The history of plants is almost as old as the history of man. There are many which today cannot even be identified:out of six hundred species covered by the Greek naturalist Dioscorides, less than one hundred can be recognized today. Before the relatively modern age of drugs controled and marketed by pharmaceutical conglomerates, we relied solely on plants to treat ourselves.

There are very distinct advantages to using herbs whenever possible instead of commercial drugs. The pharmaceutical companies extract what they believe to be the "active ingredient" and isolate it, and mix it with synthetic substances. This can lead to a very powerful drug, but one that is not balanced, and often produces many unwanted side effects. By using herbs, you are taking in the whole synergy of complex chemical components, exactly as they occur together in nature. The average testing time for a new drug is a only a few years , and then only on small populations of patients. Many of the healing plants that we use today have been used for centuries.

For most of my life I thought of herbs as rather anonymous dried substances encased in clear plastic capsules, the bottles of which filled shelves at the local health food store, or increasingly drugstores. But if you want to save money, and have more control over quality and the assurance that what you see is really what you get, you might want to consider buying whole herbs, fresh or dried. If you know how to boil water and make a cup of tea, you are well on your way to being able to make your own homemade herbal remedies. See methods for more on how to use herbs.

Of course nothing beats having your own herb garden, and the pleasures that it can bring. Even if that is beyond your means or desires, consider a small pot of basil in a sunny window. The first time you pinch a few fresh leaves to put in a stew or soup, and smell that marvelous aroma, it will guarantee a smile.