Herbal Medicine: Ayurveda and Herbal Medicine

By Lynwen Crowley, Vedic Cultural Fellowship

Herbal Medicine

`Ayurvedic herbalism gives us not only specific herbs, but a way of understanding all herbs. Ayurveda welcomes the removal of barriers between human beings. The sharing of human healing knowledge must develop for the new age to come. But it must find its place in the immediate world of today. `

Quote - Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad THE YOGA OF HERBS

Today, you may think in this technologically advanced society, (as I sit by my computer writing this, and you sit by yours reading it) there are a whole range of patented chemical drugs tailored for all ailments, so why use herbal medicines?

Herbs are as effective for healing today as they were in our grandmothers' day, and for thousands of years before that. We may live in a very different world today but the human body hasn't changed, in fact it's often struggling to cope with ifs new modern environment.

Chemical drugs often carry unpleasant side effects, which at best are a nuisance, and at worst cause worse damage than your original complaint. What exactly is herbal medicine anyway? In one sentence, the practice of using plants to treat and prevent disease.

So, how do they do that? Well, herbs, in their natural state (without being tampered with and having various components extracted and synthesised), are a part of nature just like you and me. when you take a herbal preparation, your body is comfortable with it and easily assimilates it as food. It's true that herbs are fill' of various chemical components that can be individually identified as an active ingredient' good for treating `such and such', but just like sunshine is great, if you took sunshine and had it 24 hours a day, 365/6 days a year you'd get a bit out of balance. A herb's `active ingredients' are only part of the story, other ingredients may have complimentary actions, such as counteracting inflation caused by one component, making for better digestibility and assimilation, thereby eliminating side effects.

Herbs can contribute a great deal to good health and well-being, but they can't do all the work for you. I have often been asked in my practice for a herbal pill or potion for a particular complaint, with the patient being unwilling to look at any change in diet or lifestyle, however small(sometimes, even the preparation of a herbal tea is too much effort).

Herbal medicine as a preventative can begin by being part of your daily diet. Natural medicines are probably growing in your garden right now, many of them all too often considered as weeds to he discarded. A cup of dandelion coffee is one of the finest tonics for your body, especially the liver. The roots can be chopped and roasted and a coffee like drink made (also a good substitute if you're trying to give up caffeine). The leaves can be eaten in salads or made into a tea. They also have a diuretic effect (most diuretic drugs cause a loss of potassium in the body, whereas the humble dandelion is a wonderful source of potassium as well).

What happens when you need a little extra help? A medical herbalist can help you achieve good health, starting by taking a detailed medical history and a thorough diagnosis to find the origin of your ailments, herbs can be prescribed to suit you as a person rather than your disease, helping your body to heal itself.

Although nutrition is another subject, and should be tailored to the type of person you are and the climate in which you live, some basic common sense rules always prevail. Cutting down on stimulants containing caffeine, alcohol, and smoking is a good start. Getting some exercise every day is a must to - it needn't be a work out at the gym, a gentle walk does everyone wonders, good for body and mind Good health is not just about The absence of pain, it's about feeling good (not tired all the time)! A healthy body and a clear mind gives you a good base from which to view life.

Herbal medicine for simple ailments are also probably in your garden too, or in your kitchen cupboard. You've eaten something that you shouldn't have, or maybe just too much of what you should have - now before you reach for those indigestion tablets (laden with aluminium amongst other things), make yourself a cup of peppermint tea, or some ginger tea. Most people have some dried ginger at least in their kitchen (and if you haven't, then get some because it will save you a lot of needless discomfort). Ginger tea is also great for travel sickness (take it before you leave or make a flask).

Why are lifestyle and diet so important? Well, all to often today we struggle to get up in the morning, often no time for breakfast, race into the office, work hard all day, drinking umpteen cups of coffee to keep us going and to wash down the odd sugary doughnut come home, collapse in a heap in front of the TV after dinner, then wonder why we can't Sleep all night even though we're really tired. After a day like that, a cup of camomile tea isn't really going to be enough after all that coffee!

Lynwen Crowley (DBth MRH MRxS)

Ancient Mantra taken from the Rig Veda X.97

Plants, which as receptacles of light were born three ages before the Gods,

I honour you myriad colours and your seven hundred natures.

A hundred, oh Mothers, are natures and a thousand are your growths.

May you of a hundred powers make whole what has been hurt.

Plants, as Mothers, as Goddesses, I address you. May I Gain the energy, the light, the sustenance, your soul, you who are the human being.

Where the herbs are gathered together like kings in an assembly,

there the doctor is called a sage, who destroys evil, and averts disease.

As they fell from Heaven, the plants said,

"The living soul we pervade, that man will suffer no harm."

The herbs which are in the kingdom of the Moon, manifold with a hundred eyes, I take you as the best of them, for the fulfilment of wishes, as peace to the heart.

The plants which are queens of the Soma, spread over all the Earth, generated by the Lord of Prayer, may your energy combine within this herb.

The mission of the Vedic Cultural Fellowship (VCF) is to bring vedic spirituality to the enchanting land of New Mexico, establishing a center that can be visited by people from around the globe. Vedic culture is inherently spiritual in outlook, making kindness, charity, compassion, and honesty the main values for harmony in life. We will seek to teach and apply the sciences of natural ayurvedic medicine, yoga, meditation, and vedic astrology, along with the varied arts which have their origin in the Vedas. Our desire is to help individuals overcome physical, emotional, or spiritual problems naturally, gaining a higher outlook on life both individually and collectively.

For more information, please visit http://www.vedicworld.org