I recently started taking a course in Folk Medicine based upon the use of herbs, healing rituals and prayer. The knowledge and techniques are based on experiences of the peoples of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. But the knowledge was transferred from cultures as ancient as the Conquistadors, the Moors, and the Mayans, as well as Native American tribes. This Folk Medicine is not intended to replace modern medicine, but to supplement it. Folk healers refer their patients to doctors and medical facilities when they see the need for a modern medical approach.
Many of our pharmaceutical products are based on discoveries of herbal ingredients. For example, the effectiveness of aspirin is based on chemicals found in the bark of willow trees. While pharmaceutical companies do not use these ingredients directly from nature, they attempt to duplicate them through the use of chemistry. However the use of natural medicine, such as herbs, seems to be regaining popularity.
The key to using herbs in healing is to first learn what herb is recommended for what ailment. Then it is also important to know what part of the herb to use because different parts of the same plant may contain different chemicals. For example the leaves of the Kava plant from Hawaii have been used for centuries to calm the mind. But the roots and stems have different chemicals than the leaves, chemicals which can cause illness. So it is important to know what part of the plant is in the package you buy from different companies before making them into topical treatments or teas.
While this knowledge seems new to us, the Native Americans (North and South America) have helped keep their people healthy using plants and herbs for hundreds of years. In Healing Secrets of the Native Americans (page 10), Porter Shimer quotes John Lawson’s History of North Carolina which was published in 1714. Lawson wrote “Among all the discoveries of America by the French and Spaniards, I wonder why none of them was so kind to the world to have kept a catalog of the illnesses they found the natives able to cure.” Obviously those groups were focused on treasure as opposed to healing.
Aug 29, 2014 @ 13:10:45
I think there are a lot of herbs and plants that I need to be introduced to.
Sep 04, 2014 @ 14:26:00
I will be happy to do the introductions. Let me know what type of issues you wish to treat and I will tell you about the plant remedy, assuming there is one. You would actually be helping me to learn as well.
Sep 04, 2014 @ 12:27:58
I’m really enjoying that class too. 🙂
Sep 04, 2014 @ 14:27:54
Glad to hear it. Do you like the books too? I’m finding them to be very interesting, especially since the belief systems of the Mexican-American people tends to be Christian. It’s interesting to see what prayers they use with which rituals.
Oct 09, 2014 @ 10:43:42
Doh just spotted this!!! I’m still working through the books, but I agree interesting. I think a lot of old school generations practiced a lot of this stuff and no one makes a point to keep the tradition going. I started performing Limpias on my own after hearing 3 different stories in one week about them from random people. But it wasn’t until one day my cousin from California asked me if I was a witch like grandma. I was like what????? It turns out my grandmother who raised all her kids Catholic practiced Santera and Limpias. My Dad even admitted the Limpia always worked on him. But they never once thought to share these stories with me until I asked.
Oct 09, 2014 @ 13:31:44
Connie, thanks for your comment. It just goes to show us that this type of healing has been going on all around us but we don’t know about it until we say something or start asking questions. This is also true of shamanic practice in general. I have heard people say they they found out their mother or aunt had been contacting helpful spirits all their adult lives but never said anything until asked. Have a great weekend!