{"id":426,"date":"2024-05-31T11:25:45","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T11:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/?p=426"},"modified":"2024-05-31T11:25:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T11:25:45","slug":"the-herbalists-manifesto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html","title":{"rendered":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#Introduction_Mother_Nature_and_Gods_Green_Herbs\" >Introduction: Mother Nature and God\u2019s Green Herbs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#We_Work_With_Nature_and_Not_Against_It\" >We Work With Nature and Not Against It<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#Food_and_Herbs_Natural_Partners_in_the_Healing_Process\" >Food and Herbs: Natural Partners in the Healing Process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#Herbs_and_Biological_Intelligence\" >Herbs and Biological Intelligence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#Herbs_and_Herbal_Superfoods_as_the_Fifth_Major_Food_Group\" >Herbs and Herbal Superfoods as the Fifth Major Food Group<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\/#A_Final_Caveat_or_Disclaimer\" >A Final Caveat or Disclaimer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction_Mother_Nature_and_Gods_Green_Herbs\"><\/span><strong>Introduction: Mother Nature and God\u2019s Green Herbs<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Of all the things in my life that have supported me, I would rank herbs and herbal medicine as far and away the best.\u00a0 Although I have found many other things in my life to be wonderful, and a source of solace, support and inspiration, nothing comes close to herbal medicine and God\u2019s Green Herbs.\u00a0 Other things have helped me in many different ways, but when it comes to their practical benefit in healing and improving one\u2019s overall health and quality of life, nothing comes close to God\u2019s green herbs.\u00a0 Herbs and herbal medicine are a way of life for me, and they are also a spiritual path as well.\u00a0 Christians quote the Gospel of John in saying that \u201cFor God so loved the world that he sent his Only Begotten Son\u2026\u201d\u00a0 You could also just as well say, \u201cFor God so loved the world that he sent, or created healing herbs for the use of man.\u201d\u00a0 I believe that the Prophet Mohammad once said that God did not create any disease for which he did not also create the cure (in medicinal herbs and other natural substances).\u00a0 I am so grateful to God for His medicinal herbs, which have healed and helped me on so many different occasions.\u00a0 And I am also grateful for the opportunities I have been given to heal others with medicinal herbs.<\/p>\n<p>The idea for this blog posting kind of grew out of the last blog posting I did.\u00a0 Although I felt that I should have written about the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and natural herbs in my last blog posting, it was not happening; I felt that I needed to finish up the blog posting for the sake of conciseness and brevity, and writing about the main differences between herbs and pharmaceutical drugs just did not fit into that blog posting as it developed.\u00a0 And so, in this blog posting, I will dwell mainly on those differences, and in doing so, my aim is also to write a kind of herbalist\u2019s mission statement or manifesto, if you will.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_Work_With_Nature_and_Not_Against_It\"><\/span><strong>We Work <em>With <\/em>Nature and Not Against It<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When I was studying music as an undergraduate student in college, I was majoring in voice, and my voice teacher adhered to the old Italian <em>Bel Canto <\/em>school of voice teaching.\u00a0 I remember vividly one afternoon in my voice lesson when he was explaining how the voice grows naturally under his <em>Bel Canto <\/em>training, and during the course of that discourse, he said: \u201cWe work <em>with <\/em>Nature and not against it.\u201d\u00a0 Although he was talking about how his vocal coaching methods bring out and cultivate the pupil\u2019s natural singing voice, the same phrase could also be used as the herbalist\u2019s guiding maxim:\u00a0 We work <em>with <\/em>Nature and not against it.\u00a0 My voice teacher in college, quite interestingly enough, was the one who first introduced me to medicinal herbs.\u00a0 We would sip on Fenugreek tea as we practiced our vocal scales and exercises, and Fenugreek seed, being an expectorant, would dislodge the phlegm in our nose and sinuses; and so, my voice teacher always kept a large box of Kleenex on the piano, and as we hit the high notes, the phlegm would be released.