Natural Healers

Introduction:

A saying goes that ‘nature knows how to take care of her own’ and we all are product of nature. In the time past when there was no orthodox medicine, man had depended on his natural environment for healing and cure. In those days in Africa, men wandered around the wild bush seeking for herbs that can cure different illness. Unfortunately, with the inception of orthodox medicine, these natural healers as I called them had been neglected. Thanks to recent medical researchers who had conducted wide research on these natural healers on their disposal.

                                                                           

What are natural healers?

Natural healers are natural organic substances (plants derived, animal derived) which had been proved scientifically to provide medical help, to heal, cure, prevent, protect or other medical or health benefit to man and his environment.

Natural healers and their functions:

1.    Sleep: one may be surprise I mentioned this first. Sleep is a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended. William Shakespeare in his book ‘Macbeth’ spoke about sleep and it said, “Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. Sleep that relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing”. This is to show how important sleeping is in human. In fact, it is said that not being able to sleep for a long time shows a sign of psychological breakdown which might lead to madness. Sometimes headache that occurred due to stress and restlessness goes away after a deep sleep. Bed rest and sleep are prescribed to a patient in hospital because it helps man to rest, regain strength and vitality.

2.    Common or Table Salt: this type of salt has the chemical formula NaCl (Sodium Chloride) made up of chlorine and sodium. Apart from the fact that it is used as seasoning agent for food, it is largely used as antimicrobial agent. That is why salting is used as a food preservative method. Wounds are cleaned with salted warm water to kill the germs on the surface of the wound that would hinder the wound from healing faster.

3.    Honey: is a sophisticated compound produced by the Bees, sugary in taste and is a thick liquid. Honey is of great importance to human and it has a lot of application. Honey is used to treat wounds and it had been proven to posses antimicrobial qualities. Honey is also used as a remedy for Asthma and other respiratory/lungs problems. The importance of honey is inexhaustible.

4.    Fruits: so many vitamins and minerals had been attributed to fruits and this is good news because many deficiencies are prevented by steady consumption of fruits. One does not have to deal with dietary supplements and other diseases associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is worthy to note that vitamins derived from most fruits aids in healing of wound. The back of some fruits are rich in fiber which aid in digestion of food, the proper functioning of the digestive system and in weight loss.

5.    Vegetables: they contains minerals, vitamins and fibers generally good for the body’s well-being, immune system strengthening and weight loss. They are great healers.

6.    Herbs: they have been in use for so many years ago. They are used to make, tea which is used by people who want to lose weight, antimicrobial drugs and antioxidant drugs.

7.    Water: water might be common but its medical significance is high. You might be surprise when you visit your doctor and he advises you to take a lot of water as a remedy to your health problem. The human body is made up about 55-60% of water and there are several mechanisms in the human body system making sure this percentage did not drop e.g. thirst. It is so unfortunate that soft drinks and other drinks had taken the place of water in our society, no wonder there are a lot of sickness here and there. Note that one of the remedy to kidney stone is constant consumption of large quantity of water.

8.    Onions, ginger and garlic: they have been known to posses natural chemicals that fight diseases and aids healing. Their antioxidant effect is a good remedy of cancer. Onions had been proven to help cleanse the eye. Diabetic and hypertensive patients are advised to use them. Also, onions, ginger and garlic had been proven scientifically to aid weight loss.

9.    Liver meat: I decided to bring this in when I learnt its benefits. A liver meat contains a lot of minerals and vitamins which are important in maintaining a healthy life.

Honestly, natural healers are too numerous and cannot be exhausted, so be conversant of your environment and do not neglect the free gifts of nature.