Traditional Medicine: Usage of Herbal Remedies and Doubtful Treatment or a Powerful Healing Force?

Introduction

It is common to note that eating jeera biscuit or garnish salad with pepper and lemon are considered one of the ancient tradition approaches by using herbs to enhance health benefits and digestibility of your food. Herbs are not only augments the flavor of what we eat, they support our overall health and wellness on daily basis.

Conference Proceedings

In fact stuffing your chicken with yoghurt helps keep away germs that begin circulating around. Adding ginger and garlic to a fish or meat kills pathogens found specifically in fish and help you digest the fat in the meat more easily. In fact many Herbal remedies books available in the markets will be inspired to add more flavors of herbs after reading it as these kinds of books are also a Thesaurus, full of healing remedies that can help you keep your family well. Herbalism and herb books have become quite the hot topic these past few years, quite thankfully, my library shelves are heavily stacked with books on herbal medicine and Ayurveda, I have been impassioned with for most of my life. It embraces all that I love most about this ancient healing tradition and reminds me of how important our relationship with herbs is in our lives. We shall treasure the value of the art of using herbs and developing a deeper understanding of our relationship between herbs used in Ayurveda and wellness. Also we know that Medicinal plants have always had great significance in culture, medicine and nutrition of societies in the world. Populations, through many healers and autonomous use, have accumulated experience and broad knowledge of them. Nevertheless, the scientific achievements from the latest decades and their large socialization have encouraged the monoculture of scientific knowledge in the health professional practices, which largely discredit other current knowledge and practices in the society at large. Herbal reference compiles more than 3500 years of herbal wisdom of each continents. In fact, there are many books illustrated lot of herbs and spices which provides features on scented herb/medicinal gardens as well as folklore herbs not included in contemporary texts. Each entry provides a description of the herb and a brief history of its usage. As informative as it is entertaining, this incredibly diverse compendium contains just about everything you‟ll ever need to know about the properties and provenance of herbs and spices. Of course, on the other side some contemporary books on Herbology/Ayurveda are incomplete in their approach and having too many imaginary features. Therefore, it is advisable to find some Herbal remedies books on different subjects related to health and social topics which are rich in contents of the subject topic. In the Yoga, Herbalism and Ayurveda perspectives, every therapy should be accompanied by a sattvik diet and yogic lifestyle, during treatment observation of celibacy except for obese patients, wherein sexual activity may be continued but strictly according to rules prescribed in Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. Especially Ayurveda came into being in Treta Yug, before that and until today has existed an original system of medicine carried out by Ojhas (Folk or Traditional healers); partly implemented as home remedies or granny‟s remedies, this system involved using only herbal source, no chemical, mineral or animal products were used except for ghee and milk, it doesn‟t involve in the killing of animals. Ojhas or Folk healers use only herbs but home remedies may include animal and mineral products like cod liver oil, honey, etc. Ojhai system or folk medicine may be considered as the primitive form of Herbalism and Ayurveda originated with the Rishis (Sages) in Satya Yug. Ojhai is the system of healing practiced by the Ojhas (male healers) and Ojhains (female healers). Who is Sahajyogi Miuosh? He was a homeopath and naturopath from Poland, who came to Kamakhya, Guwahati, Assam for search of eternal truth of Tantra, he is now a devoted folk healer who‟s life is dedicated for the well-being of street animals, besides, he is researching into the sacred healing power of mythological objects, like; Shivalinga. Indeed many edited herbal remedies books offers a fascinating view of how people approach natural healing, using plants for health and securing natural health. Herbal Medicines are known to mankind since long times since Vedas are existing from times immemorial, age of herbology cannot be ascertained. The most familiar example from the sacred text of Avicenna “Al Qanoon fit Tibb‟ can be readily quoted. In modern era Shifa ul Mulk Hakeem Muhammad Hassan Qarshi who was friend & physician of the Great Poet Alama Muhammad Iqbal who is known as Poet of the East. Masih ul Mulk “Hakeem Muhammad Ajmal Khan‟ was another legendary figure of herbology. In Pakistan Hakeem Saeed founded Hamdard University to enhance the knowledge of Herbology. So it can be assumed that Herbology or Ayurveda is known to Hindus (Hindu term came not by religion, but by the Indus valley civilization as per historians) for thousands of years. Herbal healers represent different healing traditions: conventional medicine, pharmacology, ethnobotany, herbalism, herbology, homoeopathy, flower essence practitioners, hamanism, Ayurveda, Siddha, Spagyrics and more. There are many medicinal herbs and spices, which find place in our daily uses, many of these, are used as