HERBOLOGY

Since the dawn of creation, plants have been the primary source of medicine for the human race.

Medicinal plants have been mentioned in the Bible, and in historical literature. Plants that are used as medicines have been referred to as "herbs" for over 4000 years by European and the Mediterranean cultures, hence the word "herb", being a derivation of "herbe" and the Latin word, "herba".

Originally, the term "herb" only applied to non-woody plants.

Today, "herb" refers to any part of any plant used for flavoring or medicine. Although the term "herb" can also be equated with food spices, it is generally used in reference to any plant, or any part of a plant, having nutritional and / or medicinal value(s). Additionally, an "herb" may be a fruit, a bark, a flower, a leaf, or a root, as well as anon-woody plant.

There are several types of herbal medicine systems that are used today; European, Native American, Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbalism are the most prevalent systems. Despite differences in terminology and in the herbs used, there is a common thread that joins these systems: all of these systems treat the body as a 'whole', and they each utilize the energy of plants to 'work as needed' in synergy with the natural energy in each individual.

Because there are many different herbal systems, there are also many different ways of classifying herbs. Some systems being used over the years tend to classify herbs by 'plant part'; by humoral theories; by botanical family; by color; or by morphology. One example is the Chinese system, which has a complex classification system based on 'chi', or 'body energy concepts'. This classification scheme is very successful at correlating the human body to proper herb usage, but does not provide for easy substitution of one herb for another.

There are many other ways to classify herbs. Another simple method is to identify five (5) major herbal categories:

Aromatic (volatile oils)

Astringent (tannins)

Bitter (phenol compounds, saponins and alkaloids)

Mucilaginous (polysaccharides)

Nutritive (food stuffs)

This category system makes it easy to identify herbs using 'taste' and 'smell', and becomes useful when needing to substitute herbs for one another.

There are many ways to grow, gather, and harvest herbs. Herbs are considered the "best" by some practitioners when they are naturally grown in the wild, untouched by industrial pollutants. Others prefer herbs that are cultivated indoors, away from all contaminants, in a controlled environment. Some herbalist's recommend gathering only certain herbs (depending on the seasons, the weather, and the time of day) to achieve the highest level of medicinal qualities. And still others may disregard this practice, and will purposefully plant herbs 'out of season' so that they will be available for sale year round.

Many believe that the energy with which the herbs are gathered is also very important, and should always be done with great spiritual awareness and prayerful thankfulness. And others feel that herbs should be handled with reverence and respect.

In addition to growth and gathering techniques, harvesting practices vary as well. Recommendations may include taking the whole plant at once (buds, roots, seeds, leaves and blooms), or taking each part of the plant in a particular order, and only using younger, or older, plants.

There are also several ways to dispense herbs. The most common methods are herbal pastes, juices, decoctions, hot or cold infusions, powders, pills (tablets, capsules), aromatics, tinctures or extracts (alcohol or glycerol bases), liniments, syrups, poultices and fomentations, medicated oils, salves and ointments, lotions, teas, and whole herbs. Each type is good for specific ailments, and often may be used together (i.e. internally and externally for an external wound) to take full advantage of the healing attributes of each.

All these choices, like others, should be integrated with both your personal external needs and your internal ideals for the best possible results. An experienced herbalist can help you decide which system is right for you. Please be aware that herbs are foods. And like any other food, herbs should be taken in moderation. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for use.

In Chinese medicine herbs are associated with the major organs of the body. For example - certain herbs are used to heal lung ailments and the meridians associated with the lungs. The practioner will always provide the patient with 2 herbs. One is called the guiding herb that gets the healing herb to the right spot. The second herb is the healing herb. Much of this is intuitive - as the body will crave the food, tastes, or herbs that it needs.

In plant spirit medicine the practioner not only administers the healing herb but he has a relationship with the Spirit of the healing plant. He can actually communicate with the spirit of a powerful healing plant to heal the patient. This can be done as a remote healing - with patient and practioner in two different parts of the country. In this case the spirit goes to the patient. According to author and shaman, Eliot Cowan - Plant Spirit Medicine -

"Some people find it difficult to accept the concept of plants communicating with earthlings. Such plant communication can be in the form of a plant speaking directly to an individual, or quite often, an individual seeing a plant spirit. For many, such an occurrence would be outside their boundary of reality. He takes the leaves of a plant to make a tea, and then with different forms of meditation, communicates with the plant to produce a healing for the patient. This is accomplished regardless of whether the disease is physical, mental or both. In my opinion, this in itself would certainly be worth writing about.

"After introductions, the healer asks the plant spirit to teach the Shaman how to use this plant. The teaching comes in many forms that may even including a non-verbal transfer of the information. When the transfer is complete, the shaman then returns to a normal state of consciousness and immediately starts to record the entire experience. Next there follows an interpretation of the dream and as is generally true for dreams, the dream may or may not be self explanatory. As the author states, "If I can make that relationship with the spirit of the plant, I don't need the leaf or the root with which to heal.... instead, I ask the messenger (the plant) to bring the spirit of whatever plant that person needs. So instead of having or harvesting dozens of plants that I have to take with me, I just have pills or capsules made out of the messenger plant."

