History of Herbalism

A Little History

It is said that herbs have been used as far back as 5,000 years  ago. Sumeria, an old civilization that has been estimated to have lived some 7,000 years ago, recorded the use of about 250 medicinal plants on clay tablets. The Chinese as well as the Egyptians also cultivated herbs for medicinal  use. Through the ages, famous personalities wrote about medicinal plants; Pythagoras, Hippocrates from Greece, as well as Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle. In his expeditions to Africa, Alexander the Great brought back new drugs. In the first century B C, Dioscorides, a Greek physician, wrote about several thousand medicinal plants. Galen, a Greek pharmacist and physician wrote 20 books with numerous formulas for medicinal preparations in the second century. For thousands of years plants have been collected and used to create healing medicines.

There is a great deal of folklore concerning plants of every region and the people who used them. We have inherited this rich legacy, where our ancestors understood their connection with the cycles of the seasons, the natural rhythms of the universe, the ebb and flow of the tides and their intimate connection to the earth. The Earth was their center and source of healing herbal plants, their allies for continued good health. For many years now, the practice of herbalism, has been viewed as outdated by the scientific community. We lost our rich heritage of herbal knowledge and the initiative to heal ourselves, dependent on Western  technological medicine, no longer in touch with our own healing power. Allopathic medicine has contributed remarkable technological advances in health care, but we also need balance in our approach to preventive health care.

Today  herbalism is definitely making a big come back, largely due to people becoming dissatisfied with Western medicine. We are rediscovering our relationship with the planet earth and all the healing treasures lying within. Allopathic medicine and herbalism can work very effectively together and compliment  one another. Lets work in concert together to enhance our possibilities for better health of mind, body and spirit.