herbal medicines. Many cooked foods contain spices. Some minor ailments like common cold, cough, etc.as well as some major ailments may be cured by herbal remedies with Ancient Remedies for Modern You: / 14 use of medicinal properties of herbs and spices. Therapeutic properties of medical plants are very useful in healing various diseases and the advantage of these medicinal plants is being 100% natural. Botanical medicine encompasses a vast knowledge base. We can all improve and safeguard our health by following the wisdom of our ancestors and the knowledge from our current sciences, and learn which plants to eat, which ones to use for medicine, which ones to enhance our performance and vitality, and how to live our lives in a simpler, natural, and healthier way. It is deemed that the key to successful medication is the use of the correct herb. This is an indispensable resource for all physicians, pharmacists, drug collectors, also laymen those interested in the herbal healing. The purpose of this book is to make available a handy reference for easy and accurate application of these herbs. Generally various herbal remedies book authors have revealed that way of healing is only for humanity; It has no concern with religion. ALLAH is not only healer of Muslim but all living creatures. It is a great pleasure for me to serve as the Editor in one of the Herbal Remedies publications to which contributors of this book have identified over 800 multiples botanical plants being used in our daily life. These co-authors have generously contributed in many ways towards the realization of Ancient Remedies book to the values and substance of this incomparable work. Herbal Medicines provides alternative traditional medicine source of scientifically rigorous, impartial information over 800 of the most commonly used herbal medicinal products to give over 100 solutions for various health problems can be found in this profound book. Indeed Herbal Medicines is an invaluable reference text for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who require evidence based information on herbal medicines used for treatment and prevention of health problems. On the other hand, Chinese Medicine is an ultimate important type of complementary approach utilizing herbal medicines and acupuncture to counter a variety of diseases and promote health. Herbal medicines and natural plant products represent an important group of multi-component therapeutics that is widely and increasingly used worldwide with the hope of managing various chronic diseases and to promote well-being. The function of Herbal remedies book is to highlight our current knowledge on the disposition, efficacy and safety of commonly used herbal medicines and natural products in humans. There is great wisdom in the old adage that “it is better to teach someone how to fish rather than just giving him a fish.” This Herbal remedies book is putting that wisdom to practical use. Alternative medicine is an approach to healing used in place of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine, on the other hand, is used together with conventional medicine. For example, if a special diet is used to treat cancer in place of surgery recommended by a conventional Ancient Remedies for Modern You: the diet would serve as an alternative therapy. However, if a special diet were used to combat high cholesterol levels in a patient with heart disease, in addition to coronary artery bypass surgery, the diet would serve as a complementary therapy. Since the same therapy can serve as either complementary or alternative, the various therapies outside the domain of conventional medicine are often grouped together under the term CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies. The increasing interest in alternative medicine, which attempts to treat a patient’s body, mind, and spirit, can be viewed as a measure of the spiritual hunger in our high- tech society. The desire within the medical community to integrate treatments for a patient’s spiritual needs as well as physical needs is validating the importance of pastoral care in the hospital setting. Perhaps an approach to healing that makes use of the strengths of both conventional medicine and alternative medicine would enable a person to experience the best of both medical worlds. The forms of alternative medicine with scientific backing could be used to maintain health and increase physical fitness, while conventional medicine could be used to accurately diagnose and eradicate disease. “Only through collaborative thinking can we paint a complete picture of world healing,” Prince Charles. “The Prince of Wales today issued an impassioned plea for alternative medicine to be given a bigger place in the mainstream, hours after a group of Britain's leading doctors issued their own appeal for the NHS to stop paying for complementary therapies,” Times online [1]. In the eyes of top doctors alternative medicine is doubtful treatment and should be abandoned by NHS. They said money should go to conventional treatment; yet it appears that many patients are rejecting such treatment observed Dr Thomas Stuttaford, writing in The Times [2]. He noted, “The alternative practitioners have more time, and still display the art of communicating.” Doctors have no time to communicate with their patients and there are limited resources, which should not be used on doubtful treatment. Future medical students should be properly selected “and they must learn to communicate,” he concluded.

