An alternative medicine

      Here are vintage recipes from plants of various drugs : decoctions , tinctures , extracts , extracts, powders , ointments , etc. , as well as fees from plants , describing the preparation of these drugs and their use.

     Russia has always been rich in local nature experts , including travoznayami . Interestingly, in ancient Rus travoznaev ( greengrocers ) feared considered them almost sorcerers. When meeting with them their gifts tried to cajole , to treat well , generously pay for the medicinal herb , and sometimes with them and dealt harshly . We know that many of our kings feared poison " potion ", in particular , feared poison Boris Godunov. He demanded that the oath he gave boyars , said: " In the viands and drink, and dress or other than he ( the emperor ) misfortune not commit ; their people with witchcraft , and with all the valiant posylati not root ." And when Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich collect any grass was forbidden under penalty of imprisonment all in prison . But his son , Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1650 ordered on the night of Midsummer peasants to send apiary for " serebornym color , mint herb , angelica and other herbs ." Travoznai almost never revealed secrets about the healing properties of herbs , about the time of collection, stored in secret places , where there were certain herbs .   Concerning the history of the use of medicinal plants in the Russian folk medicine , it should be noted that the Slavs and other peoples inhabiting the territory of ancient Russia, since time immemorial for healing their ailments resorted to the help of various plants . Our folk medicine for its centuries of experience has accumulated a wealth of material on the use of medicinal plants . This knowledge in olden carefully handed down from generation to generation by inheritance and many of them are now introduced into our pharmacopoeia .

     At the state level business collection and use of medicinal plants was initiated by Peter the Great . When he returned after the battle of Poltava through the town of Dubna ( Poltava province . ) , Was struck by the richness of the local flora . He established a camp here at the pharmacy and her " pharmacy garden ." This pharmacy for the manufacture of a medicament enjoyed almost exclusively by local wild flora. After the withdrawal of troops from Poltava pharmacy has not stopped its existence, and, since 1730 , has begun to provide a substantial part of the needs of state-owned hospitals. In addition, in the village and Lubnah millstone were arranged even dryers and distillation apparatus for oils.

     In Russia , in other ancient countries, particularly in Greece , was a special class of people called rhizotomy ( in Russian " kornerezy "), which is specially engaged in gathering wild plants and cooking them from healing potions . By the way, in the first stage of human development such gatherers of wild plants and healers often belonged to the category of priests. At the beginning of this century, there is a certain class of physicians who are engaged in collecting medicinal plants, preparation of these different drugs and treatment of patients. In those days, particularly famous for the famous Roman physician Talen . On behalf of the second century AD . e . in the history of pharmacy called galenovskim . The name is also associated Galen production of so-called galenicals , by which is meant the totality of the huge number of complex fruit liqueurs , decoctions , tinctures , extracts , etc.

     It is interesting to note that in earlier times , especially in the XVI century , and later medicine without a knowledge of botany could not even imagine. Therefore, in the botanical writings of the time ( Fuchs , Boca , etc.) description of each individual plant was accompanied by the head , called the "force and effect ." This chapter describes in detail what has medicinal value of this plant and what effect it has on the human body when it is used as a therapeutic agent . Since the XVI century, the theory of special herbal appears the doctrine of so-called signature , that is, the signs by which one can judge the suitability of the plant as a medicine . Representatives of the scientists believe that the starting point for finding drugs is a form of the plants as a whole and its individual parts. They believed that nature itself has given the relevant parts of medicinal plants one form or another in order to allow people to easily understand the hidden medicinal powers in the plant . For example, in leaf shape hepatica , resembling the shape of a human liver suggests that this plant is curative against liver diseases . Heart- shaped flowers on plants was determined suitable for the treatment of heart disease. Equipped with sharp thorns thistle considered therapeutic for colic in the side , etc. It should be noted that due to this teaching in traditional medicine was introduced to 8000 plants. But with the passage of time when choosing a plant as a medicinal steel guided not by the shape of its parts, and chemical and pharmaceutical research , the number of these plants decreased from 8000 to 300 at first and then up to 30 species. Interestingly, in their traditional medicine sees similarities between diseases and plant characteristics . Celandine, for example, is rich orange- yellow latex and it was used as a remedy for jaundice. The roots of the prickly hawthorn possessed , according to popular belief , the power to extract splinters. Burdock , endowed with white juice , helps to increase milk production in nursing mothers. Maidenhair black, which remains dry in the water used in those cases where the drug must have been withering effect. Aroynik ( coil) has a mottled stem, resembling a snake 's belly , so he was considered a means of guarding against snakebites , believed that if you rub your hands plant roots , the snake did not bite .