Interesting to me how at least one explorer chooses to distance himself from his subject matter: the green world of plant medicine. Alain Touwaide, scientific director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions at the Smithsonian, studies ancient manuscripts. He’s looking for evidence of the efficacy and usage of plants as medicines – partly in the hope that new medicines can be developed (or, perhaps, resurrected) from the past. In an article in the “New Scientist,” he responded to interviewer questions:
Are there other plants mentioned in classical texts that have potential as new medicines?
Walnut, and the herbs black horehound and white horehound. These plants are credited with a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory action in the ancient literature. They appear to be active against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, even drug-resistant strains. And red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is recommended for treating inflammation in ancient literature. In modern-day tests it appears to be active against superficial skin inflammation.
Have any new medicines come out from studying ancient ones?
The best example is artemisin—the malaria treatment derived from the Artemisia plant. Malaria plagued the ancient world, and we have found more than 70 agents to treat it in the Greek medical literature of the classical period, from the 5th century B.C. to 3rd century A.D.—including Artemisia. It was identified quite recently by Chinese pharmacologists on the basis of their ancient literature. Currently, we have quite a range of plants on our databases that should be tested for the treatment of malaria.
At the end of the interview, Touwaide is asked if he’s been tempted to try any of the remedies that he studies, to which he replied: “No. I wouldn't practice self-medication! Studying these ancient remedies is a scientific activity for me, not a lifestyle ‘quest’."
Scientifically vetted discoveries have, for many people, replaced the tenets of conventional religious belief. Oddly, a belief in the efficacy and value of rational, empiricist-based science, does not seem to correlate with a desire to take personal responsibility for its use.
What’s wrong with ‘self-medicating’, by the way, especially since we’re talking about plants like broccoli and conditions that are not life-threatening? How else – other than to take hands-on responsibility for our own health – can we grow up? To me, there’s little difference between worshipping the gods of modern medicine and worshipping the gods of the supernatural… Both processes seem to tap into our need to be taken care of and the difficult decisions made for us. But, here's evidence that a simple plant -- a weed, even -- has shown the ability to destroy drug-resistant staph (an evil born directly out of our need for a quick fix by the by) and there's hesitation to use it without the approval of a higher power? I apparently am lacking the respect-authority gene ... [types smiley face thingy here...]
What’s wrong with ‘self-medicating’, by the way, especially since we’re talking about plants like broccoli and conditions that are not life-threatening? How else – other than to take hands-on responsibility for our own health – can we grow up? To me, there’s little difference between worshipping the gods of modern medicine and worshipping the gods of the supernatural… Both processes seem to tap into our need to be taken care of and the difficult decisions made for us. But, here's evidence that a simple plant -- a weed, even -- has shown the ability to destroy drug-resistant staph (an evil born directly out of our need for a quick fix by the by) and there's hesitation to use it without the approval of a higher power? I apparently am lacking the respect-authority gene ... [types smiley face thingy here...]
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