\u00a0 Interestingly and coincidentally enough, Fenugreek seed, also known as Greek Hay Seed, is an important herb in Greek Medicine; Hippocrates used it in many ways, including as a nutritive tonic to help those who were recovering from long and debilitating respiratory illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>Hippocrates instructed all his students that the ideal physician must always work as a servant of Nature, helping Her whenever they could, and helping the human organism, or <em>physis, <\/em>do what it was trying to accomplish in the healing process.\u00a0 As a whole, most medicinal herbs also work with Nature and not against it, mainly by enhancing the power and efficiency of natural bodily functions like digestion, circulation, respiration, immunity and so on, and thereby helping the body to function better.\u00a0 On the other hand, many, if not most, pharmaceutical drugs work in a negative manner, by blocking some metabolic channel or receptor site in a cell membrane in order to achieve their effects.\u00a0 This working in a negative manner to achieve their various actions and effects can be seen as working against Nature, and not with it.\u00a0 In Life we are always taught to accentuate the positive and diminish or downplay the negative, so doesn\u2019t it make sense that, whenever possible, we should be working <em>with <\/em>Nature by using medicinal herbs?<\/p>\n<p>There are a few other important ways in which herbs work <em>with <\/em>Nature, and not against it, and to understand these ways, we must understand what Greek Medicine calls the Natural Faculty, which is the faculty that governs digestion and metabolism, nutrition and growth.\u00a0 In short, you could say that herbs work <em>with <\/em>the Natural Faculty, whereas most pharmaceutical drugs don\u2019t.\u00a0 Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of this is that most medicinal herbs are very friendly to the stomach, liver and other digestive organs of the Natural Faculty, whereas most pharmaceutical drugs aren\u2019t and have to be taken with food in order to buffer their harsh or negative effects on the stomach and other digestive organs.\u00a0 With medicinal herbs, whether you take them with meals, or between meals on an empty stomach, usually depends more on what you are taking the herb or herbal medicine for.\u00a0 For cleansing and elimination, and to target the pelvic organs, it is usually better to take herbs or herbal medicines on an empty stomach, or between meals.\u00a0 For tonics and restoratives, it is usually best to take herbs or herbal medicines about an hour or two after eating, and for herbs that help with digestion, right after you eat.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of nutrition and growth, herbs, being natural substances, often contain vital nutrients that pharmaceutical drugs lack.\u00a0 In fact, to the contrary, many, if not most, pharmaceutical drugs actually deplete one or more vital nutrients with their continued use.\u00a0 Many know that Statin drugs deplete the vital heart nutrient, coenzyme Q10, for example; and that Metformin, the diabetes drug, depletes vitamin B12.\u00a0 And so, most holistically minded physicians will tell their patients to take supplemental CoQ10 if they are taking Statin drugs, or B12 if they are taking Metformin.\u00a0 When I was a translator of books and magazine articles from Japanese into English regarding <em>Kampo Yaku, <\/em>which is what the Japanese call Chinese herbal medicine, they were in the habit of frequently translating medicinal herbs as \u201ccrude drugs\u201d, a phrase that I felt carried significant negative baggage and connotations in English.\u00a0 Instead of \u201ccrude drugs\u201d, I felt that \u201cnatural, unrefined drugs\u201d was more positive and accurate.\u00a0 Many pharmaceutical drugs have been derived from \u201ccrude\u201d herbal drugs, and usually by extracting and concentrating what was identified as the active ingredient to the exclusion of everything\u00a0 else that Nature put into the whole herb, which often has the net effect of making the body\u2019s metabolism and use of that drug more balanced and wholesome, and often free of negative or debilitating side effects.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Food_and_Herbs_Natural_Partners_in_the_Healing_Process\"><\/span><strong>Food and Herbs: Natural Partners in the Healing Process<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>This discussion of the differences between herbs and pharmaceutical drugs when it comes to vital nutrients and their nutritive virtues brings me, of course to that most famous saying of Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine: <em>Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.\u00a0 <\/em>Herbalists are fond of saying that no pharmaceutical drug can build your body up \u2013 at least not directly \u2013 because they are devoid of vital nutrients, and often deplete them.