My First Experiences of Herbs and Healing

Learning Herbs: Folk Healing

In a previous post entitled “Herbs: We All Have To Start Somewhere,” I discussed a common theme found in the early education of most modern herbal teachers and practitioners. This was marijauna, the “first herb” of a whole generation of young people who helped create the “Herbal Renassiance” in the 1970s. In that post I was talking about my experience in particular, but also what many others who did not become herbalists learned by being exposed to the use of Cannabis sativa. In this blog I am continuing that theme with other common experiences I share with other herbalists who came of age in the late 20th Century.

Many of the original hippies in the San Francisco Bay Area were not baby boomers. They came from the Beat Genertion, commonly called beatniks in the 1950s. Another age wave of hippies, those who were born after 1946, were people a decade older than me when I met them in the Appalachian mountains in my early 20s. This was the mid-1970s. Looking back I would consider myself a neo-hippie. What the older generations of the counterculture taught me and my age group was alternative culture. This included a smattering of herbal remedies.

If you listen to enough stories from herbalists who grew up in that era, at some point the book Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss will be mentioned. Of course we only knew this as a book about natural healing and herbs that had a really cool cover with art representing “getting back to the Garden.” At that time no one had heard of Samuel Thomson and his system of herbal medicine from the early 19th Century which Jethro Kloss was a descendant of. The fellow who shared Back to Eden with me, a wooly-headed hippie who had come from out West, also taught me about goldenseal herb. If there was one herb that represented that time, it was goldenseal, or Hydrastis canadensis. Lore had it that goldenseal was “good for everything.”

Another group of plants available to me were herbal teas in the form of bulk herbs and tea bags. I can't remember the names of the loose teas, but remember quite clearly when Celestial Seasonings became part of my world in about 1977. I don't remember where we bought those teas from, perhaps a health food store or coop. This was a long time before the company was sold to a corporate entity and herbal teas appeared in every grocery store. Morning Thunder, Sleepy Time, and Red Zinger were new teas then and favorites in my crowd. I don't know that anyone prescribed any special healing properties to such teas, although it was becoming clear that if one ate more vegetables, brown rice, ate less meat, and drank herbal teas you felt better.

It required a special event to kick my mind into the concept of “healing.” Due to changing my diet, eating more vegetable-quality foods, and no doubt taking in plant substances through teas and inhalation, I began a process of healing that culminated in a Healing Crisis. Many people believe that the body goes through a process of ridding itself of toxins and inherited tendencies by surfacing buried symptoms, and substances that doen't belong there–a healthy sickness in other words. After such a shedding or elimination, then the body will come back healthier than ever. I believed that then as a core embryonic idea, and still believe something like that today in a more sophisticated, nuanced form. But the event I am referring to was a severe flu that I went through one winter while living in the mountains.

I had never had the flu before, only colds. As I remember, it was a full blown flu with muscle aches, fever, alternating chills and sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting. I was in pain and wondering what was happening to me. I was visiting one of the local hippie elders, who took mercy on me, one of the lowly hippies on the pecking order. She had me sit in a chair and prepared a tea of hot water, apple cider vinegar, honey (and perhaps lemon). As I sipped my drink by the fire in that comfortable chair, I suddenly, almost instantly felf better. Could this really be happening? The more I drank, the better I felt. The hippie woman seemed to have an easy familiarity with the tea and did not seem surprised that I was improving. Was she a white witch, I thought? It almost was as though she expected me to get better.

Ever since then I have always had faith in simple home remedies even though I am a highly educated herbalist. Her secret: experience. She had used it before with success and what I thought witchery was assurance from knowing what worked.

 

 

Herbs: We All Have To Start Somewhere

Learning Herbs: The “First Herb”

For those who view herbal healing/medicine from the outside, it seems like an esoteric pursuit, with endless amounts of information, organized in in an incomprehensible manner. There is some truth to this. Learning about herbs and their application in the field of healing is a life time endeavor. But one must begin somewhere… My own origin story is similar to many others. In the 1970s, the wave of cultural change that had begun in the 1960s was washing over the North American population, and indeed having implications throughout the world. I was simply one of a generation that had been exposed to recreational marijuana use and the attendant countercultural ideas that came with getting high. Most people who smoked then, whether they do so now or not, can tell you that there are 28 grams in an ounce. They also know the Latin name for marijuana is Cannabis sativa, and that the chemical constituent in marijuana that gets you stoned is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Familiarity with latin binomials, understanding weights and measures, and knowing about the chemical constituents of plants is part of the knowledge base of an herbalist. In a sense this was an introduction to plant medicine. So marijuana was my first herb and I like many others considered it a “natural” product.

