A big wonder in the modern world of medicine is why one medicine works for someone with a condition, but not for another person with the same condition. Science goes into great depth and expends jaw dropping amounts of money to figure questions like this out. It works with all sorts of expensive scientific machines and methods, and yet science is just as far from the truth of the matter than it was when it began researching. Today we see lots of experiments and studies being done on genetics in attempts to find proven scientific reason for such questions.
However, if we look backward to pre-technologic cultures and the medicine people of those cultures, we find understanding that science has yet to “prove”, yet such wisdoms worked for those people for thousands of years. From Native Americans to Australian Aboriginals, to Vulvas of ancient Scandinavia; traditional medicine workers all throughout Asia, and others around the globe. It was, and still is by many, understood that everything here upon this planet is in a relationship with everything else. Every life form is unique unto itself, even though it may look similar to others of its kind. Just look at humans for example.
Families may share the same blood (but blood types may differ within), share the same genes, but different genetic codes may be open or closed, dominant or not within various individuals in the same family. One person in the family may have a cold damp constitution, while another might be hot and dry. Another might have a cool and dry constitution, and yet another could have a damp warm constitution. One might be prone to depression, while another is bubbly all the time. One an introvert and another an extrovert.
Each of us are made up of all the elements of this earth, but the hierarchy varies from person to person in that the predominance of elemental energies is unique. Each member of a family could easily have been born in different months, under different moons, in different seasons and at different times of the day or night. All members of a blood family could have been also born in different locations in the world, hence different ecosystems. The mother could have been living in an ecosystem, exposed to it in everyday during her pregnancy, different than where she was born. This will also affect the constitution of the infant.
All of that and more was taken into account by the olden medicine workers, because they inherently knew it all mattered and changed the exact circumstances of the imbalance, or medical issue.
It was well known that as the plants are in dynamic relationships with one another, and the rest of the environment within each ecosystem, so then are we. The understanding of these natural relationships through acute observation allowed them to better understand what to use and how to mix energies to create the most useful medicine for each individual… and so each would vary. Like I very briefly addressed in my Ancient Botanical Wisdoms article.
Another angle is that I am talking about people outside, prior to the industrialized world of today. They were more connected and had a greater understanding of this world than science will ever figure out. One major reason is that everything was alive and had spirit in their views, just as in my own. There is life in everything, and therefore that life is being called upon to assist another form of life whom has fallen to imbalance. Medicine People of old not only harvested and made medicines from a knowledge bank of astute observations, but also a deep connection and communication with the living world around them. Medicine worked because it was alive, had spirit and was created in such wisdom.
It is very true that medicine didn’t always work, and mistakes were made. People are people and life is life, and everything has faults, and everything is in a state of ebb and flow. Many times medicine does not require any plants or mineral or other very physical material. Sometimes medicine must come completely from the unseen without contamination of a physical container. Another thing modern science will never grasp.
Modern science has its place, absolutely. Though we exist in a living, breathing beating world, and the old wisdoms were honored and worked in so many instances throughout the expanse of olden time. For example, open heart surgery using only acupuncture for anesthesia 2,000 years ago… but since medical science cannot dissect acupuncture to understand how exactly it works, it has mostly ignored it. Recently there is more focus and some utilization of it in surgical procedures, but in the western nations it is pretty rare and slim. For many years I have used acupuncture as a natural anesthesia, rather than the chemical concoctions of western medicine (of which most I am allergic to), with great results.
I had a friend years ago who used the clear slimy juice from the cattail plant to rub on his gums prior to the dentist. It would dim down the nerve sensations and allow his dental visit to be more comfortable.
After I was poisoned many years ago, I was told that for the first year any pharmaceutical would likely kill me, and that I would need to utilize Eastern Medicine of herbs and acupuncture. The doctors told me they couldn’t tell me how that medicine worked, but they knew it would work far better than anything they could give me. I worked with a Traditional Eastern Medicine person during that time who literally helped save my life during that year.
Years before that I had taken a nasty blow from a machete to my upper arm in Central America in the 90’s. It went deep and hit bone. It was field dressed, and two days later I was back State-side. But no matter how much western medicine was packed into it, the wound became infected time and time again and prevented healing. I told the docs to forget it and I would do it myself. They told me I was crazy and if I left their care I would surely lose my arm. In all my training I was taught to field stitch and did so many times. I had the materials for the job as well.
I wrangled up an acupuncturist I knew. Needles were inserted as nerve blocks for the upper arm. The wound was cut open. We poured in warmed raw honey, layered a poultice of yarrow, horsetail and Shepherd’s purse, then packed the exterior with green cambium from the white pine tree, and layered ton of gauze over top, and tied it up. We made strong white pine needle tea with stinging nettle, yarrow leaves and horsetail. I drank 6 cups between the bandaging and the following day. The next day the needles were reinserted, the dressing was removed from the wound. The swelling and redness had greatly diminished. We reapplied the honey, stitched it up, placed a poultice of stinging nettle, yarrow leaves and horsetail again and wrapped it with clean gauze. I drank another 3 cups of that tea each day for a 5 days. The dressing was removed each day and raw honey was smeared on the wound every morning for 5 days as well. On the sixth day no more dressing was applied and it healed up just fine. I’ve a solid scar from the incident of course, but I have many of those…
I returned for work and the docs couldn’t believe it was healed, especially by the method that was employed. I healed myself many times throughout the years from wounds, and all with the natural wisdoms of the natural world.
Old Medicine has limitations, especially today with the amount of deforestation and pollutants. Also one needs to question (if not harvesting yourself), where was it grown, how was it grown, how was it harvested, when was it harvested, who harvested it, how was it processed, how was it packaged, how long has it been sitting on some shelf or in a warehouse? Western Medicine also has its limitations, mainly because the true life essence is missing in the cold hard science. To combine them in balance, honoring and preserving the best of both - what a gift that could be.
