HERBAL Antibiotics: Advanced and Effective Natural Remedies and the Best Organic Recipes for Healing Without Pills

By Daniel Hare

In the herbal world of antibiotics, there is a different sort of ancient history, one of a time before the development of synthetic medicine and modern scientific discovery. This world has one foot in the present day but is undeniably rooted in the past. It is a world where dried leaves and roots are healing remedies, and ancient wisdom pervades

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Hare
• Release date: Jul 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088231364

Book preview

Introduction

In the herbal world of antibiotics, there is a different sort of ancient history, one of a time before the development of synthetic medicine and modern scientific discovery. This world has one foot in the present day but is undeniably rooted in the past. It is a world where dried leaves and roots are healing remedies, and ancient wisdom pervades.

In ancient times, herbal medicine was a staple of everyday life and used to treat common ailments. It was considered a key skill, and it was not uncommon for a home remedy to be one of the only ways an individual could survive and bring an infant into this world. With these simple remedies came a deep respect for the healing properties that they could bring forth. There were many remedies and recommendations placed on the importance of those herbs, but no amount of these teachings is as important as how they were put together. One’s medical reference book would likely contain multiple recipes instructing on how to prepare herbal medicines in a specific manner to achieve maximum effect. How these were prepared and the circumstances that surrounded their use are the heart of herbal antibiotics.

The making of herbal antibiotics was a complex process, with specific steps and preparations that were necessary in order to harness the power of these herbs. Unlike synthetic medicine, these methods were not merely used to cover up an ailment or sickness but rather as a means to correct a direct cause. Preparations were not made lightly, it was a serious undertaking, often draining one’s time and resources. A time-consuming process such as this is not likely to be taken lightly. If a country was in the middle of a war and an epidemic broke out, such preparations would likely be made by multiple individuals from a community or tribe, people who would have been trained in previous generations.

In this way, these recipes were not just simple instructions on how to make something that works, they were life lessons in philosophy and science. The steps of these preparations carry wisdom in them, and each step represents an important part of the healing process. These are the earliest examples of holistic medicine and the first known examples of antibiotic use.

This book aims to show the dedication and knowledge used in making these medicines. In this way, it hopes to honor the ancient knowledge but also to provide an example of the careful preparation that can be done with a dedication to the craft. As with anything worthwhile, there were many ways that these remedies were said to be made in ancient times. This is because each person had their own style of preparation and their own special methods. These methods were often passed down from master to apprentice for generations. This book will not offer specific methods on how things should be made but rather explain some of the main styles of preparation used throughout history and show the differences in the ways that they were made.

However, before we look at the preparation of herbal antibiotics, it is important to understand where they came from and why they came about. This will help us better understand the ancient world and give us a sense of where these recipes come from. By understanding the methods used in the past, we can better appreciate the herbal medicines we have now and perhaps gain a deeper knowledge of how to use them most effectively.

Chapter One

The Oldest of Medicines

The world has gone through periods where there have been epidemics and diseases sweeping across the globe. And unfortunately, sometimes, when these diseases appear, it takes an awful lot of antibiotics to stop them or prevent them from spreading. Pandemics and epidemics have been around for as long as the world has been around. In fact, the world’s first pandemic may have been the Plague of Athens, which ravaged Greece in 430 BC. Many people have wondered what kind of medicines the Ancient Greeks had up their sleeves to stop this deadly agent. The origins of herbal antibiotics are highly debated, and no one is quite sure what the Ancient Greeks, or even the Romans, had in their medicine cabinets. It’s interesting to stop and think about how herbal antibiotics actually started. For thousands of years, many of the world’s major religions have included herbs and healing plants in their teachings. Ancient Jewish law, for example, required people to go into the mountains with a selection of specific plants every spring, a process closely mimicked today when traditional Chinese medicine practitioners make their annual herb gathering trip.

The Bible is full of references to how herbs were used, from the healing properties of olive oil to the cleansing nature of vinegar, which was used as a surgical disinfectant. In fact, the word antiseptic comes from the Greek anti and septikos, meaning against putrefaction. This new word was used to accurately describe vinegar’s ability to prevent rotting. Herbs were mentioned in the Quran too, as well as in traditional Hindu teachings. Ling plants, which could improve vision when ingested, were described in the sacred Hindu text Atharva Veda, some 5,000 years old. The Chinese were also using herbs for many purposes, including treating fever and preventing tooth decay, among other things. As early as the 5th century BC, Chinese medicine practitioners were documenting their herbal knowledge for future generations to follow, but where did it all begin?

The First Records of Herbal Antibiotics

The first known recorded use of herbal antibiotics may have been in Greece in the 5th century BC when the Ancient Greeks used willow bark to treat headaches and gout. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, even wrote about how willow bark could be used to reduce pain and fever. However, this is only one of many early historical uses of herbal antibiotics throughout the centuries. In the 4th century, the Arab physician Rhazes believed that a tea made from wormwood had healing powers. He also used tea, which he called maydan-al-hazal, to treat headaches, rashes, and skin diseases. Each ingredient in this herbal tea was known to have specific medicinal properties, making it a truly unique medicine.

During the Middle Ages in France and Italy, powdered mugwort was used to heal skin infections and ulcers. Hippocrates himself recognized this herb as an effective remedy for many ailments, including tuberculosis and joint pain. In the 12th century, an Arab physician named Abou Bekr Al-Razi recommended that his patients drink a mixture of Persian berries to boost their immune systems and fight off infections. In Asia, the Chinese were reportedly using the antibiotic properties of herbs combined with other natural products such as honey since before 200 BC to treat fever and diarrhea. The Chinese also used traditional herbal medicines like licorice root and chives to heal wounds and treat bacterial digestive disturbances.

During the Renaissance period in Italy, physicians used saffron to eliminate fatigue and restore memory because it was believed to be energizing, brightening, and soothing to the digestive system. Many herbalists also used sage, rosemary, and red pepper to treat respiratory problems such as colds, bronchitis, and tuberculosis. The use of oregano, a favorite herb of the Ancient Greeks, was also returning in popularity during this period. It wasn’t until the 16th century that interest in herbal medicines began to plummet in Europe due to a number of factors. One such factor was the belief in what is now known as the theory of signatures. This theory stated that herbs should be used only for their known medicinal effects, not because they looked or tasted like they were supposed to heal or have beneficial properties. Another was the introduction of a new school of thought in medicine called scientific rationalism, which presented a view that all medicinal knowledge could be explained by human anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. Therefore, herbs were seen as ineffective (without proof) and, therefore, not worth the time spent on them.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the quest for natural medicines moved to North America. The settlers who came here brought with them their own herbal remedies for the illnesses they would face on this continent. The Native Americans, on the other hand, already here and highly skilled in the ways of natural medicine, continued to use their herbs as they had always done. There are records of herbal medicines used by Native Americans dating back thousands of years. While many herbs were gathered, dried, and kept for a time, others were gathered in the wild for immediate use and incorporated into the daily diet. The medicinal properties of these herbs vary greatly, meaning that they can be either extremely beneficial or quite dangerous to human health, depending on what part of the herb was used and for what purpose. The Ohio tribes, for example, often used the roots of wild carrots to address certain fertility problems or used small patches of licorice root as a natural cough suppressant. John Lawson, who was a soldier