The History of Western Herbal Medicine      
    by Chanchal Cabrera    page 1 2 3 4       

Hygeia was revered as the goddess who watched over the health of the city of Athens. She was not involved in the treatment of disease but, rather, was the guardian of health and symbolized the belief that men would remain well so long a they adhered to a life of reason and balance. The metaphor for which she stands has evolved into the word 'hygiene' with its image of asepsis, antibacterials, and cleanliness. The worship of Hygeia was introduced to the ancient Romans in 239BC where she took the name Salus meaning health.

Asclepius was her father and the god of healing. He had the power to bestow healing on the weak and sick and was considered to be the first physician of the Greek tradition. He was credited with knowing the curative values of plants and his devotees promoted the belief that it was easier to rely on the powers of the healer than to attempt the more difficult task of living wisely. In Greek mythology Hygeia ended up serving Asclepius and being relegated to a lowly position. 

Panacea was Hygeia's sister and was believed to have an omnipotent healing power that could only be accessed through divine intervention or extreme good luck. 

Hygeia and Asclepius are symbolic of the modern dichotomy of medicine: health through lifestyle and attitude (preventative medicine) versus health through correction of disease (interventionist medicine). 

In the ancient Greek traditions everything in the Universe comprised 4 elements fire, water, earth & air. It was thought that all the elements existed inside every living thing but in variable proportions which resulted in different characteristics being expressed. Two great forces, distinct and opposite, controlled and directed the elements: energy also called the life-force, spirit etc. which was thought to be a positive, non-material force that radiated outwards and matter which was thought to be a negative, material force that radiated inwards towards itself. The point at which the two opposing forces met was considered the beginning of life, with the combination of the two forces giving rise to the four elements.

Early healers whose names we still respect include several notable herbalists from Asia minor. Crataeus, the personal physician to Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, wrote a herbal in the first century BC in which he named Agrimonia eupatorium after the King. Dioscorides wrote his huge herbal (Peri hulas iatrikes - About Medicinal Trees) in the first century AD. It was later translated as De Materia Medica (The Medical Material) and remained a standard medical text for hundreds of years. Hippocrates lived from 468 - 377 BC and has been enshrined as 'the Father of Medicine'. He was of the Hygeian school and believed that health and disease were under the influence of natural laws and that the state of health or disease reflected the extent of the influence exerted by the environment. He wrote that we should 'let food be our medicine and medicine be our food' and he believed that health is a state of dynamic equilibrium among the various internal factors that govern the operations of the body and mind and which can be attained only when man lives in harmony with his external environment. Another famous quote from Hippocrates that our modern doctors would do well to remember is that "...it is more important to know what kind of person has a disease than to know what kind of disease a person has." Hippocrates promoted the idea of the four humors: blood, bile, phlegm and choler, each of which must be in balance and harmony with each of the other three in order for optimum health to be attained.   >> continue