The Village Herbalist

A Brief History of American Herbal Medicine

As we all know, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Today, the re-emergence of true herbal medicine is threatened by the same old forces that have served to deny its benefits to the average person through much of the twentieth century. To understand the conflict, we need to go back a bit. All peoples and all cultures have used plants as medicine. While the general knowledge of their uses was passed from generation to generation, there were always those who held more specific understandings and only shared their knowledge in more formalized ways. This "formal" knowledge was often lost with the changing social landscape but the common traditions continued and moved from culture to culture as peoples intermingled. When Europeans came to the new world, they brought with them a rich heritage of botanical medicine. Finding themselves cut-off from their traditional sources of herbs, they turned to the indigenous peoples for new plants to use and incorporated their plant-lore into their own traditions.

Samuel Thomson

One of the early pioneers of American herbalism was Samuel Thomson. (1769-1843) Raised on a farm, he learned from both medical books and native-American plant based traditions. Rejecting conventional "medical theories" as too complicated, he came to believe that medicine should be based on observation, enabling the average person to take care of their own health. After years of "observation" combined with "practical results", Thomson began to believe that disease was more an imbalance in "vital fluids". It's interesting to note the similarity of his ideas of "vital energies" and the Chinese concept of "chi".

After years of "observation" combined with "practical results", Thomson began to believe that disease was more an imbalance in "vital fluids". It's interesting to note the similarity of his ideas of "vital energies" and the Chinese concept of "chi". Thomson saw symptoms as the body trying to rid itself of toxicity generated by this imbalance. Using steam baths, capsicum and lobelia, he treated his patients by attempting to open the channels of elimination and remove the toxins. Although simplistic, his theories were revolutionary in that they sought to treat underlying causes of illness, recognized symptoms as the body's defensive efforts and understood that only treating symptoms might hinder healing.

The Eclectics

Samuel Thomson was responsible for a number of schools or trends that developed in American herbal medicine. The earliest of these was 'Eclecticism', founded by a medical doctor, Wooster Beach. (1794 - 1868) Disturbed by the 'regular' medicine of his day and familiar with the developments taking place in such fields as chemistry, physiology, pathology and botany, Beach formed the school of 'Reformed Medicine'. The school produced monographs on individual herbs that included the plant's chemistry, toxicology, physiological and therapeutic actions, as well as appropriate forms of preparation and dosage. Their research supported and developed the fundamental position of the value of using "whole plant" preparations rather than isolated extracts of plant actives.

Eclecticism contributed to herbal medicine in many areas. Recognizing the importance of the circulatory system, Beach developed herbal methods for "equalizing circulation". Some modern herbal treatments of fevers come from Beach. Eclecticism emphasised treating groups or patterns of symptoms with small doses of only one "specific" remedy. As the pattern of symptoms changed, the remedy would change. But the Eclectics were not without problems and their problems are interesting because they relate directly to some of the problems we face today.

The Rise and Fall of The Eclectics

Probably the greatest weakness of the eclectic movement was its roots in allopathic (conventional) medicine. The doctors of the time used extracted plant alkaloids to treat their patients. These alkaloids were often toxic and though "natural" and derived directly from plants, were concentrated and lacked the balance and properties of the whole botanical. (Sound familiar?) To avoid this, the eclectics attempted to use the "whole plant" but, hampered by an inability to test for purity and potency, their botanical medicines were primative. Lloyd's 1910 bulletin labeled them "often nauseating, and in some cases barbarous." In 1835 Dr. John King, in adding an alcoholic extract to water, noticed the separation of a dark substance from the extract. Believing that this resin represented the active ingredients of the plant, he developed a number of them for use with his patients and resinoids became a craze. They were manufactured by a number of companies and were sold to both naturopathic and allopathic doctors. Often these "concentrates" contained little, if any, of the active principles found in the "whole herb" or tincture and some proved to be toxic. As a result, doctors of both persuasions began to lose faith in American herbal remedies. It was the work of Dr Scudder in his book "Specific Medication" in 1871 that put herbal medicine back on track. Scudder asserted that physicians should study the specific actions of single herbs and prescribe them as such or as simple combinations individualized to each patient. He also advocated small amounts be frequently repeated rather than giving large one time doses. But even Scudder was hampered by the lack of testing available. It wasn’t until in 1871,when, at 22, John Uri Lloyd was made manager of the laboratory of the Cincinnati pharmaceutical firm, H.M. Merrell & Co that things began to change. Under Lloyd's guidance the company began producing high quality "Specific Medicines". Lloyd initiated the chemical analysis of many indigenous plants and from 1878 to 1884, while Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the Eclectic Medical Institute, he published a series of papers which pioneered aspects of the study of colloidal chemistry. John Uri Lloyd was elected president of the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1887 and became a special member of the USP commission of 1890.

Physiomedicalism

A second major force in American herbal medicine, arising from Thomsonian thought, was 'Physiomedicalism'. Not as influenced by the developing sciences as Eclecticism, Alva Curtis, its founder, wanted to open a school based upon Thomson’s principles but encouraging a more "open" atmosphere. In 1835 the 'Botanico-medical School and Infirmary' at Columbus, Ohio opened. Stressing the body as the cumulative expression of "Vital Force" acting through cellular metabolism, illness was seen as a reaction, at the cell level, to toxic obstructions. Treatment supported the "Vital Force" and focused on eliminating toxins. Unlike Thomson, however, Curtis realized that some symptoms were positive and were the result of the body’s healing processes. If treatment was to be directed to the underlying cause of illness, symptoms which expressed a purely functional disorder had to be distinguished clinically from those produced by organic changes in cells and tissues. He began to understand that the body was capable of establishing an equilibrium in which toxins could be tolerated and thus allow the body to maintain a relative functional integrity. This tolerance explained why what we call a "healing crisis" occurrs and thus can be minimized or avoided. Another significant development in Physiomedical thinking came from the work of W.H. Cook. If health was the balanced function of organs and cells, then the circulatory system played a vital role in terms of nutrient delivery and waste removal. By the close of the 19th century, Physiomedicalism had defined many of the tenets of modern herbalism. Herbal remedies support the energy of the body, balance the various organ systems, maintain optimum structure and aid in the elimination of toxins.

So What Happened To American Herbalism?

As the twentieth century began, there were over 10,000 eclectic physicians in the United States. Colleges of various schools of alternative medicine flourished and natural medicine was often at the forefront of innovation in non-invasive and non-toxic therapies. If there is one god in America, it is the god of money and if there is one prophet of that god, then that prophet is science. Unwilling to share the stage or the income with anyone else, the allopathic community of the early 1900s seized on the growing worship of science by the American public to effectively eliminate their competition. Funded by the Carnegie Foundation, Abraham Flexner wrote a report titled "Medical Education in the United States" that led to the passage of restrictive legislation making all but the American Medical Association’s approved schools legal institutions for medical studies. Pharmaceutical companies continued to develop their extracted alkaloids from plants and absorbed and profited from many of the formulas once the possession of naturopaths and herbalists. American herbalism left for England where it was integrated into one system that is still taught today. Homeopathy was sidelined and such centers as Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia were forced to convert to allopathic institutions. The deaths of many Eclectic giants (Scudder, King, A.J. Howe), led to the gradual decline and eventual disappearance of Eclectic Medicine. The Eclectic Medical College, the last school of Eclectic Medicine, closed its doors in 1939. Enamored with the ability of penicillin to quickly kill invading bacteria, the idea of using simple plants was relegated to grandma’s funny ideas and everyone rolled up their sleeves for a shot of the mold that could cure every ill. No one seemed to notice that people were dying from all kinds of new diseases that "modern" medicine seemed unable to deal with.

Dr. John Christopher (1909 - 1983)

One of the men who carried the possibilities of herbal and natural healing through this century was John Christopher. Born with a number of debilitating diseases including advanced rheumatoid arthritis, John was influenced as a child by several natural healers that set his course as an herbalist. Devoting his adult years to the care and healing of thousands of patients, Dr. Christopher was responsible for the creation of numerous herbal formulas that are in wide use today. A biography of his life is available at http://www.herbsfirst.com/drbio.html. One of the patients that John Christopher treated has had an impact on the lives of millions of people and may, in fact, be one of the primary forces that brought herbal medicine to the forefront in the last decade. The man is Gene Hughes.

Gene Hughes

While herbalism remained esoteric and only a few blessed individuals were able to consult such men as John Christopher, Gene Hughes saw the possibilities of bringing the benefits of God’s little plants back to the average person. Healed of ulcers by cayenne pepper, Gene's wife, Christine declined using the hot pepper by the teaspoon and put hers in a capsule. This simple act led to the ability of herbalists to have consistency and potency in their herbs and formulations. One of the main problems associated with herbal medicine had always been the difficulty in dealing with the raw plants. Only available in teas or bulk, the purity and strength of herbs was never known until they were used. Now, for the first time since Loyd’s Specific Medicines, herbs were available in an easy to use form. But encapsulation was not only revolutionary because of its making consistancy possible, it also allowed herbs to be retained for long periods of time without losing their potency or being exposed to pollutants. This meant that herbs from all parts of the world could be made available on a regular basis and that an individual could keep herbs on their shelves at home for immediate use in any season. Gene was also an educator and realizing that most knowledge of herbal medicine wasn't available to the average person, hit on the idea of marketing his products through a vast network of educated individuals who could share their knowledge with their neighbors and friends and thus bring herbalism back to America. Starting at his kitchen table in 1972, Gene and Christine Hughes built a company that is now international and more than any other single factor is responsible for our being able to buy high quality herbs and herbal formulas today. It was his chance meeting with Dr Christopher that led to the resurgence of true herbalism once again offering hope to those who suffer and healing to those who hurt. The company he founded is called Natures Sunshine.

Some of the above information was taken from the "The Herbalist", the newsletter of the Canadian Herbal Research Society. copyright June 1989. The credit for the information belongs to: Peter Cook, DBTh, FETC

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