Arti Ekawati
BIODIVERSITY - HERBAL MEDICINE
Mother nature cares
PHARMACY BENEATH YOUR FEET
Being different is a combination of bless and beauty. It is healing too. tion of species. The plants and animals extinct before scientists have chance to do intensively research on them. In Germany alone, there are about 3000 species of plant. Only one third of the figure is used as spice and/or as herbal medicine. The use of other two thirds remains mystery. “This is what makes us scientists so furious. The plants and animals are extincted before we record and know their usage. So we do not know if there was a plant, which has some ingredients against specific form of cancer.”
PHOTOS: ARTI EKAWATI
Wild or cultivated herbs
Not just an ordinary grass. This nettles’ leave strenghtens your stomach and grows hair
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PHOTO: BLUECLOUD, FLICKR.COM
et me ask this question: Have you ever notice, what is the name of plant nearest to your feet every morning you step out of your door? Many of us will start to think. But not Jens Albrecht, a naturopat and herbalist in Bonn. Albrecht and I take a walk along the Rhine River in Beuel, Bonn. It is a cold and windy day in early November. Yet I can see his eyes shining and his expression is warm when talking about plants surrounding us. I had never thought that there are so many medicalworthy plants, which you can find just a few meters outside your door. “Here is a perfect example, it is willow. Pharmacy uses one acid of willow to make aspirin,” he points at a big tree grows by the river. He then cuts a small branch of the tree and pulls its bark. “Dry this bark and make tea from
Good for ornament, Ivy also cure bronchial disease
it. It is natural aspirin. But now, not er Nature has provided various kinds so many people know about it.” of plants for their health. Albrecht, 36, started his educa“The idea of all modern medition on naturopathy with main focus cine is in the nature,“ Wolfram Lobin, on herbal medicine in 2003 in BerCurator at Botanic Gardens Univerlin. After have been working several sity of Bonn, says in an interview in years in Berlin and Santa Cruz, BolivBonn Botanic Garden. “Nature is the ia, he settled down in Bonn last year, point where everything begins.” opened his own practice. In ancient time people were For his patients, he only uses totally dependent on natural mediherbal from pharmaceutical compacine. Then chemistry and pharmanies. As the law in Germany does not ceutical industry grew and became allow any naturopath and herbalist more important. “If you know the to give plants that they collect from exact active component of a plant nature. However, for his own use, he or an animal and know its benefit prefers to collect for health, you herbs from nature “This is what makes us can artificially since it is fresher. produce drug “When I go out scientists so furious. The from it. But first, and collect plants, plants and animals ex- you need natuit’s like meditation ral products for tinct before we record research. That’s for me,” Albrecht says with wide why people and know their use” blue smiling eyes. screen plants “There you are, looking at those and animals across the globe for acplants. You can smell them when tive compounds to find something you cut or rip them out; you can feel and then work on it,” Lobin explains. each plant. Is it hard, is it smooth, is Yet, along with the growth of it aromatic... I sometimes have the human population, the variety of feeling that it is already healing just biodiversity is getting less day by by collecting plant.” Albrecht says. day. Major threats are habitant loss, He regrets that nowadays peoopening forest for new residencies ple, especially those who live in or commercial plantations and over developed countries, are very esexploitation of one species. tranged from nature. They are no With around 280,000 species of longer depending on nature in plant worldwide, Lobin says, there is searching remedy, although Moththe major problem with the extinc-
Mother sage tea was the best
Now, considering the extinction of the species, should we collect the herbs from nature or better plant it at home? Lobin advises to use cultivated plants, aiming to avoid over-taking from the nature. Because of overtaking, many species in several places in the world have become rare or endangered. Yet, he says if the species is not endangered or located in nature conservation area, then of
Watch out! These ignored plants might save you hundreds of euro for paying doctor • Dandelion (Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia). People in Germany call it Löwenzahn, as its leaves shaped like lion teeth. The leaves is commonly used for salad. White secretion in the leaves contains inulin, which prevents you from having diabetes mellitus. It also can dissolve kidney stones, prevent lever disease and improve digestive system. • Daisy (Bellis perennis) People can find this little white or sometimes pink flower blossoms in almost everywhere. Daisy flower can be consumed freshly with salad, thanks to its unique taste. If you want to be more practical, just go to local tea store and buy dried daisy as tea. It cleans blood, rash, solves skin problems. It is called Gänseblümchen in Germany. • Nettles (Urtica dioica). The Germans call it Brennessel because people will feel like burning in their skin when touching it. The leaves are edible after being cooked just like spinach. It is good for cleaning your blood, reducing high blood pressure and growing your hair. • Ivy (Hedera helix) or also known als Efeu in German is a very common plant can be found almost everywhere Bonn. A cup of tea made from ivy leaves is good to cure chronic bronchial disease and acute respiratory infection.
