REVIEW - Phytochemical Screening and Extraction

“Use of herbs as medicines dates back to the beginning of civilized man. The earliest known written records of herbal medicines were inscribed on a six thousand year old clay tablet written by the Sumerians, who lived on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now known as Iraq”(History).

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

Many monasteries had herb gardens. The monks used their knowledge of medicine from the books in their libraries to make herbal remedies. However, there is little evidence of them being able to make new cures for disease.

Native American traditional medicine and spiritual healing rituals go back for thousands of years, these traditions often focus on different variations of alternative medicine. This knowledge is passed on throughout generations, many of the tribes learn that by mixing natural plants such as herbs and roots they can make remedies with healing properties. It is believed that being healthy is when people reach a state of harmony not only spiritually, mentally but physically. To be able to overcome the forces that cause illness people must “operate in the context of relationship to four constructs —namely, spirituality (Creator, Mother Earth, Great Father); community (family, clan, tribe/nation); environment (daily life, nature, balance); and self (inner passions and peace, thoughts, and values)” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.453). In this research paper I am going to show evidence of the tremendous influence that Native American medicine and spiritual healing have over modern medicine in the course of healing

Many contemporary Indians use "white man's medicine" to treat "white man's diseases." For example, diabetes, cancer, and gallbladder disease, and use Indian medicine to treat Indian problems (pain, disturbed family relationships resulting in physical symptoms, or sicknesses of the spirit, which may include mental illness and alcoholism).In addition, many Western pharmaceuticals were actually based on Indian herbal medicines (for example, aspirin is derived from willow bark).

Consuming natural remedies to recover from ailments appeared to be a very significant and common practice amongst enslaved African Americans and Native Americans. In the article Indians, Europeans and the New World Disease, Calloway thoroughly describes how the native American people were accustomed to plant life, therefore used nature and wildlife to their advantage to create healing remedies. African American slaves also used plants to make tea. These means were extremely excellent precautions for preventing illnesses or for fighting one.

First and foremost is the more favorable side of the topic: medicines created from plants. Most of the medicines made were pain-relievers such as opium and teas. Opium is a liquid from the opium poppy that is also found in many other medicines. “Opium ranked as the most effective pain relieving drug until the development of morphine in the early 1800s” (Herndon). Even though morphine was considered more effective than opium, morphine is a drug that contains

- Poverty, wars and social disorder in the drug-producing countries make farmers agree to grow these plants to make some money;

"Native American medicine is based on widely held beliefs about healthy living, the repercussions of disease-producing behavior, and the spiritual principles that restore balance." -Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen (Chrisman 1).

Weedmain’s fасilitу is aimed аt рrоviding раtiеntѕ and clients with infоrmаtiоn on medication аnd creating аn аwаrеnеѕѕ about medical mаrijuаnа. Fоr a quite a few years nоw, wе have bееn сultivаting medical mаrijuаnа rеѕресting the highest trаditiоnаl сultivаting ѕtаndаrdѕ, using the finest ingrеdiеntѕ еxреrtlу сhоѕеn by оur master growers, all оvеr USA, Cаnаdа аnd Europe.

The Native American Narrative on Disease and Medicine is a story of how nature fought back against the humans. That with the rise of human activity in the form of hunting and excessive abuse of the land led to nature revolting against man for his wicked ways. Different animal groups would bind together to speak on their grievances with the humans. First came the Bears who would convene, then the deer, next the fishes and reptiles and finally came the Birds, insects and smaller animals. Each council determined ways of forced payback against the humans and worked in coalition with the other animals groups. This is how diseases formed and would soon ravage the local human populace. Redemption for the humans came in the form of the plants who had friendly relations with the humans. The plants would combine together to reverse the wicked design of the animals by using their natural abilities

Lawrence, A. T. (2008). Business and Society. In B. Gordon (Ed.), Ventria Bioscience and the Controversy over Plant-Made Medicines (Vol. Thirteenth Edition, p. 500). New York, NY: MMcGraw-Hill Irwin.

Although they’re being used less and less as the country develops medicine. Modern medicine has replaced most of the traditional herbs and such, some people still prefer herbal remedies to modern pills. Although plants and herbalism are the basis for most modern medicines, there are quite a few ancient cures that seem more based in belief rather than actual cures. The author of Book of Shadows documents a few common illnesses and injuries with fanciful cures that were used long ago. One of these is a cure for a cough containing lemon and honey (Cunningham). Another remedy listed in the chapter containing cures is a love potion. This definitely is more close to fantasy than fact. It’s either hit or miss with most of these ancient

Eventually by the 19th century, European physicians, an Irish physician Dr. William B. O’Shaughnessy an Irish physician who spent time in India during British colonization, started documenting observations after using the plant for medicinal purposes. As Zuardi discusses, O’Shaughnessy continued to study and use the plant for conditions from rheumatism, convulsions and for muscular spasms of tetanus

Herbal medicines are great alternative for commercially manufactured medicines available in the market. The major reason why herbal medicine differ from modern medicine is because they are produced with 100% natural content. Therefore the plant extract has all the medicinal values that are as effective as modern medicine. Commercially prepared drugs show results quickly but have numerous side effects. However herbal medicines don’t show any side