The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times, Issue #28, March 2015 | Page 10

thinking this way. We were raised
with the belief that our medical
society largely based on chemical
concoctions is powerful because
it has cures for everything from
various cancers all the way down the
list to the common cold. Don't get me
wrong, the medical profession is
quite effective, but for several
generations, Native Americans have
been using herbs to cure aches and
pains, and various other illnesses.
Many of the herbs used by Native
Americans are the ones you can
actually find in aspirin and
other medications today. In fact,
many ingredients used in various
modern medications are actually
derived from Native American
cultures.
(http://keller.clarke.edu/~english/h
onors/aaron/index.html#Native)
Herbal medicine is being
reintroduced through various forms
of alternative medicine. Out on the
market we see aromatherapy,
acupuncture, herbology and many
more forms of alternative medicine.
Herbology is a practice which seeks
to heal people through a variety
of herbal supplements. Howard
Buckingham, a clinical herbalist that
works with North American herbs,
comments that he "sees clients with
arthritis, skin problems, prostate,

impotence and hormonal problems,
menopause - a lot of
different ailments that people have
taken in the right dosage and often in
the right combinations, herbs can
help a person a great deal" (in Wolf
1). He further discusses how people
use herbs to help relieve the side
affects they experience through
Western medical procedures.

Aromatherapy deals with various
scents to change the mood of
individuals. Melinda Wolf comments
that "In addition to candles and oils,
consumers can purchase soaps and
shampoos that can be used to
practice this alternative medicine.
Those who use this method say the
scent can alter moods and enhance
the body, mind and spirit"
(1). Aromatherapy is very powerful
according to Mary Emmons, a