The Pharmacy of Flowers

by David Crow, L.Ac.

The Four Global Benefits Of Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants, especially the aromatic species, are the key to solving numerous interrelated global issues. The benefits of medicinal plants can be summarized into four major categories: healthcare; sustainable economies; environmental protection and ecological restoration; and preservation of ethnobotanical wisdom. When the full potential and possibilities of these benefits are considered, it becomes apparent that medicinal plants are one of humanity's greatest natural resources.

Healthcare

The first global benefit of medicinal plants is nontoxic, affordable, locally available healthcare. Botanical medicine is the oldest form of healthcare, and remains the primary source of preventive and curative treatment for 80 percent of people in developing countries.

Aromatic plants and their essential oils have an important role in the present and future healthcare systems of the world. Many are strongly antimicrobial, with antibiotic powers that are highly resistant to bacterial adaptation. A small number of oils can be used for a large number of common conditions, especially infections of the skin, and the respiratory and digestive systems. Many of the common aromatic culinary herbs and spices used throughout the world have significant therapeutic value and are used extensively in traditional medical systems such as Ayurveda.

Economic

The economic benefit of medicinal plants has two primary aspects. The first is the income derived from the cultivation, processing, and sales of medicinal plants and their products. Medicinal plants have provided livelihood for innumerable people in every part of the world for millennia. Now, as demand for medicinal plants increases and supplies diminish, their economic value is rising, making them more lucrative as cash crops. Many species of medicinal plants are now the world's most expensive legal crops; as the global market expands, more communities can begin producing herbal products as a way of lifting themselves out of poverty.

The cultivation of herbs and the production of essential oils are helping to economically revitalize and sustain poor rural areas around the world. By supporting farmers and distillers engaged in theses activities, we are helping them continue their age-old livelihoods. Herb cultivation projects protect communities from the destructive trends of corporate agribusiness and allow people to continue living on the land. Organic agriculture is difficult and labor intensive, but for many people throughout the world the only alternative is migrating to the slums of large cities.

The second economic benefit is the availability of affordable medicines for local populations. Locally grown or wild-harvested herbs are relatively inexpensive compared to allopathic treatments and pharmaceutical drugs, and provide a foundation for nutritional enhancement and preventive therapy.

Most of the important antimicrobial oils, such as tea tree, eucalyptus, oregano, and thyme, are relatively inexpensive, since the plants grow prolifically and produce abundant amounts of oils. These oils require only simple distillation equipment and methods, and minimal investment is needed to start a local industry. The low cost of the oils, combined with their high effectiveness, offers an important alternative to expensive imported antibiotics in developing countries.

Ecological

The third global benefit of medicinal plants is ecological and environmental preservation and restoration. When a community cultivates crops of high quality organic plants or manages an ecosystem that provides secondary forest products such as wild-harvested herbs, the biodiversity of the region is protected, restored, and maintained. Herbs are now being used in numerous projects to make forests and wilderness areas economically viable, and thus protect them from logging and other destructive practices.

Another ecological benefit of some medicinal plants is phyto-remediation, the use of plants to purify environmental toxins and to regenerate ecosystems. Several important medicinal plants that are important for ecological restoration, such as neem trees, thrive in barren and degraded lands; some, such as vetiver grass, are sources of aromatic oils.

Ethnobotanical

When communities are supported by plant-based economies that protect ecosystems, ethnobotanical traditions can be preserved. The long history of accumulating knowledge about plants is one of humanity's most important legacies, and the foundation of culture itself; ethnobotanical wisdom is intimately linked with ceremony, diet, agriculture, art, and innumerable other aspects of traditional earth-based lifestyles. The knowledge of plants preserved within indigenous cultures is not only the basis of local healthcare, but is also valuable in the development of new medicines and herbal products.

The Presentation

The Pharmacy of Flowers multimedia presentation introduces a number of high quality oils and attars that are not commonly known or encountered, and examines some of the ecological, economic, social, and spiritual aspects of the plants they come from. Contained within each bottle of essential oil are many stories - the people whose lives are intimately connected to the plants; the ways the plants are cultivated, harvested, and distilled; the powers of the oil; the history of the oil through the ages; the symbolic, mythological, and religious roles of the plant and its oil; its place in commerce.

A vast amount of documented research and literature is available about these oils; students are encouraged to study their use carefully before utilizing them personally or professionally. Eight of the oils in the program are presented below, with emphasis on their global benefits.

Caution

  • Do not use essential oils internally.
  • Do not apply directly to skin; always dilute with carrier oil.
  • Keep out of reach of children.
  • Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes.
  • Do not use citrus oils before exposure to UV light.
  • Use only pure essential oils; avoid synthetic fragrances.
  • Do not use essential oils on infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, or those with serious health problems, without advanced medical study.
  • Avoid prolonged exposure without ventilation.
  • Store essential oils and carrier oils properly to avoid degradation and rancidity.

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