Katherine:  I completely agree with your post on herbs as foods.  I was away
this weekend and behind in posts, but I have strong feelings about this.
The thing that people--practitioners included--forget is that ANYONE CAN
HAVE AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO ANYTHING THEY EAT, TOUCH OR SMELL (even beloved
chocolate or strawberries).  Nikki is clearly feeling the threat of a
litigious society and I believe many others allow this to veil their
practices in a constant state of fear.  Of course caution is required with
any substance, but one of the major advantages of herbs is that they are
foods.  What I mean here is that we have yet to discover all the active
ingredients even in foods that are high in substances believed to be
beneficial.  Take beta carotene for example.  When beta carotene supplements
(not herbal, but straight chemical formula) were given to smokers, their
cancer rates increased; alas, it is either something else in
beta-carotene-rich foods OR the synergistic properties of those foods, that
reduces the risk of cancer.

It is also true that the non-herb medication dosages can incredibly
overwhelming to the human physiology and small test doses of herbal forms
are more controllable (if dosed appropriately from reputable sources).
Interestingly, many of the other substances in herbs act not only as
synergists, but as buffers.  Yes, there are problems of interaction (and Rx
drugs have this big time too).  Yes, there are problems of finding reputable
sources (free of pesticides, molds, herbicides, guaranteed potency,
dosages), but the answer isn't to walk away and lose this knowledge...it is
to gain more knowledge, do more research, publish and present this research.
Many of the "GRAS" drugs (generally recognized as safe, which were
grandfathered in by the FDA) such as asprin probably wouldn't make it
through the FDA approval to become OTC drugs now.  Don't get me wrong, I
think we need an FDA, I just don't think most people have a really good
sense of history with regard to it's action/inaction.

I have to say that I think that many in the US medical arena have also
bought into a male dominated paradigm of pharmacology.  When examining other
cultures and the knowledge that women have passed from generation to
generation, the traditional uses of herbs were "women's expertise and
knowledge."  Male botonists who ventured into these societies have often
completely missed the boat when they failed to investigate this knowledge.
I'd be very interested in an anthropologists view on this.  I also wonder
about the institutionalized feelings of subservient roles that women fill
even in a professional capacity.

Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC    [log in to unmask]
mom, wife, educator, lactation consultant, researcher, scientist, author,
organic gardener, photographer, lapidary creator, lousy cleaner.

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