There were/are always people who aren’t hip who smoke pot and do drugs. It seems to me that there was more access to alternative cultural thinking in the 70s than after that era. As an example, the movie Woodstock featured robed gurus and people practicing yoga, in addition to those listening to music and getting stoned. Marijuana was a gateway herb for many people looking for a different way to live, those who couldn’t accept that all the worldly things they had been offered was all there was to life. Some of the ideas that came along with knowledge of the “first herb” seemed to offer the promise that we could live in in harmony with others and find purpose in life. Oh yeah, and live in harmony with nature. The fact that these ideas still permeate our collective consciousness tells me that that they are not mere naivety, but something we are still reaching towards collectivelly.

In retrospect, marijuana is like any other herb or “botanical medicine,” in that it has certain properties, has certain rules for use, and affects the body (and mind) in certain ways. I’m not sure the cultivation of this plant to dramatically increase the THC content, creating strains of “super pot,” allows it to be considered harmless, or merely “natural.” Like other herbs with strong actions, such as cathartics or poisons, it belongs in a special category that requires knowledge and forebearence for accurate usage.

 

Herbs: Michael Tierra, the Man Who Invented Echinacea

Michael Tierra, famous herbalist, founder of Planetary Herbology, has had a remarkable career from the beginnings of the herbal revival in the 1970s until well into the 2000s as a “natural healer” (naturopath), “master herbalist,” and herbal educator.

I have listened to uncounted herbal talks and classes by Dr. Tierra and he has been a primary influence in my learning about herbs, herbal medicine, and the concept of integrating holistic modalities.

Some of Michael Tierra's accomplishments include:

• Becoming a Master Herbalist under Dr. John Christopher's system of herbal healing in the 1970s

• The first distance learning program for herbal healers launched in 1981

• One of the first herbalists in the United States to teach the traditional uses of Chinese herbs

• One of the first North American herbalists to classify herbs according to “energetics” such as hot/cold, wet/dry

• Developed the concept of Planetary Herbology, a humoural and energeitc categorization system for unifying Western, Ayurvedic, and Chinese herbal therapeutics

• Helped revive Eclectic herbal medicine, an American school of herbal healing in the 19th Century

• Originated the idea of the American Hebalists Guild, a professional organization for clinical herbalists

• One of my favorites: Tierra found a relatively unknown herb in an Eclectic herbal book and decided anything with such a strange name must be good for something. He began trying it out on his friends. At some point he decided that more is better and told his “patients” to take the herb every hour until their cold or acute situation had passed. This was Echinacea angustifolia, now one of the best selling and most used herbs in the world. This “protocol” of hourly doses of echinacea is now recommended by writers, doctors, natural healers, and lay people, some of who have never heard of Michael Tierrra. That's why I call Michael “the man who invented echinacea.”

 

Alternative Medicine: Distance Learning

Alternative Medicine: Distance Learning

(This would include Herbs, Naturopathy & Natural Healing)

Distance learning has been a part of natural healing education in America since at least the early 1900s. In an earlier post, I commented on an offering by Benedict Lust, the father of Naturopathy, in which he offered to teach nature cure through a correspondence course.

Correspondence courses have had a bad odor about them in the not-too-distant past. I remember comic books from the 1960s that offered to teach home auto mechanics and criminal investigation through correspondence. This seemed unlikely to me even then as a child. Later, there were correspondence courses offered on television by companies who used minor celebraties to pitch for them. It seemed like an endless list of professions they offered training in for the prospective student. I'm sure the question in many people's minds then as now was whether they were legitimate trainings or certifications.

A partial answer to “legitimacy” is that many skills and professions are not licensed or regulated. However one obtains training is then entirely legitimate if there is an actual course of training and the company or institution offering the course is not a diploma mill. (Diploma mills I shall address at a later date). If there is an adequate course of training that prepares a person for entry into a field or profession, then that is all anyone could ask for. I have come to this conclusion based on my own experience, and have a number of reasons to back this up. I shall give two here.

