While Dr. Patrick Quillin cautions that his book Amish Folk Medicine is not intended to replace the personal care of a physician, he says he was simply looking for wisdom from people who historically have lived closer to nature and done well. He found that aboriginal groups kept record of helpful natural remedies out of the need for survival, and it obviously worked for them.
Dr. Quillin says he chose the Amish people's wisdom because they 'epitomize the simple way of life.'
Modern Medicine Should Include That Which Has Stood the Test of Time
He notes that the World Health Organization has labeled our current health care system 'invasive, controlling, and sometimes disabling.' In a forward to Dr. Quillin's book, Dr. A. Gordon Reynolds says 'remedies are only passed on for multiple generations if they work.' He says he believes that eventually the best of modern science will be interwoven with the best of ancient natural cures.
Quillan notes that a Harvard professor proved that the 22-year $30 billion dollar war on cancer has been a dismal failure, but Quillan found the Amish have used some natural remedies with success.
Cancer sufferers ingest red clover concentrate in the morning, amongst other things. For skin cancer, a poultice of the green flesh from pipe organ cactus or grated papaya or wood sorrel (oxalis) or Pau d'Arco bark or chaparral leaves and various other combinations are applied to the skin. They also recommend eating cooked asparagus every day for cancer.
Quillin says he was dubious at first, but the Amish he visited took care of a number of his complaints. Valarian root capsules helped him sleep but not feel groggy in the morning. The doctor had a persistant spot on his face that modern medicine could not treat, but an Amish poutice of herbs and zinc oxide healed the skin spots in 2 weeks.
Even his wife benefitted from a natural cure. Two persistant Plantar warts on her feet were gone in 2 weeks using a castor oil salve. Cranberry extract also gave her 'quick and easy relief' from a urinary tract infection.
The physician says he now agrees with the former Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Halfdan Mahler, who said, 'The age-old arts of the herbalists must be tapped. Many of the plants familiar to the wise woman really do have the healing powers that tradition attaches to them.'
Most People Rely on Folk Medicine
It makes sense to the author that folk medicine works. After all, he points out, modern medicine is only a phenomenon of the last 50 years or so. The WHO estimates 80% of the people on the planet rely completely on folk medicine for their health.
Many people in their 70's and older probably can recall being given onion poultices for pneumonia. While Dr. Quillin advises anyone with this illness to see a doctor, he provides the Amish recipe for treatment: make a paste of barley flour, vinegar and a ground onion. Heat the mixture, spread it on a cloth and apply to the patient's chest. He doesn't say how long to leave it on for, but it's assumed the sufferer wouldn't feel like visiting with anyone for a while in any case.
During his time spent researching his book, the author learned a lot about the closeness of the Amish community and the resulting happiness that results in general good health. He says the horse and buggy are used for transport not only because it's more natural, but it also makes it so that life is mostly spent within the community, and not at large. They believe the lifestyle that accompanies cars break down the family unit that is the hub of the Amish support unit. And that would be unhealthy.
Reference:
Quillin, Patrick, PH.D., RD, Amish Folk Medicine, Home Remedies using foods,herbs and vitamins, The Leader Company, Inc., Ohio
Join the Conversation