{"product_id":"the-new-healing-herbsisbn-9780553585149","title":"The New Healing Herbs","description":"\u003cb\u003eDiscover how to get the most from nature’s oldest remedies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eIn this revised edition, The New Healing Herbs provides up-to-date profiles of 100 of the most widely used medicinal plants, detailing the therapeutic benefits and healing properties of each of these amazing natural cures. Inside you’ll find:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Valuable advice for buying, storing, and preparing herbal remedies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Clear, concise dosage instructions and safe-usage guidelines\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• A comprehensive cure-finder chart with treatments for more than 100 common conditions--Ginkgo to improve and even reverse symptoms of macular degeneration...Cinnamon to treat cuts and scrapes...Marshmallow to boost immunity...St. John’s wort to speed healing...Coffee for weight loss...Ginger for colds...Apples as a source of first aid...And much more!“I have been searching for a user-friendly, objective herbal guide for years. Michael Castleman has finally provided one! This book will tell you what you need to know about how to use nature’s medicines effectively.”\u003cbr\u003e--Joe Graedon, author of \u003cb\u003eThe People’s Pharmacy\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Castleman\u003c\/b\u003e writes about health and sexuality. For thirty-five years, his journalism focused on health defined broadly, including optimal wellness, mainstream medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition, fitness, and sexuality. Castleman also writes mystery novels set in San Francisco.\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From Magic to Medicine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 5,000 Years of Herbal Healing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In 1991, on a glacier   in the Italian Alps that had melted back to an unusual extent, hikers stumbled on   a dead body. It turned out to be the naturally mummified body of a prehistoric man   who had frozen to death some 5,300 years before and whose remains were preserved   in the ice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dubbed the Iceman, he’s been studied by Italian anthropologists ever   since. He wore straw-lined leather shoes, leather clothing, a thick coat made from   woven grass, and a bearskin cap. He carried a wooden bow, a leather quiver filled   with stone-tipped arrows, a flint-bladed knife, a wood-handled ax with a copper blade,   and a food pouch that still contained dried deer meat and a prune.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Iceman’s   pouch also contained two mysterious corklike lumps about the size of walnuts that   were pierced through and strung together on a leather thong, indicating that they   were of value. The lumps turned out to be bracket fungus (Piptoporus betulinus),   one of many mushrooms that grow in shelflike plates on tree trunks. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This species   of fungus contains agaric acid, a potent laxative, and an oily resin that is toxic   to some bacteria and intestinal parasites.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The scientists studying the Iceman had   no idea why he would have carried bracket fungus until, in 1998, a painstaking autopsy   of his digestive tract turned up the eggs of an intestinal parasite (Trichuris trichiura)   in his rectum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It now appears that the Iceman knew he carried the parasite, which   causes abdominal pain, and was using bits of bracket fungus to treat his condition.   Given its laxative and antiparasitic action, the fungus probably provided some benefit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This discovery ranks as the world’s oldest documented example of the practice of   medicine, and it suggests that prehistoric humanity was more medically sophisticated   than previously believed. After all, the Iceman or someone else had diagnosed his   malady correctly and had recommended a reasonably appropriate treatment—an herbal   treatment—around 3300 b.c.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Animal Attractions\u003cbr\u003e Just what is a healing herb? The word   herb comes from the Latin for “grass.” Technically, herbs are plants that wither   each autumn, plants other than shrubs or trees. But many woody perennials are used   in herbal healing, such as slippery elm, tea tree, and white willow. To an herbalist,   the phrase “healing herbs” applies to every plant with medicinal value.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Prehistoric   sites in Iraq show that the Neanderthals used yarrow, marshmallow, and other herbs   some 60,000 years ago. What attracted them to these plants?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Animals played a key   role. Prehistoric humans were keen observers of the world around them. No doubt our   ancestors noticed that when animals appeared ill, they sometimes ate plants that   they ordinarily ignored. Humans sampled these plants, in many cases noticing curious   effects—wakefulness, sleepiness, laxative action, increased urination, and so on.   The herbs that caused these effects were incorporated into prehistoric shamanism,   and later into medicine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Animal-inspired herbalism has continued into modern times.   The controversial herbal cancer therapy marketed by Harry Hoxsey was reportedly inspired   by a cancer-stricken horse who ate unusual herbs (more on this later).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Aromatic   Magic\u003cbr\u003e Early humans were also attracted to healing herbs’ aromas. They rubbed strong-smelling   herbs on their bodies to repel insects and to hide their human scent from animals   that they feared or hunted. They also adorned themselves with sweet-smelling herbs   to please their mates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Fragrant herbs evolved into the first perfumes and embalming   mixtures. Demand for them spurred ancient trade. During the Middle Ages, when Europeans   believed that bathing was unhealthy and farm animals often shared human living quarters,   homemakers spread aromatic “strewing herbs” to freshen the air. Herbalists still   prepare scent baskets (potpourris) today, and the perfume industry still creates   most of its fragrances from herbal essences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But foul odors, not fragrant ones,   were key to the development of herbal healing. Early humans used plants such as rosemary,   thyme, dill, and virtually all of today’s culinary spices to mask the stench of rotting   meats. Today, we use culinary herbs and spices only as flavor enhancers, but to prehistoric   humanity, flavor enhancement was incidental to food preservation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Prehistoric humanity   had no refrigeration, and meats spoiled quickly. Spoilage destroyed precious reserves,   and early humans learned the hard way that eating rotten meats caused illness and   sometimes death. No doubt some prehistoric homemaker happened to lay some rotting   meat on a bed of wild mint, sage, basil, or some other aromatic herb, hoping the   herb’s fragrance would mask the meat’s malodorousness. It did, and as a bonus, the   meat didn’t spoil as quickly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Our ancestors began wrapping meats in aromatic herbs   to preserve them, which led to other astonishing discoveries. Those who ate preservative   herbs along with meats suffered less illness. As an added benefit, the meats tasted   better.