Re: Herbs - some thoughts and questions for Hv

Hv,

Wow!!!! Thank you!!!!

I'm going to save your post and keep re-reading it. It'll take a while to absorb it all. You went way above and beyond what I expected.

A couple of things that you said stood out -

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"For example, the Chinese have the oldest medical system in the world, about 5,000 years old. And even they were aware of the potential dangers of natural medicines, which is why they tested these everything on thousands of prisoners before they gave these substances to the Emperor for one. Did they just give Chinese foxglove to the Emperor? Of course not. They learned that if they boil the root in 9 changes of water though that they could remove the poisonous compounds from the herb. And the Native Americans also used many herbs that are considered quite poisonous such as false hellbore and daturas. But again they knew these plants were poisonous and learned how to use them properly."
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I totally agree. With the Native Americans, I think that a lot of their history of herbal use was lost when their culture was virtually obliterated. Plus they didn't have printing presses, so I'd think that most of the info was passed on verbally.

They had no labs and didn't know the chemistry and yet somehow I think that they (and other ancient peoples) knew of things that the modern scientist today hasn't yet figured out ... I agree that we have to keep up with new knowledge, but I also think that what modern Science (which is a relatively new discipline) knows is the tip of the iceberg.

I think that no one totally understands how the body works. Along with my intuition (haven't won the lottery yet LOL), I also use common sense and I've learned to look at people's motives when they recommend things, plus I look closely at the source of the info. Of course, I also self-experiment and take note of how I feel. For example, I've done phenomenally well with The Master Cleanse and also with orange juice fasting. But getting back to looking at the quality of advice a person is giving - for example, Dr. Schulze . Well, I tried some of his products and found them to be way over-priced and then I got to thinking that he's bald and looks to be overweight. I know none of us are perfect, we all fail to quit all our destructive habits, but when someone makes a living from selling herbs, I expect them to walk the walk - an unrealistic expectation, perhaps. So I wonder, if he's so good and he knows so much about health, why is he bald and grey and why is he overweight? Not to pick on him though - it's similar to medical staff - I've heard that many, many doctors and nurses smoke and then lecture their patients not to.

Which leads me to another point you made:

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"Granted it is not an easy thing to do, which is probably why nobody ever asks me twice about apprenticing under me after I tell them that. But if people are not willing to put in the commitment to learning these things then they really should not be fooling with people's health in my opinion."
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I avoid giving other people health advice because I'm smart enough to know how much I don't know. Have you heard the expression "the more I know, the more I know I don't know"? I think Curezone would be a better place if more people would admit what they don't know and stick with sharing their own experiences. (**I'm not talking about you here Hv, it's very rare to find someone like yourself"**). I don't trust testimonials, LOL, anyone can write whatever they want to sell a product.

I've never believed that all the "home remedies" are safe and good, but I know that certain foods like garlic and onions can pack a powerful punch! And I know that there's a reason why herbs like basil and oregano have been with certain foods for many years. I have a vested interest in learning these things because I haven't been to a doctor or taken any pharmaceutical drugs in years.

Re Harry Hoxsey and the horse - I knew that he wasn't the one who watched the horse get well, my main point being that in this case, the horse healed itself and there were no studies and no labs. This fascinates me, kind of like birds migrating and knowing where and when to go. There are forces and mysteries in nature. I'm not knocking studies, I tend to be skeptical of them and don't know the motives and the quality of the methods of the people who conducted them, or even the quality of the herbs and how they were prepared, etc. I like your multi-faceted approach because you look at the chemistry + the studies + historical uses of the herbs + quality herbal books.

I did well in university Organic Chem and Biochemistry and Physiology and Nutrition (always knew they were lying to me in my Nutrition courses -what a joke) but it was years ago. Do I want to put in the time and effort into studying herbs and chemistry while also working full-time? I'll need to give it some thought. I'm fed up with the many scheisters out there who are taking advantage of people who've already been failed by the medical system. It's almost worse than what doctors do because these people are desperate and often naive.

Again, thank you so much for the time and thought you put into your post,

Mira

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