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Informative Speech About Herbal Medicine

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General Purpose: To inform.
Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about herbal medicine.
Central Idea: To inform the audience about the history of herbal medicine, provide examples of common herbal medicines and uses, and share my own experiences with herbal medicine.
Introduction
I. “Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are”- Alfred Austin (1835-1913)
II. Herbal medicine has been used for many, many years and is a great natural alternative to modern medicine.
III. My name is Kristen Cox and I have found myself becoming more and more inclined to use herbal medicine for a few years now. I am Pagan and have used herbs a lot in my daily life for spiritual practices and now I am also learning more about herbs for medicinal …show more content…

C. In the 16-1800s having a garden was thought to be a necessity of life says Martha White in Traditional Home Remedies. (White 2000)
1. Depending on what each person’s purpose was for having a garden, each garden would have different elements. A nurse or midwife would have medicinal herbs, a spinner or weaver would have dye plants, or a decorative garden would have brightly colored flowers. (Pleasant 2004)
2. In 1651 the reference book Culpeper’s Complete Herbal came out and created an even bigger community of avid herbal users. This book was the most popular herb book for decades.
D. Throughout the course of history, herbs started to receive a negative reputation due to practices like Native American medicine and Pagan ceremonies becoming superstitious and almost taboo in modern culture.
1. In the 1960s there was a large population of people trying to become more Earth oriented and nature friendly, so the herbal culture exploded once again.
2. Today herbs are more accepted for medicinal purposes, health purposes, and religious purposes.
Transition: Now that we have discussed the history of herbal medicine I would like to tell you some common herbs and uses in modern day.
II. In modern day, herbal medicine is making a comeback.
A. Today we have three different groups of medicinal herbs. These are

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