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| of the flower. The limits to what might be called the path of the herbalist are only those imposed by parochial vision and constipated imagination! |
| Herbalism offers the unique possibility of being introduced to our medicine. A bridge can be built between person and herb, enpowering the individual to be present and responsible in the healing process. A person can be given a packet of herb seeds, encouraging a direct experience of the life of the plant. This experience of herbal vitality will be translated into a deeper rapport with the impersonal medicine ingested. The patient will not only get the medical benefit from the herb but also the enlivening experience of growing and preparing his or her own healing. If there is no garden, part of the treatment might involve a window box. |
| Healing with herbal medicines is a unique and wonderful cooperation between humanity and the plants. This experience of wholeness is spirit in action, creating an opportunity for change and transformation. The plant world provides us with herbs that transform and enlighten, and also with plants that heal and nurture nerve tissue itself. |
| Orthodox medicine tends to reduce psychological problems to a biochemical level and assumes that "appropriate" drugs will sort out or at least hide the problem sufficiently to allow "normal" life to continue. Interestingly enough, some techniques in the field of complementary medicine assume or imply the other extreme: namely, that psychological factors are the cause of all disease. Treatment of the psyche is, therefore, the only appropriate way of healing and will take care of any physical problem. By bringing these two reductionist views together, we come closer to a holistic approach. |
| A holistic approach to healing acknowledges the interconnectedness of physiological and psychological factors, and regards the nervous system and its functions as a vital element in the treatment of the whole being. To be truly |
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