\u00a0 In other words, Prozac might make you feel real good, but your body can never suffer from a Prozac deficiency, because Prozac is not a vital nutrient that your body actually needs.\u00a0 Many medicinal herbs are rich in vital nutrients that the body needs, and many of these herbs are often called tonics or restoratives, because they restore the vital and nutritional status of the human organism.\u00a0 In fact, herbs and herbal medicines can be seen on a polarity or continuum, as bridging the gap between food and medicine.\u00a0 On the bottom end of this spectrum are herbs that are quite strong or harsh in their medicinal effects, but whose vital or nutritive virtues are modest, or even lacking, whereas at the upper end of this spectrum are your tonic and restorative herbs, which are rich in vital nutrient substances.\u00a0 In Chinese herbal medicine, the former are called inferior quality medicines, whereas the latter are called superior quality medicines.\u00a0 With this perspective on, and prioritization of, herbs and herbal medicines, Chinese herbal medicine has distinguished itself as a therapeutic system that places great value on tonics and restoratives to strengthen both the nutritive status as well as the vital forces and recuperative powers of the organism.<\/p>\n<p>What exactly <em>is <\/em>a tonic herb?\u00a0 To answer this question, we need to accept and acknowledge another key difference between medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical drugs, that the latter are refined, purified substances, often consisting of only a single molecule, whereas herbs are complex natural substances, usually consisting not only of substance(s) that have been identified as the active ingredient(s) but also other natural substances that help the body process or metabolize these active ingredients and utilize them in a more wholesome and balanced manner.\u00a0 Another way to look at this difference is that pharmaceutical drugs are essentially single chemical compounds that have been refined and extracted, or synthesized in a laboratory, to produce single, simple medicinal effects, usually targeting a single condition or medical disorder, whereas herbs, like people, usually have complex, multidimensional therapeutic profiles or personalities that can be helpful in treating multiple conditions, or in bringing multiple facets or aspects of the human organism back into balance.\u00a0 And so, many tonic herbs, as their name implies, are good at giving the body, or one or more of its organs or organ systems, a \u201ctuneup\u201d or adjustment, to bring the body back into alignment or balance.<\/p>\n<p>In the Chinese view of things, tonic herbs are called <em>Bu Yao, <\/em>or \u201csupplementing medicines\u201d; this definition aligns most closely with the Western herbal concept of tonics as restoratives \u2013 as restoring vital substances or functions of the body that have become deficient or depleted.\u00a0 Most obviously, in this function, herbs and herbal medicines can be quite good at treating the chronic deficiency conditions and degenerative disorders that usually accompany the aging process.\u00a0 So \u2013 what\u2019s the difference between tonic herbs or restoratives and vitamin supplements?\u00a0 The basic difference between the two is highlighted by anyone who has had the experience of taking their vitamin pills in the morning, only to have their vital nutrient substances excreted out of the body in the form of bright yellow urine at mid-day.\u00a0 Aw shucks \u2013 the nutrients in those vitamin pills had only a brief stay in the body, but hopefully, they did some good while they were in there!\u00a0 Tonic and restorative herbs, being natural, whole substances, have their vital nutrients and nutritive constituents being retained and assimilated by the body on a more stable and permanent basis.\u00a0 Many tonic or restorative herbs have become known as herbal superfoods and, being nutrient dense yet whole natural food substances, are assimilated and retained by the human organism in a more stable and permanent manner.<\/p>\n<p>Although both foods and medicinal herbs have their vital nutrient constituents, it could be said that the nutritive properties and virtues of whole foods are more generalized and non-specific, broadly speaking, whereas the nutritive properties and virtues of herbs are more specifically focused on certain organs or organ systems of the body.\u00a0 In fact, one could draw a little diagram of the human body with arrows to certain organs and body parts, connected with the names of the different herbs that are tonic or restorative to those organs or body parts.\u00a0 Let me see:\u00a0 You have Hawthorn berries for the heart, Chamomile for the stomach, Milk Thistle for the liver, and Eyebright for the eyes, of course \u2013 and ladies, let\u2019s not forget Rose petals to soften, moisturize and beautify the skin!