Herbal Remedies

For centuries, the history of the Craft has been tied to the healers in their respective communities.  Their generational knowledge of herbs (medical and magickal) have kept people healthy and balanced.  As people become educated in the Craft, as expected, they tend to move towards a healthier lifestyle.  Some people remove meat and dairy from their diets, some choose only organic meats and vegetables or start gardens where they have an even greater control over their food sources.

The same thing is happening with regard towards medical care as well.  If there is a flower, plant or tree that can be used to removed disease from our bodies or to complement traditional western medicine, we try and use it.  We understand that our body reacts much better to herbal medicines than to western medicine and, when used under the skilled hands of a trained practitioner, the results are just as good with less damage to our bodies on the cellular level.

The key to using any type of herbal remedy is to ensure that you are using it under the care of a trained herbalist, naturopath, Chinese, Ayurvedic or other such trained practitioners.  People who practice herbal healing arts have been trained in how to carefully gather the necessary herbs and prepare them for use within the human body.  They are also trained in how to determine which herbs may work best for any western medication that you may be on.  They can also work with your current physician and create complementary treatments to treat any damage done by the western medicine.

Many people in the Craft like to work with herbs of any kind and create their own personal herbal remedies for a wide variety or reasons.  I'm a big fan of honey (having a couple of friends who are beekeepers helps!) and use raw honey for minor wound care and I enjoy a hand lotion that contains propolis, an anti-bacterial, anti-viral substance bees make to seal their honeycombs and cracks within the hive .  The anti-viral part thrills me to no end since I can use a hand cream to soften my hands and during cold an flu season when you are touching phones and doorknobs, the anti-viral part keeps the nasties at bay.  I use several types of herbal teas and I use an herb to help stabilize my mood as I suffer from mild but chronic depression.  Lastly, I use a tea tree oil rinse for my scalp because it has a tendency to get very dry and itchy.  Tea tree oil is a great multi-purpose oil to keep on hand for all kinds of minor medical emergencies like cuts and scratches.

Having said all that...it is the wise herbal remedy enthusiast that only practices on themselves and declines to offer herbal remedy advice to others.  I'm sure some of you are saying "Boooo! quit spoiling our fun with herbs!"  I promise I have a good reason for doing so.  Herbal remedies in most states are considered "medicines" and treating the aches and pains of friends and families may be considered practicing medicine under the laws of the state you live in.  Remember two paragraphs ago when I said that the key to using herbal remedies is using them under the guidance of a trained practitioner? That is the reason why.  Trained practitioners are skilled and knowledgeable (and licensed within your state) about your body systems and can make accurate diagnoses about what exactly is ailing you.  Intestinal upset could be the result of something you ate that didn't agree with you or it could be a loss of beneficial flora within your intestinal tract or something worse yet.  Only a trained person can make that call, not your witchy friend (unless they too, happen to be a trained practitioner)  You have the right to choose (or decline) your own medical care but unless you are properly licensed, you don't have the right to practice on others.

More and more medical insurance companies are offering to pay alternative medicine caregivers if they are used in conjunction with traditional care.  Alternative medicine practitioners have shown great value in not only lowering medical costs for the patient but their ability to work with traditional medicine can get the patient back on their feet in a shorter time span while enhancing the bodies own ability to fight off diseases.

The Wise Woman or the Cunning Man have used herbal remedies for centuries to help keep the people around them healthy and balanced.  Today's practitioners of the herbal healing arts are no less valuable than those who practiced them centuries ago.  We also have the added luxury of knowing exactly what certain herbs accomplish in our bodies due to massive amounts of testing conducted on a wide variety of plant life.  Used wisely, herbs can have a tremendous impact on your health.  Used in ignorance, can harm or even cease life.