herbalhomies

[herbalhomies]

The Phytochemistry of Plants

☆Phytochemistry is the study of chemicals found within the plant kingdom.

☆ A herb differs from other plants (herbs contain active constituents that produce therapeutic actions within the body)

☆ Just because two plants contain the same active constituents - we can’t always assume that they’ll have the same effect on the body. ⋆ Other compounds present may inhibit or amplify certain active constituents.

☆ We can get a better idea about a plant and its potential therapeutic actions by studying its chemistry.

Plant Metabolites

☆ Plants (like us) metabolise (build up and break down) many compounds. ☆ Metabolites include amino acids, sugars, fatty acids and nucleotides which can act as building blocks in the creation of longer molecules such as fats, proteins, polysaccharides and DNA. ☆ These molecules are referred to as primary metabolites. These are functional compounds that ensure the healthy functioning of that organism.

☆ Plants also produce secondary metabolites (using primary metabolites as their building blocks). ☆ Some secondary metabolites also serve an important role in the healthy functioning of a plant - however not all. ☆Some secondary metabolites have a function similar to our own immune systems, helping to protect a plant from disease or predators, some attract pollinators while others serve in helping a plant adapt to its environment or to external stressors. ☆ We don’t know the purpose of them all!

☆There are three groups of secondary metabolites - nitrogen-containing compounds, terpenes and phenolics and from these three groups we see tens of thousands of compounds.  ☆In herbal medicine, the terpenes are important as are alkaloids (these fall under the category of nitrogen-containing compounds) and the polyphenols (from the phenolics category).

[herbalhomies]

Plant Classification and Scientific Naming

Classification of plants

✪ The scientific or botanical names of plants are internationally recognised ✪ These names are useful for herbalists as it ensures we are getting the plant we actually want from a manufacturer ✪ Carolus Linnaeus (Swedish botanist) established the modern plant classification system back in 1753 ✩ His system divides plants into species ⋆ A species of plant has plants which share morphological features, and they can interbreed ⋆ Closely related species are grouped together as a genus ⋆ Within a genus, plants with similar characteristics and origins then move together into groups called families ⋆ Families are subdivided into orders ⋆ Orders are subdivided into classes ⋆ Classes are subdivided into divisions ⋆ And finally, from a division we reach the kingdom

Understanding the Scientific Names - Latin��Binomial

✪ A plant’s scientific (botanical) name is a Latin binomial (two-part name)

✪ The first word indicates the genus and the second word indicates the particular species in a genus. The genus always has a capital letter and the species has a lower case letter. Both words are written in italics. Eg, Peppermint’s scientific name is Mentha spicata. Mentha (the genus) and spicata (the species).

✪ Sometimes after the genus you might see the letters sp. or spp. and these indicate one specie or several species of a particular genus. So, if we are talking about Mints in general we might talk about the Mentha spp. ✩ ssp. is used to denote a subspecies (eg Lavender angustifolia ssp. angustifolia and Lavender angustifolia ssp. pyrenaica) Yes, it’s confusing. ✩ You may also see the abbreviation var. which is used to indicate the variety. Eg Citrus aurantium var. amara (Petitgrain). ✩ Since plants within a species can interbreed, we can also denote hybrids. Hybridisation is indicated with an x between the genus and the species for example, Mentha x piperita var. piperita.

What’s in a name?

✪ Plant and family names are subject to change. This can happen when a new discovery is made or classifications progress. For example, in old German texts Chamomile is listed as Matricaria recutita, whilst in newer books it’s listed as Matricaria chamomilla.

✪ Family names have also seen changes. Eg, the Compositae family is now the  Asteraceae family. The Cruciferae family is now the Brassicaceae family. The Umbelliferae family became the Apiaceae family. The Libiatae family is now the Lamiaceae family.

✪ Most herbs come from the families above, so being aware of their name changes is important because some people have a family specific allergy. 

✪ You may notice other letters after the scientific name and these indicate the botanical authority who named the plant. Sometimes the botanist’s initial will be in brackets and this indicates that there has been a name change for some reason.

✪ The Latin words used in the naming of plants can be fascinating and confusing! Some words are taken from classical mythology. For example, the herb Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Achillia comes from the Greek Achilles. 

✪ Sometimes the Latin word will refer to the plant’s geography or habitat. For example, montana means growing on mountains, riparius means growing by rivers and streams whilst hydrocotyle means living in the water.

