- Botanical Medicine Information Resources
Botanical Medicine sites on the WWW are exceptionally informative and often beautifully illustrated. The following is a categorized listing of most of the main sites. It is not intended to be fully comprehensive. Many sites provide hyperlinks to other related sites so that from just a few key sites, it is possible to access many hundreds more.
- Botanical Medicine Information Resources
Botanical Medicine sites on the WWW are exceptionally informative and often beautifully illustrated. The following is a categorized listing of most of the main sites. It is not intended to be fully comprehensive. Many sites provide hyperlinks to other related sites so that from just a few key sites, it is possible to access many hundreds more.
- Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the nonprofit law firm for the environment, representing without charge hundreds of public interest clients, large and small. Earthjustice works through the courts to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks, and wilderness areas; to reduce air and water pollution; to prevent toxic contamination; to preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat; and to achieve environmental justice.
- Herbal and Aromatherapy Education Programs
Herbal and Aromatherapy Education programs year round. Offering small intimate classes, hands on learning and community building. Also offering a variety of at home and workshop education programs.
- Medicinal Plant Working Group
Goldenseal, ginseng, echinacea, ginkgo - visit your local drug store or supermarket and you''ll find large quantities of these products on the shelves, intermingled with old favorites like aspirin. Medicinal plants are used commercially, thanks to contributions of traditional cultures worldwide, modern medicine, and pharmacognosy.
Without plants, most medicines you take would not exist. Over 40% of medicines now prescribed in the U.S. contain chemicals derived from plants. Historically, plant medicines were discovered by trial and error. Our ancestors noticed that aches and pains went away when they drank tea made from the bark of a willow tree. Later, scientists found that willow bark contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin.
This process continues today. Throughout the world, including the wild places in the U.S., botanists and chemists search the plant kingdom for new medicines. They sometimes find treasures in other people''s trash. For years, the native Pacific yew was burned as trash generated by logging operations in the Pacific Northwest. In 1975, a substance in its bark, taxol, was found to reduce the production of cancerous tumors.
A comprehensive search of known plants for medicinal chemicals is an enormous task. Of the estimated 250,000 plant species on earth, only 2% have been thoroughly screened for chemicals with potential medicinal use. Because native plant habitats are destroyed almost daily, many medicinally valuable plants will be gone before scientists can even investigate them.
How many medicines have we already lost? How many more remain to be found?
- The Aromahead Institute
The Aromahead Institute, School of Essential Oil Studies offers classes in Aromatherapy specializing in the clinical and therapeutic uses of essential oils. Start a new career or bring new skills into your existing career. The Aromatherapy Certification Program is approved by the National Association For Holistic Aromatherapy. Andrea Butje is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a Continuing Education Provider.
|
