Medika has recently launched an apothecary section, in which we intend to examine herbs and plants and the medicinal properties associated with these plants. We believe this natural reservoir offers a largely untapped source of treatment options for a host of medical conditions. The value of many of these natural compounds is only now beginning to enjoy serious attention.

I was shocked when a medical colleague questioned the inclusion of these articles in our publication, suggesting they are baseless and pseudoscience. The exact term used was “wooo”. Sadly, this opinion is shared by many colleagues and the alternative health sector is largely to blame for this perception. It has led to a widening chasm between modern medicine and traditional medicine, which is now seen as the home of modern-day witches, spiritualists, and charlatans.

Although this description of the vocal elements of alternate health is mostly accurate, it serves to detract from the real and tangible benefits these plants and herbs can offer and how oral health traditions often “know better”. We ignore this traditional knowledge at a cost to the patient and by diminishing traditional cures and remedies as “nonsense, we close our minds to a whole avenue of alternate care that is, allow me to remind you, based on centuries of evidence.

Time is the ultimate clinical challenge and remedies, however obscure, that have survived this test, deserve our full attention and further investigation. That is the driving focus behind our Apothecary series, highlighting potentially helpful plants and herbs that have fallen by wayside, simply because of poor brand management.

There are new treatments waiting to be discovered by science and far from being “wooo”, this is, in fact, an exciting and very real avenue of exploration for scientists and the pharma industry.

The Willow

One of the best examples of just how this knowledge can benefit medicine can be found in the bark of the humble willow tree. Willow bark has been used as a traditional medicine for more than 3500 years. Unknown to the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians who made use of it, the active agent within willow bark was salicin, which would later form the basis of the discovery of aspirin.

This one tree provided us one of the most widely used medicines in modern day health. According to Dr. Karol Watson, assistant professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles,

Aspirin is one of those things that, long before there were ever clinical trials or any kind of scientific knowledge, people figured out, ‘Hey, I feel better when I take this substance’.

The drug has been making headlines recently because a study in The Lancet found that a daily aspirin appeared to lower the risk of cancer by at least 20% during a 20-year period. That’s based on data from more than 25,000 patients and builds on earlier findings that aspirin may lower the risk of colorectal cancer.

The research has limitations and is not definitive proof, but it does add another benefit to an ancient remedy that has been called a miracle drug. How ancient? Very. The ancient Egyptians used willow bark as a remedy for aches and pains and Hippocrates, the Greek physician who lived from about 460 to 377 B.C., wrote that willow leaves and bark relieved pain and fevers. Wooo that led us to identify salicylic acid and the modern-day wonder drug, Aspirin.

To be clear, none of these plants and herbs ascribe their healing properties to spiritual forces or faeries. They contain compounds, many of which are still not fully understood or adequately researched, that have been gifted to us by nature. Our desire to isolate ourselves from our biological ancestry, to somehow feel we are above nature and the processes that created us, is both mystifying and flawed.

Where our ancestors saw the work or hand of the spiritual guides and gods at play, we now see science. Science is however not a law unto itself and is subject to the forces and wonders of the natural world. It is these forces that led us to science and in which science is based. No matter how far we advance the field, this will remain a fundamental and inescapable truth. It would be deeply saddening to see the profession turn its back on its raison d’etre.

Towards Progress and the Future

We believe that there are still untold medical riches waiting to be discovered, hundreds of “willow trees” with their own magical, unexplored and undiscovered natural compounds, offering relief and possibly even cures to some of our most serious ailments.

Medika will continue to publish and highlight plants and herbs that we feel deserve a closer look, where discovering the mechanism of action and actual compounds these plants contain, could lead to new cutting edge treatments.

At the same time, we will continue to mercilessly pursue the scam artists, quacks, and charlatans that permeate both medicine and the alternate health sector. Individuals who ascribe miraculous, unfounded, and unproven properties and health claims to these plants and herbs. There is a route to realigning modern and traditional medicine and it lies in truth and transparency. Not wooo.

The post Setting the Record Straight. Plants and Herbs Have Value. appeared first on Medika Life.

If you are fascinated with apothecaries, this post explores a brief history of the profession followed by my evolutionary involvement with herbalism. We dive into a summary of the local Indigenous tribes’ influence and conclude with five easy ways to build your apothecary.

