introduction 3
I believe that modern medicine treatments for disease are seldom ef-
fective and that they are often more dangerous than the diseases they
are designed to treat. I believe the dangers are compounded by the
widespread use of dangerous procedures for non-diseases. I believe
that more than 90 percent of modern medicine could disappear from
the face of the earth — doctors, hospitals, drugs, equipment — and the
effect on our health would be immediate and benefi cial. I believe that
modern medicine has gone too far, by using, in everyday situations,
extreme treatments designed for critical conditions!
We need to become more discerning about medical treatment and to ask
for what we want instead of simply accepting whatever current medical de-
velopment is thrust upon us. Most of all, we need to avoid becoming one of
100,000 yearly U.S. citizens killed by the orthodox medical profession itself.
Some natural healing methods may initially appear to be drastic, time-
consuming, old-fashioned, and crude. You may not have met anyone who
has used them and be asking yourself whether they really work. A few of
us, the recipients and facilitators of these methods, know that they do work
and have kept the knowledge alive. Now more than ever, people need to
be enlightened with the knowledge and ability to heal themselves.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of cancers is
expected to double in most countries over the next twenty-fi ve years. The
reason is that we have an ever-increasing population that is living
longer — but in a sicklier state. With this in mind, it is important for every
household to have a clearer understanding of healthy daily living and self-
help methods, and to be aware that little problems need not become large
ones if they are dealt with early enough. Because of the overuse of
antibiotics, vaccinations, poor nutrition, and pollution, our children are
becoming sicker and weaker with more persistent allergies than ever. We
need to redress this widespread problem.
All too often we are scared away from herbs, regarding them as being
the exclusive province of the professionals, but herbs furnish us with our
own natural healing laboratories in our own kitchens. Herbs are potent,
and their benefi ts are usually felt quite quickly.
In previous times, herbalists used only the plants in their own terrain,
but personal territory has dwindled everywhere. As a means of sharing
these resources and enriching our knowledge, plants from luxuriant rain
forests, spacious mountains, and spartan deserts are now as easily available
as those obtainable from the local garden center. Yet though we now have
access to an incredible repertoire of healing plants, we actually have all we
need on our doorstep, with everyday weeds capable of taking care of a host
of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and much more.
3 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition