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In history there is several civilizations that lead the world in Herbalism or Herbal Medicine. Those civilizations are China, India and North American Indians.
China.s 3000 year old The Yellow Emperor.s Book of Internal Medicine is still consulted today as a resource of herbal medicine. The principles are based on the five elements: earth, water, fire, wood and metal. They believed that these elements constantly interact with each other.
Additionally each element was thought to parallel a taste, an emotion, or a season. The way this would be applied would say that the earth is related to the stomache and the spleen is the emotion of worry its summer and the state is sweet. The Chinese would say sweet root of licorice would prove to be nourishing.
The Indian Ayurvedic Medical system also is several thousand years old. It is a truly holistic and plant based method of healing. This is not implemented the way we would think of it in the 21st century. It was more about balancing nature and to live in harmony with life. The Indian system is based on life and knowledge, the derivative of Ayurvedic.
The Indian system believes that there are three humors: air, fire and water. Commonly when deciding how to treat a person and what herbs will work they the humor of the person is considered. Often yoga is used to bring the person back in balance.
Lastly, the Indian tribes of North America have a long history of using herbal medicine. The Indians where one of the first to burn the herbs and have the person inhale the fumes some what similar to modern day aromatherapy.
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