Is modern medicine disconnected from its’ roots in herbalism?

The use of plants as medicines predates any written history. Our ancestors have been teaching the uses of plants as medicines ­through oral tradition and practice. We have evolved with nature in a way that we are not separate from but a part of the whole. Without the healing powers of plants, we would not have survived on earth this long. Many would be surprised to know that nearly all of our modern pharmaceuticals are derived from plants and naturally occurring life. It is this same life that supports our life, and all of our ancestors knew this. It is only in the last 100 years that we have really begun manufacturing pharmaceuticals. We have quickly forgotten where we came from and have thus lost the knowledge of our ancestors. Our modern doctors only prescribe the latest invention published in medical journals and sponsored by the chemical pharmaceutical manufacturers. Our medical society is disconnected from its’ roots, our roots. 

Modern medicinal herbalism exists in the fringes. The dominating opinions our fueled by an industry of capitalism, which seems to consistently put profits ahead of people. How can we put our health in the hands of shareholders bottom line? The pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors are flooding the markets with so called “cures” in competition with each other and with firm orders of executing the bottom line. What has our medical system become? How have we come to be so disconnected from our healing remedies that we trust corporations to have our best interest in mind? Too many pills being pushed upon the ignorant as a quick fix, get rich quick scheme. Those ignorant of the earths’ natural remedies are too easily frightened into taking whatever the doctor prescribes. We cannot blame the doctors. The drug companies simply send in a sales force that is vastly equipped with a repertoire of pitches and punchlines to “educate” the doctors on the newest and best drug. Little medical tests are conducted and those which are have biased results being funded by the companies selling the drug. Our doctors’ educators are teaching books written and sold by drug manufacturers!

Now of course there will be those who fervently hold to the new age of medicine. There is a mountain of evidence supporting the healing benefits of our modern medical field, and the improvements in quality and longevity of life have helped millions of people. I think the problem is in the immediate response of our doctors to administer a prescription drug, rather than take a holistic approach and consider changing habits first or other less dramatic approaches at first to see if the problem will go away naturally. If you are deficient in vitamin c the doctor won’t prescribe an orange, in fact they are not allowed to prescribe dietary changes, only medications.

I would love to see doctors take a holistic approach to healing and not only assume medications are the solution to problems, but look closer at the whole body system, food, habits, exercise, environment, stress, and mental state of the person. If we try to treat symptoms as separate problems that require multiple medications, without seeing the bigger picture and identifying causal connections. The holistic approach is less intrusive and allows the body to naturally respond and achieve health. The body’s main function is to achieve health, often all we need to do is remove a negative stimulus that inhibits or blocks the body’s natural response.

When you look at the body as a whole system, it is impossible to separate the body from all the life that is within and around it. The food we eat feeds the bacteria in our gut which provides us with fuel and nourishment to achieve health. Naturally our bodies thrive in symbiosis with our environment. Our culture and diet today is far from the natural evolution of our body system. Our health is intricately tied to the health of our environment. We suffer from so many health issues one can only wonder if many of the plumes of cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, heart conditions, and leading health problems for all our organs, are not connected to the processed, preserved food, the chemical agriculture residues, and the every mounting list of prescriptions we seem to collect like Halloween candy.

For me it is simple, the natural healing our body’s strive to achieve, is bound to flourish with a rich diet in plant based foods and natural fermentation, kept in balance with help of medicinal herbs. Our herbal allies can be found in every culinary culture around the world. Just look at the digestive benefits of rosemary and oregano, or ginger and turmeric, and it is easy to see how our ancestors’ practice of herbalism is still entrenched in our culture today. As we come to realize the connection we have to nature, it is my hope that we will value our connection and find ways to keep it strong, accessible, and affordable. We can never have too many organic farmers of food, health and wellbeing of our whole body, including the whole earth.