Herbalist – What Is That?

An herbalist is an accomplished practitioner using the oldest approach to health care known to mankind. Herbal medicines are also referred to as botanical medicine or herbals or herbalism. The herbalist began in primitive cultures, when diverse plants were used for shelter, clothing, and medicine. Herbal medicine is a complementary therapy technique that employs plants or plant extracts in treating a wide variety of illnesses and conditions, and is an essential part of maintaining health, holistically and naturally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 4 billion people, that is realistically 80 percent of the world’s population, presently use herbal medicine, in some respect, as a part of their primary health care.

A Brief History of the herbalist

Virtually every culture, including ancient, pre-historic cultures going back thousands of years, has employed the herbalist. Medicinal herbs were included in the personal effects of an “Ice man” found frozen in the Swiss Alps for no less than 5,300 years. These herbs seemingly were used for the treatment of intestinal parasites.

From historical records, the study of herbs extends back over 5,000 years ago when the Sumerians documented well-established therapeutic purposes for plants such as laurel, caraway, and thyme. The continued importance of herbs throughout the centuries, and even more noticeably since the Middle Ages, is punctuated by the significant number of pages of information on herbs published with the invention of the printing press.

Understanding how the herbalist uses herbs to heal

The herbalist has provided humankind with medicine from the earliest beginnings of civilization and has been extensively utilized in all cultures for restoring balance to the body by nourishing it with the properties found in the herb or sometimes counter-balancing the effects of other, unwanted elements in the body. The herbalist prepares medicinal herbs in various ways dependent upon their purpose. Each herb contains a large number of naturally occurring chemicals that create a biological activity. When introduced into the body, they help it to strengthen its resistance to infective organisms and dispel the illness. Herbs can act on the body as powerfully as pharmaceutical drugs and should be treated with the same caution and respect. In fact, many modern pharmaceuticals are derived from commonly used medicinal herbs.

A word of caution here, herbs can cause undesired side effects just as pharmaceutical products can. Herbs can be harmful if the herb is taken for the wrong condition, used in excess, combined with prescription drugs or alcohol, or, most importantly, used by persons who don’t know what they are doing. Most herbal traditions have accumulated knowledge without modern scientific controls to distinguish between the placebo effect, which is  the body’s natural ability to heal itself, and the actual benefits of the herbs themselves.

So, who can be an herbalist?

Medicinal plants can be used naturally and instinctively by anyone, for instance as part of a salad or an herbal tea or as a supplement. Many of the herbs and spices used for culinary purposes provides many useful medicinal compounds, beyond that requires some study. For the use an herbal product as safely as possible, consult your doctor or a trained herbalist before you begin. Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends. Herbal remedies should be taken under the guidance of a trained, experienced and trusted herbalist. Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or nursing.

The herbalist pre-dates all modern forms of medical practitioners and continues to influence the medicines of today. Herbal medicine still proves to be a tremendous boon to mankind and continues to increase in popularity today.

As an educated herbalist, you can learn how to improve your health and your personal well being and through commitment to the use of herbal medicines you will gain the confidence of their efficacy.