It’s a terribly chilly day here in Olympia. I’ve spent most of the day at my desk, drinking puerh tea, brow furrowed in intense contemplation over some aspects of my developing thesis. I’m exploring the question of the contribution of ethnobotanical knowledge & practices to public health and I face a number of challenges. And [...]
I’m unreasonably excited about the ecological medicine movement. Here’s why. For my entire academic and professional life, I’ve struggled in committing (and therefore confining) myself to a particular discipline. Because of the way that knowledge is fragmented, playing within the bounds of one discipline confines my understanding to that portion of the whole system. None [...]
Historically the beneficial plants have always been thought of as the peoples’ medicine. They were often safer than chemical medicines, cheaper and more accessible to common folk. However, in recently reviewing surveys of herbal medicine use in the United States, a different picture emerges. Survey results are consistent in suggesting that people who take herbal [...]