Too manyof us do not have the slightest idea of how to maintain good health. The result of this misperception is that, inevitably,genetic
mapping will lead to genetic manipulation – indeed that is the avowedaim of geneticists. What does all this have to do with Phytotherapy (Herbal Medicine)? Thenatural therapies-among which the phytotherapy, in global terms, isparamount-in general reflect the philosophical view that nature in totality, isthe expression of a universal harmony and equilibrium, the rupture of whichgives rise to numerous ill effects, among them environmental devastation in thebiosphere and ill-health in the individual.The glycosides yielding hydrocyanic acid are called cyanogenic, and themost distributed of these is amygdaline which is commonly found in the seeds ofapples and pears and leaves of apricots. Oxalic acid, the only organic acid ofplants toxic under natural conditions, it causes kidney failure, can formstones and reduces the proportion of calcium in the blood. The shelves and theTraditional practioner drawers contain Herbal medicines that affect the bodyvery powerfully and are to be prescribed with the greatest care.The body is complex organism that has the ability toheal itself-if only you listen to it and respond with proper nourishment andcare. The human body is the greatest machine in the earth, it is composed ofmillions of tiny
engines. In order for the engines to work properly; they requirespecific fuels; if the type of fuel given is the wrong blend, the engine willnot perform to its maximum capacity. The fuel comes from the things we consume,the foods we eat contain nutrients. Good nutrition is the foundation of goodhealth. The human body is two thirds water, water is involved in every functionof the body, digestion, absorption, circulatory and excretory functions. It isneeded for the maintenance of proper body temperature.Phytochemicals seem to fight
cancer by blocking one or more of the stepsthat lead to cancer. For instance, the photochemical phenethyl isothiocyanate(PETTIC), found in cabbage and turnips has been known to inhibit the growth oflung cancer in rats and mice. Among other things, PEITC protects the cells DNA froma potent carcinogen found in tobacco smokeProbably the firstperson to see the bacteria under the microscope was Antoni Leuwenhoek of Delft,Holland , 1683. But the credit for the discovery of the relationship ofbacteria to disease was given to Louis Pasteur, and known as the founder ofwhat came to be known as Germ Theory of Disease. The following are the chiefpoints upon which the Germ Theory was founded.