Botanical Medicine
Posted in Botanical Medicine, Digestion, Food and Nutrition, Health on 09/16/2009 02:51 pm by adminToday we are going to hear from the founder of the American Botanical Council, Mark Blumenthal so that we can get a better understanding of the botanical world and the world of plant medicines from the perspective of an organization that provides educational opportunities and helps to disseminate information about botanicals, appreciating them in their cultural/geographic environment as well as their medicinal qualities. All of these are of course related.
Plant medicines are all around us but in large measure we ignore and under appreciate them. There is a saying to the effect that a weed is a medicinal plant whose value has not been discovered. Even our kitchen cooking herbs and spices are underutilized with respect to their medicinal qualities. Yet we all complain about the side effects associated with pharmaceuticals and many of us are not motivated enough to do some herbal 101 work. On the other hand health professions have to be high on the list of people looking for a second career with a willingness to go back to get another degree or some recognized license. Why not herbal medicine. Unlike much of what goes on with pharmaceutical medicines plant medicines do heal and would be particularly useful for chronic health concerns.
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