Add Daisy, your salad is fresh and pretty
course people can go and collect it. Meanwhile Albrecht says there are several things to be concerned when collecting herbs. Especially if you want to eat the herbs fresh. First concern is that people also have to be careful in not to take wrong plants. Some plants really look similar to another. Another concern, he continues, make sure that the area where you collect the herbal is less polluted. By this mean, it would be better if the area is not located nearby a street or an industrial area. “Last but not least, you should also be sure that the area you choose is not common area for dog to defecate or pee. No one wants to have that kind of additional taste in their salad,” he jokes.
times the effect of herbs is not as fast as chemical medicine. Yet she believes that this is how the way It is not only about the tea. It is the way of life and way of thinking nature works in human body. The body simply needs rest raditions have been passed next day, I would feel better.” when it starts to feel sick. While through. Some of them are Being raised in Valence, southresting needs time. This is the main gone over time. Some remain. ern part of France, Lara rememproblem of recent modern people. So it is with the habit of drinkbers how her parents plant their They simply do not have enough ing herbs. Lara Vincent, mother own herbs at home. Common time to rest, because of their work. of two, shares her story on the plants like thymian, and verbena Talking about having good herbal medicines. are growing there for rest, she gives her little tips: verfamily use. bena tea with honey. “Drink it at As I come to her home, Lara “I believe that night , it helps you relax and fall was accompanied by her three herbal medicine asleep,” she smiles. year-old son, Méwan. On her dinhas less side effect. Until present, she still gets ing table, there are four glass jars I am not against supply of herbs from her of dried herbs. Thymian, meadow modern chemical mother’s house. When her sage, verbena and winter savory. medicine. These parents come to visit, she She is familiar to use herbs since two kinds of gives them list of which her childhood. Her mother used to medicines herbs she needs. give her herbal to be put on her work in difOther time, when neck and chest, whenever she had ferent ways. she has chance Lara, 31, gets her son familiar with herbal medicines as early as possible cough. “I took a rest and on the Herbal is to visit them, she
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more to prevent from sickness, or during early stage of sickness,” she says. Nevertheless, she would prefer to drink herbal medicine first than the chemical one. Some-
November 2011
• Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is also known as Rainfarn. A cup of tansy tea helps against intestinal parasites. Meanwhile if you mix the tea with milk and lemon juice it helps reduce fever and for you to relax.
C L I C K T H AT H E R B S • Find more about Jens Albrecht’s practice at www.hp-albrecht.de/ index.php • Make your own herbal tea. Recipes are here www.heilkraeuter. de/rezept/index.htm • Medical plants from around the world www.heilpflanzenkatalog. net/ • Visit botanical garden in Bonn www.botgart.uni-bonn.de/index. php
takes some herbs back to Bonn. Lara does not get manage to plant her own herbs here in Bonn. It is difficult to grow herbs in Bonn, she says adding that the herbs need a lot of sunlight and weather in Bonn is not suitable. Although not planting it, she passes on the tradition to her son and her fourteen month-old baby, Nadi. Every time her son catches cold, she gives him warm drink made from dried thymian leaves mixed with honey. “It’s good to fight against inflammation,” she says. Meanwhile if he has cough with phlegm, she will boil dried winter savory and zimt for him. Adding herbs for cooking is another way to keep family’s health. “I like to cook soup with urmeric and garlic. Many ways to remain health without taking drugs.”