There is a lot of book work in learning natural healing, far more than most people understand. A student should be able to study and read books and course material at a distance as well as in a class room. It is important to have homework or tests that are sent in and read and graded. There should be a mentor or teacher that the correspondence student has to ask questions of or to monitor the student's progress. If those requirements are met, then there is no shame learning through a “correspondence course.” Let me reiterate: there is no quickie way to deeply learn natural healing–you have to study, study, study, and many of the books are very expensive. Then you have to practice.

Distance learning is now an accepted part of our culture. People expect to be able to take college level courses at a distance on the computer. There are some for credit classes in alternative medicine offered at universities and accredited schools. Some of them can be taken online. The material and literature those courses are drawn from are not from higher education, but from books and practices developed by practitioners from over a hundred years ago. Some of those practitioners may have started out with correspondence courses. Distance learning in alternative medicine has come full circle.

 

Naturopathy–Home Study

Medical analyst Brian Altonen, MPH, MS posted this on his blog:

THE MODERN HOME STUDY COURSE IN NATUROPATHY. BENEDICT LUST, N.D., D.C., D.O., M.D., Butler and Mount Dora, NJ, and New York, NY. (Advertising Pamphlet)

(1892-?)

Naturopathy

Hydropathy

Osteopathy

Electrotherapy

Massage

Spinal Manipulation

Short Wave Radiation

Colonic Therapy

Scientific Fasting & Dietetics

 

Commentary by Laurence Layne: There are a few overlapping components in the Home Study training course. Does spinal manipulation mean Chiropractic? if referring to Chiropractic, then it would at a minimum have to be 1895 or later when Chiropractic was established. There were very few Chiropractors before 1900. Lust lists DC–doctor of Chiropractic–as one of his credentials. Also in theory, “Naturopathy” as a term was not used by Lust until 1902. The initials ND behind his name would indicate this course was created after 1902. Licensure as an MD–medical doctor–could have meant that he passed a state medical exam; a number of states required doctors of whatever school, including irregulars like Osteopaths or Eclectics to take the same state boards as MDs.

Home study courses were available for other forms of natural healing in that era. Both Chiropractic and Massage were offered as “home study” at different points. There were also “How-To” books on Osteopathy.

The range of therapies are consistent with what Dr. John Kellogg practiced in Battle Creek, Michigan and what many classic Naturopaths practiced in the United States and later in the United Kingdom.

Short Wave Radiation probably refers to diathermy. Electrotherapy could be a number of applications, but would include the Sine Wave (sinusoidal) Machine. Hydropathy is hot and cold water applications–hydrotherapy. Fasting and Dietetics can refer to simple diet regimens like fiber cereals, but also juicing. Massage at that time would have been Swedish Massage. Colonics, or colon water irrigation, included enemas. Osteopathic technique would have included many soft tissue techniques, not just a high velocity thrust like Chiropractic. Virtually all these modalities (with appropriate training) are within the scope of practice of many modern Massage Therapy licenses (especially Florida).

The fact that this course was “home study” indicates that many of the modalities could be studied through books and manuals. However, proper application would require mentoring and class room learning.

 

 

Naturopathy

Naturopathy was a coined word created to describe simple healing practices that assisted the vital force in healing the body. This was around 1900, and generally accredited to Benedict Lust, the “Father of Naturopathy.” The natural healing practices he promoted originated in Europe with water cure in the 19th Century, going back as far as Father Kneipp and Victor Presnitz (1822).

At the turn of the century, the new profession needed to differentiate itself from other natural healing at the time–for example American water cure (hydropaths) and bone setters (osteopaths). Thus the word “naturopaths.” This era could be called the classical period of Naturopathy, and the practices attributed to the discipline back then could be called Classical Naturopathy or Traditional Naturopathy. The components of Classical Naturopathy included:

  • Fasting
  • Water Cure (Hydrotherapy)
  • Diet
  • Sunning (Heliotherapy)
  • Air Baths
  • Exercise
  • Massage
  • Breathing

(Have you ever heard of the old adage “Fresh Air and Exercise”)

Over time other therapies were added to this list:

  • Electrotherapy
  • Manipulation
  • Herbs
  • Homeopathy
  • Mental Therapeutics
  • Colonics

All kinds of natural healers could be classified as Naturopaths. Dr. John Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan fame, used a number of classic Naturopathic treatments. The name “Kellogg” is primarily associated with breakfast cereal, but these products were originally developed to supply natural fiber to the diet and cleanse the colon. Kellogg’s clinical approach consisted of of a number of natural therapies, but four primary modalities seem to be special interests in his books:

  • Hydrotherapy
  • Electrotherapy
  • Diet
  • Massage

Other techniques such as colonics (enemas), remedial exercises, and breathing were used plus classical Naturopathy like heliotherapy.

