Plants have been part of our lives since the beginning of time. We get numerous products from plants, most of them not only good and beneficial but also crucial to our existence. The use of plants to heal or combat illness is probably as old as humankind. Out of these simple beginnings came the pharmaceutical industry. Yet today, the view of plants is very different from how it all started.

A long time ago, plants were viewed and appreciated with the utmost reverence. Most people today greatly ignore the existence of plants and seriously downplay their importance. Most cannot fathom growing their own plants such as for food, let alone appreciating them, or using them for personal healing.

The pharmaceutical industry refuses to give them credit for pretty much anything, as it is today almost 100% synthetic in nature, while the governing agencies continuously make it a battle to certify anything herbal or plant based. Yet these same corporations have no problem promoting synthetic and chemical medicines that are continuously proving dangerous in various ways.

So what happened and how did all of this change? Well that I imagine is a long story, that has one short ending – money and profit. In order for something to be profitable today it needs a patent, and nature in its unmodified form cannot be patented. Thus today we extracted what we wanted out of plants, synthesized it and patented the final products as pharmaceuticals, or modified entire plants, such as for the production of food to make them profitable for some and not others.

However, the tides are changing. A quiet, yet significant revolution is under way. More and more people are remembering their roots. More and more people are returning to nature – to Mother Earth. More and more people want the benefits that plants can offer us, whether for medicine or healing, in their natural state.

In fact over the last few decades, studies have begun that actually show and prove that plants are not the quiet, insentient beings that we thought they were. Many discussions and studies are showing the amazing intelligence also of plants. However that is not what I intend to get into here today, as that alone deserves its own discussion.

Plants and the Connection To Your Food

The main focus of this article is that we have so much to benefit from by returning to natural plants in medicine. The famous father of medicine, Hippocrates said a statement that I use often, teach by  and live by today:

Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine shall be thy food.

Hippocrates

A diet for optimal health today we know should be plant based. Therefore, this makes even more sense to capture what Hippocrates was saying. Plants serve as our food. Plants also have numerable healing qualities and health benefits. So it goes to reason that plants serve an extremely significant role in our health and medicine. Healthy eating is preventative medicine. Numerous plant food sources, can also be used to heal, should we find ourselves in such a situation.

Throughout time we owe so much to plants for all of the health and healing remedies they have provided. Yes, plants are extremely beneficial in preventing various conditions, but we know too that they are amazing at how many ways we can use them for various healing modalities.

For example, we know that just by eating a high plant diet, we can for the most part prevent or greatly reduce the risk of colon cancer and heart disease. We are learning more and more today about phytonutrients – beneficial compounds in plants – that can help prevent many diseases. The cruciferous family of plants for example is quickly gaining status as helping to ward off cancer due to the phytonutrient groups it contains.

As for healing, plants have been used as medicine or for various healing modalities in such diverse ways over the centuries. Anything from skin burns, to infections or from heart health, to even combating cancers. We use them as teas, tinctures, oils, creams and more!

Plant Medicine and Science

Naturally, the drug organizations and their governing bodies are skeptical, as are many in the science fields. They want tests, they want studies and they want proof. But do they really?

It could be so easy to get a group of people on various plant medicines, the results however won’t be satisfactory for many reasons, which I will not get into here. However, where there is a will, there is always a way. In this case however, there is no will, because proving how powerful and beneficial plants can be, remember won’t make most companies any money.

So the power of plants in medicine today is still all too often ridiculed or disregarded. Herbal remedies are all too often laughed at, and anyone prescribing them to heal is accused of quackery.

But again I remind you that the tables are turning, and why wouldn’t they be?

For centuries the Native peoples of various cultures have used plants in medicine and for all sorts of healing. For centuries, the basis of Chinese medicine were plants and they still are to this day. So could it be that Western medicine and our society here is missing out on something? I think the answer is a definite, yes.

Yes, plants can be dangerous if used incorrectly. This is the other side of the coin that some of us often forget. As I always say, just because it is natural does not mean that it is safe, and just because it is chemical does not mean it is unsafe. We forget this because many of us don’t realize at just how powerful and potent plant compounds can actually be. And so yes, there should be some sort of regulation in how we handle plant medicines, I am not saying anything against that, but it should be given a fair chance. Up to this point in the Western world, it hasn’t.

In conclusion, plants are extraordinary species and as research continues on, I know that we will continue to come back more and more to the natural healing abilities of plants, whether from a preventative perspective or in times of illness.

*Photograph 1 provided by cygnus921
*Photograph 2 provided by Trellina

About the author:
Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.