You may perhaps wonder who first discovered the medicinal value of herbs, roots, plants and flowers. The answer to this question is hidden in antiquity - lost in the dawn of history. Perhaps, however, the following explanation comes as close to its solution as any.
Away back, when civilization was young, the first inhabitants of the earth were vegetarians, feeding on grasses, roots, berries and herbs. Those that agreed with them they continued to eat while they stayed away from those that made them ill.
Later when a man learned how to make a fire and to eat the roasted flesh of animals, he lost much of his knowledge of herbs and roots and plants. Meat, to him, was the important thing in keeping his hunger appeased. So he began to domesticate animals, sheep, goats, cattle.
Those early shepherds of the hills still remained close to mother nature, however, and had many opportunities of studying nature all around them. They had plenty of time to experiment with various plants and soon learned by observation the results from eating these various plants.
Gradually this aboriginal men became the Medicine Men of their tribes. Because of their superior knowledge of various roots, they were able to prescribe brews and concoctions to cure the ills of brother tribesmen. Each time a cure was effected, the value of the medicine man was increased to his tribe - and accordingly so was his power.
The ancient medicine man jealously guarded his secret knowledge and passed it on to his eldest male offspring who, through generation after generation added more and more knowledge and experience to his art.
Gradually, other members of the tribe were wont to believe, that in some way, the powers of the Medicine Man were bound up with the Gods and Goddesses which they worshiped.
This belief that there was some religious significance to the power of Medicine Man was increased by the fact that he often chanted over his brews, or made signs or performed rituals. This he did to make the patient believe that it was his personal power that brought about the cure - NOT the natural herbs which he concocted. At the same time this was the one means he had of keeping secret his formula for the cure.
Thus it came about that the early tribesmen thought that that some magic power rested with the Medicine Man and soon his advice was sought on all matter of subjects - some of them far removed from the curing of the bodily ills.
If a tribesmen sought to overcome a personal enemy, he went to the Medicine Man who perhaps prescribed an herb which made the offender violently ill. Sometimes he even gave potions of poison brew to entirely eliminate the undesirable one.
Of course, payment was always exacted for such services until the Medicine Man became among the wealthiest in the tribe.
Thus a form of Witchcraft and Sorcery was established which, after many generations, became a part of the religion of these aboriginal tribes.
It is not to be wondered at that the Medicine Man or Witch Doctor was greatly feared and that great respect, which almost approached veneration, was tendered to him.
Even today, many of the cures effected by Medicine Men in Darkest Africa remain unexplained by modern science. The "Black Magic" of these Witch Doctors has been witnessed and described by competent observers yet they are without a scientific explanation.
My name is Ioan Draniciar and on my Natural Herbs Remedy [http://www.naturalherbsremedy.com/welcome-gift] blog I am trying to teach myself and others how to maintain and improve our physical and spiritual health through more natural-effective ways. Anybody who is interested in taking care of health problems, without expensive medications or risky surgeries by using natural herbal remedies should visit my site. Natural Herbs Remedy's [http://www.naturalherbsremedy.com/welcome-gift] goal is to find well-researched, safe and proven-effective natural treatments of various diseases.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ioan_Draniciar
No comments:
Post a Comment