<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Many of our perception problems regarding medicinal plants are caused by the industrialization of medicine. Within the past century or so, we have come to assume that medicine is (a) manufactured (b) from "raw materials," (c) extracted from the earth, (d) by indigenous poor (i.e. rural) people, and (e) the more refinement added, the more "value" assigned.<div><br></div><div>Each one of these assumptions is an artifact, now being challenged. The establishment of Oriental Medicine in North America has helped us return to the full context of medicine, which definitely includes food. Traditional Asian medicine, guided by sophisticated theoretical constructs including detailed models of human health, recorded contextual medicinal uses of one-quarter of their known plant species. (Their temperate zone species are closely related to those in the other northern temperate regions.) So --hello! -- it's not the biochemicals in the plants, it's the many elaborate ways to choose, combine and integrate the plants into the diet. (Yes, we have decades worth of details to work out.) </div><div><br></div><div>The leading-edge medicinal plant cultivators are returning us to the knowledge of how plants can express the power of a highly-biodiverse setting, like wild plants in a healthy biome, to maximize their healing potential. The cultivators/stewards are also beginning to insist on parity pricing, in acknowledgement of the principle of economic sustainability. I believe this process is inverting the "value chain."</div><div><br></div><div>The paradigm shift is occurring despite the efforts of the industrial Powers-That-Be to hold it back. Their reactions may be oppressive, but more and more health professionals are realizing what's happening and are proceeding to educate themselves. </div><div><br></div><div>Anyone in doubt about Pharma's goals and methods, including how published papers are sometimes manufactured for a pre-determined conclusion, read this book: Peterson, Melody, 2009. Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves Into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs (Picador paperback).</div><div><div><br></div><div>Also, remember that Pharma now owns the largest dietary supplement corporations, so the line between drugs and herbal products has been blurred. The operative concept here is "manufactured product."</div><div><br></div><div>We have our work cut out for us, good luck to everyone.</div><div><br></div><div>Jean</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Feb 2, 2010, at 7:06 PM, Andrea Schwarzbach wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"> <font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">Hi!<br> The CNN report mentioned below is summarizing a recently published paper [Tachjian A, Maria V, Jahangir A. Use of herbal products and potential interactions in patients with cardiovascular diseases. J Amer Coll Cardiol. 2010;55(6). [DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2009.07.074] that has major flaws and is obviously written by someone who is a specialist in cardiology but certainly has no clue about botany or medicinal plants. <br> <br> You might be interested in a press release by the American Botanical Council regarding the original paper pointing out some of the many mistakes.<br> <a href="http://cms.herbalgram.org/press/2010/Response_CardiologyArticle.html">http://cms.herbalgram.org/press/2010/Response_CardiologyArticle.html</a><br> <br> Best wishes,<br> <br> Dr. Andrea Schwarzbach<br> Associate Professor<br> University of Texas-Brownsville<br> Department of Biological Sciences<br> 80 Fort Brown<br> Brownsville, TX 78520<br> <br> <br> On 2/2/10 11:33 AM, "Emanuela Appetiti" <<a href="ceo@medicaltraditions.org">ceo@medicaltraditions.org</a>> wrote:<br> <br> </span></font><blockquote><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">HI!<br> <br> Thought you might be interested in this article about some herbal remedies affecting the activity of heart drugs, appeared today in CNN health:<br> <br> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/01/moh.healthmag.remedies.avoid/">http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/01/moh.healthmag.remedies.avoid/</a><br> <br> Best,<br> <br> Emanuela Appetiti<br> <br> <font color="#9A8C7E"> <<a href="http://medicaltraditions.org/">http://medicaltraditions.org/</a>> <br> <br> <a href="ceo@medicaltraditions.org">ceo@medicaltraditions.org</a> <<a href="mailto:info@medicaltraditions.org">mailto:info@medicaltraditions.org</a>> <br> <br> +1 202 633 0967<br> <br> PO Box 7606<br> Washington, DC 20044-7606 <br> USA<br> <br> </font><font color="#AB0534">www.medicaltraditions.org <<a href="http://medicaltraditions.org/">http://medicaltraditions.org/</a>> <br> </font><br> </span></font></blockquote><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">PCA's Medicinal Plant Working Group mailing list</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="mailto:MPWG@lists.plantconservation.org">MPWG@lists.plantconservation.org</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org">http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:MPWG-request@lists.plantconservation.org">MPWG-request@lists.plantconservation.org</a> with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Disclaimer</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc. reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div> </blockquote></div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>Jean Giblette, Director</div><div>HIGH FALLS GARDENS</div><div>Box 125 Philmont NY 12565</div><div>518-672-7365, <a href="mailto:hfg@capital.net">hfg@capital.net</a></div><div>www.highfallsgardens.net</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span> </div><br></div></div></body></html>