✪ The name could also indicate where they were found - sinensis for China, californica for California.

✪ Early botanists also named herbs after their uses! For example, cardiaca for the heart, catharticus helping to purge, and for the plants which had officially entered the pharmacopoeia (of medicinal plants) - officinalis.

✪ The names are often Greek in origin. Anethum from the Greek antethon meaning dill or anise. Some names commemorate a historical figure or botanist.

✪The name may also hint at the anatomy of the plant for example Hypericum perforatum. Perforatum refers to the little perforations found on leaves. Yarrow (millefolium)  refers to mille -thousand, folium -leaf. A reflection of the distinct feathery leaves.

✪ The colour of the plant is also used in the names, eg, purpureus (purple), viridis (green), albidus (white),  niger (black),  caeruleus (blue), ruber (red).

✪ And finally, the name can also give us a clue to the fragrance of the plant. Odorata means sweet smelling whereas feotidus means foul smelling.

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant and it’s Importance - Stems and Bark

✪ A plant’s stem serves a structural role, holding the bud and the flower and then the fruit in place. Stems also serve as an attachment point for leaves, the height offered by the stem helps to ensure that leaves can be exposed to sunlight.

✪ Like a root, a stem is a vascular system (as it contains xylem and phloem which allows for the transport of water and nutrients up and down the plant).

✪ Stems also contain meristem cells which multiply, allowing a plant to grow.

✪ Stems can also serve as a site for energy storage.

✪ The stem contributes greatly to the harvest of medicinal plants such as cleavers, oats and yarrow.

✪ Bark must be carefully harvested from trees so as not to put the tree at risk. For example, you should never remove a whole circumference of bark from around a tree trunk or limb.

✪ Not far underneath the outer bark layer of a tree lies the cambrium, the layer that surrounds the xylem and whose outer layers create the phloem. Under this layer is the cork cambium - the tree’s protective outer layer that serves to protect it from the elements, fungi and animals.

✪ Barks often offer quite powerful therapeutic actions. One can easily experience this power by breaking off a small portion of Oak bark, chewing it and feeling the strong astringent action courtesy of Oak’s tannins.

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant and it’s Importance - Roots and Rhizomes

✪ Roots are a plant’s anchor, holding them securely to the ground - from which they take up water and inorganic ingredients.

✪ Roots also serve as an energy storing facility. Structurally, a root generally has an outer layer (bark) and an inner layer which includes the xylem (up which water and nutrients travel) and phloem (which transfers the plants assimilates). The two layers are separated by an endodermis.

✪ Rhizomes server a similar purpose as roots but botanically they are different. A rhizome is a hefty horizontal stem of a plant, usually found underground and often branching out roots and shoots from its nodes.

✪ We use both roots and rhizomes in herbal medicine. Eg, Valerian root, Burdock root, Dandelion root and Ginger rhizomes.

✪ We are legally required to seek the landowner’s permission when we dig up a root from the wild. However, we are free to pick fruits, flowers, nuts, seeds and leaves in the wild thanks to the British Common Law.

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant and it’s Importance - Leaves

✪ Leaves collect energy from the sun and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy for the plant - and oxygen for us.

✪ Leaves are commonly used in the process of plant identification and to differentiate between species.

✪ The shape and texture of a leaf is often representative of its adaptation over time to suit its surroundings. For example, Rosemary leaves are thin with limited surface area which reduces water loss in the heat of its native lands.

✪ The arrangement of leaves up a stem is of great importance in species differentiation as is the form of the leaf.

✪ Leaves may be defined as:

☆ Simple (blades that are not divided into separate leaflets but may be deeply lobed)

☆ Compound (where there are two or more leaflets)

✪ The shape of the leaf is considered. A leaf may be round, oblong, obovate, rounded, linear, lanceolate, elliptic, spatulate, cordate, hastate. 

✪ The margin of the leaf is used to differentiate between plants too. These may be serrated, dentate or spinose.

✪ Peppermint, for example, has sharply toothed serrated, oblong to lanceolate leaves.

✪ Spearmint leaves have rounded edges and the shape is lanceolate.

✪ Some leaves we commonly use as herbal remedies: 

☆ Dandelion leaves ☆ Thyme ☆ The Mints ☆ Birch leaves ☆ Greater and Ribwort Plantain ☆ Comfrey leaves (for external use only) ☆ Downy leaves ☆ Marshmallow (and common mallow) leaves

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant and it’s Importance - Fruits and Seeds

✪ Evolutionarily speaking, seeds are a rather late arrival. The Gymnosperms were the first to produce seeds, and from these seed bearers, the angiosperms (fruit bearing plants) evolved.

