Dr. Andrew Weil had a interview in the Sun Magazine this month. I have always followed his views with interest. He has an approach about good health that includes the body, mind and spirit as a unit to be cared for. Along with that he believes that integrative medicine meaning that all fields of traditional, modern, herbal, witchcraft, shamans, eastern and western ideas are useful. Weil stresses preventive approaches more than curing an issue is the answer to good health. One of the biggest myths American believe is that we have a great medical system, the facts are the opposite and we rank low in terms of developed nations. Pharmaceutical and insurances companies have basically bankrupted our health care and allowed our country to avoid genuine good care for its citizens.
Dr. Weil's original interest was botany. He makes an interesting point about plants. By taking herbs we get the whole good of the plant and not the isolated benefit that pharmaceutical companies like to use. The pull and the push as he calls it, the increase of energy and the decrease of toxics for instance maybe from the same plant. Of course, unlike Europe we do not have regulation or quality control on our vitamins or medicinal herbs in this country. Profit margins are more important than quality for the consumer.
This article reminded me of the virtues of ginseng again, Weil calls it a magic energy tonic. In my travels in Wisconsin I went to Wausau and saw the fields of ginseng growing and the big corporative that farmers used to price and sell they roots for here and aboard. I actually planted some at the Stone house but of course moved before I harvested it.
The Korean grocery store locally sales little drinks of it with a root inside to enjoy. I also purchased ginseng tea. It was a nice reminder for me to start enjoying ginseng again.
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