Herbal medicine overview
In times like these, when the world is in the grips of a pandemic and modern science has not worked out any solution to beat this virus, many of us are looking for some instant healing solution in an ancient medicine book.
Let me present options available from ancient medicinal knowledge that we can use in today’s times of global health emergency.
Ancient medicine systems from Ayurveda, TCM, Tibetan Medicine, Unani, and folk medicine from different parts of the world relied on nature for healing and healthcare.
Emphasis was laid on lifestyle. This included fresh food obtained from natural sources. Meals were a combination of fruit, vegetables, dairy, herbs, and spices. They were considered holistic, healing, and ideal if they had five tastes- sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and bland. All these came from nature.
Meat and even spices were a luxury for the elite, which the common people could not afford. Everything was organic as conventional food as we know it today is just a century old.
In modern scientific terms, food should be rich in antioxidants (green, red, and yellow-colored fruit and vegetables), probiotic bacteria (yogurt, leavened food, etc.), nature-based antibiotics like turmeric, basil, holy basil, mint, etc., food has to be fresh and organic.
Yoga, tai chi, qi gong, meditation, and exercise were integrated into an individual’s routine. This helped strengthen the physical and mental defense system of our body.
Some systems like Ayurveda sought to refine this simple lifestyle-based recommendation further by aligning it to individual personalities (Prakriti and dosha). The Chinese talked about the human body’s alignment with the cosmos, while the ancient Ayurveda philosophers emphasized chants and mantras. In modern terms, we would define these as psychotherapeutic interventions to combat disease.
This was a time of integrated medicine with an emphasis on preventive healthcare. Herbal medicine was integral to this thinking, but its role was primarily prophylactic.
Until humans find the answer to Covid 19, the option available lies in this combination of prophylactic medication and an integrated lifestyle.
If you are interested in knowing more about nature-based healthcare systems, you can take your pick from the selection here.