✪ Fruits and seeds are important to herbalists, and since both of these come from flowers, it’s important that when we are harvesting flowers we do not over-pick.

✪ It’s also important to remember that fruit is a major source of food for wildlife. And in addition to this, plants need wildlife in order to spread their seeds by consuming them and dropping the seeds in their faeces. If we take all the fruit from a plant, we end it’s ability to produce more plants.

✪ Fruits are an ovary (and it’s attaching parts) that have matured. Fruits usually contain seeds.

✪ Fruits usually consist of three parts: 

☆ The exocarp (the skin of the fruit)

☆ The endocarp (the boundary encasing the seeds - sometimes very hard, sometimes papery or soft)

☆ The mesocarp (the flesh of the fruit, which lies between the exocarp and endocarp)

Together, these three are known as the pericarp.

✪ For a seed to germinate within a fruit and start growing it must be viable. Not all seeds that develop are viable.

✪ Plants evolved to produce vast numbers of seeds to increase the chances of the growth of their ‘offspring’. This is something to keep in mind when harvesting a plant with plenty of fruit. 

✪ Different seeds need different sets of circumstances to take place before germination will be triggered. For example, some need to experience a cold spell, others might need their thick seed coat to crack. A germinating seed can then send down a primary root into the soil. Then the stem and the leaves will emerge above ground.

✪ Herbalists are well aware of the hardiness of seeds. And like roots and tough bark, seeds are boiled when making herbal remedies to help break down the tough seed structure to release the active constituents.  

✪ Herbalists also make use of the ability of some seeds to absorb great quantities of fluid, hence the use of Psyllium seeds as a bulk laxative. In the gut, these seeds take in water, swell and help gently get the bowels moving.

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant - And it’s Importance - Flowers

~ Flowers ~ 

✪ German Chamomile, Marigold, Elder and Passion flower are some of the important medicinal flowers of herbal medicine.

✪ All flowers share some common features. All have several component parts, each with their own specific function. All flowers form from an embryonic primordium and this will develop into a bud. In herbal medicine, we sometimes harvest certain flowers in the bud stage, such as roses and St John’s Wort (when it’s being made into an infused oil).

✪ In botany, a whorl or verticil is an arrangement of leaves, sepals, petals, stamens, or carpels that radiate from a single point and surround or wrap around the stem or stalk.

✪ All flowers form on the tip of a stalk known as a peduncle whose tip swells into a structure known as a receptacle. Other parts of the flower attach itself to the receptacle in a whorl. We usually see a whorl of small green-leaf like projections called sepals (there are usually between three or five sepals around a receptacle).

✪ Collectively sepals are known as calyx. The calyx in most plants, serves to protect the flower in its bud.

✪ Another whorl which forms around the receptacle consists of petals. Collectively, the petals are known as the corolla. As you probably know, attractive corolla attracts pollinators, and there are markings on the corolla that we can’t see but are visible to bees!

✪ Petals may be separate or they may be fused together. Not all corollas are ‘pretty’. In fact, sometimes we see a flower and don’t register it as one due to their muted colours and small petals. Eg, Hops are flowers with green petals. In a wind pollinated plant, there might be no corolla at all.

✪ Together the corolla and the calyx are known as perianth.

✪ In some plants bracts extend from the receptacle. These are a type of leaf, sometimes green, sometimes colourful. It serves the same purpose as the petals. In herbal medicine, we pick the bracts as well as the flowers from the Lime tree (Tilia europaea/cordata).

✪ Stamens also emerge from the receptacle, from the base of the pistil, a green structure that rises from the centre of the flower.

✪ Stamen feature a fine filament (which looks like a tiny stalk) atop of which sits a sac-like anther. Within the anther, pollen grains develop.

✪ The pistil is a closed-end vase shaped structure composed of the uppermost stigma. The stalk like style underneath connects to the lower ovary, which is present as a swelling at the base.

✪ It is the ovary that will ultimately develop into the fruit. Each ovary contains chambers and to the walls of these chambers, tiny oval shaped ovules attach by way of tiny stalks.

✪ With some patience and a sharp knife, you can open an ovary to examine these. Ovules develop after a flower has been fertilised and will eventually develop into seeds. Seeds are also gathered for use in herbal medicine. 

