Caer Abred

So then, let's discuss an area of "alternative" medicine that is potentially NOT woo-woo and which Druids would boradly approve of.

I would argue that herbalism, at its best, occupies the hinterland between medicine and food and is NOT woo-woo. If I had a headache, and there were no aspirin available, would I accept an offer of willow-bark? Absolutely! Having said that, if aspirin WERE available I would accept the refined version of the active chemical.

I also think that, although cannabis smoking undoubtedly helps with MS, it would be better if its victims could receive the active ingredient in a refined form that did not need to be smoked.

As a final example, the taking of powdered rhino horn for impotence is an example of herbalism at its very worst.

BUT it cannot be denied that herbs can be medicinal, as long as they are administered at the correct dosage.

Discuss...

rhino horn is not a herb

just thought I'd point that out

Ok on a more broad view, isn't modern medicine really a part of herbalism? i.e. getting bioactive substances, often extracted from plants, or synthesised in imitation of such extractions, and then feding them to people and seeing what happens, and then prescribing them to people based on noted correlations?

simonchadwick wrote:Ok on a more broad view, isn't modern medicine really a part of herbalism? i.e. getting bioactive substances, often extracted from plants, or synthesised in imitation of such extractions, and then feding them to people and seeing what happens, and then prescribing them to people based on noted correlations?

You could arbue that. Only the herbalist movement does seem to focus upon naturally grown, and unrefined, ingredients.

As for your point about Rhino horn: absolutely. but it still a substance one can obtain non-industrially.