Herbal Medicine

By Philip E. Dika

HEALTH AND HEALING, RIGHT IN YOUR GARDEN!

God Almighty has surrounded us with an abundance of foods and fruits, plants and herbs that are preloaded with amazing health and healing capabilities. However, you must know which of these healthful provisions best

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cornerstone Concept
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781952098246

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

In the application of my knowledge of plant biochemistry, agricultural science and herbal medicine, I have resolved to put my pen to paper and bring together a variety of plants that are of medicinal value to man. This book is designed to educate the public, on how plants can be utilized in their natural form, to promote good health and longevity. It is also designed to meet the needs of many, who are suffering from one ailment or another, and are not responding to orthodox medicine, due to some drug resistant traits.

I have reached the conclusion that the treatment, prevention and management of many common ailments are embedded in plants. In fact, through the centuries, man has used plants to treat different kinds of sicknesses and diseases. Our ancestors drew pictures of various plants that grew around them. They knew, through observation and experience, which plants were useful or harmful to them. Their survival, in a sense, depended greatly on their knowledge of these plants. And with the passage of time, their observations and inferences paved way for the traditional study of medicinal plants, which eventually translated into modern scientific study of plants, known today, as Botany.

This knowledge of traditional herbal medicine helped our forefathers put together different spices, barks, leaves, roots, and herbs, to formulate blends that were suitable for treatment of sicknesses and diseases. This knowledge has found its way through generations in different families in the West African sub-region, Africa, and other parts of the world. My maternal grandfather was very proficient in the act of putting herbs together to formulate blends for medicinal uses, with which people were treated and cured of their ailments. It is pertinent to note that I served as my grandfather’s personal assistant.

Without doubt, this book will find its usefulness in the hands of many, who will consult it for knowledge and treatment of various sicknesses and diseases, including, constipation, heart attack, migraine, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, intellectual disability, hypertension, hypotension, kidney disease, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalance, colon cancer, etc. Colon cancer, for instance, is characterized by growth from the inner wall of the large intestine due to excess fat. It is a swift, sudden killer.

Long before man was created, God knew that the devil was going to introduce sicknesses and diseases to the world; hence He decided to make plants available for man’s use. That is why God said in the book of Genesis 1:11, 29, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seeds, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth; and it was so…Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

Other Scripture references that confirm that God gave us plants for feeding and healing purposes are Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:1-2. In Ezekiel 47:12, God said, And on the banks on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not whiter nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing. And Revelation 22:1-2 says, Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Through the middle of the street of the city; also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Now, it is surprising how people, out of ignorance, suffer from minor ailments, like lack of energy, chronic fatigue, or acute disease conditions. In some cases, when we experience a form of tiredness, it is because of some medical issues, such as vitamin deficiency, anemia, malnutrition, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, blood circulation problems, kidney or liver diseases, digestive tract problems, constipation colitis, and diarrhea, and other focal infections, in which bacteria are localized in special organs, such as underactive thyroid gland, sinus, and the ear. When these conditions are taken care of, the body returns to a healthy state.

I have selectively put together various herbs for the prevention and treatment of sicknesses and diseases. These selections have helped my family and many others, through the ages, to survive various epidemics and plagues that have ravaged the land in time past.

During my early years, I often assisted my grandfather, who specialized in home distillation and blending of these herbal formulas as beverages, making multiple mixtures of blends, with a characteristic pleasing aroma of spicy herbs into very potent medicine for the treatment of many diseases. As a child, I was extremely interested in the practice, that I soon became skilled in the act of herbal medicine production. This I did, before I moved on impulse, to study Biochemistry.

Over the years, I have discovered that good nutrition, involving avocado and citrus fruits, which are a component of vitamin E and C respectively, can extend the life span of people who are already in their 50s. Maintaining a good health is paramount for longevity. Therefore, a daily supplement of large amount of plant based vitamin C, Vitamin E, and adequate consumption of other plant derived vitamins and minerals, with complete avoidance of sugar, and smoking, could increase the length of life and years spent in good health, by about 30