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The Role of Plants in Health and/or HealingSelect a healing system and research the role of plants or a plant in the health and/or healing of people. Modern Western Herbalism is not a single teaching and there is no single definition of health. Some herbalists follow a semi-orthodox "dictionary" definition of health concentrating on physical and mental symptoms; others may consider a wide range of mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The following sections describe the history, and the evolving nature, of thought that makes western herbalism so diverse. Contents:Overview of healing theory and plant use - Western Herbalism *** * Overview of healing theory and plant use - Western HerbalismWestern Herbalism has evolved along with western civilisation; it is therefore described here in terms of the shared cultural history from the Greeks to the Present day. Hippocrates categorised all foods & herbs by the qualities of hot, cold, dry or damp and this related to the four elements Water, Earth, Fire and Air.
Figure 1. Early Greek Model of Elements & Humours Pedanius Dioscorides in his De Materia Medica around AD60 described the system of elements in detail. This remained a standard textbook for European and Islamic herbalists for over 1,500 years. Claudius Galenus (AD131-199) formalised the theories of humours. His work still forms the basis of Arabic Unani medicine. A key work was the Kitab al-Qanun (Canon of Medicine) by Avicenna. This was translated into Latin by the 12th century and spread back through Europe. The Christian church controlled organised healing and herbalism in Europe at the time, and persecuted any other system. With the advent of the printing press, and the scholarly use of vernacular language instead of Latin, knowledge was able to move away from the church and the "Hippocratic" ideas re-established. Paracelsus, for example, lectured in German for a return to simple medicines based on the Doctrine of Signatures. The "Doctrine of Signatures" claims that the outward appearance of a plant and its habit, indicated what ailments it would cure. For example yellow flowers could be linked to jaundice therefore dandelion might be used for liver problems. See also the following section on St. John’s Wort. It has been suggested [5] that "plants…could be identified by the properties of their outward form in the same way that a crystal shape is determined by the energy patterns of its constituent atoms."
Modern western herbalism owes much to herb lore from all the worlds cultures. From the 17th Century European explorers started to bring back "new" herbs from the East Indies and America, and sometimes new ideas, such as physiomedicalism[3]. Samuel Thompsen founded Physiomedicalism in 1769 based on Native American and European herb law. The National Institute of Medical Herbalists was founded in Britain in1864. Members qualify after four or five years of specialist study; and use the initials MNIMH or FNIMH after their names. Today herbs are usually considered separate to other plants; yet Hippocrates made no distinction and included the whole diet, as in "You are what you eat". Medicine, including herbalism, has been separated into professional disciplines, that only an un-healthy person refers to. Most people in Britain today take no account of season or activity when choosing foods or herbs. Some old knowledge still occasionally shows itself in our diet. Culpeper pointed out in 1653 "One good old fashion is not yet left off, viz to boil fennel with fish: for it consumes that phlegmatic humour which fish most plentifully afford and annoy the body with, though few that use it know wherefore they do it." It is not that herbalists ignore this whole aspect, to quote from an advert for the Selfheal School [6] "The school… trains people in herbalism and natural healing …as a way of life." Herbalism for them "is not a ‘cure’ but simply the restoration of balance", and enables "all kinds of healing, physical to spiritual; solid to vibrational."
The main difference between a drug and a herb used medicinally is that the active ingredient is only a small part of the plant. The chemist ignores all the other parts of the plant, whereas the herbalist contends that the whole plant is necessary [5]. Medicines in Europe are controlled by enforcement agencies and must be extensively tested and licensed. Herbs cannot, therefore, be sold as medicines; but remedies are often prescribed in the same manner as drugs to treat specific symptoms. Yet, again following the wider cultural view, many herbalists now focus on a more holistic approach, and include advice on life-style, diet and relaxation techniques [3] with their remedies.
The attitude towards the environment implicit in western herbalism today is that the healing power of the plant depends on how it grows and the respect with which it is treated. Many herbal preparations today are labelled as "wild crafted" or organic. Again herbalism is picking up on the cultural concerns to express what it means to people today to be healthy, and how they relate to the environment. The Selfheal school [6] on their Living Herbalist course includes "where and how the plants are grown and collected, bearing in mind that preservation of the World’s flora (and it’s original peoples) is uppermost".
Summary of Western HealingThe preceding paragraphs show that "western" healing is an eclectic mix of what herbs heal and have survived the test of time. The underlying theory is formed from a need to make sense and order of the information so that the prescription of the correct herb can be correctly and reliably made. That is, if a specific herbal preparation really works, then, the knowledge is contained and passed on by whatever explanation fits, and makes sense to the culture of the time. Today’s western herbalism is incorporating the current attitudes towards the planet and the environment in relation to health with traditions stretching back to the ancient Greeks.
St John’s WortSt. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is considered here as an example of how Western herbalism considers and uses a plant.
Dioscorides and Hippocrtes in Greece and Pliny in Rome all prescribed it for many illnesses [8]. The tiny oil sacs in the leaves of St. John’s wort look like holes, hence the Latin name perforatum. By the Doctrine of Signatures the holes and the blood-red colour of the plant extract suggests using it for healing wounds. The Knights of St John were said to have used it to treat wounds on the Crusade battlefields; from where it may get its English name, but there are several other explanations. Its yellow flowers suggest an association with choleric humours. In "A Modern Herbal", Mrs Grieve said "Useful in pulmonary consumption, chronic catarrh of the lungs, bowels and urinary passages" Herbal remedies usually have fewer serious side-effects than drugs; here are some contraindications/side-effects for Hypericum/St John’s wort[7]:-
As with any medicine, or plant you are not certain about consult a qualified practitioner for advice.
References/Sources
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The Latin name Hypericum is derived from the Greek and means "over an
apparition" a reference to the belief that the herb was so obnoxious to evil spirits
that a whiff of it would cause them to depart. It was hung around houses on St. John's Eve
to ward off evil spirits. [9]
