental societies, as well as those in the Americas, in India and even Africa, had a down to earth knowledge of medicine which was based on the natural world.

Herbs and plants were the necessary ingredients of medicine.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, the day to day medical practices were in fact more advanced than has generally been acknowledged.

Natural remedies were the only options. A lot of mumbo-jumbo did take place, but then again hasn’t it always.

In fact today, in this day and age, isn’t there also a lot of mumbo-jumbo, camouflaged in pseudo-scientific jargon?

In the thirteen hundreds there was a magical thing called “the sponge”. It was rarely used and thought to have magical properties. Few doctors had access to one of these.

It was a sponge that had been soaked in a herbal mixture - nobody was really sure what it was but amongst other things it had a paste of opium.

The sponge was soaked in water and placed over the patient’s mouth. When his breathing became deeper and louder the doctor knew he had fallen asleep and proceeded with the operation.

Although the magical qualities that surrounded the sponge were unknown, it was in fact a form of anesthesia. Unfortunately the knowledge behind it was lost and so was anesthesia (except for large doses of alcohol) for five or six centuries.

Now at the early stages of the XXI century many natural remedies are again coming to light. Some new, some known to different cultures and some being resurrected from days gone by.

One of the major benefits of natural health is that an important part of the philosophy behind it is the view of the person and his community, the physical side of the individual as well as the psychological and spiritual side.

In essence, a holistic view. And all this stresses the health issue from the point of view being healthy, before needing to heal.

In short the process would be:

• Being healthy (current state),
• Keeping healthy (preventive)
• Correcting ill heath (healing)

Many years ago I read about medical practices in China, and the practical wisdom this society used. A doctor received a monthly retainer from his patients, as long as they were healthy.

The moment they became ill he immediately applied his healing knowledge, but the payments stopped. Professional success was measured by the patients that were healthy and not by those that were cured.

In short a doctors job was to keep his patients healthy - he also had to cure them, but if they reached this state, he had failed on his first obligation.

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Modern medicine has shown enormous development but somewhere along the line it has lost touched with the human being. The bedside manner, the holistic view of the patient appears to be a thing of the past in scientific medicine. I am definitely not against modern medicine. I wouldn’t have survived if I was, but then I wouldn’t be here either if I hadn’t combined the two. (Its a long story to do with an accident and a head on crash with someone driving on the wrong side of the road).

As an amateur student of history I have always been fascinated by Renaissance and the period following the end of the Middle Ages. Apart from the wars and power struggles, the idea of “universal” men like Leonardo Da Vinci and Roger Bacon has always struck a chord in me. Today we have experts in everything. People specialize in their subjects but for the most part are ignorant of anything else. This way of looking at things tends to be simplistic. (This is a good place to state that I am not an expert - or want to be).

I suppose it is easier to look at an organ, and not at the person. Easier to treat, study and develop practices or medication for the symptom and not the person. In previous times, in all societies, health was seen and treated as an integral part of the person and not as a damaged part.

The good news is that there is a growing tendency to return to the wisdom of those who came before us. I am seeing members of the medical profession studying modern medicine and alternative medicine. I am sure the results, including preventive medicine, will be reflected in greater natural health.

Any type of extreme is self defeating, be it religious, scientific, ideological, medical or whatever, as it pre-judges and limits any real growth.

Change is always with us and it looks as if the pendulum is swinging back. What I like is that it is carrying the benefits of modern medicine with it.

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We need to be aware that there are several factors that are connected to one another that create the health and well being that we should experience.

An adequate and varied diet containing the nutrients our bodies require should be the important part of our daily intake.

On the other hand, even our eating environment (at home or out, for example) and how we feel at the time, has great influence on our digestion.

The physical and emotional settings surrounding us at home, at school or at work, have a strong effect on our bodies by either strengthening or weakening it.

Pollution, poor hygiene, inappropriate living conditions, as well as emotional tension gradually wear down our vitality making us more susceptible to disease.

Our emotions: joys, sorrows, worries, anxiety and nostalgia, affect us when they are very intense or prolonged, causing a drop in our vital energy.

In a weakened body, bacteria, viruses and microorganisms become aggressive and proliferate.

Knowing and educating ourselves about health issues, together with our own experience, allows us to prevent illness or to recover from it, before our capacity for a full life is impaired.

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