Mother Nature's Pharmacy

Today I want to talk about herbs and how Mother Nature provides us with everything we could ever need to survive on this planet. We have been using herbs for medicinal benefits for 1000's of years. Many herbs contain powerful ingredients, when used correctly have a positive impact on healing our bodies. Pharmaceutical companies have always focused on isolating theses ingredients to make them available in their purer form. Mother Nature put the ingredients together for a reason. The "other" components of an herb act as buffers, synergists, or counter balances working in harmony with the the more powerful ingredients. When used in their complete form, our body's healing process will utilize the "balance" of ingredients. Unfortunately these companies have made us quite dependent on their "drugs" created from isolated active compounds. With the increasing risk of side effects of these powerful drugs the medical community is finally looking a herbs as a whole for remedies.
Mother Nature's pharmacy eclipses man's with herbs being beneficial on tissues and organs and therefore, can be used to treat, cure or prevent disease. Herbalism is an essential part of Ayurvedic (Indian), Traditional Asian (TCM), Native American, and naturopathic medicines. Herbs come in many forms: essential oils, extracts, plasters, compresses, poultices, powders, salves, ointments, creams, syrups, teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, vinegars and wines. Wow, are you confused yet?
When used herbs do not have the dramatic effect that that we expect from prescription drugs. Herbs are balancers and work with the body to heal itself.
Remember that "natural" does not mean "safe" Herbal preparations may be toxic, cause allergic reactions, or affect your response to other medications.
We must use common sense, and care when we use herbs for either food or medicine.

Mother Nature is amazing in what she can do and provide for us. This is food for thought when we are continually struggling to stay in harmony with her.

A great book that I had the chance to go through in my studies and refer to quite often is "Prescription for Natural Healing" by Phyllis A. Balch.


Cheers,

bounce life