✪ In relation to flowers, you may see the term inflorescence. This refers to formations of groups of flowers on a peduncle (rather than just a single flower on a peduncle). Inflorescence formations include spikes (as seen in Lavender), panicles (as seen in Oats), heads (as seen in Dandelion), cymes ( as seen in Sundew), catkins (as seen in Birch trees), corymbs ( as seen in Hawthorn), umbels (as seen in Valerian) and racemes ( as seen in Lily of the Valley (a restricted herb)).

[herbalhomies]

Each Part of a Plant - And it’s Importance - Part 1

Some facts:

✪ Not all parts of a plant are used for herbal medicine!

✪ Different parts of a plant can have different therapeutic actions. Eg,  dandelion roots and leaves have different uses.

✪ Sometimes, it’s only one part of a plant that is therapeutically active

✪ Additionally, while one part of a plant may be safe to use, another part of the same plant can be unsafe.

✪ When purchasing herbs, Latin terminology is used to highlight which part of the plant is used in preparation. These are important to learn:

☆ Aerial parts are known as herba

☆ Leaves as folia

☆ Flowers as flos

☆ Fruit as fructus

☆ Bark as cortex

☆ Roots as radix

☆ Rhizome as rhizoma 

☆ Bulbs as bulbus

✪ Many commercial preparations use both aerial and the roots of an Echinacea species. Many herbalists consider the roots to be the most potent part of the plant, but commercially, the roots are often bulked out with aerial parts. Therefore, knowing which part of a plant is more powerful or therapeutic helps us to recognise when a manufactured product might be less therapeutic than we expect.

✪ Herbalists treat different parts of a plant accordingly when preparing them. For example, pouring water over dried leaves will be effective water extraction. However pouring boiling water over some roots, wouldn’t be enough to extract the active constituents from the tougher cells in the roots.

✪ Using the boiling water method is best for rhizomes, bark or berries. However, you shouldn’t boil leaves or flowers as it could lead to loss of volatile constituents which could evaporate away, leading to a less potent herbal preparation.

[herbalhomies]

Botany - Understanding Plants

✮ Botany (aka Plant Biology) is the study of all aspects of plants (and photosynthesising organisms). This area of study was founded by our hunter-gatherer ancestors who learnt to identify and use edible and healing plants and was developed later when our ancestors learned how to cultivate plants.

✮Botany is also concerned with plant reproduction, plant evolution, plant habitats and ecology, taxonomy and even plant diseases.

✮Nowadays we can examine plants at a microscopic level and predict it's therapeutic potentials based on chemistry. That being said, due the their extraordinary chemical complexity, even modern techniques haven't yet revealed all the secrets contained within plants.

✮Dried and tinctured herbs are more practical than working with fresh herbs because they preserve the plant or plant part and give the herb a much longer shelf life than a freshly picked herb.

✮ Be responsible when harvesting plants - both from your private property and from the wild. Especially if you're pulling up roots, ensure there is a flourishing population in that habitat.

✮Never take more than you need and treat the habitat with respect.

✮ When searching for a plant in the wild, get to know the preferred habitat of the plants - some of which are fussier than others. For example, Meadowsweet likes to grow by water, therefore you can focus your searches to streams, ditches, rivers and lakes.

✮ When buying herbs, make sure to do so ethically from commercial growers who are cultivating the plants and not taking them from the wild.

[herbalhomies]

The Definition of a Herb

Herbalists refer to any plant (or any part of a plant) which has a therapeutic effect on the body (either internally and/or externally). So, a conker can be considered a herb under these terms. As can a rosehip, or a nettle, the bark from an oak tree or the root of a burdock plant.

It's the therapeutic properties that classify a plant (or fungus or seaweed) as a herb, and these therapeutic properties arise courtesy of the active constituents contained within. Thanks to modern science, we have discovered how to isolate some of these constituents, leading to important medical breakthroughs. Aspirin, Taxol (paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug) and Galantamine (used as a medicine in cases of Alzheimer's) all were discovered in plants (Aspirin was first discovered in Meadowsweet and Willow, Yew trees are used to make Taxol, and Daffodils are the source of Galantamine).

