Why use Natural Remedies?
Ever seen a dog lick grass when it has an upset stomach? If you have, you’d have certainly marveled at the curative powers of an innocuous blade of grass that provided instant relief to your pet. Since the time humans came into existence, they’ve been observing animals eating plants and minerals to cure themselves of infections, parasites and internal disorders.
However, the sweeping changes in our lifestyles brought about by science and technology is today the main cause of modern diseases. And, despite a whopping eight-hundred-million-dollar annual expenditure on healthcare, the modern treatments just don't seem to work. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported over a hundred thousand deaths annually in US hospitals due to adverse reactions to prescription drugs. Even worse, the National Council for Patient Information and Education blamed as many deaths on drugs that shouldn’t have been prescribed in the first place!
Little wonder, a majority of the population is righting this wrong by taking up holistic healing and treating everyday minor ailments the natural way. In other words, people are waking up to the magic of natural remedies.
The origin of natural remedies
Early humans recognized their dependence on nature in both health and illness. The sixty thousand-year-old burial site of Neanderthal man in northern Iraq provided the first physical evidence of the use of herbal remedies, when scientists found extraordinary quantities of plant pollen along with ordinary human bones. This could not have been accidental, as someone had consciously gathered eight species of plants to surround the dead man. Of these, seven are medicinal plants still in use throughout the herbal world!
Natural remedies are a part of the history of almost all cultures. The early explorers in ancient North America gained their knowledge from the American Indians, who used them to sharpen their senses for hunting and building endurance. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.), the world renowned herb, was found by a French explorer in the eighteenth century in Iroquois territory. Lumbees widely used medicinal plant remedies like rabbit tobacco (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), Poke (Phytolacca americana), Wild cherry (Prunus virginiana) and the like.
Till recently, most American families were using home herbal remedies to keep minor ailments at bay. Today too, you can find their presence in menthol, mint, horehound or lemon-containing cough drops and in chamomile and mint teas taken for digestion. However, modern-day medical science remains skeptical about their effectiveness. Despite this, a growing number of Americans are getting aware of the potential of herbal remedies that give no side effects.
Natural remedies
Natural remedies may range from lifestyle and dietary changes to therapies and formulas. However, before taking the remedies, there are things that you must ensure:
a. Proper diet: A proper diet guarantees good health and prevents disease. It keeps mental faculties in tune and body toned. A good diet also helps the body to naturally recover from minor ailments.
b. Drinking fluids: Drinking water-lemon or fresh fruit or vegetable juices help cleanse the blood and lymph of impurities. However, remember water alone does not cleanse well and requires vitamins and minerals present in the juices.
c. Light exercises: Whether you feel fit as a fiddle or are sick in bed, you require a little movement to help in lymphatic elimination. Light exercises should include all the body parts.
How to use herbs
If you are using herbal medicines, the best way is to prepare them fresh by grinding, pulping or infusing. But, if you don’t have the time or inclination for such niceties, buy them in tablet, capsule, powdered and dried forms. But, know how to use the them:
a. Organic Tincture: Readily preparedorganic tinctures are generally taken as per the instructions printed on the label.
b. Infusion: This process is used in extracting water-soluble ingredients from the less dense parts of the plant, such as the leaves, stems and flowers. The usual dose is one cup of infused liquid taken three times a day, before meals.
c. Poultice: Inthis technique, fresh plant is bruised or crushed to a pulp, which is then mixed with a moistening material ready to apply directly to the area where it’s needed.
d. Compress: This technique involves gently placing a clean towel or sterile cloth, soaked in a hot or cold herbal infusion or decoction, over the affected area.
e. Decoction: This involves releasing the ingredients from harder plant parts, especially the bark, seeds, roots and rhizomes by treating them with hot water.
There is little doubt natural remedies are the over-the-counter drugs of the future, as people are increasingly getting disillusioned by the conventional prescription drugs. If this does happen, the wheel would certainly have come a full circle!
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