The Government and health authorities of the UK and Europe express their desire that citizens take more responsibility for their own health. Also, the public’s disquiet towards some aspects of modern medicine leads them to seek alternatives elsewhere. As a generation of health-conscious people approach middle age, it is less inclined to visit the doctor but to seek over-the-counter products of proven quality, safety and efficacy for minor self-limiting conditions. This has the advantage of freeing the doctor for more serious cases. Intelligent self-medication has come to stay.
Prescriptions. While specimen combinations appear for each specific disease in this book, medicines from the dispensary may be varied many times during the course of treatment. The practitioner will adapt a prescription to a patient’s individual clinical picture by adding and subtracting agents according to the changing basic needs of the case. For instance, a first bottle of medicine or blend of powders may include a diuretic to clear the kidneys in preparation for the elimination of wastes and toxins unleashed by active ingredients.
The reader should never underestimate the capacity of herbal medicine to regenerate the human body, even from the brink of disaster.
Acknowledgements. I am indebted to my distinguished mentor, Edgar Gerald Jones, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, to whom I owe more than I could ever repay. I am indebted also to the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, and to the British Herbal Medicine Association, both of which bodies have advanced the cause of herbal medicine. I have drawn heavily upon the British Herbal Pharmacopoeias 1983 and 1990, authentic publications of the BHMA, and have researched major works of ancient and modern herbalism including those pioneers of American Eclectic Medicine: Dr Samuel Thomson, Dr Wooster Beach, Dr Finlay Ellingwood and their British contemporaries. All made a vital contribution in their day and generation. I have endeavoured to keep abreast of the times, incorporating the latest scientific information at the time of going to press. For the purposes of this book I am especially indebted to my friend Dr John Cosh for checking accuracy of the medical material and for his many helpful suggestions.
A wealth of useful plants awaits further investigation. Arnica, Belladonna and Gelsemium are highly regarded by European physicians. It is believed that these plants, at present out of favour, still have an important role in medicine of the future. The wise and experienced clinician will wish to know how to harness their power to meet the challenge of tomorrow’s world.
Perhaps the real value of well-known alternative remedies lies in their comparative safety. Though largely unproven by elaborate clinical trials, the majority carry little risk or harm. Some have a great potential for good. The therapy is compatible with other forms of treatment.
The revival of herbal medicine is no passing cult due to sentimentality or superstition. It indicates, rather, a return to that deep devotion to nature that most of us have always possessed, and which seems in danger of being lost in the maze of modern pharmacy. It is an expression of loyalty to all that is best from
the past as we move forward into the 21st century with a better understanding of disease and its treatment. I believe the herbal profession has a distinguished and indispensible contribution to make towards the conquest of disease among peoples of the world, and that it should enjoy a place beside orthodox medicine.
Who are we to say that today’s antibiotics and high-tech medicine will always be available? In a world of increasing violence, war and disaster, a breakdown in the nation’s health service might happen at any time, thus curtailing production of insulin for the diabetic, steroids for the hormone-deficient, and anti-coagulants for the thrombotic. High-technology can do little without its specialised equipment. There may come a time when we shall have to reply on our own natural resources. It would be then that a knowledge of alternatives could be vital to survival. ... self medication
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