In this modern era, it's common to distinguish between herbal medicine and conventional medicine. But not so long ago, conventional medicine was herbal medicine, even in the United States.

If you take a look at an old United States Dispensatory, the standard reference book for pharmacists, from as recently as the early 1900's you'll see that herbal medicine was in widespread use at that time.

Herbal Medicine is primary care

About 80% of the world's population still relies on herbal medicine as part, or all, of their primary health care. This is in part due to lack of access to what we call conventional medicine. But it's also because there are huge areas of in the world where plant medicine continues to be used in an unbroken tradition of accessible, effective healthcare. China and India are some well known examples.

So what happened? If plant medicine is so effective, why is it considered the “alternative” in so many places? Unfortunately, the answer to that question has more to do with money and power than caring for our health.

A Broken Healthcare System

It's no secret that the healthcare system in the United States is broken. Problems ranging from the opioid crisis to the maddening process of navigating health insurance coverage plague what we know as “modern medicine”. Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Don't get me wrong, conventional medicine has achieved amazing things, and it certainly has its place. But there is another way to care for our health as well. One that looks to address the root of health problems, instead of just suppressing symptoms. A way that empowers communities and builds relationships, rather than concentrating power and profit for corporations.

Herbs are Everywhere!

Herbal medicine is about as accessible as it gets. It grows all around us, in the leaves and flowers and roots of the plants nearby. As such, access to it can't easily be controlled or limited. And while conventional medicine can perform some amazing feats, there are just as many conditions that it has no answer or remedy for. I've seen herbs be effective where doctors have thrown up their hands and said there's nothing they can do.

Learning Herbs

Those old US Dispensatories are an example of a materica medica used at the time. Materia Medica is a Latin term that's been in use since at least the first century AD. Its meaning is, more or less, the body of collected knowledge on any substance used for healing. The modern equivalent of these reference books would be covered in a clinical pharmacology class.

In practice, materia medica is an in depth study of the plants that are employed as herbal medicine. All different aspects of the medicinal uses of a plant are covered in a good materia medica course; its ecology (where and how it grows), harvest, preparation, properties, and uses.

A thorough study of materia medica is critical to any type of herbal practice. It provides you with the foundational knowledge needed to work with herbs. Detailed knowledge of medicinal plants, along with an understanding of physiology, and high quality preparations, are the essential building blocks of all herbal medicine.

Studying herbal medicine can be a step towards creating resilience, in our bodies and communities, offering a different way to understand and create health.