This ability to communicate with a messenger plant is revolutionary. Presently the practice of wildcrafting is drawing more and more criticism because it encourages the over harvesting of medicinal plants. I am personally aware of "over harvesting" as I witness the identical situation occurring with the medicinal plants of ginseng, and especially goldenseal. Under present circumstances, goldenseal is even now at the point of being an endangered species.

This wonderful ability to communicate with a messenger plant, which in turn eliminates the need of harvesting unnecessary plants, puts Eliot Cowan in a special place in the realm of plant spirit healing. This is an arena which even Cowan admits, "we don't control the spirit or even understand it. Humility is the way."

source for this information:

Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website

CheyFire

Tribal cures for modern ailments

An Amerindian tribe in Surinam has reached a deal with the outside world to allow the collecting of plant samples in their forest for medicinal research.

The agreement comes as pharmaceutical companies are returning to the Earth's forests in their search for new medicines to cure some of mankind's biggest killers, such as Aids, cancer and malaria. This is called bioprospecting.

But randomly collecting plants is not the most effective way to do this.

According to Conservation International, (CI), an American environmental organisation, if plant collectors work alongside the tribe's shaman, or medicine man, they are 50% more likely to find an active compound. They say that over 74% of today's plant-derived medicines were previously used for similar purposes by indigenous people.

On the organisation's first bioprospecting trip with the Trio shaman Amasina, they found two plant species new to western science, and 14 other plants with previously unknown medicinal properties.

Conservation International have now drawn up a contract with the Trio, in the village of Kwamalasamutu, to go plant collecting for five years.

Both parties, as well as the American pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb, are part of the International Co-operative Biodiversity Group (ICBG).

Conservation International have initiated the bioprospecting programme as a way of providing economic alternatives to logging and mining in rainforests, and to help protect biodiversity and indigenous peoples' knowledge of traditional medicine.

Stan Malone, director of CI-Surinam, led a delegation of ICBG representatives to Kwamalasamutu to present the bioprospecting contract to the granman, or chief, of the village.

He explained every aspect of the agreement through an interpreter, using pictures and diagrams to show the process of drug development from shaman to pharmaceutical company.

He is concerned that these tribes might not fully comprehend the implications of these agreements because their outlook on life is so different, and that there is no clear international legal framework to protect their rights in the long-term. He also doubts whether indigenous communities necessarily have the right to surrender plants that might grow in other countries too.

Traditional application of herbal cure

The Trio tribe were converted to Christianity by American missionaries in the 60s, but their lifestyle is still traditional. They hunt, fish, and tend small plantations.

Their staple food is cassava, from which they make cassava bread and brew kasiri, cassava beer.

They have access to western medicine at the government-run clinic, but if that fails then they turn to the shaman.

Improved collection with local shaman

There are very few shamen left in the village. In order to keep the knowledge alive two have started teaching basic plant knowledge in the village school.

According to Amasina "the children want to learn about plant medicine because they want to be able to cure people, but of course the money makes sense to them too, they want to profit from the knowledge".

This village barely has enough electricity and running water at the moment, and they rely on the Surinam Government for goods such as fuel.

They say they want development, by which they usually mean western luxury goods such as refrigerators and televisions. The children love Nike sports clothes and trainers.

The bioprospecting agreement they have signed could potentially provide these things. However they are coming to realise that they must preserve the ancient knowledge they cultivated in the past in order to change their lives in the future.

source for this information:

Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website

CheyFire

The Wolves are Surviving

Michigan Wolf Population Said Established

By JOHN FLESHER
.c The Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - The surging gray wolf population in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has exceeded 200 for the fifth consecutive year, a milestone that likely will bump the animal from the endangered species list.

Once virtually extinct in Michigan, the wolf is continuing a remarkable comeback that began in 1989 when three of the animals established a territory in the western Upper Peninsula, the Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.

The estimated population rose during the last year from 321 to more than 360, the agency said. Department biologists produce a yearly census using techniques such as tracking, aerial observations and monitoring wolves fitted with radio collars.

Keeping the population above 200 for five years in a row means the population has reached the state recovery goal, said Pet Lederle, supervisor of the department's research and technology section.

The wolf's status already has been downgraded from ``endangered,'' meaning on the brink of extinction, to ``threatened,'' the next level of severity.

The U.S. Forest Service is expected next month to propose removing the wolf from the list, a process that would require hearings. Once it is completed, the natural resources department would do likewise on the state level, Lederle said.

Once that happens, the wolf population would be overseen by department managers.

Killing or otherwise harming wolves would remain illegal, although the department might destroy those that repeatedly attack cattle or cause other serious problems.

The agency last year killed four members of a pack in the eastern Upper Peninsula that continually went after livestock, Lederle said.

``As the population increases, the likelihood that we'd have to take that type of measure also increases,'' he said. ``But I still think it would be pretty rare.''

CheyFire

What is a Medicine Walk?

What is a Medicine Walk?