��� Just because you've read about a drug derived from a plant, that doesn't mean that you can use the plant therapeutically. Always make sure if the plant is poisonous or not 🢘

Because of the chemical complexity of herbs, one herb can exhibit many therapeutic actions and therefore has the potential to help a wide variety of conditions. People will often ask what certain herbs are good for and what conditions it can treat. But a better way of looking at herbs is in terms of its therapeutic actions rather than limiting it to a set of conditions which it can help with.

This means that you can learn about just a handful of herbs and yet still have the ability to ease a vast array of health conditions because you'll understand what each her will do in the body through these therapeutic actions and how these actions can address both the root cause and the symptoms of an illness.

Nicholas Culpeper was keen on teaching the public how to use plants. He didn't expect them to become experts, but he understood that a decent knowledge of a few common plants could have the potential to make an individual capable of helping many, many health issues.

[herbalhomies]

The Holistic Approach

Herbs can be used in an allopathic manner (as in to manage or suppress symptoms). The management of symptoms within holistic medicine can be frowned upon, though it shouldn't be, as some symptoms can be extremely unpleasant or painful. You can still help to manage symptoms whilst taking a holistic approach, as long as you do more than just treat symptoms.

Herbalists believe there is always a 'story' behind a presenting illness and that many 'chapters' may have contributed to the emergence of an illness. We believe that factors such as lifestyle, diet, exercise and mood can all be contributing factors. We are all unique, so the reason why you and I fall ill with exactly the same illness could be completely different. The holistic approach acknowledges the complexity and uniqueness of the individual and therefore requires a deep examinations of all aspects of a person's life - past and present.

Example:

Holly goes to a herbalist because in the past six months she's had six colds. The colds last for weeks, each one leaving her feeling more run down, lethargic and with lingering symptoms such as cough, sore throat and aching sinuses.

↪ A herbalist will take a broader approach than a doctor - who might suggest painkillers and a course of antibiotics. A herbalist would ask Holly to go through her entire medical history and would study her home life, work like, her free time, her stress levels, her sleep, diet and water intake.

↪ A herbalist would take a close look at what had been happening in Holly's life prior to the start of the six-month episode of recurring illness. Let's say we find out Holly ended a relationship and moved to a new house.

↪This would alert us to high levels of stress. The holistic approach would, therefore be to address this period of stress. This could be done with the use of herbs which nourish and soothe the nervous system, and with lifestyle advice.

↪ Knowing that stress has a negative impact on the immune system the herbalist would also ensure this system was given attention too. Given the long term nature of the issue, we'd likely use immune tonics rather than simply immune stimulants, to help gently build up the system rather than offering a short term solution to the most recent cold.

↪ Dietary advice would also be important for the long term resolution of an issue such as this. Stress can be nutritionally demanding, especially in terms of vitamin C, and given that the immune system appears to be struggling in this scenario it would be a fair hypothesis that the body needs a nutritional boost. We can also help manage the symptoms of the colds and offer remedies to deal with this and to encourage the body to fight off potential new colds - but this approach would be the 'top layer' of a many-layered approach, one with its roots in the hypothesis that stress was the initial trigger.

↪ The holistic approach is often a long term one, involving many weeks of herbal therapy.

↪ So, to take a holistic approach is to look for the root cause of an issue.

[herbalhomies]

Aperitifs, Anthelmintics and Adaptogens

Aperitifs are herbs that were taken shortly before a meal to promote the appetite. Many herbs, especially bitter and aromatic ones are noted as being aperitifs. These were in use as far back the 5th century and is by no means a common practice anymore.

Anthelmintic plants have the ability to kill and expel parasitic worms from the body. We no longer use these much but they were extremely common in the past.

Adaptogens refer to the plants which help the body cope with stress more effectively. This is a relatively new term. In the past healers were yet to understand or even know the existence of microbes, so all the plants that are now listed as antiseptics, antimicrobials, anti-virals, anti-bacterial and antifungals, though in use historically, weren't known as such.

[herbalhomies]

How Henry VIII Saved your Herbalism Practice

Some countries have strict laws regarding practising as a Herbalist. However, in the UK there is a long-standing piece of legislation which protects the rights of those trained to practice Herbalism. The person behind this piece of legislation is none other than Henry VIII.