Is this the appropriate solution? Or is there a fear of the loss of power and control by my doctors and others involved. If alternative medicine is doubtful, why not carry out proper scientific investigation in their effectiveness and the training of their practitioners? In addressing the annual meeting of the World Health Organization in Geneva, the Prince argued that an integrated, holistic approach was the best way of tackling chronic disease, rather than a "dangerously fragmented" approach that relied just on what he called the bio- physical treatment model. Prince Charles told the WHO delegates from 192 nations: "I believe there is now a desperately urgent need to redress the fragile but vital balance between man and nature, through a more integrated approach where the best of the ancient is blended with the best of the modern, and I am convinced this is particularly vital when it comes to the collective health of people in all our countries. I say that a mix of modern and traditional remedies that emphasises the participation of the patient can create a powerful healing force. It seems to be that in our ceaseless rush to modernise, many tried and tested methods which have shown themselves to be effective have been cast aside as old-fashioned or irrelevant to today's needs." On the other hand, the top doctors in their letter campaigning against alternative medicine wrote: “there has been a concerted campaign to promote complementary and alternative medicine as a component of healthcare provision. Treatments covered by this definition include some which have not been tested as pharmaceutical products, but which are known to cause adverse effects, and others that have no demonstrable benefits. While medical practice must remain open to new discoveries for which there is convincing evidence, including any branded as „alternative‟, it would be highly irresponsible to embrace any medicine as though it were a matter of principle. At a time when the NHS is under intense pressure, patients, the public and the NHS are best served by using the available funds for treatments that are based on solid evidence. We urge you to take an early opportunity to review practice in your own trust with a view to ensuring that patients do not receive misleading information about the effectiveness of alternative medicines. We would also ask you to write to the Department of Health requesting evidence-based information for trusts and for patients with respect to alternative medicine.”

Evidence-based Treatments

With respect to yoga His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar subjected himself to research by seven departments at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The studies have shown that with regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya, one experiences flow of positive emotions, replacing anger, frustration and jealousy. EEG (electroencephalogram), blood cortisone and blood lactate level reflect a state of relaxation yet alertness and depression is cured in 70% cases. Increase in natural killer cells and antioxidant enzymes suggest that regular practice might prevent many diseases including vital infection. Fall in serum total cholesterol as well as increase in good cholesterol make Sudarshan Kriya a tool for prevention of coronary heart disease. Thus available data so far serves to validate the subjective claim of a healthier body, calmer mind and balanced emotions. Other studies in pain control through alternative therapies before and after open hear surgery have shown that patients experienced less pain and tension during recovery than patients under traditional care. The study, conducted at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, is believed to be the first of its kind, with half of the patients in a group of 104 men and women receiving alternative therapies both before the operation and during the recovery period, while the rest were treated with standard medical care. The alternative therapies included relaxation skills training, guided imagery meditations and half-hour sessions of gentle massage. Patients listened to soft, relaxing music in the first two days following the surgery. Patients in the traditional medical care group received no special care and were instructed simply to rest before and after the surgery. Health care professionals closely monitored the heart rates and blood pressure of patients in both groups but the findings showed little difference between the two groups. However patients in the alternative therapies group reported considerably lower levels of pain during the recovery period. Joe Potter writes in “Science and Healing: A Reiki Focus”: “Useful research has taken place but has tended to be printed in the less important journals with small circulations. This makes it more difficult for these research ideas to be disseminated widely because the material cannot be accessed easily. This then creates the impression that research into healing hasn‟t been done.”

Acknowledgement

My sincere acknowledgement to all the authors and publication whose work I have referred to and made quoted abundantly to make a point.