In Native American Tradition, Medicine is anything that will aid the seeker in feeling more connected and in harmony with nature and all life-forms. Anything that is healing to the body, mind and/or spirit is Medicine.

To find a special Medicine that would give answers for a personal challenge or problem our Ancestors would often walk in the forests or on the mesas to observe the portents or signs that would assist them in healing and seeking wisdom.

The Medicine Walk was a way to re-establish the link to the Allies, or Medicine Helpers. A Medicine Walk is still possible in today’s busy world if the seeker knows how to read nature’s signs.

Intuition allows us to maintain Earth-connection through understanding the languages of the Planetary Family. Power is no more than our gifts and abilities and can never be stripped from us by another. It is time for each seeker to acknowledge and use those talents.

For centuries the Red people have used the omens of nature to arrive at the decisions of entire Nations. All living creatures have their own Medicine messages to share with those who are willing to learn the language.

Hail-lo-way-ain, the Language of Love in the Seneca tongue is the way that All Our Relations speak to us. Through Hail-lo-way-ain, our hearts can feel the answers received on a Medicine Walk and healing can then proceed.

Two-leggeds (humans) are the only creatures in our world who do not out of gratitude return to Great Mystery the love they have received. The Language of Love can be understood when compassion and mutual respect are allowed to come full circle and are redistributed among those who share our world.

To send love to a beautiful sunset, to a willow tree, to a circling hawk, by admiring the beauty of each, is one way to begin. Every fellow Creature-being or life-form is a teacher and a potential friend.

Each teacher in nature holds a deep abiding love for Great Mystery and will impart messages to those who seek the mysteries of the Void. The unknown is made up of those lessons that instruct us in our roles within Creation as well as the roles others play.

To understand these messages is to become one with the Creature-beings of nature. To seek the peace of the Standing people (trees), to acknowledge the sacredness of all life-forms, and to find harmony with each living thing is to gain respect for Self as a Guardian of our Earth Mother.

The basic premise of this understanding is to acknowledge the Uniworld. The Uniworld is the Universal Family of Creation. The Earth is our mother, the Sky is our father, our grandparents are Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon.

Our Brothers and Sisters are the Stone People, the Standing People, the Creature-beings, the Plant People, and other Two-legged. We are never alone. When our human family is separated or moves onto the Blue Road of Spirit through physical death, we have nothing to grieve if we remain connected to the universal Family of Creation.

The Medicine Walk is one way of reclaiming those connections.

In our modern world, the understanding of the Language of Love, Hail-lo-way-ain, can be understood only through an open heart, for it is a way of living life rather than a system to be mastered.

We must be willing to use the feelings and the inner senses to ~hear~ the tender teaching of our fellow life forms.

Imagine walking through your favourite forest, rolling hills, open mesa, or green valley. See yourself surrounded by those creatures who are your Totems, or favourite animals.

Notice which direction the wind is blowing. Look to the Cloud People; do they take the form of faces or animals? Feel the warmth of the Earth Mother nurturing you in her gentle arms.

Look at Grandfather Sun, see how his light plays uponthe Earth Mother. Taste the breeze and drink in the promise of rain. Respect and admire all that surrounds you. In this way, you are ready for the Language of Love to penetrate your senses in the silence of a quiet heart and mind.

Each flower or rock can be your teacher. They wait to be acknowledged by you as you walk through the land you share. The Medicine they hold is freely and abundantly given, if you allow yourself to feel it.

The wind is the forerunner of any lesson, for all spirit comes on the Wind. If it comes from the South, it is offering a teaching on faith, trust, innocence, humility, or the child within.

If Wind blows from the West, it offers lessons on inner-knowing, seeking answers or goals through introspection.

When Wind blows from the North, it beckons you to be grateful and to know the wisdom being offered as well as acknowledging the wisdom you hold personally.

The East Wind brings breakthroughs, new ideas, and freedom through illumination. The East Wind will assist you in casting aide doubts, or darkness by opening the Golden Door that leads to new levels of Understanding.

Once we understand which type of lesson is coming our way on our Medicine Walk, we can then proceed by noticing which Allies call to us. When something catches our eye, it has called our attention and is speaking to us through the Language of Love.

In caring for that messenger we establish a link that will allow the message to be received. In observing each medicine Helper, whether it be Dragonfly or Ponderosa, Pine, Petroglyph or Stone person, we learn the lessons of nature.

All that is necessary from the seeker is an open feeling heart, a desire to learn, and a willingness to feel the Language of Love.

The Native way of life can bring a change in consciousness that opens new doors of expression and expansion. To understand the Red People is to reach out to another culture and share the beauty of our common paths. In doing so, we trust that our common goal will be attained; peace, truth and healing for Mother Earth’s children.

When the Children of Earth are healed, we may welcome the Rainbow of Peace into our hearts and trust that each medicine Walk on the Sacred Path will bring new connections and Good medicine that can be shared. In this way, we become the living prophecy of the Fifth World of Peace.

Walk in Beauty always ..from the site SeaWolf's Haven

http://www.btinternet.com/~seamaid/Seawolf.htm

CheyFire