HERBOLOGY SYNOPSIS with Gayle Redfern

Heron Harry  gets information and healing from Grandma!

Although I use two phrases, "Herbal Therapy" and "Herbal Remedy" interchangeably, the dictionaries are more specific. I found two distinctions.

One explanation separates therapy and remedy by defining remedy as a one-time correction and therapy as on-going treatment. Another source identifies therapy as remedial treatment and a remedy meaning correction or cure.

Most people agree with these definitions. However, these definitions imply imperfection or dis-ease. With therapy, the action is ongoing and with remedy, it is instant. Regardless, when we focus on imperfections or dis-eases, we create or enhance these bodily problems through our thoughts. From my perspective, we ARE perfect. Our busy lives push us out of balance easily and frequently, thus forcing the need to regularly re-align our bodies. Food and exercise do re-align us. But do we use it for this purpose? Not always. We forget these qualities and resort to other balancing tools.

Regardless of which perspective you chose, therapy or remedy, HERBOLOGY is a traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbal Therapy has been around for eons. It evolved into a study of medicines derived from natural sources, not chemically produced or art of combining medicinal plants "to produce herbal remedies". Our ancestors routinely turned to Grandma or the traditional Medicine Man. Now in present time, we turn to the doctor, pharmacist, naturopath or herbologist.

Three ancient systems center on this criteria. Each one has their own specific version of an ancient art. 
1.  First, we have Ayurveda science of southern India dating back to 5,000 BC.

2.  Then we have ancient Chinese concepts evolved into TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine. This dates back to the Shang dynasty  (1600-1100 BC).

3.  Lastly and more recently, we turn to Homeopathy, dating back to Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843).

The common thread among these diverse practices is that all of these systems treat the body as a ‘whole’ and utilizes the energy of plants for balancing the various functions of the body. Unlike western medication, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients is more important than the effect of the individual ingredients. All three health systems tailor the mixture to each individual’s needs. TCM and Ayurveda use the combining of medicinal herbs as a base, and then apply further knowledge. We know our ancestors and tribal communities brought harmony into the health system but it was not formalized. For this reason, we define herbs within Herbology as:

• A plant only becomes an herb, remedy or medicine when a person's health improves.
• An herb as a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor or therapeutic properties.
• A medicinal herb plant may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant.

When we look beyond the three organized systems, we realize that people claim a variety of health benefits of numerous herbs. We know our ancestors passed the knowledge down through shamans, healers or from parents to children, so why can we not utilize the benefits and knowledge. We see the herbs today put them into different forms tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts or dried plants. Even though we can find remedies through our grandma or local health store, it is important to remember that Herbology supports the ancestral wisdom, herbal corporations, TCM, Ayurveda and other sciences.

Should you strike up a conversation with a group of acquaintances about Herbology, you will discover that many reject the potential benefits, relying upon the medical profession instead. They will argue that the Herbology was never scientifically tested. They tend to forget that most folk remedies have been around for hundreds of years, thus giving us the proverbial test of time. What people also forget is that this is the source of our chemical drugs. In the mid 1990s, scientists and anthologists such as George Harley and Richard Grossinger commented that in essence, the scientific community stated that they did not trust folk remedies but there was sufficient truth to warrant a further look. Pharmaceutical companies simply modified and adapted the plant product.

Many of the herbs and spices used in the kitchen to season food also yield useful medicinal compounds. Herbology makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (cambium), berries and sometimes other portions