and insect predators and parasites. Even Britain’s largest producer of
chemical insecticides and fertilizers, ICI, has said that all gardens should
have a small quantity of wild plant species growing near cultivated
ornamental plants, pointing out that these plants assist friendly insects.
Lacewings and hoverfl ies, for example, lay their eggs on some weeds, and
both destroy aphids. That’s quite a quantum leap for a fi rm like ICI, but
we need more leaps from them in many more positive directions.
Dr. Francis Brinker of the Eclectic Institute in Arizona tells us that
certain chemicals in the prickly ash (Zanthoxylum species) act on
housefl ies, mosquito larvae, ticks, and several leaf-eating insects, as well as
being an ovicide for body lice and toxic to yellow mealworms. There is a
great deal of research being carried out into natural insecticides. For
instance, where eucalyptus grows, not a single mosquito is to be seen!
Agricultural chemicals may be a problem for industrialized nations, but
they have had even more serious consequences in developing economies.
A ten-million-strong peasants’ revolt in 1994 in India tried to reverse
some of the worst aspects of the GATT international trade regulations.
Rural farmers in India and other developing nations want it to be known
that their very survival is at stake. These farmers are obliged to buy
hybrid seeds from certain companies. Plants grown from these hybrid
seeds do not set seed, and therefore seed cannot be gathered from them
for sowing the following year. Thus the farmers have to buy more seeds
from Western companies, at enormous expense. In addition, these
genetically developed seeds actually depend on chemicals for growth.
These farmers’ very livelihood is being threatened, and now a legacy of
destruction can be seen, with farms, farmers, and their families being
forced into failure. This arrangement may be disgustingly brilliant for
monopolistic agribusiness, but it is a threat to the survival of small
farmers, their families, and indeed whole peoples. In fact, only a few very
rich farmers will survive. Many people will continue to starve and become
parted from their land, homes, lifestyle, and everything they have or care
for. Their own collected seeds are the excellent result of centuries of
improvement and adaptation to local conditions and are best suited for
mixed sustainable agriculture. The imported “miracle” hybrid versions are
already reported to be giving lower yields and to require excessive water,
which is simply not available.
Get Closer to Nature and Make a Herbal Profi le
Spending time in nature, where you can rediscover and hone gut instincts,
can be given an extra purpose by making your own herbal profi le. A
herbal profi le is an intensive study of a small number of plants that are
18 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition