Why Herbs Are Harmful

Article #1: Why Herbs Are Harmful By Marti Fry

The term “herb” has two definitions. The first is simply a “seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season.” According to this definition, the various vegetables used in moderation on a healthful diet are herbs—celery, lettuce, bok choy, kale and other greens; broccoli; cauliflower; etc.

While relatively wholesome vegetables are herbs, the term “herb” really refers to a plant and not to a food. Let me clarify: when you eat a “vegetable,” you’re eating the stems, leaves, or flowers of a plant. Those stems, leaves and flowers that contain only very minute amounts of toxins are consumed as vegetables on the healthful (Hygienic) diet. But the poisonous (toxic) parts of plants are not consumed. For example we do not eat tomato plants or cucumber plants. Being of the deadly nightshade family, tomato plants are highly toxic. But we do eat the fruits of some plants, even though the leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant itself may be toxic.

One final comment about the eating of the herbs we call vegetables: These should definitely not comprise a major portion of a healthful diet, partly because of the minute amounts of toxins they do contain, and partly because they do not adequately meet our need for carbohydrates (for energy). Vegetables do contain carbohydrates, but they are mostly in the form of the carbohydrate cellulose, which humans, as frugivores, are unable to digest. Herbivores, with their four stomachs and special enzymes for breaking down grasses and other herbs, are, of course, fully capable of obtaining ample energy (carbohydrates) from herbs. Horses and cows are two notable examples of herbivores.

Frugivores, such as humans, are equipped to obtain energy primarily from the sugars in fruits. Our physiology and anatomy is such that we are capable of picking fruits, as well as masticating, digesting, and appropriating them with ease and efficiency. They contain all the nutrients we need—from vitamins and minerals, to proteins, fats and, of course, carbohydrates.

But, like the other frugivores (monkeys, apes, orangutans, etc.) humans can add relatively small amounts of vegetables to their fruitarian diet with benefit. The indigestible cellulose is simply passed through in the same form as it was ingested, and nutrients are utilized from the fleshy portion that is extracted during the chewing process.

The cellulose from vegetables is not, however, essential for human health. If we eat a hygienic diet we do not need large amounts of fiber (roughage) to keep our colon healthy. The important consideration for colon health is the same as the consideration for the health of every other organ and part of the body—freedom from toxins and toxic buildup. A pure (toxin-free) body is the result of healthful living and eating practices and not from the ingestion of any particular food, herb, or class of foods. Enemas, juices, roughage, and other substances or practices do not result in a pure (unpolluted) healthy body. Health is the normal state unless toxicosis and disease are caused by anti-vital practices and foods.

The Second Definition of “Herb”

The second definition of “herb” is: “a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities.” This means that an “herb” is used either as a “medicine” (drug), or as a seasoning, perfume, or insect repellent, etc. Herbs are used, not for their nutritional values (their vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, or carbohydrate content), but for their toxic (“medicinal”) components. For example, onions and garlic are used for their mustard oil and allicin content. Both of these toxic substances are, indigestible and incapable of causing diseases to disappear or health to be restored. The toxic component of aloe vera is the glycoside aloin; in sassafras it’s safrole; and in the Indian snake root, it’s the alkaloid reserpine.

The poisonous substances in herbs are causes of body toxicity and diseases. Toxins or poisons are anti-health, no matter what their source. We cannot be drugged into health, whether the drug (toxin) is from herbs or from a pharmaceutical company—or even from cooked foods, processed foods, incompatible food combinations, or excess food, etc. Drugs, “medicines,” and herbs are alike in that they all cause disease and are incapable of “curing.” You may obtain a temporary feeling of well-being through their use, and disease symptoms may cease for a time. But appearances can be deceiving.

The human body is the only entity capable of healing, and no substance or procedure can speed up or assist healing in any way. There is no such thing as “curing” or “medicines.” “Medical” interference in attempts at “curing” is just that—interference. The body heals itself, purifies itself, and repairs damages from injuries caused by toxins best under the condition of a fast, in which complete rest is obtained.

Rest is needed during healing because the body must recuperate as much nerve energy as possible, thus increasing its vitality, in order to have the energy it needs to conduct the disease process. Disease is a body process of toxin elimination. It is not caused by “germs” or viruses, but is necessitated by the accumulation of toxins within the body.

The body institutes the disease process, and drugs and herbs sabotage the body’s efforts by posing another threat to the body besides the toxins it was eliminating through the disease process. Being capable of handling only a limited amount of toxic matters at a time, the body temporarily halts the disease process and devotes its energies to ejecting the new offending substance.

If the drug or herb is particularly toxic; if it’s given in a large dose relative to the subject’s vitality (supply of nerve energy); or if the subject is particularly low in vitality, the result of its administration may be almost complete cessation of the disease process. The body may be temporarily incapable of ejecting the toxins accumulated in the body or those in the drug or herb.

In this case, the body, though it may be showing no or few symptoms of disease, is more diseased than before the drug or herb was administered. That is, the body is more toxic—more diseased. When vitality is regained, in time, the organism will again institute the disease process in an effort to expel its toxic burden. If herbs or drugs are again administered, the body begins to suffer more and more from the injuries inflicted by the irritating poisonous toxins within. Various diseases, including arthritis, ulcers, cancers, and others, ensue.

Herbs Are Dangerous

No matter how herbs are used or what they’re used as (expectorants, stimulants, astringents, etc.) they always, without exception, add to the body’s toxic load, which is the real disease. The disease process is simply a body activity for expelling toxins so they will not injure the body and thus impede its functions.

In addition, herbs, like other drugs, temporarily, at least, give the illusion of health in some cases. Thus a person is not inclined to institute correct living practices so as to not cause further disease or to remove the practices and habits that cause disease. The result? More disease and continued disease, which is the opposite of the herbologist’s intentions, if he is truly health-minded and not simply money-oriented.

What To Do

If you are an herb doctor, may I suggest you consider becoming a Natural Hygiene counselor instead. If you use herbs, I suggest you discontinue their use and, instead, institute healthful practices while simultaneously eliminating all unwholesome (drug) practices. My own experiences, as well as the experiences of many Natural Hygienists, verify the efficaciousness of this advice. If you are not yet willing to accept what I have said and what has been written elsewhere in the Life Science publications, study some more Hygienic literature.

And remember: health results only from healthful living. You cannot “make up for” any unhealthful practices by the use of herbs, or by the use of any other substances or practices. There are no magic potions and no shortcuts. And, after all, the path to health is not a hard road to follow anyway!