☆ Henry VIII studied herbal medicine and records show that he was well acquainted with herbs such as Plantain, Fenugreek and Marshmallow

☆ The King liked to see the herbs made into medicine and he would often bring all the necessary equipment to make medicines on royal travels

☆ Henry VIII was fully aware that herbal medicine was the sort of healing that the village wise women were carrying out - the women who were treating the poor people of the land. He understood that the poor couldn't afford the more modern medical treatments, so he built upon existing legislation and created the Charter of King Henry VIII

☆ This charter was to ensure the continuation of afforadble health care for the poor by making herbal medicine legal, and it also made sure that herbal practitioners had a protected right to use those herbs

☆ It's thanks to this legislation that to this day herbalists can train via university degree, apprenticeship or distance mode learning

[herbalhomies]

A Brief History of Herbalism

Timeline

☆ Medicinal herbs were used as far back as The Palaeolithic Era (60,000 years ago)

↪ Discovery of the theraputic potential of a plant was a matter of trial and error

↪ Practice was passed down orally

☆ Shamans are the oldest healers

↪ Shamanism as a practice is older than any recorded religion

↪ There is evidence of Shamanism as far back as the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras

↪ Shamans are famed for their use of potentially dangerous plants

☆ The earliest ancient herbal healing texts:

↪ Clay Sumerian Tablets (5,000 years old)

↪ Ayurvedic 'Vedas' (from 1500 BC)

↪ The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Materia Medica (from 1000 BC)

↪ Ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyrus (3,500 years old)

↪ Ancient Greeks Enquiry into Plants, De Simplicibus and De Materia Medica (all are 2,000 + years old)

☆ Hippocrates

↪ Took a holistic view of illness and health (treating the whole person not just the symptoms)

↪ He used over 400 herbs and promoted the benefits of a good diet, exercise and bathing

↪ He practiced Humoral Medicine (based on the 4 humors of the body - blood, phlegm, melancholy and yellow bile) Highlighting the belief that the body requires balance to remain well.

↪ Ancient Greece was becoming a breeding ground for disease due to dense population

☆ The rise of the Catholic Church

↪ Shift in the existing medical systems - the Church believed that medicine should be in the hands of Holy men

↪ Arabic culture had made copies of the Ancient Greek's textbooks - keeping alive the tradition of holistic herbal healing and integrating their own traditions. This combination of Ancient Greek and Arabic healing tradition became known as Unani Tibb

☆ Ayurvedic Medicine

↪ Thought to date back to teachings in India 5,000 years ago

↪ Ayurvedic practice also focuses on the treatment of the whole person

☆ The rise of religion

↪ There was a period of decline in the medics born of the Hippocratic teachings

↪ South American Shamanic healing (especially use of magic mushrooms) was heavily frowned upon by Catholic Spanish conquerors

↪ They were also incredibly scathing of the Aztec's traditions

↪Native healing practices in North American tribes were outlawed. (The tribes resisted these laws and were able to continue passing their knowledge down through generations)

☆ Nicholas Culpeper

↪ An important figure in British herbalism

↪ The author of The English Physitian (The Complete Herbal) - Written in 1652 and is still in print today

↪ Culpeper championed the use of herbs by all, believing that if the public learnt about the plants around them, they could cheaply take better care of their health

↪ He was a follower of medical astronomy and believed that both plants and illness were influenced by the planets. This subject has gained popularity again among some herbalists

☆ The Doctrine of Signatures

↪ The Doctrine of Signatures postulated that the botanical appearance of a plant indicated its medical applications. (In use since the Ancient Greeks). The theory was that it was God leaving clues

↪ Eg, Eyebright was used for eye condictions because the markings on the petals look like an eye. Lungwort was used to treat lung disease because the leaves looked like a diseased lung

☆ Samuel Thomson

↪ Important 19th Century figure

↪ He helped to popularise the knowledge he was taught by the Native Americans regarding healing with herbs

↪ Hippocrates heavily inflenced Thomson's approuch to health and Herbalism

↪ Thomson's approach become hugely popular in American Herbal Medicine, drving the physiomedical herbalist movement

↪ Thomson's approach also influenced the development of Eclecticism

☆ Physiomedicalists

↪ Physiomedicalists considered the vital force a factor in good health and believed that hot and cold energies were key to the presence and the resolution of illness

☆ Eclecticism

↪The founder of Eclecticism, Wooster Beach, felt that some of Samuel Thomson's teachings needed to be addressed

↪ Eclecticism proceeded with a more scientific approach, especially in terms of plant monographs, with the active constituents, chemistry and pharmacology becoming a key feature

↪ Eclectic herbalists championed the use of the whole plant, rather than isolated extracts from the plant

From these two 19th century strands of Herbal Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine grew.