More than ever before, Americans are showing an interest in using herbs and botanical preparations for treating injuries and ailments.Some attribute this to the skyrocketing cost of medical care and prescription drugs. Some are concerned about the effects of the side-effects of the medicals in many medications and the way they interact in our bodies. And still others want to be less reliant upon physicians and more in control of their own health care.
Many people are also becoming part of back-to-the-earth movement, which involves using natural fibres,eating healthierfoods , recycling , and practicing naturalor alternative healing methods , in particular herbal medicine . Regardless of the specific reason for Americans ' growing interest in homeopathic ( natural )remedies , one thing is certain : our interest in alternative medical treatments isn ' t so much new as it is renewed , because we have plenty of information with which to quench our intellectual thirst , thanks in large part to our multicultural ancestors . We are fortunate in this country to have the greatest storehouse of botanical and herbal medical knowledge in the world , and that knowledge is the country doctor ' s legacy .
One of the most widely used clich é s concerning America is that it is a " melting pot " in which different cultures contribute their historical knowledge and unique characteristics for the good of all . With the possible exception of the dinner table , nowhere is this more visible than in herbal medicine , as developed by the country doctor of nineteenth - century America and as practiced today . Novels and journals, television dramas and films , all portray the country doctor as an important person in the American frontier community and also one of the most highly respected . Thirty years ago , Doc the television serial Gunsmoke , despite his cantankerous nature He frequently turned to the Indians for their medical knowl - edge , and Marshall Dillon was saved a time or two when the Indians cured fevers and infections with mysterious herbs they had collected The current television program Dr Quinn , Medicine Woman offers an - other testimony to the way the country doctor learned to use the herbal treatments of the Native Americans .
In traveling across the country , one can always find herbs woven into the tapestry of our history . Whether touring the Malcolm Blue homesite in Aberdeen , North Carolina ; the preserved and restored homes and shops of Plymouth and Salem , Massachusetts ; Old Salem , North Carolina ; or the missions of the one will always find the herb garden portrayed as an essential part of local life . George Jefferson ' s interest in natural medicines is chronicled in their papers and recreated in the gardens so carefully maintained today for visitors to their estates .
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