The purpose of this blog is to discuss the use of simple herbal medicines to treat the common health problems associated with old age. Low cost, natural treatments for problems like high blood pressure and arthritis allow people to avoid the purchase of expensive pharmaceutical drugs which, unfortunately, often have unpleasant or dangerous side effects.
We know that the ancient Egyptians, Indians, Romans, Greeks and Chinese all used herbal medicines extensively. Native Americans are also known to have used over 2600 different species of plants medicinally. Not surprisingly, herbal medicines provided the vast majority of available health remedies in colonial America, and their use continued into the 19th century. Indeed, the popularity of medicinal herbs in the United States peaked in the 1870’s, when over 636 different herbs were listed as medicines in the U.S. Pharmacopeia. This popularity lasted until the 1920’s, when these natural medicines began to be replaced with pharmaceutical drugs. For example, in 1899 the Bayer Company in Germany introduced a new drug (aspirin) which was based on an existing compound (salicin) which occurs naturally in willow bark. Yet even today, anyone with a white willow (Salix alba) tree in their yard can prepare a natural substitute for aspirin from the fresh leaves or bark.
Ironically, it was only after drug companies began to extract, manufacture and patent key healing compounds from plants that the American public gradually lost its knowledge of natural medicines. As a result, far too many older Americans today find themselves at the mercy of rapacious pharmaceutical companies for medicines to treat even the most common health problems.
It is my hope that the information provided in this blog will help remedy this situation.
greenmedicineedu 