\u00a0 Accordingly, Hawthorn berries would be classified as a Cardio-tonic, while Chamomile would be classified as a Stomachic, Milk Thistle as a Hepato-protector, and so on\u2026\u00a0 In herbal medicine, it is recognized that medicinal herbs have definite affinities for certain parts, organs or organ systems of the human body, to strengthen and fortify them in the body\u2019s fight against illness and infirmity.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Herbs_and_Biological_Intelligence\"><\/span><strong>Herbs and Biological Intelligence<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Dr. Vasant Lad, one of America\u2019s leading teachers and authorities on traditional Indian Ayurvedic Medicine, was fond of telling us that herbs have an inherent biological intelligence contained within them.\u00a0 In other words, medicinal herbs, being plants or living substances, have <em>Prana, <\/em>or the Life Force, inherent within them, and since living organisms display a phenomenal level of complexity in their structure and function, they have biological intelligence inherent within them, which generates this amazing complexity.\u00a0 Pharmaceutical drugs, on the other hand, are essentially dead, lifeless chemical compounds that have no biological intelligence inherent within them \u2013 you might also call them \u201cdumb medicines\u201d; although many of them are very powerful and potent, they work in one direction only, and their selection and dosage must be carefully monitored by the prescribing physician in order to avoid a medical crisis or emergency, or even death.<\/p>\n<p>As we have seen previously, herbs, as natural substances, are more friendly to the Natural Faculty \u2013 in other words, the digestive, metabolic and nutritive organs and functions of the body.\u00a0 And also, in contrast to pharmaceutical drugs, their therapeutic actions and effects tend to be more moderate and balanced, and therefore, often very useful in helping the human organism regain balance, or homeostasis.\u00a0 Of course, there are times when decisive, drastic and even life saving intervention in crisis situations is needed, but in many, if not most, non-crisis situations, the use of medicinal herbs and herbal medicines may be preferable to that of pharmaceutical drugs.\u00a0 This opposite yet complementary nature of herbs and herbal medicines versus pharmaceutical drugs emphasizes the vital need for a truly integrative approach to medicine and healthcare.<\/p>\n<p>One very important way in which medicinal herbs display or manifest biological intelligence is that many herbs are bidirectional, or <em>amphoteric, <\/em>in nature, with a net effect of balancing or optimizing key bodily functions.\u00a0 For example, modern drugs to lower blood pressure, although quite powerful in doing so, work in one direction only \u2013 to lower blood pressure \u2013 and their selection and dosage must be monitored carefully by the physician in order to get the blood pressure just right, and to avoid the other extreme of low blood pressure, which can be just as dangerous.\u00a0 Garlic, on the other hand, is an herb that has an amphoteric or moderating \/ balancing effect on blood pressure, which tends to lower it if it is too high, and raise it moderately if it is too low.\u00a0 One of the most important areas in which the bidirectional or amphoteric healing properties of medicinal herbs come into play is in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.\u00a0 Being brainwashed by all the ads for pharmaceutical drugs on TV, most people think that you have to sacrifice your immunity and your ability to fight infections in order to treat autoimmune diseases \u2013 with pharmaceutical drugs, this is definitely the case, since they work in one direction only, to lower or suppress a hyperactive immune response.\u00a0 But certain medicinal herbs are recognized as being <em>immuno-modulatory, <\/em>in that their net effect is to heal and balance the immune system by reducing negative allergic and autoimmune responses while benefiting and strengthening the natural, righteous immunity of the organism.<\/p>\n<p>This is another HUGE benefit of medicinal herbs and herbal medicine that I want to shout from the rooftops:\u00a0 <em>You don\u2019t have to sacrifice your natural, God-given immunity to treat autoimmune diseases!\u00a0 You can heal and balance the immune system, and the immune response, naturally with medicinal herbs!\u00a0 <\/em>Due to various extenuating factors in our modern environment, food supply and lifestyle, autoimmune diseases are definitely on the rise, and in a big way.