Iâm seeing some people arguing that herbalism is a cure for some things and what I have to say is that it all really depends on the injury, the herb, your knowledge, and poverty.
The injury: How severe are we talking here? Yeah, I make jewel weed balms to use on bee stings, bug bites, scrapes, and poison ivy. I chew on peppermint leaves from my garden for indigestion. I use chamomile and lavender to treat stress and anxiety. But these are all (when I treat them) minor things. If any of these were severe (bee allergies, deer ticks bits with risk of lyme disease, clinical depression.anxiety disorder), I would advice seeking genuine medical attention! Every time!! Broken bones donât even MAKE my list, because while yes people have been treating broken bones forever with this stuff, there are now BETTER, more effective, safer methods!
The herb: Not all herbs are made equal. Some are more effective than modern medicine, others not so much. Peppermint leaves tend to help my indigestion better than tums, legal medical weed seems a LOT healthier for people with anxiety than addictive medications like xanax, and I much prefer a hot lavender bath with chamomile tea over sleeping medications.
But, uh, no. There arenât herbs out there more effective in treating cancer, serious infections, broken bones, etc. Do not use herbs for this!
Your knowledge:Â Some herbs are dangerous in high doses but ineffective in low doses. Some are fine alone in whatever dose but dangerous when mixed with other popular herbs. Some are dangerous to kids, some to pregnant women, some mix terribly with medicine you ARE taking (St. Johnâs Wort can mess up antidepressants, allergy meds, meds that treat HIV, birth control, and more).
Iâve been on hikes with people saying âIâve always wanted to make a tea with that herb!â And Iâve had to tell them the plant theyâre talking about is used as birth control, or as a diuretic (youâll pee a LOT).
Iâve seen people think theyâre about to pick Queen Anneâs Lace (has a history o being used as birth control), but theyâre actually looking at VERY deadly poison hemlock (fun fact, it killed Socrates).
Many herbs have deadly cousins that are nearly twins. People die every year misidentifying wild medical and medicinal plants and fungi. You donât want to be one of them.
All of this means you really need to know what the hell youâre talking about beyond googling âwhat herbs make nice teas,â or you could really fuck yourself u, or worse, someone who thought you knew what you were doing.
Poverty: Iâm not familiar with many other regions in the US, but I know herbal remedies are still used a lot here in Appalachia, especially by older folks. Iâm sure itâs like this in other places in the US, and in other countries. The reason being is that these people donât have affordable, accessible modern medicine where they live. Which you know, is awful. If youâre living in destitution, and thereâs a granny in your town who knows how to use wild medicinal plants, far be it from me to preach at you!
But this usually isnât the case, is it? Most people online turning to herbal remedies are young people who havenât grown up learning herbal traditions.
And thatâs not always a bad thing. Like I said, I rely on herbs for more than a few remedies. But if youâve not been taught, there is a lot of room for error. And whatâs more, herbs often ARENâT better simply because theyâre traditional.
If you have access and funds for modern medicine, itâs almost always the better choice. Almost.
Alright, thatâs all I really have to say without writing a whole book. Please use your best judgement, always err on the side of doubt, be careful, and for the love of every god unless youâre genuinely trained, donât perform herbal medicine on someone who isnât you!!!!