The important thing to remember is that whatever technique was involved, it was intended to rally the vital forces of the patient’s body. To the degree that this was successful, then healing occurred, with a righting of the metabolism from the visceral to the cellular level. This is the definition of “healing” in the Naturopathic model. There’s a lot more to the practice of Naturopathy, but that is the core essential philosophy, that the life force be restored in its function of running the body in a balanced way–as Nature designed it.

That was the way things used to be. Like many professions these days, Naturopathy has changed. There are two groups of people claim the mantle of being the authentic ND or Naturopathic Doctor. One group is the Naturopathic Physicians. They have introduced medical education into their curriculum and believe that they are on a higher plane because they utilize the medical model and are like “real doctors.” The second group is called Traditional Naturopaths and are less educated in regular medicine, but more closely adheres to the old methods and philosophy. They believe they are more “pure” in their approach to Naturopathy.

After examining their claims and looking at the evidence, I think the Traditional Naturopaths are just as qualified to practice natural healing as their brethren, in fact more likely to use their therapies in the simple, vitalistic way that Naturopathy was originally practiced. No political or philosophical battle is black and white, but I believe that natural healing is essentially benign if used with common sense and most people will benefit. It adheres to the concept of Do No Harm.

The Evolution of Natural Healing

I was introduced to natural healing, the professional variety, through Chiropractors and a few Naturopaths. There was exposure to the milieu natural through the Post Counter-Cultural Explosion of the 1970s, but most information came through lay people like myself who just shared cool things with other like-minded souls. There were very few people making a living doing massage; there was no acupuncture, no herbalists (a few herbologists were around but none in my area), spiritualists, psychics, Cayce mongers, and natural hygienists–but one was never quite sure what that discipline entailed–nudism? colonic irrigation? people that smelled funny and drank carrot juice? The only professional healers that I knew about had the credentials DC or ND. Now, years later, I realize that I probably have more training than most of the NDs I met back then, and know more about natural healing than all the knowledgeable DCs who turned me on to so many mind-blowing ideas.

Things have changed for sure. There are so many excellent classes, schools, and teachers out there. A number of disciplines have masterful teachers, and accomplished practitioners. The range of practitioners, depending on the discipline, or the area one is in, run the gamut of great to excellent to good to merely competent.The below average or seriously bad weed themselves out. Unlike regular medicine, it's a cash business, and the public supports those who help them get well.

Our culture is changing and natural healing is becoming part of it. The rate of acceptance of wholistic and vitalist models of healing is accelerating. People don't understand it all and they aren't supposed to. They are drawn to what's natural. It is the practitioner's job to educate them in healthy practices. We are now living in a fitness and wellness culture, so much so that even the medical industrial complex is having to adopt some of our natural healing principles and philosophy. If they don't, they will not only lose market share, but the people's faith in their form of medicine altogether.

I have seen this shift happen since the late 1970s. So many people have worked so hard to make this happen. So many have given so much to create a better world of healing. It has been beyond the understanding of the intelligentsia, the big brains, the industrialists, the shapers of opinions, and the government. People are more empowered now. They are students of natural healing. The practitioners, especially the excellent ones, are the teachers of health, what some define as a “true physician,” an educator.

We all started out with a blank page. Isn't that what the educational process is? We were Know-Nothings. Now we are Know-Somethings. I fondly remember many of the things I was turned on to even if I can't remember all the people or names that were involved. I've in turn passed on those things to my patients and the people in my world. It's important to remember the humble beginnings of the Natural Healing Revolution so that we don't forget that a lot of it is the application of basic principles to living. No matter how many degrees or institutions are created to perpetuate professional natural medicine, it started out as a philosophical interpretation of Nature and how to live naturally.