\u00a0 Of course, modern medicine\u2019s answer to autoimmune diseases is to suppress a hyperactive immune system with immunosuppressive or potent anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, and then treat the infections that often arise with equally potent antibiotics, which throw the biological terrain of the organism even more out of whack.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t it really make a lot more sense to balance and heal the immune system naturally, with immunomodulatory medicinal herbs?\u00a0 Doing something in a balanced, natural way from the very outset can save a lot of collateral damage later on down the line, in my opinion.<\/p>\n<p>When I worked as a consulting herbalist at an herb store in Los Angeles\u2019 Chinatown, one of my specialties was treating chronic infections with Chinese herbs.\u00a0 A lot of my patients had taken so many antibiotics, and for such a long period of time, that antibiotics didn\u2019t really work for them anymore \u2013 so they were looking for a better, more natural way.\u00a0 Yes, antibiotic use, and even abuse, is rampant in conventional medical practice, and of course, antibiotics are a very good example of modern \u201cdumb medicines\u201d that work in one direction only, and indiscriminately, to kill all bacteria \u2013 the good, protective probiotic bacteria as well as the pathogenic bacteria \u2013 which can lead to grave imbalances in the biological terrain of the human organism, of course.\u00a0 By contrast, many medicinal herbs have been shown to be biologically active at inhibiting the growth of many different pathogenic organisms \u2013 not just bacteria, but fungi, viruses and other organisms as well \u2013 <em>without <\/em>the down side of killing off the beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut.\u00a0 Of course, due to their gentler, milder nature overall, you have to be quite persistent, and administer the herbs in large and frequent doses, if you are to be effective at treating infections with herbs; many times, a partial fast or a cleansing diet will also assist the antimicrobial and detoxifying action of the herbs used.\u00a0 This is one instance in which the Wheels of Nature grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly well \u2013 <em>if one has the patience and persistence necessary to follow through with the herbal treatment. <\/em><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Herbs_and_Herbal_Superfoods_as_the_Fifth_Major_Food_Group\"><\/span><strong>Herbs and Herbal Superfoods as the Fifth Major Food Group<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>As we embark on the twenty-first century, it becomes increasingly apparent that the planet, and our natural environment, are in a sick and suffering state.\u00a0 The wholesomeness and integrity of our food supply are under assault as never before, and the old or traditional four major food groups may no longer be sufficient to give us adequate nutrition and fortification against illness and debility as they once did.\u00a0 And so, I am proposing that we adopt a new fifth major food group, which is medicinal herbs and herbal superfoods.\u00a0 It is an idea whose time has come, I feel.\u00a0 And so, I feel that the time is not too far off when a new healthcare specialty will emerge: that of the herbal nutritionist.\u00a0 Their job description will be to clinically assess the individual client in order to determine, based not only on an analysis of their constitutional nature and temperament but also any acquired conditions and nutritional deficiencies they may be suffering from, and guide them into choosing the herbs and herbal superfoods that are right for them.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Final_Caveat_or_Disclaimer\"><\/span><strong>A Final Caveat or Disclaimer<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease or medical condition.\u00a0 Herbal medicine is a complex and challenging healthcare specialty that can take many years to master.\u00a0 The clinical assessment of the patient or client and their medical history of how their various illnesses and conditions developed, and why, can often be quite complex and difficult to ascertain.\u00a0 For these reasons, when in doubt, and when one feels that self analysis and self medication with herbs are no longer sufficient to obtain adequate relief for the health problems and conditions one is suffering from, the personalized guidance of a qualified herbalist or herbal practitioner may become necessary.\u00a0 And if natural herbal healing measures prove to be inadequate to handle the condition or symptoms adequately and decisively, timely intervention with conventional medical therapies and protocols are advised.