Plants versus Pills for Healing

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Since the beginning of time humans used plants for healing along with the elements of the Earth. It has been said that the way people knew which plants were used for which ailment was through the plants communicating with humans.

Many tribes and shamans I have met in the Amazon share that they have known which plants to use for what because it was passed down through the generations and also because the plants speak to them and tell them what they are best used for.

Now-a-days we would say just shamans have this capacity to communicate with plants but the truth is that all people do. The more in tune you become with energy and nature, the easier it is to perceive subtle energies and this includes the energies of plants.

The medicines of the Earth are plants and that’s all humans knew in terms of curing their ailments since the beginning of time. People made salves, tea, tinctures or bathed with plants as a way to cure. It wasn’t until a couple of hundred years ago with the invention of western medicine that pills and other prescription medications came to be. The use of plants for healing has not been lost. There still exist resources and sources online that share natural plant remedy options for various ailments and conditions.

Though now western medication takes precedence over plants, but the truth is, many formulas have plant derivatives or isolates that have been recreated in laboratories. The issue with this, is that the checks and balances that naturally exist in a plant are lost when we isolate the parts, hence why with pills there are side effects, but with plants, it is rare to see side effects. It is almost impossible to overdose on a plant for example, but with prescription medication you can absolutely overdose.

At another time in my life I was a medical doctor, and after going through the system and learning those practices, I chose to veer from the traditional western medicine route for the natural plant remedies. I very rarely take prescription medication and I always opt first for the natural plant remedy path and then if after two weeks I do not see an improvement or resolution, then I will try for the prescription medication route. In the last seven years, that has been only twice.

You may consider using plant remedies for yourself the next time you find yourself with a cold coming on choosing high dose vitamin C powders like Camu Camu, oregano oil, echinacea tea, lemon and ginger tea as well too. This is just one example of how natural remedies can be the front line. We would see a massive shift that is more sustainable in the healthcare system if there was an effort to choose affordable plant remedies as the first choice prescriptions among doctors.

This is also an important shift needed during this time to return to our connection to Earth and the intelligence of plants because they are our allies to regenerate the Earth.