Botanical Medicine
Botanical medicine represents the oldest form of pharmacological medicine. In fact, up to 85% of today's known pharmaceutical drugs have been and continue to be derived from the active properties obtained from plants or micro-organisms. By isolating plant constituents such as phenols or alkaloids, drug companies have synthesized active ingredients associated with the suppression of symptoms. However, these substances do not heal the body of disease but only suppress its symptoms. They also cause many serious side-effects including death.
According to Homeopathic Medicine, synthetic drugs, manufactured from coal tar or petroleum, only drive the disease deeper into the body. The result is the disease manifesting itself later in time, with more virulence and with a different set of symptoms. This makes an accurate diagnosis very difficult. Are you dealing with the actual disease or the results from previous attempts to rid the body of the original symptoms through drugs?
For a very detailed, historical perspective on allopathic medicine (as practiced by most of the medical establishment today) please see the book, "Divided Legacy: The Conflict Between Homeopathy and The American Medical Association" by Harris Coulter, North Atlantic Books 1973. (This can be obtained through the Homeopathic Educational Services - see Links page - or any good book store)
At the turn of the 20th Century, the practice of Botanical & Homeopathic medicine was too great a competition for allopathic doctors. Fundamentally, the AMA was formed to drive this competition under. Those responsible were after a monopoly within the art and science of healing. It is still true today.
In the late 1840's, the Eclectic school of medicine was formed by the merging of herbalists (known as Botanics) and "Thomsonians". The latter were a group of practitioners advocating the philosophy of Samuel Thomas. His approach involved steam baths and the use of native American herbs, especially Lobelia root (Lobelia inflata). The herbalists used native plants but included many from Europe as well. It is from their writings and practical experience, and that of American Indians, we have gleaned information on the activity of botanicals commonly used today.
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