\u00a0 If you are unsatisfied with the healthcare help and guidance you are receiving, be it conventional or complementary and alternative, it is often helpful to seek a second opinion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[477,388,50,369,479,473,472,129,475,44,478,88,349,471,459,476,474],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-herbs","category-traditional-medicine","tag-amphoteric","tag-antibiotics","tag-ayurvedic-medicine","tag-biological-intelligence","tag-biological-terrain","tag-chinese-herbal-medicine","tag-dr-vasant-lad","tag-herbal-medicine","tag-herbal-superfood","tag-hippocrates","tag-immuunomodulatory","tag-medicinal-herbs","tag-metformin","tag-mohammad","tag-pharmaceutical-drugs","tag-statiin-drugs","tag-tonic-herb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GREEK MEDICINE&#039;S BLOG\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"662\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81\"},\"headline\":\"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\"},\"wordCount\":3467,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"amphoteric\",\"antibiotics\",\"Ayurvedic medicine\",\"biological intelligence\",\"biological terrain\",\"Chinese herbal medicine\",\"Dr. Vasant Lad\",\"herbal medicine\",\"herbal superfood\",\"Hippocrates\",\"immuunomodulatory\",\"Medicinal Herbs\",\"Metformin\",\"Mohammad\",\"pharmaceutical drugs\",\"Statiin drugs\",\"tonic herb\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Herbs\",\"Traditional Medicine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\",\"name\":\"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":662,\"caption\":\"HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/herbs\\\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"GREEK MEDICINE BLOG\",\"description\":\"Information and guidance on the theory and practice of Greek Medicine and Medical Astrology as a traditional system of natural healing.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81\",\"name\":\"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/David_Osborn.jpg\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/David_Osborn.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/David_Osborn.jpg\",\"width\":\"200\",\"height\":\"320\",\"caption\":\"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/David_Osborn.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.greekmedicine.net\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO","description":"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO","og_description":"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html","og_site_name":"GREEK MEDICINE&#039;S BLOG","article_published_time":"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":662,"url":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html"},"author":{"name":"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac","@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81"},"headline":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO","datePublished":"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html"},"wordCount":3467,"publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg","keywords":["amphoteric","antibiotics","Ayurvedic medicine","biological intelligence","biological terrain","Chinese herbal medicine","Dr. Vasant Lad","herbal medicine","herbal superfood","Hippocrates","immuunomodulatory","Medicinal Herbs","Metformin","Mohammad","pharmaceutical drugs","Statiin drugs","tonic herb"],"articleSection":["Herbs","Traditional Medicine"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html","url":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html","name":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-31T11:25:45+00:00","description":"This article summarizes the main differences between pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs, and makes the case for using herbs as part of a holistic and integrative system of healthcare.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/HERBALISTS-MANIFESTO.jpg","width":1000,"height":662,"caption":"HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/herbs\/the-herbalists-manifesto.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"THE HERBALIST\u2019S MANIFESTO"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/","name":"GREEK MEDICINE BLOG","description":"Information and guidance on the theory and practice of Greek Medicine and Medical Astrology as a traditional system of natural healing.","publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2fd702786f67fa4f923f59cc508b9a81","name":"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/David_Osborn.jpg","url":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/David_Osborn.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/David_Osborn.jpg","width":"200","height":"320","caption":"David Osborn, MH - L.Ac"},"logo":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/David_Osborn.jpg"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net"]}]}},"views":2555,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greekmedicine.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}