Herbalist and educator, Robin Rose Bennett is the author of two newly published books: The Gift of Healing Herbs (2014, North Atlantic Books) as well as Healing Magic- A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living -- 10th Anniversary Edition (2014, North Atlantic Books.) Herself a vibrant product of plant-based healing, she weaves together herbal wisdom, anecdotal stories and spiritual insights. The Gift of Healing Herbs is a remarkable resource with over 550 pages of wisdom that include over 180 recipes to reference--essential for the modern herbalist, but also a great resource for anyone who wants to take greater responsibility for their own wellness.
Meryl Ann Butler: Thank you
for visiting with us, Robin! I've really enjoyed reading both your books. So
many people are afraid of the sound of "herbalist" or "witch," yet those same people are often willing
to trust their lives to modern allopathic medicine. I'm not sure of the
statistics on "death by herbs," if indeed there are any. But I know that the
current statistics on iatrogenic death and illness (ie, caused by the doctor or
medical community) is a staggering number one in the US, claiming more than
cancer or heart disease.
The physician must be able to tell the antecedents, know the present, and foretell the future - must mediate these things, and have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm. The art consists in three things - the disease, the patient, and the physician. The physician is the servant of the art, and the patient must combat the disease along with the physician.
Those statistics imply that we
are safer running away from allopathic medicine, rather than toward it, in
almost any instance. In this context, natural methods of health care seem
quite attractive. I also know that traditionally, the primary wiccan and
neo-Pagan guideline is "An it harm none, do what ye will", similar to
the well known advice given by Hippocrates in the Latin maxim primum non nocere (first, do no harm).
Robin and a red-stalked poke plant (Phytolacca americana) a lymphatic stimulant & old time arthritis remedy. Poke salat is a favorite Southern dish, with young plants cooked in 3 changes of water.
(Image by Robin Rose Bennett) Details DMCA
Robin Rose Bennett: Thanks for this opportunity, Meryl Ann. I'm delighted to have the chance to speak with you and through you, to your readers.
What you say is true: the number of injuries and deaths from modern medicine is absolutely staggering. So what are we to do?
Personally, it is my practice as much as possible to run toward what I do want or am drawn to, rather than running away from something else, mostly because I get clearer results that way. I've learned that when I'm running away from something it tends to find me again and again until I turn and face my fear and learn what it's really about. And though we're usually running away out of fear, fear is not always a "dirty" word. In situation-specific small doses it can be a compelling guide to self-preservation!
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