About this time, the German, Paracelsus, propounded his Doctrine of Signatures: his belief that the appearance and general characteristics of plants gave clues to their possible uses for the health of man.

Opinions about him were, and still are, divided, some hailing him as a genius, some as a charlatan. He studied the characteristics of plants and flowers, and related them to various parts of the human body. All manner of signs and habits of growth were noted as indications to possible uses: even the slow growth or the fecundity of a flower was related to treating human sterility or “over-abundance”. Even the external general appearance of a plant (e.g. garlic and chives, spear-shaped, will ward off general ill-health) was sometimes taken as a sign of its properties. For the cynics among my readers: it has been found, sometimes only in the last generation, that whatever the original method of choice, and however far-fetched the theory may sound, many of the plants so chosen to heal and maintain general health do, indeed, have the required results.

One of my favourite plants is comfrey (Symphytum officinale), long known and used as a healing agent for broken bones and tissue damage, both internally and externally. Scientific analysis of its constituents reveal 0-8 to 1-2 per cent of allantoin, a cell proliferant, now synthetized and hailed as a “modern” miracle healing agent. You will find allantoin listed as an ingredient in many chemists’ proprietary lines. Why not grow your own comfrey and have its easily assimilable healing powers available right in your own back yard?

Another example of the Doctrine of Signatures is the age-old use of willow-tree bark for treatment of rheumatic complaints. It was noted by practising herbalists that the willow often grew and thrived in damp and cold conditions, the same conditions that produce so many rheumatic complaints amongst farmers and gardeners working outdoors. Analysis has shown that one active ingredient of willow bark is salicin, which, used externally, relieves and soothes the cramping fire of “the screws”.

Salicylic acid’cannot be taken internally, and it was not until 1899 that a German chemist came up with the answer—a compound called acetyl-salicylic acid, most probably better known to you as aspirin. Orthodox medicine still recommends aspirin as one of the best remedies for chronic rheumatism; it not only relieves the pain, but has a positive action on the stiff and creaky joints as well.

Time and time again, science is forced to confirm the efficacy of many natural remedies. It would appear, as the Apocrypha states, that “the Lord hath created medicines out of the earth, and he that is wise will not abhor them”.

*6\181\8*

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