[Jacob-list] just to rattle some chains out there.....

[Susan Nielsen]

On Sat, 3 Jan 2004, Mary Hansson wrote:

> Can anybody explain ON A CHEMICAL/SCIENTIFIC basis, what the
> difference is in using a manufactured antibacterial versus using a
> product like tea tree oil?

I've been thinking about this. As you word the question, from a
chemical/scientific standpoint, there is no difference. A chemical
is a chemical, whether it occurs as a natural component in a
plant, or is manufactured in a lab to match the structure of the
natural prototype. H2O would be water, whether you scooped it out
of the branch behind the house or cobbled the molecules together
in Martha Stewart's ktichen.

However, there are other aspects to the question, aside from the
chemical identity of the treatment. One is the intensity of the
application: a pill or elixer is a concentrated, regulated dose.
You know how much you are giving, and how much effect to expect
from it. Against that, you have treatment administered through
an extract or a compound of naturally occurring ingredients, in
which case the chemical component is still present, still working
on whatever organs or functions it affects, but is contained in
what can be thought of as its source. Is there a difference in
the effects of the two methods?

Physiologically trained herbalists believe so. They believe that
something comes from the source that does not exist in a synthetic
assembly of molecules. Whether you accept the value of that
"something," which could be partly Earth, partly history, partly
spirituality, is a matter of your place on a continuum. For some
practitioners, and some situations, it's important to have a
remedy on hand that is most likely to solve a problem in a hurry.
For sometimes, it's important to know and use the link to the
planet, to the seasons, to the times past.

In any case, I would say that if you do use herbal remedies, you
must insist on the quality of your preparations. Plants may be
natural, but an herbal remedy is the application of chemicals
to an imbalance in an organism. Know the sources of your materials,
know how to make the preparations. Herbalism is not an easy science.
It's one thing to suck on a willow twig when you have a headache.
It's another to make up your own extracts, balms, oils, and
tinctures, to save your ingredients in a way that will keep them
effective, and to know what to administer. You still have to
diagnose the problem. For animals, you will still most often be
giving comfort care and asking for some help from the universe.

Susan
--
Susan Layne Nielsen, Shambles Workshops      	|"...Gently down the
Beavercreek, OR, USA -- snielsen at orednet.org  	|stream..." -- Anon.
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