However, if we look backward to pre-technologic cultures and the medicine people of those cultures, we find understanding that science has yet to “prove”, yet such wisdoms worked for those people for thousands of years. From Native Americans to Australian Aboriginals, to Vulvas of ancient Scandinavia; traditional medicine workers all throughout Asia, and others around the globe. It was, and still is by many, understood that everything here upon this planet is in a relationship with everything else. Every life form is unique unto itself, even though it may look similar to others of its kind. Just look at humans for example.
Families may share the same blood (but blood types may differ within), share the same genes, but different genetic codes may be open or closed, dominant or not within various individuals in the same family. One person in the family may have a cold damp constitution, while another might be hot and dry. Another might have a cool and dry constitution, and yet another could have a damp warm constitution. One might be prone to depression, while another is bubbly all the time. One an introvert and another an extrovert.
Each of us are made up of all the elements of this earth, but the hierarchy varies from person to person in that the predominance of elemental energies is unique. Each member of a family could easily have been born in different months, under different moons, in different seasons and at different times of the day or night. All members of a blood family could have been also born in different locations in the world, hence different ecosystems. The mother could have been living in an ecosystem, exposed to it in everyday during her pregnancy, different than where she was born. This will also affect the constitution of the infant.
All of that and more was taken into account by the olden medicine workers, because they inherently knew it all mattered and changed the exact circumstances of the imbalance, or medical issue.
It was well known that as the plants are in dynamic relationships with one another, and the rest of the environment within each ecosystem, so then are we. The understanding of these natural relationships through acute observation allowed them to better understand what to use and how to mix energies to create the most useful medicine for each individual… and so each would vary. Like I very briefly addressed in my Ancient Botanical Wisdoms article.
Another angle is that I am talking about people outside, prior to the industrialized world of today. They were more connected and had a greater understanding of this world than science will ever figure out. One major reason is that everything was alive and had spirit in their views, just as in my own. There is life in everything, and therefore that life is being called upon to assist another form of life whom has fallen to imbalance. Medicine People of old not only harvested and made medicines from a knowledge bank of astute observations, but also a deep connection and communication with the living world around them. Medicine worked because it was alive, had spirit and was created in such wisdom.
It is very true that medicine didn’t always work, and mistakes were made. People are people and life is life, and everything has faults, and everything is in a state of ebb and flow. Many times medicine does not require any plants or mineral or other very physical material. Sometimes medicine must come completely from the unseen without contamination of a physical container. Another thing modern science will never grasp.
Modern science has its place, absolutely. Though we exist in a living, breathing beating world, and the old wisdoms were honored and worked in so many instances throughout the expanse of olden time. For example, open heart surgery using only acupuncture for anesthesia 2,000 years ago… but since medical science cannot dissect acupuncture to understand how exactly it works, it has mostly ignored it. Recently there is more focus and some utilization of it in surgical procedures, but in the western nations it is pretty rare and slim. For many years I have used acupuncture as a natural anesthesia, rather than the chemical concoctions of western medicine (of which most I am allergic to), with great results.
I had a friend years ago who used the clear slimy juice from the cattail plant to rub on his gums prior to the dentist. It would dim down the nerve sensations and allow his dental visit to be more comfortable.
After I was poisoned many years ago, I was told that for the first year any pharmaceutical would likely kill me, and that I would need to utilize Eastern Medicine of herbs and acupuncture. The doctors told me they couldn’t tell me how that medicine worked, but they knew it would work far better than anything they could give me. I worked with a Traditional Eastern Medicine person during that time who literally helped save my life during that year.
Years before that I had taken a nasty blow from a machete to my upper arm in Central America in the 90’s. It went deep and hit bone. It was field dressed, and two days later I was back State-side. But no matter how much western medicine was packed into it, the wound became infected time and time again and prevented healing. I told the docs to forget it and I would do it myself. They told me I was crazy and if I left their care I would surely lose my arm. In all my training I was taught to field stitch and did so many times. I had the materials for the job as well.
I wrangled up an acupuncturist I knew. Needles were inserted as nerve blocks for the upper arm. The wound was cut open. We poured in warmed raw honey, layered a poultice of yarrow, horsetail and Shepherd’s purse, then packed the exterior with green cambium from the white pine tree, and layered ton of gauze over top, and tied it up. We made strong white pine needle tea with stinging nettle, yarrow leaves and horsetail. I drank 6 cups between the bandaging and the following day. The next day the needles were reinserted, the dressing was removed from the wound. The swelling and redness had greatly diminished. We reapplied the honey, stitched it up, placed a poultice of stinging nettle, yarrow leaves and horsetail again and wrapped it with clean gauze. I drank another 3 cups of that tea each day for a 5 days. The dressing was removed each day and raw honey was smeared on the wound every morning for 5 days as well. On the sixth day no more dressing was applied and it healed up just fine. I’ve a solid scar from the incident of course, but I have many of those…
I returned for work and the docs couldn’t believe it was healed, especially by the method that was employed. I healed myself many times throughout the years from wounds, and all with the natural wisdoms of the natural world.
Old Medicine has limitations, especially today with the amount of deforestation and pollutants. Also one needs to question (if not harvesting yourself), where was it grown, how was it grown, how was it harvested, when was it harvested, who harvested it, how was it processed, how was it packaged, how long has it been sitting on some shelf or in a warehouse? Western Medicine also has its limitations, mainly because the true life essence is missing in the cold hard science. To combine them in balance, honoring and preserving the best of both - what a gift that could be.
