Herbs are Magic! (Well they're useful, anyway)

In order to be a successful blogger, many people say you should post something new every day.  Well, I don't know if I'll be able to keep that up, or if you HAVE to post every day to be "successful," but I kind of like the idea of posting something every day--it's kind of like having a column in the daily newspaper (though one I'm not being paid for).  So today I decided I'll write about herbs!

The whole culture surrounding herbs--using these natural organisms for poultices, tonics, tinctures, and the like, saying that it is better for the body--is what drew me towards bioprospecting, or looking for medicinal compounds in natural products.  Why, I thought, aren't more people in the scientific community researching more of the herbs that are used by millions--if not billions--of people around the world?  Some of the old herbalism and apothecary sciences might be old wives' tales, but not all of them.  And while there are several people doing experiments with the whole plant or with the essential oils, why aren't more scientists looking for active compounds in the herbs to validate herbalists' work or to engineer medicines that may work better for the body?  My grandmother was a self-taught herbalist, and though she died when my mother was young I grew up hearing now and then of the remedies she'd use for colds and aches and how she was a healer in the community (who did so out of the goodness of her heart, not so that she could be paid).  All of these things made me want to bring the scientific community, including modern medicine, and old remedies closer together, to bridge the gap between "traditional medicine" and "holistic medicine."

Some people think I'm crazy for wanting to learn the healing properties of herbs.  Some people think I'm crazy that I want to learn about herbs but also don't want to throw out traditional medicine.  I think that these are two parts of the same whole, and that if we bridge the gap and allow ourselves to be open-minded and learn about both vast reservoirs of knowledge that we can live more fully, with less pain, less stress, and more physical and spiritual health.  Is that such a bad thing?

Because of my schooling, and the fear shrouded in laziness that I eluded to in my previous post, I have not had the chance to learn much about herbs over the past year.  I did purchase several books on medicinal plants of the Rocky Mountains, as well as a starter book of edible herbs to grow.  I have successfully kept my herbs indoors throughout the winter without them dying (most of them, anyway.  My poor peppermint will probably have to be replanted).  I know a vague bit about the medicinal properties of ginger, peppermint, and chamomile.  This year, I hope to expand my knowledge of herbs and plant at least one new type of herb.  That herb is Anise.  I don't know much about it, except that I love its licorice flavor and that chewing the seeds after eating can help with digestion and preventing bad breath.  So, here's to 2014, when hopefully I'll be able to get into a graduate school and start my dream of bridging two worlds.