NO one can deny that there is a new world crisis. It is unfortunate, but people are suffering and dying in droves from lifestyle diseases almost daily. Even wealthy and well-educated people are making poorly informed food choices that cause diseases.

Desperate men seek solution in conventional medicine, only to be disillusioned as they are reminded that it has no cure for these diseases. It might be decked with costly diagnostic procedures, but truth be told, even these contribute to claiming lives.

Traditional medicine — the origin of pharmacology is herbal medicine. Much propaganda has been spread about its claim about healing the nation. Please allow me to share my reasons for choosing herbal medicine

1. It has been used to treat diseases for thousands of years.

Herbal medicine has been practiced by all culture and people for thousands of years worldwide. Because of this, one man could live for more than 600 years, enjoying excellent health. Herbs for man’s medicine grew naturally from the ground, as did his food.

Herbal remedies are simple and many herbs are named according to the ailment they will correct, such as “leaf of life” or “search mi heart”. The leaf of life is a common cold bush that has undoubtedly saved many lives, especially of newborn babies.

Today, disease cause and classification might have changed with our industrialised, western lifestyle, but herbalists worldwide continue to boast the consistent benefits of herbs in eradicating life-threatening diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, fibroids, and other serious illnesses. The truth still remains unrefuted, man’s creator — Yahweh Elohiym — created herbs for the healing of the nation.

2. Herbs carry no side effects.

A single plant has more than one beneficial chemical compound that assists in healing. Extracting single active ingredients and selling it as medicine has created side effects. Scientists are only just realising that each of the many compounds found in a single plant, plays a unique role in suppressing diseases. Altering the concentration of these active ingredients often converts these medicinal compounds into poisons.

I am often ask: “What is the best way to use herbs as medicine?” I say the tradition of herbal teas and hot beverages appeals to me the most because the medicinal properties are extracted in hot water, and this relieves the stomach of the processing work. Herbal teas are absorbed into the bloodstream within five minutes. When herbs are taken in other forms, it may go through the lengthy process of digestion and this increases the possibility of more of the medicinal properties being lost. Once in the bloodstream, it goes to the liver and is released to needy organs and cells.

A single herb ingested in the bloodstream may stimulate healing in many organs at the same time. The bitter principles in herbs are fast-acting and stimulate cleansing responses from the stomach. When our bodies have these medicinal compounds in excess, it excretes them through the kidneys, lungs, colon, and skin, leaving us in total wellness of mind, body and soul.

“Herbal medicine is a grand multitudinous, infinitely fascinating, endlessly resourceful medicine,” says the author of Natures Cures. “It is the best medicine that money can buy.”

3. Herbs treat more than symptoms.

Worldwide, people are returning to the tradition of herbal medicine. A recent survey conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that in the last decade, over 70 per cent of the respondents sought natural remedies for their illnesses. I was surprised to learn on a recent visit to London that hospitals there are offering herbal medicine as an alternative. Between 1991 and 1997, the use of herbal medicine in America grew by a startling 380 per cent. It is no wonder that today, 45 per cent of Jamaicans are also following this trend.

This is because natural treatments cure the whole person. Take the natural treatment for cancer for example: It targets only the cancer cells and not the non-cancer cells, and rebuilds the whole body system by system — rejuvenating the body to the point at which it should be. They continue to enable the former “cancer patient” to live in vitality and good health by healthy living habits, while illuminating the root cause of diseases. Natural cancer treatments are said to have a 30 times higher cure rate than orthodox cancer treatments of radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

Why should man continue to suffer and die when the solution grows in abundance around him? It is wise to seek nature’s healing through herbal medicine.

Maureen Minto is the chief naturopathic consultant at the Healthy Living Herbal Clinic and president of the Caribbean Natural Remedies Association. Contact her at 940-1197 or email healthylivingjamaica@gmail.com.