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When you talk about illness and disease, scientists believe all chronic illnesses are accompanied by "nutritional deficiencies" and imbalances in the essential chemical elements that make up our bodies. Many think of nutritional deficiencies in terms of an inadequate diet and this is often the case. There are, however, other ways in which the body exhausts its valuable supply of chemical elements. Excessive mental work, for example, can deplete the brain, nerves and glands. Stress can wreak havoc on our immune system. Sometimes we simply neglect our bodies or forget to get enough fresh air, sunshine and exercise. Bottom line, any abuse, neglect or overwork to our bodies can leave us with nutritional deficiencies. Once the body is depleted of needed chemical elements, the tissues begin to breakdown, weakening a particular organ, gland or tissue and disease ensues. Symptoms of ill health may not express themselves for quite some time. Typically, the first symptom of disease to appear is fatigue. Next, we may get frequent infections, colds or the flu. Many times early symptoms we experience are taken for granted as a natural sign of aging. When left unchecked the underlying causes can grow and proliferate — creating chronic disease. It’s helpful to remember that the appearance of symptoms, such as arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis, mark the clinical stage of a disease. However, when our skin becomes dry, when we have shoulder pain, or excessive bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea, each tell us something is wrong—that healing needs to occur. Over the past decade, the popularity of herbal medicine has exploded. Walk into any drugstore, supermarket or discount store and you can easily find herbal remedies on the shelves. Herbs are natural remedies derived from whole plants, their roots, leaves, stems or seeds. Herbs are available in a variety of forms, including fresh, dried, in tablets or capsules and even bottled in liquid form. You can buy them individually or in mixtures formulated for a specific condition. Historically, the use of herbs to facilitate healing predates some of the earliest written documents known to man. These documents record dozens of medicinal plants, including myrrh, castor oil, garlic and their healing properties. Over the years, the curative properties of herbs and medicinal plants have not changed. Herbs that were used for healing thousands of years ago are still utilized by many herbalists today. For those new to the world of herbal therapy, the
most extraordinary and tantalizing thing about herbs are their proven action and
incredible versatility. The actions of herbs are due in part to their active
constituents. Active constituents are special chemicals and combination of
chemicals and oils that are present in each particular plant that work together
synergistically to give the plant its particular therapeutic value. |
Nature’s Pharmacy…