Apothecary Facts and History

The word apothecary is enjoyable to speak aloud, and the definition is quite simple — a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs. Before we had modern-day pharmacies and pharmacists, we had apothecaries. Apothecary shops sold medication and herbal remedies derived from natural compounds.

The role of an Apothecary evolved over the centuries, and according to the blog site Petticoats and Pistols:

By the mid-sixteenth century, apothecaries in England had become the equivalent of today’s pharmacists, measuring and dispensing medicine. Some apothecaries had formal college training in medicine, some learned as apprentices. Whatever the case, folks considered them a godsend.

The apothecary created and sold unregulated medicine based on trial and error from experimenting with compounds from the natural world with the human body. The system changed during the industrial revolution and the dawn of the 20th century creating the rise of pharmaceutical companies producing mass medicine for the local pharmacies to sell and pharmacists to dispense medication to customers.

Personal Evolutionary Interest

As a child, I recall fond long walks with my Mom; collecting rose petals and sumac fruits. We often returned from our stroll and made fresh herbal tea from our discoveries, with Mom passing down her knowledge of the many health benefits to me. Growing up, I had a fascination with old apothecary jars and grew a substantial collection, which I still possess today.

In my twenties and thirties, I became self-absorbed with dating, corporate life, and became far removed from my original roots. A disconnection occurred with the natural world; the absence existed in the foreground and subconsciously. When in my early forties, I moved to New York City solo without having a social circle; what became evident was a lack of hobbies in my life.

When the pandemic started, I moved from downtown Toronto to the south shore of Rice Lake, southern Ontario, returning to the wilderness. Now, my mom, Sheila, and I are reunited under the same roof where I have the luxury of rediscovering the old passion of building an apothecary combined with the time to research and converse. Sheila, by now, has amassed a large body of knowledge in the field of herbalism. We continue our woods walk, select plants, discuss, dry, and store our wares in a combined effort.

Indigenous Influences

Our family is fortunate to live close to the Alderville Indigenous reservation for the Ojibway people. Britannica.com describes the people as:

Algonquian-speaking North American Indian tribe who lived in what are now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota and North Dakota, U.S., from Lake Huron westward onto the Plains.

Wikipedia.com portrays the Ojibway tribe to be known for their:

birch bark canoes, birch bark scrolls, mining and trade in copper, as well as their cultivation of wild rice and maple syrup.

With their deep connection to the land and rich oral and documented history, an incredible amount of knowledge about herbalism and natural health remedies is preserved within the Ojibway tribe and continues to flourish today. My Mom, a naturally curious woman, spends a wealth of her time connected in the local indigenous community and continues to learn from the Ojibway traditions, passing the knowledge to me.

5 Easy Steps to Build an Apothecary

1. Start small. Focus your attention on what vegetation is naturally grown in your area. Research plants via Google. Consult your local Indigenous Elders and request resources.
2. Beware of pesticides. You do not want to pick plants or bark beside a field sprayed with Round-Up or any other poisonous substance; the long term repercussions may be harmful to your health.
3. Hang plants upside down to dry in a cool location. Before hanging, shake out any bugs or loose content.
4. To make a powder out of dried herbs and vegetation, consider using a coffee grinder for fast and efficient results.
5. Store your contents in glass sealable jars or non-BPA plastic containers to ensure freshness and longevity. Keep your wares in a cool, dry space such as a pantry or basement.

To Conclude

Coupled with my passion for coaching and psychotherapy, I am fascinated with the power of plants as a means to transform our physical and mental health. North American society is, for the most part, focused on the “quick fix”, turning too often to pharmaceuticals to remove physical and emotional pain as opposed to ‘doing the work’ and discovering the real underlying root causes. When we combine the benefits of plants for our health and well being, there are opportunities to reduce pre-existing medical conditions and shift the perspective to long term prevention of humanity’s most common ailments.

Resources

• Niagara-On-The-Lake Apothocary
• Petticoats & Pistols: Apothecaries: Drugstores of the 1800s

Credit to my Mom, Sheila Beasley, who continues to teach me the wonders and bounties of our natural world, a life long learner of the incredible health benefits sitting outside our doorstep.

The post How To Build An Apothocary appeared first on Medika Life.