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Surely, our ancestors must have decided, aromatic herbs were magic. As time   passed and magic was incorporated into religion, ancient civilizations came to view   aromatic herbs as gifts from the gods. This is why many herbs figure prominently   in ancient myths and religions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Thanks to modern science, we know that the oils   that give aromatic herbs their fragrance and flavor contain antimicrobial compounds   that kill many food-spoiling, disease-causing microorganisms. In fact, rosemary and   sage have food-preservative action comparable to that of the commercial preservatives   BHA and BHT.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Trial and Error\u003cbr\u003e Our ancestors also discovered many healing herbs simply   by trial and error. They learned through experience that some plants healed, while   others harmed. They had little control over their world or their bodies. Their average   life expectancy was barely 30 years. Because their lives were so full of threatening,   often fatal, surprises, anything that made life more predictable acquired an aura   of magic and healing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It’s no coincidence that shamans from prehistoric times down   to the present day have relied heavily on herbs, such as ipecac, buckthorn, and wormwood,   that cause vomiting, purging, and hallucinations. Any predictable effect was better   than none, and the ability to induce vomiting, purging, or visions made shaman\/herbalists   appear to possess magic powers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The allure of predictable action remained central   to medicine for thousands of years. Herbs that induced vomiting (emetics) or had   powerful laxative action were used routinely in medicine until well into the 19th   century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Major effects made big impressions, but early humans also recognized herbs’   more subtle benefits. We’ll never know what possessed some ancient Chinese peasant   to brew a tea from the small, ungainly stalks of ma huang (Chinese ephedra), but   several thousand years ago, someone did. In the process, that person stumbled upon   one of the world’s oldest medicines, a decongestant whose laboratory analog, pseudoephedrine,   is still an ingredient in cold formulas today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Similarly, we’ll never know how many   roots ancient Asians dug up before they discovered ginger. Or why Native Americans   had a hunch that black cohosh might be useful in gynecology. All over the world,   however, ancient peoples dug, dried, chewed, pounded, rubbed, and brewed the plants   around them. In this way, they discovered the vast majority of healing herbs still   in use today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Isolated Cultures, Similar Herbs\u003cbr\u003e Herbal trial and error becomes even   more remarkable when we consider that cultures separated by thousands of miles arrived   at similar uses for many healing herbs. What’s more, they apparently did so independently   of one another.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There are four major herbal traditions: Chinese, Ayurvedic (in India),   European (including Egyptian), and Native American. The spice trade clearly introduced   Asian herbs such as garlic, ginger, and cinnamon into Europe thousands of years ago.   And a few ancient herbalists—notably the 1st-century Greek Dioscorides—traveled extensively,   spreading knowledge around the ancient world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Nonetheless, early Chinese, Indian,   and European herbalists were largely isolated from one another. In modern times,   it’s difficult to comprehend just how isolated they were. Until the 1st century a.d.,   it took 2 years for spice traders to make the round trip from Greece to India’s black-pepper-producing   region.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Even in this age of instant global communication, different healing systems   still operate relatively independently of one another. During the 1970s and early   1980s, ginkgo became an important medicine in France and Germany for aging-related   ailments, with sales topping $500 million a year. Most U.S. medical school libraries   stocked the German and French journals showing ginkgo’s remarkable effectiveness,   yet American physicians virtually ignored ginkgo well into the 1990s. So how connected   could the ancient herbalists have been?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Even granting a nearly impossible level   of herbal cross-fertilization between Asia and Europe, the land bridge between Asia   and North America became the Bering Sea about 10,000 years ago. Until the 15th century,   Old World cultures were almost entirely isolated from the Americas, but nonetheless,   Old and New World herbalists used many herbs similarly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e •Angelica and licorice:   Asians, Europeans, and Native Americans relied on these herbs as treatments for respiratory   ailments.\u003cbr\u003e •Hop and the mints: All of the ancient herbal traditions used these herbs   as stomach soothers.\u003cbr\u003e •Blackberry and raspberry: Around the world, these herbs played   a role in treating diarrhea.\u003cbr\u003e •Uva-ursi: Asians, Europeans, and Native Americans   all discovered this herb’s diuretic properties.\u003cbr\u003e •White willow: All of the herbal   healing disciplines used this herb to treat pain and inflammation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e During the 19th   century, chemists homed in on this “herbal convergence” to point them to the plants   whose extracts became the first pharmaceuticals. According to a report in the journal   Science, about 75 percent of the pharmaceuticals derived from plants came to drug   companies’ attention because of their use in traditional herbal medicine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Homage   to the “Wise Women”\u003cbr\u003e Most medical histories chronicle great achievements by great   men: Hippocrates, the father of medicine; Galen, Rome’s leading physician; William   Harvey’s explanation of blood circulation; Edward Jenner’s inoculations against smallpox;   Louis Pasteur’s Germ Theory; Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The contributions   of these men unquestionably changed the world. But from ancient times down to the   present day, a relatively small number of male physicians made the great discoveries   and ministered to the rich and royal. An enormous number of women herbalists took   care of everyone else.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Women healers have gone by many names: midwives, wise women,   green women, witches, old wives, and nurses. Most physicians have never taken women’s   folk healing very seriously, and scientists often dismiss folk wisdom as “old wives’   tales.”","brand":"Bantam","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303549489381,"sku":"NP9780553585149","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780553585148_69c59abf-3ab5-485f-ae2a-81829d6a6446.jpg?v=1730754631","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-new-healing-herbsisbn-9780553585149","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}