The history of herbalism is a long tradition within many cultures. China can boast to being the oldest known civilization to compile s listing of medicinal herbs. According to the National Library of Medicine whose web site hosts an online version of an exhibit on Chinese medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/chinese/chinesehome.html), the Emperor Shen Nung is believed to be the author of the shen-nung pen ts’ao ching (Divine Husbandman’s Materia Medica). This includes 365 medicines derived from plants, minerals and animals. While Shen Nung ruled approximately 3000 B.C., the information complied was eventually recroded approximately 2,000 years later, the herbal tradition passed orally from generation to generation of physicians and practitioners. Here is a picture of this work from the above-mentioned exhibit.
The Greeks also have their herbals. According to Wikipedia, the first was written by Pedanius Dioscorides, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedanius_Dioscorides. De Materia Medica was written in the first century A.D. and this book remained the standard for herbal remedies in Western civilization until the fifteenth century. The most famous reproduction of his work is an illustrated copy created in the sixth century, The Vienna Dioscurides. A picture of this work is taken from Wikipedia.
The Indian culture also includes herbalism in its ancient healing practice named Ayurveda, which translated means the science of life. According to the Ayurvedic Institute, http://www.ayurveda.com/, the first writing on this subject, the Charaka Samhita arose around 400 – 200 B.C. Although its roots and practice are much older, no one can be sure how old this medicinal philosophy really is. The Ayurveda’s philosophy is the prevention of illness by maintaining one’s health through the balance of and between the mind, body and soul. Herbs play a huge part in the body’s maintenance.
The idea of alternative medicine isn’t new. There was obviously a time when herbal medicine wasn’t an alternative at all. Its history is long and spans globally as cultures independently found uses for the herbs in their area. This knowledge was eventually shared as trade and exploration became more commonplace. I found a good overview article on the history of herbalism that expands on even more cultures than I’ve covered here and can be found at www.canmedbotanics.nl/watisfytoeng.html. Although this is a retail site, this article has reliable information.
Now that we have a background about the history of herbalism globally, we can turn our critical eye to how the United States deals with the use of herbs medicinally in the present.
The Greeks also have their herbals. According to Wikipedia, the first was written by Pedanius Dioscorides, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedanius_Dioscorides. De Materia Medica was written in the first century A.D. and this book remained the standard for herbal remedies in Western civilization until the fifteenth century. The most famous reproduction of his work is an illustrated copy created in the sixth century, The Vienna Dioscurides. A picture of this work is taken from Wikipedia.The Indian culture also includes herbalism in its ancient healing practice named Ayurveda, which translated means the science of life. According to the Ayurvedic Institute, http://www.ayurveda.com/, the first writing on this subject, the Charaka Samhita arose around 400 – 200 B.C. Although its roots and practice are much older, no one can be sure how old this medicinal philosophy really is. The Ayurveda’s philosophy is the prevention of illness by maintaining one’s health through the balance of and between the mind, body and soul. Herbs play a huge part in the body’s maintenance.
The idea of alternative medicine isn’t new. There was obviously a time when herbal medicine wasn’t an alternative at all. Its history is long and spans globally as cultures independently found uses for the herbs in their area. This knowledge was eventually shared as trade and exploration became more commonplace. I found a good overview article on the history of herbalism that expands on even more cultures than I’ve covered here and can be found at www.canmedbotanics.nl/watisfytoeng.html. Although this is a retail site, this article has reliable information.
Now that we have a background about the history of herbalism globally, we can turn our critical eye to how the United States deals with the use of herbs medicinally in the present.
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