The Power of Herbs
Herbs are plants that have acquired some inherent value to humans (Keller, xiii). Three values that are relevant to this report are edibility, medicinal property, and toxicity. All plants have the potential to fall into the one or all of these categories.
Contrary to popular belief, the study of plants is not a pseudo-science. This belief perpetuates the idea that herbs need not be taken seriously. The study of herbs as a science, herbalism, safeguards human safety when using these plants.
Modern rules of herbalism draw upon many cultures that have used herbs for thousands of years. The first rule is that you only put in your mouth what you can positively identify. In many of the stories we have read, people were given concoctions that they could not identify. Drinking potions of unknown substances is dangerous and should never be done. Also, it is not true that if an animal eats a plant humans can too. Taste and smell of a plant are not reliable indicators of edibility. Also, one part of a plant may be useful and other parts deadly. These rules should always be followed today concerning the use of herbs, or the effects may be fatal.
Every piece of plant matter that humans eat is part of an herb. Common herbs found in a grocery store include potatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, corn, basil etc. The main values in these herbs are dietary and digestive. Many essential nutrients and vitamins are found in herbs that are not available in meat or dairy products. Although the herbs listed above are in common use, it took hundreds of years to form them into their genetically improved form from the wild plant. Wild corn, potatoes and carrots look very different from their grocery store counterparts, but t...
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...be mentioned to warn against poisoning. Although there are edible mushrooms, like herbs, there are many look-a-likes that are deadly. Always be absolutely sure what you are taking, which means you must positively identify it yourself.
Works Cited
AP. "5 Schenectady Teens Treated After Eating Toxic Plant." Star Gazette 12 Dec. 1997: A2.
Elliot, Doug. Wild Roots: A Foragers Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Roots. Tubers. Corms. and Rhizomes of North America. Rochester: Healing Arts Press, 1995.
Foster, Steven, and Duke, James A. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants. New York: Houghton Mifflin, l990.
Keller, Mitzie Stuart. Mysterious Herbs & Roots: Ancient Secrets for Beautie. Health. Magick, Prevention and Youth. Culver City: Peace Press, 1978.
Scanlon, Matt. "Pursuits of Happiness and the 'Miracle Herb.'" Mother Earth News. Nov. 1997: 44, 46, 68.
The main characters, the Hmongs, are a culture of refugee families that supported CIA efforts in Laos. Their culture embeds deep spirituality into its health care, by the doctors of the Merced County hospital. The notion that herbs were strictly to heal the spirit was of course a source of contention for the physicians of the hospital, though nurses might feel that the symbolic effect alone is worth seizing. In other words, whether the physicians ...
Mathews, Holly F. "Introduction: A Regional Approach and Multidisciplinary Persepctive." Herbal and Magical Medicine: Traditional Healing Today. Ed. James Kirkland, Holly F. Mathews, C. W. Sullivan, III, and Karen Baldwin. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 1-13. Print.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. “Wicca.” The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft & Wicca. 3rd ed. 2012. Print.
The Crowning of Flora. 1816. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Brief Third ed. Vol. One. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 274. Print.
Kermani, Zohreh. “Don’t Eat The Incense; Children’s Participation In Contemporary Pagan Practice.” Pomegranate 11.2 (2009): 181-196. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2014
on herbal folk remedies used by Aztec women. It was found that some of herbs they were using
The major use for herbal medicines is for the promotion of health and for therapy for chronic conditions, instead of being used for life-threatening conditions; except in the event of say advanced cancer or new infectious diseases when conventional medicine practices no longer are working an individual may use traditional remedies. While traditional medicines are often mistaken that because they are natural that they are safe, non-toxic, which is not always the case. In cases when an individual is taking herbs with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or other herbs that may cause some adverse side affects. As a flourishing commercial enterprise, it doesn’t matter why an individual uses traditional medicines, it provides important health care services for individuals that have access physically or finantually to allopathic
Also in the scene is Iago, who receives Desdemona’s stolen handkerchief from Emilia. Emilia does not have very strong feelings of love for Iago, and her desire to please Iago may be simply to appease him, or perhaps to gain his approval. Compared to the perfect, “ideal” relationship that Desdemona and Othello display in beginning of the play, Emilia and Iago’s marriage is very much flawed and bland. He constantly degrades her, and that is what causes Emilia to seek for his approval.
Emilia, one of only three female characters in Shakespeare’s Othello, plays a vital role both thematically and in the advancement of the play’s plot. Although her blind loyalty to her husband turns the wheels of this tragedy, it is not a static quality throughout it. When examining the gender roles in the world of this play, the change in Emilia’s allegiances, which determine her actions, reveals the divergence between duty and integrity for women. Throughout most of the play, Emilia is loyal to a fault. She remains subservient to Iago until her duty to him causes her to betray the one she has to her friend and mistress, Desdemona. After becoming cognizant of her involvement in Iago’s villainy, Emilia abandons all loyalty she previously held to patriarchal forces and is motivated exclusively by morality and dedication to Desdemona.
Bacon, Elizabeth E. “Witchcraft.” Encyclopedia Americana. Volume 29. Pages 83 – 84. Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1999.
The Yellow Wallpaper, Written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is comprised as an assortment of journal entries written in first person, by a woman who has been confined to a room by her physician husband who he believes suffers a temporary nervous depression, when she is actually suffering from postpartum depression. He prescribes her a “rest cure”. The woman remains anonymous throughout the story. She becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper that surrounds her in the room, and engages in some outrageous imaginations towards the wallpaper. Gilman’s story depicts women’s struggle of independence and individuality at the rise of feminism, as well as a reflection of her own life and experiences.
First, in order to defend Desdemona's chastity, Emilia challenges the societal norm of silence. Recall the incident when Othello calls Desdemona a "whore" for cheating. In response, Emilia protests loudly against Othello and attempts to disprove his belief that Desdemona is not chaste: "A halter pardon him [Othello]! And hell gnaw his bones! / Why should he call her [Desdemona] whore? (4.2. 143,144). Instead of Emilia conforming to the attribute of Renaissance women as silent, she condemns Othello for his false accusations against her mistress, Desdemona. Later in the play, after finding Desdemona killed, Emilia challenges silence again: "As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed-... / The Moor hath killed my mistress!" (5.2. 171,174). Although Othello tells Emilia that it would be "best" for her to remain silent, she ignores his request and ridicules him for killing "sweet" Desdemona (5.2. 169).
In addition to the hallucinogenic plants used by primitive peoples, numerous other species containing biodynamic principles are known to exist. Many are common household varieties like catnip, cinnamon, and ginger. No reliable studies have been made of the hallucinogenic properties of such plants. Some of the effects reported may have been imaginary; other reports may be outright hoaxes. Nevertheless, many of these plants do have a chemistry theoretically capable of producing hallucinations. Experimentation continues with plants, common and uncommon, known or suspected to be hallucinogenic, and new ones are continually being discovered.
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997)
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.